"
Dad! Dad! Daaaaaaad!
" Aidan shouted from the pool. All the waving and yelling would've sent the kid straight to the bottom if Kase wasn't standing there, making sure he stayed on his back.
Aidan wouldn't stop hollering until Seamus acknowledged him, so Seamus paused his conversation with Will and Scott and waved. It doesn't matter how many times a parent says
'can't you see I'm talking?'
. Yes, they can see you. No, they don't care. At some point it becomes easier to just give the kid what he wants.
Seamus grinned at Aidan's too tight goggles and hilariously adorable nose clip. Could the poor kiddo even breathe? Must have because he smiled just fine, waved enthusiastically, and went back to learning to swim like he hadn't just made a scene just for a little attention.
The proud dad couldn't help but watch as Aidan mastered his swim skill. The kid was a natural. That wasn't a statement made lightly or out of bias. Kase, who might have played football in college but he had been swimming competitively since he was eight, agreed. So much so, he was spending his entire vacation in the water with Aidan because he knew Aidan had a gift that needed nurturing.
Aidan switched to the front stroke, and Seamus was all but forgotten. He made his way to the other side of the pool where Jay was lounging, waiting for him to return with his refill.
"Thanks!" he said as he took his iced coffee and offered his knuckles for a bro tap. "Where's Matt? I haven't seen him for a while."
Seamus took a sip of his iced tea and settled into the lounge chair. It was hot. Really hot. Lucky for them it wasn't too humid, making it the best time of year to vacation.
"He's napping. I imagine he'll be up soon."
Jay grinned and made some weird grabbing motion with his hands. He looked like a gremlin plotting to steal something valuable. Seamus laughed. "What the fuck are you doing? You look like an idiot."
"I'm getting ready."
"He won't want to be around you if you're weird."
"Whatever," the giant scoffed. "He loves me. I'm his favorite."
"Not in those shorts you're not."
Jay looked at his neon floral shorts, then at Seamus, totally offended. "These are amazing."
"They're terrible."
"Loren likes them," he rationalized.
"Loren gets paid to show the world he's wearing them. Extra points if his famous boyfriend is matchy matchy."
Jay eyed Seamus, then smirked. "You're jealous."
"Of what?"
"Of how cute Loren and I are in our matchy matchy outfits. You want to be matchy matchy with Matt. Don't deny it."
"Did you call me over here to annoy me? If so, I'll go back to Will and Scott. They were being nice."
"Don't be lame. I actually wanted to talk to you about something important." Jay conveniently paused and took a drink of his iced coffee just to annoy Seamus. But Seamus didn't give in, which annoyed Jay. "We've decided to move here," he finally said. A bit bummed at that lack of want from his friend. Where was the joy in holding juicy information if the person would not beg?
"What! Really?" Seamus couldn't hold back his grin.
"Don't seem so surprised. With the business getting ready to launch, it was a no brainer. I need to be here. And more than that, I want to be here." There was nothing but conviction in his voice. He had made up his mind and there was no changing it.
"What about Loe? Is he onboard?"
Jay's eyes flashed over to his lover. "Yeah, he sees the advantages. It makes sense from a business perspective."
"And from a personal perspective. Did he turn you down again?"
Jay shot him a look that said '
stop'.
Seamus couldn't let it go. Jay was his best friend. "Is he really so against marriage?"
"You've seen him turn me down more than once."
"It's not like you were serious when you asked him."
Jay turned his head and looked at Seamus, one brow reaching the sky. "I've been dead serious since day one. You know it, he knows it, everyone knows it."
It was crazy to Seamus. Why would anyone be hesitant when it came to Jay? The guy was the platinum package. Seamus sometimes wondered if Loren was even good enough. Matt seemed to think so, but Seamus wasn't convinced.
"Loe and I talked a lot about the future and what that looks like. It doesn't involve kids of our own and that was hard for me. It was also a willing sacrifice for the man I love. But I need to be an uncle. I want sleepovers and car rides and ice cream trips. So, as much as moving closer to you is for the business, it's for me. It's for us."
"And Loren's okay with that?" he asked. "I know he was pretty set on staying."
Jay grinned. It was cocky, a little smug, like he had the most desirable secret. "He has a hard time admitting it, but Loren loves being an uncle. He loves being part of a family."
"Why would that be hard to admit?"
"Because foster care can mess with a kid. He might not want a kid of his own, but you should see him every time you drop the boys off. He transforms. He wants what I want. He wants nephews to love on. So we're both putting our houses on market in Washington and looking for something here."
Seamus reached over and squeezed Jay's hand. His friend had always wanted the American dream with the spouse, the picket fence, and the two-and-a-half kids. Giving up a big part of that had to be devastating, but it was no surprise he'd do it for the man he loved.
Truth be told, Seamus couldn't be happier. He wanted his friend near. And since Matt and Loren had become close friends, the proximity could only enrich their lives.
"Well, you won't find me trying to talk you out of it. We'd love having babysitters that live right down the street."
