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answer on Jeopardy!, which was playing on the TV that was attached to the wall.
What is Parliament?
Riley groaned and shoved his shoulder. I had that, asshole!
Trace grinned at him. Snooze you lose.
Mr. Collins? Dr. Galbraith will see you now.
Both he and Riley stilled, the laughter dying and Trace glanced over at the nurse
and nodded, smiling tightly. He turned to Riley and gave him a smile too, this one
warm and real. You don t have to come in, darlin .
Riley glared at him and stood. I m not going to dignify that with a response,
cowboy. Let s go, that man s got good news to give us.
Trace didn t want to get his hopes up, he really didn t, but he couldn t quite stop
the little surge of confidence. Riley was so sure, it was hard not to feel that way too.
Whether it was real or feigned, Trace drew Riley to him and gave him a hard squeeze.
Thank you, he whispered.
Riley hugged him back, the only sign that he was scared a small tremor that rippled
through him before he steeled himself and pulled back, giving Trace a bright smile.
You re welcome. Now come on, we have better things to do than waste the day in this
hospital.
Trace didn t try to argue, following his lover s lead with a shake of his head. If Riley
could make it true just by sheer force of will, Trace was beginning to think maybe
things really would be just perfect.
* * * * *
Riley hummed softly as he finished loading the dishwasher, closed it and started
the wash cycle then leaned on the counter to look out the kitchen window. It was long
since dark outside and the stars were out, winking prettily in the pitch-black sky. In
another month or so, the sun would still be out at this time of evening, the grass would
be just beginning to go green with spring. It was Riley s favorite time of year, these last
few weeks of winter just before spring began, full of potential and promise.
Glancing around the kitchen, Riley double-checked that everything was cleaned up
and put away before switching off the lights and wandering down the hall. His fingers
trailed over the lovingly polished furniture, careful not to leave any fingerprints, over
140
His Every Breath
the newly hung wallpaper in cheerful yellow stripes. Riley had redecorated the house a
few months back, wanting to make it seem more his. And it was, more of a home than
anywhere else he d ever lived. Now, Riley understood the lack had never been so much
in any one place but in his life. He d always wanted to belong somewhere. And he did,
right here in this house that had become home so quickly, with constant reminders all
around him of the love that had brought him there.
As he walked, his gaze was drawn to the pictures that lined the walls Trace s baby
pictures and school photos. Riley smiled, idly straightening one frame, wiping a bit of
dust off another, his fingertips just brushing over the impish smile behind the glass. The
house was quiet but for the faint hum of the dishwasher, an occasional creak of the
hardwood floor beneath his feet. Turning into the living room, Riley straightened the
cushions on the couch, the crocheted throw over the back that Trace s mother had made
for him.
With a heavy sigh, Riley dropped onto the couch and leaned back, eyes closing. It s
been a long day, an even longer winter. He smiled slightly at the thought. Had it really
been six months already? Didn t seem that way. Some days it felt as if it d been just
yesterday that his life had turned onto this path. Other days, it felt like he d been on it
forever. His eyes opened and he sat up, smiling when Ginger leapt up on to the cushion
beside him.
Hello there, sweet baby. Come here, he crooned, scooping her up into his lap. She
wriggled and licked him before settling down and sprawling contentedly across his legs
as he rubbed her head and scratched her ears. A picture of him and Trace together sat
on the end table and Ginger climbed from his lap to the arm of the couch and sniffed at
the picture frame before giving him a forlorn look that made him smile.
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