Making It Personal, Wells, C. [best books under 200 pages .TXT] 📗

started preparing the machine. “Not me, thank goodness!” Their three year old goddaughter was a bundle of energy who left them both exhausted each time she came to visit. Dave would laugh every time, mocking their lack of stamina. “I think Rick and Angelo have her—God help them.” Will met Blake’s gaze. “You still sure you want to do this? When Milly stays here, it’s like a mini tornado has hit the place.”

Blake stilled. “You’re not having cold feet, are you?”

Will cursed himself for putting that crease between Blake’s eyes. He hastened to reassure his husband, drawing Blake into the circle of his arms. “No, baby, not at all.” He kissed Blake tenderly. “And it won’t be long now. I’m sure Donna will be ringing us any day now with good news.”

The phone warbling into action startled them both. Blake’s eyes widened and Will watched his hand shake as he connected the call. “Dave? Is everything okay?” His face erupted into a huge smile. “Oh, that’s great news! How’s Lizzie?” Will poured two mugs of coffee and placed one in front of Blake, who beamed at him. “How much does he weigh? Wow. Poor Lizzie.” He snickered. “Tell her she can hit me when she sees me later tonight. We’ll be there for visiting hours, armed with a teddy bear. And does our godson have a name yet?” Blake’s lip trembled and Will was disturbed to see tears welling in his eyes. “Oh Dave, that’s… that’s wonderful.” He listened intently for a minute. “Yeah, I’ll pass that on. We’ll see you later. And Dave? Thank you.”

Blake disconnected the call and stared at the screen in silence for a moment. Will waited impatiently, his heart pounding. At last he couldn’t take any more. “Well?”

Blake raised damp eyes to stare at him. “Eight pounds four ounces.” Will winced. “Justin William Thurston.”

Oh. Will pulled Blake to him in a fierce hug, kissing his hair, his cheeks, before finally taking his mouth in a kiss full of sweetness. He broke away, wiping at his own eyes which were suddenly blurry. “Justin would have got a kick out of that.” He sniffed. They’d only lost Justin a mere six months ago, his second heart attack having proved more lethal than the first. At least he and Blake had spent the last five years building a new relationship. And as for Will, losing Justin had been as painful as if he were Will’s own father. The two men had grown really close.

Will led Blake into the living room and pushed him insistently to sit on the sofa. Will curled up next to him, sharing his warmth. Blake draped an arm around him, pulling him close.

“The saddest thing?” Blake stared into space. “Dad will never get to see his grandchild.” They’d spent the last year finding a surrogate, and Donna was perfect. Both men had donated sperm at the clinic. It didn’t matter to either of them who the baby’s biological father would be. It would be their child.

Will kissed his cheek. “I’m sure he’ll know. I believe that.” Blake gave him a watery smile. “And it’s great news about Dave and Lizzie.” He chuckled. “Who’d have thought it? Inviting Dave to that party all those years ago changed both their lives.”

Blake looked at him keenly. “Just how many years ago was that, now?” His eyes twinkled.

Will snickered. “No, I haven’t forgotten. The champagne is in the fridge and the deli chicken is in the oven.” He cupped Blake’s cheek and kissed him on the mouth. “Happy fifth wedding anniversary, Mr. Davis—and of course, Happy 36th Birthday.” They spent several minutes doing nothing but kiss, slowly and languidly, both content to enjoy the moment.

Blake broke the kiss to take a drink from his mug. His eyes went to the bookshelves where one shelf had been given over to Will’s books. Will saw the direction of his gaze.

“Do you ever regret firing me?” Will bit his lip, waiting for the usual outburst. He didn’t have to wait long.

“I didn’t fire you!”

Will burst into a peal of laughter. “Oh yes you did. I can still hear every word you said that day. You told me I needed to do something else with my life, and that you’d support me in every way you could while I concentrated on my writing.”

Blake grumbled. “Well, could you have carried on working under me?”

Will leered. “Oh, but I love being under you.”

Blake smacked his arm. “Be serious.”

Will grinned. “Oh, but I was being very serious.” He waggled his eyebrows and then pouted as Blake hauled himself up off the sofa and walked over to the bookshelf. Will knew without looking exactly what Blake was doing. Sure enough, Blake turned around with a familiar volume in his hands. Will had to smile. “Be careful with that. It’s a very rare item.” It was the copy of his book, Out in the Cold, that Blake had produced for him that first Christmas together. The only copy in existence.

“Do you ever regret not letting me publish it? It could have been huge, you know.”

Will shook his head. “It was the right decision, babe. It was far too personal to me. And there was always the chance that someone would recognize me from it. I didn’t want people rooting around in my past. Besides, that chapter of my life is over.” He glanced over at the row of books which represented the last five years of his life. He gazed up at his husband. “I’ve never regretted leaving Trinity. Working on my writing has been so fulfilling, not to mention lucrative.” His latest gay thriller had been out for over two months now, and it hadn’t budged from the top five at Amazon. And of course the success of the books had finally helped to pay off the last of his student loans. Their conversation was still so clear in his head, like it was yesterday. He vividly recalled his reaction when Blake had offered to support