Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(46)

I wanted to be more.

I wanted to be the man that Matt and Isaac chose to come to with their secrets and their worries. Not because they were paying me to listen, but because they trusted me to be there for them and take care of them. I felt protective of the two of them, but I also wanted them to provide shelter for me when I needed it. I wanted a relationship.

When I’d woken that morning, I still wasn’t sure if that were possible, but after Matt had told us everything, I was more hopeful than ever. I’d been shocked to learn he’d been married before, but the love and devotion he still carried for his first love, proved what a remarkable man Matt truly was. He cared deeply about others and when he gave someone his heart, he gave it fully and forever.

I’d grown up without either of my parents, and while Nonna and Aysha had made sure I’d felt loved, there had always been a part of me that had wondered why my parents hadn’t. I’d had boyfriends I’d cared about and who had cared about me, but I’d never had someone treat me like I was their whole world. As I listened to Matt talk about Sean, I realized they’d had that, and while I was happy for them, I also wanted it for myself.

I looked into Matt’s gray eyes with his mop of curls on top of his head and then past him to Isaac with his bright blue eyes and freckles across his nose and my heart stuttered. I wasn’t sure where this thing between us was headed, but I was more determined than ever to find out. As far as I was concerned, they were my guys and until they told me otherwise, I was going to treat them that way.

Matt laid his head on my shoulder and sighed. “Thank you both for coming to check on me. It feels good to have someone care and it felt good to finally talk about Sean. To tell you all about him and what he meant to me.” I ran my fingers through his hair and Isaac laid his head on Matt’s shoulder, their hands folded together in Isaac’s lap.

“Thank you for finally telling us. All I ever wanted to do was be there for you in whatever way you needed me,” Isaac whispered.

“I know and I appreciate that, I just wasn’t ready before,” Matt told him.

“I think that’s because we were waiting for Hudson to get here,” Isaac said as if it were the most natural explanation in the world. My breath caught in my throat as Matt moved his head so he could look at me. His gray eyes roamed over my face and then he broke into the sweetest smile that did crazy things to my heart.

“I think you’re right, Isaac,” Matt whispered. I bent my head down and my lips met Matt’s in a gentle kiss. When he moved back, the storms that were normally present in his gaze had cleared. Matt looked like he had finally found peace.

He yawned then and I could tell that reliving his past had taken a lot out of him. He was emotionally drained, not to mention the physical toll his drunken bender had taken on his body. He needed to sleep and hopefully when he woke, he’d be able to move forward with a clear head and a peaceful heart.

“We should go, let you get some sleep,” I suggested, but Matt looked startled.

“No, please! I don’t want you to go. I mean, unless you have things you need to do. I know you both left work early to come here so I understand if you need to get back,” he said.

“I cleared my entire day and there’s nowhere else I want to be,” I told him. Matt smiled at me and leaned up for another kiss.

“I think my boss will understand if I don’t make it back today.” Isaac’s joke broke the heaviness which I’m sure was his intention and we all laughed. It felt good, but I could see the exhaustion in Matt’s eyes.

“We’ll stay as long as you get some rest,” I promised Matt.

“Sleep sounds good actually,” he agreed, standing up and stretching. He turned around and looked at us. “Would you both lie down with me, at least until I fall asleep? I’m sorry, I just don’t want to be alone right now. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.”

“Don’t ever apologize for telling us what you need,” I said, already getting to my feet.

I slid my hand into Matt’s and then turned to look at Isaac, surprised to see him with his phone out, texting someone. He finished and then shut his phone off and looked up at us.

“I was just letting Allison know that we were taking the rest of the day off,” he explained and then cleared his throat. “I told her you had a terrible migraine and that’s why you weren’t able to call earlier.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry you had to lie,” Matt said sheepishly.

Isaac climbed off the couch and wrapped his arms around Matt’s waist. “Don’t you know by now that there’s really not much I wouldn’t do for you. Either one of you,” he said, peering around Matt to see me. I winked at him, feeling exactly the same way.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” I said and we followed Matt down the hall to his room.

His bedroom was neat and uncluttered. The bed was smaller than mine, but I was sure we’d all fit, especially since I wanted them both as close to me as possible. Matt sat down on the bed with a sigh and I saw his eyes go to the picture on the table next to him.

My eyes zoomed in on the handsome red-haired man in the picture. He was wearing a suit and his green eyes sparkled as they stared at the man beside him in a matching suit. It was easy to see that the two were crazy about each other. Matt was younger in the photo, but that wasn’t what stood out to me the most. No, it was the look on Matt’s face, the one that said he was young and in love, with his whole life before him and not a care in the world.