Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(60)
“All I’m saying is that if Aysha is going to continue to see this Drew character then I think we should get to meet him and make sure he’s alright. We don’t need some jerk coming around Nicholas,” Matt stated.
“God, I love you,” Hudson told him and I smiled.
It had been a few months since we’d first declared our love, but not a day went by that we didn’t say it to each other and my heart still melted every time I heard the words uttered from my lovers’ lips. It didn’t even matter whether they were saying it to me or to each other because seeing the two of them loving each other affected me the same way. What the two of them felt for each other was just as strong as what I shared with each of them and that was the beauty of our relationship.
It had been a long day and the three of us were relaxing in Matt’s office while he finished some paperwork. I was stretched out on the couch with my head in Hudson’s lap, luxuriating in the feel of his fingers in my hair and enjoying Matt’s protectiveness when it came to Hudson’s sister and nephew. I had to agree with him though. Since that first night, we’d spent a lot more time with Aysha and Nicholas, and Matt and I had begun to care about them as if they were our own family. We were thrilled that she was dating again, but we were anxious to meet the guy and see for ourselves if he was good enough to be around them.
A knock sounded at the door and I sat up. Everyone at the center knew we were in a relationship and were happy for us, but we were still careful about PDAs since there were kids around. It was hard at times when all I wanted to do was lay my men out across the nearest desk and have my way with them, but I resisted. I deserve a fucking medal.
The door opened and Allison popped her head around it. “I’m sorry to bother you guys, I know you were getting ready to leave soon, but we just had a couple of new kids come in. There may be a bit of an issue with one of them though so I thought I better let you know right away.”
“What kind of issue?” I asked.
“He’s only eight,” she said.
I exchanged concerned looks with the other men and then we followed Allison out the door. The boys were sitting on the couch in the lobby area of the building. There was food on the table in front of them and someone had turned the TV on to Nickelodeon. I gave Allison a small smile of thanks and then I turned my attention to Matt who knelt down in front of them and introduced himself in a quiet, soothing voice.
I’d heard him use that same tone with each new arrival and I knew he did it on purpose to make himself seem less threatening. Matt told me once that most of the kids who came to the center had been hurt in one way or another, often by men and so they would automatically be leery of him. He tried his best to put them at ease and every time I heard it, it made me feel safe just like the first time he’d used it on me.
The two boys were seated closely together, but as they looked up at Hudson, the youngest scooted in closer to the older boy’s side. The older boy’s eyes never wavered, but his arm curled around the younger boy in a move that was as protective as it was automatic which told me he was used to watching out for the eight-year-old. He also winced when he moved which made me wonder if he was injured and an uneasy feeling began in the pit of my stomach. I was sure that Hudson had seen the boy’s pained expression too because he cursed under his breath. Nothing pissed him off more than someone hurting a child.
They looked nothing alike so it was difficult to tell if they were related or not. The older of the two had light brown hair that was long in the front and kept falling down over his green eyes. He swept it back to the side nervously and my breath hitched when I caught a glimpse of a narrow gash on his forehead. It was swollen and just beginning to bruise so I knew that it must’ve happened recently. I could tell someone had attempted to clean it, but there were still dark smudges of caked blood along the edges and I clenched my jaw.
The younger boy was the complete opposite with jet black hair, crystal blue eyes, and dimples along the sides of his mouth that were visible even without smiling. They both were thinner than they should’ve been, but I noticed they hadn’t touched the food that Allison had laid out. They didn’t look dirty so they’d either recently found a place to clean up or they hadn’t been out on their own for long.
“Will you tell us your names?” Matt asked. The younger boy started to speak, but the older boy cut him off.
“No names until we know if we can stay here,” he said. “If we’ve got to move on then I don’t want you calling the cops and telling them who we are.”
“Fair enough. Can you at least tell me how old you are?” Matt asked. The older boy glanced over to the front desk where Allison was on the phone, most likely explaining the situation to CPS.
“I already told the lady that I’m fifteen and my brother’s eight.” His eyes held a challenge as he stared back at Matt. “Look, I’ve seen this place on the news when it was being set up. I know it’s for LGBTQA kids to have a safe place they can stay. I’m gay, I promise I am, so will you just let us stay?”
Hudson took a few steps forward and both pairs of eyes darted in his direction, nervous and untrusting. He halted his steps and then sat down, right on the floor so he’d be on their level. He was trying to make himself look smaller so they wouldn’t be afraid and my heart swelled with love for both of my men and the compassion they were showing.