Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(35)

She nodded. “Variegated mums and cactus, no thorns.”

“Thank you,” he said, turning back toward his office.

Key had confessed that fall was his favorite time of the year. Apparently, he loved mums and cactus plants. Who knew? Key’s birthday fell on Halloween—information that had taken quite a bit of prodding to acquire. But Alec couldn’t be happier. Halloween happened to be Alec’s favorite holiday. They still had a few weeks to go, and if Alec played his cards right, they might actually have their first official date, almost nine months from the first day they met. He shook his head, biting back a grin at the thought. Their first date. Regardless, he envisioned dressing up from head to toe and going out as long as he could find suitable costumes this late in the game. Janice had invited them to a masquerade party at a bar she and her fiancé regularly frequented, and honestly, if he could find something to conceal their identities, there shouldn’t be any problem with them attending. With the way things were going, maybe next Halloween could be their second official date.

Alec rounded the corner toward his office, reaching in his pocket for his cell phone. He hung his suit coat on the hanger by the door before texting Key.

“You left your hair tie here and a tire pressure tool.” Alec had barely gotten seated behind his desk when the phone dinged.

“Tool 4 ur car & new tie.”

Short and sweet, and the idea the tire pressure gauge was a gift warmed his heart like only Key could. Instead of getting all mushy, as his biker called it, he went for the humor.

“Afraid I might call you needing a tire change?” he teased, and Key responded right back.

“More like afraid of the places u get stranded.”

Alec read the words and laughed. Key had a point. He stared at the hair tie he’d placed on the desk. It had lost its elasticity and was a frayed, used up thing. His sisters had long hair—really the only other people Alec knew with hair long enough to tie back—and they seemed to use a new ponytail holder an hour and not think twice about it.

“Thank you for my gift. Have a good day,” he typed. The inevitable teasing from Key about his sentimental text would come. He’d be merciless with his ribbing, but then his guy would go out of his way to bring Alec another gift, something more meaningful, because at the end of the day, Key wanted him happy.

He pushed send, and Key sent back a fist bump emoji, causing Alec to laugh again. It seemed everything the man did made him insanely happy. Their connection had only grown stronger over the past months. Alec tossed the phone on his desk and reached for the computer’s mouse to bring the screen to life. He entered his password and took a deep breath as he clicked on his email program, opting for his personal account to send this very personal message. The sound of the vacuum cleaner droning in another part of the house had Alec rising from his desk and shutting his office door to silence the extra noise.

He dropped back down in his office chair, letting out a long, cleansing exhale as he thought about his future. He hadn’t made a rushed decision. Alec had known Key almost a year, and no matter what happened between them or how this ended, he was forever a changed man. He had been shown the meaning to the words happiness and love. Only one person mattered now and that was Key Dixon. Alec reached for his cell phone and searched his locked photo gallery until he found his favorite picture of Key. He was in the swimming pool, man bun securing his hair and sunglasses in place. His hard muscular chest was bare while he floated on the swan-shaped raft. Alec smiled, touching Key’s face with his finger, remembering their leisurely day spent together.

Alec positioned the phone where Key’s picture faced him, giving him courage as he composed a long overdue message. Alec started typing, but stopped, lifting his fingers off the keyboard. Emailing was the coward’s way out. Alec was done being used, neglected, and shamed based on how the Pierce family fared in the voter polls or whatever latest market research effort they’d engaged in. He’d rather be condemned by honest feelings than by a hypocritical religious jackass with a voter’s registration card threatening not to vote for Ryan Pierce because of his son. Hell, if asked, he could supply a lengthy list of far better reasons not to vote for his old man…

Stop. Don’t think about it. It’s destructive and puts you on the defensive. Be done so you can move forward.

Alec looked down at the phone in his hand as he pulled up his father’s personal cell number. Before connecting the call, he glanced at the time. It was early. Key naturally woke super early. Seven thirty Dallas time meant eight thirty in DC. Maybe he could catch his father before his first meeting of the day. He cocked a speculative brow and gave a single nod at an even better option, maybe his father was already in a meeting and wouldn’t answer at all, allowing him to leave a voice mail. Again, the coward’s way out, but he couldn’t control another person’s availability. And surely leaving a message amounted to less cowardice than an email.

Alec closed his eyes, took a deep centering breath, and gained strength from his list of newfound priorities. And as always, his analytic mind began listing those reasons.

One—Key Dixon was his entire world, which only solidified with each passing day.

Two—Key’s happiness surpassed the need for his own. Hell, the man’s life meant more to him than his own. Alec was certain Key was his future and had been from the moment he’d seen that stunning man staring down at him with concern over the condition of his tires.