He snorted. At least they still thought along the same lines. “That’s a stupid name. You should have picked something cooler.”
“Says the man who literally used my name for decades.” Ezra sounded more like Ezra in that moment than he had the whole time. The whiny teen he’d been came out, and it pierced Beck through the heart that his brother was alive. Alive.
That didn’t mean he had to forgive him. “I was honoring you. I thought you’d died in battle.”
“I think you were trying to avoid being Mr. Black or whatever stupid color name the Agency wanted to pin on you. Mr. Vermilion or something.” Ezra followed him out into the hall and stopped at the sight of Kim and Roman cuddled up on the couch. He stared at them for a moment. “He’s a special kid.”
And he suspected Ezra had something to do with that. “Kim said something about you walking him to school.”
“Almost every day. It’s on my way to the hospital where I spend most of my time. Spent. I’m not sure what I’ll do now. Maybe go to jail. It’s okay. I can do good work there, too.”
“I’m not sending you to jail.” His brother was too invested in his own drama. “But you need to understand that she’s mine.”
Ezra cocked a brow. “She’s her own person.”
“Who’s going to be my wife. And I’ll be her husband. Don’t pull that ‘I’m trying to own her’ crap. She can be incredibly possessive, too.”
“That wasn’t the problem with our marriage.” Kim’s eyes opened. “Could you two keep it down? He’s tired.”
“Pick him up and take him to the bedroom, please,” he instructed his brother.
Ezra moved in and easily lifted Roman up. He arched a brow Beck’s way as though asking him why he couldn’t carry his own son.
“I can get him,” Kim said, starting to ease off the couch.
He couldn’t pick up his son because Kim should know she was important, too. She looked adorably disheveled as he reached down and picked her up, hauling her against his chest. “You’re tired, too. We’re taking the bed and my brother can suck it.”
Ezra groaned but disappeared into the bedroom with Roman.
“We’re taking the bed?” Kim asked. “You know I can walk, right?”
“Why should you? And yes, I meant we as in you and me and Roman. I don’t want the two of you alone.” He walked them through the doorway as Ezra was placing Roman in the middle of the only slightly larger than a double bed. “Even in a room. Don’t worry, baby. I won’t try to kiss you again until you ask me to.”
“Like that’s going to happen.” But she was relaxed in his arms as he settled her on the bed.
It would. She’d wanted him to kiss her tonight. Her head had tilted up and those gorgeous lips had parted the tiniest bit to welcome him home.
He grabbed a blanket and pulled it over Kim and Roman, making sure they would be warm and comfortable. “I promise when we get wherever we’re going I’ll make sure you both have proper PJs and toothbrushes and stuff.”
She yawned. “I used yours. Roman was thrilled to not have to brush his teeth.” She frowned. “I am tired. I wasn’t going to tell you I did that.”
He didn’t mind at all. She’d always used his toothbrush when she’d forgotten her own, and that had happened more than once. As he’d usually spent time with his tongue on every part of her body, he hadn’t seen it as a hygiene thing. They’d been married.
It was so easy to fall back into patterns when he wasn’t being an asshole to her.
He reached down and touched her hair. “Go to sleep. I’ll be right on the other side of our son.”
“I’ll apparently be outside with the computer guy waiting to be used as a human shield.” Ezra was standing at the door like he was still going to try to sleep on that chair.
“Jax is good with a gun, too. He’ll protect you and shit. Go to the couch.” He pushed his brother out and closed the door in his face.
“That was rude,” Kim said, but she was settling in, her hair spread out behind her.
He’d missed all that hair. “He should get used to it.” He turned off the lamp on the nightstand and eased his body down on the bed, tucking the blanket around his son. “I promise I’m going to take care of you. I know I didn’t back then, but I’m a different man now.”
In the moonlight he could see her eyes close. “You’re still bossy as hell. Tell Big Tag to send moisturizer. My skin’s not as young as it used to be.”
He couldn’t tell. She looked luminous in the silky moonlight.
In seconds she was breathing deeply, slowly, as she fell asleep.
Beck laid there in bed watching them sleep, perfectly content for the first time in decades.
He would win her back. He wouldn’t stop until she said yes to him again.
Chapter Eleven
“Uncle Ezra used to play football? That’s weird.”
Beck scooped the eggs onto his son’s plate, a sense of satisfaction running through him. He didn’t feel this way when he cooked for himself. He usually felt annoyed because it meant he didn’t have time to stop and pick something up. He was a serviceable cook.
“It wasn’t weird.” Ezra pulled up a chair, ruffling Roman’s hair as he sat down. “Except that we called it soccer because football means something different in the States. And you’re lucky because you’re getting your dad’s special eggs. He used to cook them for me when our mom was too busy.”
“There’s not a lot special about them. A little butter and milk. That’s pretty standard.” He didn’t want to think about the fact that he’d taken care of his brother for years while their parents had worked. It was him cooking breakfast or they ate cereal every day
