Page 117 of The Sound of Him

“Hm.” He opens a cabinet door, seemingly checking the hinges. He moves on to the next one. And the next. “Maybe…”

Any amusement drains right out of me.I know that tone. That is the tone of dangerous ideas.

“Keaton,” I warn.

“I know,” he says quietly. He closes the cabinet door and doesn’t move on to the next one. He just stands there, staring at it. “He’s protective over you, he’s dangerous over me. I get it. I get the difference. I know.”

My heart breaks for him. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Whatever. I’m used to it.” Which I guess he is. Kellan always approved of friends, but nothing more than that. Best friends were conveniently uninterested shortly after introductions, or reassigned to other units, or given missions halfway around the world.

Relationships were worse. I know Fox helped Kellan with the first two - at 17, then 19. I’m still not sure if Keaton ever found out about either of those interventions. The one at 23 he had to handle on his own. Keaton was a full adult. Fox thought Keaton should get to do whatever he wanted.

Kellan hadn’t agreed.

I’ve lost track of how many partners have been driven off since then. Keaton had caught on eventually. He stopped introducing Kellan to them. He stopped even mentioning them.

Until Scotty, at least. Keaton was so in love with Scotty that it was kind of nauseating to look at. When they hit the year mark, he tentatively introduced him to Kellan. He’d been smart about it. He’d told Kellan the night before the introductory dinner that Scotty was good for him. He cooked Keaton healthy meals and got on his case about smoking and caffeine. When he found out Keaton was trying to stay sober, he gave up alcohol too. Keaton was even considering quitting missions for him.

Kellan had actually approved of Scotty, though cautiously. The approval didn’t last long.

Scotty and Keaton had a fight about some very incriminating texts involving Scotty’s co-worker. Scotty didn’t think it was that big of a thing.Monogamy was so outdated,he’d said.Couldn’t they just be in love and have fun?He bet his co-worker would love to get fucked by Keaton, too.

Keaton had stumbled into Kellan’s house in the middle of the night, drunk off his ass, laughing on the floor of the mudroom as he looked up at Kellan holding the gun he kept beside his bed. Shoot me, he’d dared him. Fucking do it.

Kellan was very calm. He put the gun somewhere safe. He told me to go back to sleep. He brought Keaton to his old room and brought him water and meds and watched over him as he slept.

Within 24 hours, Scotty had disappeared off the face of the earth. I never asked what happened. Neither did Keaton.

Keaton hasn’t had a relationship since.

Then he found Bryce…

What would Kellan do to Bryce?

I shudder.

Keaton pulls me away from the awful thought when he clears his throat. I look over to find him still staring at the cabinet door, rubbing his hand over his jaw. He needs a shave. Some sleep wouldn’t hurt, either.

He glances at me just long enough to know he got my attention before hanging his head to watch himself run a finger over the edge of the countertop. “Just… if they become family to you, don’t forget-” his voice gives out.

He swallows hard and shakes his head at himself. “Just - uh - just don’t forget about us too, okay? I know Kellan is… well,Kellan. And I know I’m a fucking mess. I know I drive you crazy with my moods and with-” he stops when I wrap my arms around him.

“How could I ever forget you, you idiot,” I murmur as he turns into the hug so he can have his arms around me too. “You’re my superhero, Keaton.”

“You don’t owe me-”

“Shut up.” I squeeze him harder. He presses a choked sound, maybe a sob, into my shoulder. “I can feel them becoming family, okay? But they’re like my step-brothers or something. You and Kellan areeverything. My mom and my dad and my brothers all wrapped up. How could they ever, ever compete with that, Keat?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He gives me a squeeze of his own before nudging his temple against mine. “Fucking hell, when did you get this tall? You used to be so short.”

“Dude, you met me when I was, like, 10. I hope that I’ve gotten taller.”

He chuckles, the sound low and a little wet. “Used to have to get on one knee to give you a good hug like this.”