Cheat [MxM] (Carter Brothers Book 1)

Chapter 18

EZRA ▪︎ POV 

I lifted Ollie off the couch, pulling his limp body into my arms and holding him close. His cheeks were pink from the warmth of cuddling Jae and there was drool on his cheek. His dirty-blonde eyelashes fluttered, but he didn't wake and I was thankful as I left the room to lay him down for the night. 

Once I reached the spare bedroom, I lowered him on the right side of the bed, stuffing a pillow between his little body and the wall. That gave Jae and I the rest of the bed to cuddle and kept Ollie safe from Jae's odd sleeping habits, not that he would purposely hurt Ollie, but it was better to be safe than sorry. 

Once he was settled, the duvet pulled up over his waist, I kissed his cheek, dimmed the overhead light and left the room. The door was ajar just in case he woke up which was unlikely, but it did still happen sometimes. 

When I made it back to the living room, Evan was mimicking the princess hold I had done with my son, but in his arms was a limp Jeremiah who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. The sight was oddly emotional. The gentle way my older brother cradled the man like he was a precious being to behold, made my heart clench. It made me so happy to see him have someone of his own and seeing him so openly affectionate with someone other than myself was amazing. 

Of course I was still scared, scared that he was moving too fast, being too optimistic and trusting like he always was. Evan was always one to share his heart without a second thought and not a lot of people knew that about him. They saw a good looking, young, sometimes ruthless CEO. They saw his hard demeanour during board meetings, saw his charm and called him a player. But deep down, he wasn't any of that at all. My brother was a protector, a lover, a caring man. 

Therefore, I was worried that he would get hurt if Jeremiah didn't turn out to be the one Evan hoped he would be. Of course my own horrific experience with marriage was shadowing my view on the success of romance, but I loved Evan, therefore I would always care enough to be cautious for him. However, after meeting Jeremiah and watching the timid, sweet man interact with Evan all throughout the evening, I prayed he wouldn't hurt my brother because I'd grown to like him a lot. Evan loved him. 

"I'm gonna put him to bed," Evan whispered and I nodded, patting his shoulder and stepping to the side to let him pass. Jeremiah looked like a god with his long locks and the golden jewellery that pierced his nose and ears. His skin was a warm brown and his dark eyes were kind. There was something a little deeper behind them though, as though he had been through, and seen a lot of tough things in his life. I wondered, but I wouldn't ask. It wasn't my business. 

When I entered the bedroom, Jae was sliding off the couch, arms in the air, legs pin straight as he yawned and stretched. His bottom hit the carpeted floor with a thump and he sat there looking tired for only a second before his eyes brightened at the sight of me. I was Over in an instant, helping him up and hugging him tightly. 

Jae wrapped his arms around my neck and yawned again, his breath puffing against my face, sweet from all of the cheese cake he'd stolen off me. His black hair was loose and framing his face, the waves brushing his shoulders. Those mono-lidded eyes were as sultry and enticing as ever, his lips as full and tempting. I leaned in for a kiss he happily responded to, opening up his mouth for me. 

There were no words needed to be exchanged between us. Heck, I'd been telling him all night that I loved him, my whole world rocked seeing him with my baby. Jae was a natural and his paternal instincts seemed to take over effortlessly with Ollie. He talked to my son, kissed and comforted him, even changed his diaper with ease. Ollie had stuck with Jae all throughout our movie night and hearing the both of them giggling together was like music to my ears.