Beloved: A Henry Dawncraft Novel |boyxboy| Sequel to Lover for Pay

VII - Damage.

When Daniel arrived home from his long day at work, he curled his brow when he pulled up to the house and Dorian's car sat alongside the curb. Finally, he thought to himself, more so for Henry since he'd previously been so worried about his younger brother. Although Daniel himself was still getting used to the idea of London and Henry and Joyce having another brother, he also felt horribly guilty about wishing the timing of Dorian's arrival happened sooner than later.

He and Henry were just getting into the swing of possibly starting a family soon, but now his husband was distracted by something else. Each time the thoughts passed through his mind, the shittier he felt. Dorian was a new edition to the Dawncraft's, and no matter the timing, he should be welcomed with open arms. Considering the type of childhood the teenager had to deal with, the last thing he needed to feel was like he was...in the way.

Pulling up in the driveway, Daniel killed the engine of the Rover and got out. He was dressed in his scrubs from a long day at the emergency center. Lugging his shoulder bag along, he went up to the front door and let himself in.

Inside, he walked in on Henry and Dorian lounging in the living room area, both with their feet kicked up on the low coffee table. When they looked over at him, he smiled towards his husband and went for a kiss. "Hey, handsome," he said, "Who's the stranger?"

"Sorry I haven't come by," Dorian apologized, watching as his brother received a long kiss from his husband. "I've been busy."

"I'm glad to see you," Daniel said, and then he addressed Henry, turning a silky strand of black hair around his finger. "I'm gonna take a shower. Did you cook?"

"Yeah, there's more on the stove. Actually," Henry got up from the sofa and followed the brunette to their master bedroom. When they were inside, he shut the door behind him. He then rushed his smaller husband enclosed his arms around him, holding Daniel close to him as he pressed kisses to the side of his neck. "I missed you today," he whispered.

Happily trapped in Henry's arms, Daniel craned his neck and gathered a greedy kiss. "I love when you miss me." Turning in his lover's arms, the shorter boy gazed up at his tall husband and said, "And I hate when I have to work on a day you're off, or it's the other way around. When Dorian leaves, would you want to have a little movie night? We could go out and watch something."

Henry chewed his lip thoughtfully, "About that," he started, "Dorian wanted to take me out somewhere. I'm still not even sure where it is or what it is. He just wants to show me."

"Oh," Daniel nodded, stepping back and he started for the bathroom, coming out of his blue uniform. "Okay, then, I should try and get some much needed sleep early anyways. I have another morning shift."

Watching Daniel undress, Henry crossed his arms and stepped back, leaning against the face of their dresser. "You sound disappointed."

"Well, yeah. I mean, it doesn't matter. You go out, I'll be fine."

"Okay, look," Henry neared Daniel when he was down to just his underwear, pulling his husband close as he took a seat at the foot of their bed. He hugged his arms around the slim waist he'd left little love bites on that morning, and gazed up at the brunette. "If you feel like waiting up for me since I don't know how long I'll be, we can lay here in this bed and look through that website I know you're always skimming through."

"What – what do you mean?"

"Daniel, babe," Henry smiled, gliding his tender hands along the brunette's hips. "I know about all those baby clothes and toys and cribs you look at. If you're not too tired by the time I get back, we'll go through it together, and tomorrow – tomorrow we can talk to London and Marbell about how to find a good surrogate."