Chapter 4

Ward reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. “No, I’d really like to stay…if you’re sure?”

Tyler raised his head and smiled. It was a wistful smile, one that Ward couldn’t quite read. “I’m sure,” Tyler said.

The boys bounded back into the room, pajama clad and laughing.

“Jack, you wanna sleep in Eddie’s room? You guys could have a sleepover. I think Ward’s going to stay here tonight. He can use your room.”

“Oh boy, yeah!” Jack exclaimed.

Eddie wasn’t so enthusiastic. “Dad, he hogs all the covers. Why can’t Jack sleep with you?”

Ward waited to see how Tyler would handle this. He wasn’t sure just what Tyler’s invitation to spend the night implied. He knew what his desire would be, but was it the same as Tyler’s, the man with whom he was still in love?

“Because he hogs all the covers,” Tyler said as he grabbed the boys and began tickling them. This led to a tussling match which Tyler let Jack and Eddie win.

“How about you read us twenty pages of Harry Potter instead of ten? Then I’ll sleep with Jack,” Eddie bargained.

“Deal,” Tyler said. “I bet we could get Ward to read alternate pages. How about it, Ward?”

Ward was about to say he’d be happy to read, when he saw Eddie’s face darken. Tyler, who was facing Ward, hadn’t seen it.

“I think I’ll pass,” Ward said. “Haven’t read in a while, need to brush up on my reading skills.”

Tyler looked a bit surprised at Ward’s deferring the opportunity to read to the boys, but let it go. “Okay, everybody into Eddie’s room.”

When they had all trouped into the bedroom and settled, Tyler lying between the boys and Ward sitting on the end of the bed, Tyler said, “Now, where were we again?”

“Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just about to take that poly…poly…polyjuice stuff to disguise themselves to find out if Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin,” Eddie said as Tyler opened the book

“They were in the girls’ bathroom where that ghost lives,” Jack added.

“Very good, guys,” Tyler said and began to read.

Ward watched with joy, tinged with envy. He knew he’d never have a family like this. Tyler was lucky. No, not lucky, the fates didn’t work that way. It was he and Tyler who had brought about the turn of events that had led to this. For as unhappy as Ward had been when Tyler had announced that he planned to marry, Ward couldn’t deny how well it had turned out—save for the fact that Tyler was now a widower.

When Tyler had finished reading, the boys begged for just a bit more. But Tyler held his ground and told them they needed to get to sleep.

“Don’t forget the nightlight,” Jack reminded his dad.

“Nightlights are for babies,” Eddie chided.

“Eddie,” Tyler said quietly, “who asked me to sleep in here a couple of weeks ago when we watched that movie about the living dead?”

“Okay. But why do you need a light?” Eddie asked Jack. “I’m gonna be in here with you.”

Ward smiled, enjoying the boys’ interactions.

“Cuz, what if that moaning ghost comes in here?” Jack asked.

“She’s just in the story. She’s not a real ghost,” Eddie said. “And besides, she wouldn’t be scared of no nightlight.”

“Eddie’s right,” Tyler reassured Jack. “Moaning Myrtle is just a storybook ghost. Now you two get to sleep.”

Tyler kissed them both. Ward said good night, and they left the room. The men went to the kitchen where Tyler got them each another beer and asked Ward if he needed anything else. Ward declined and they sat down at the kitchen table.

“Why didn’t you want to read to the boys?” Tyler asked.

“I did want to. But when you suggested I read, Eddie didn’t look too happy about me doing it.”

“Mmm,” Tyler said, then sighed. “That’s what their mom and I used to do—each read a page. I told you Eddie was still having a hard time accepting she’s gone.”

“My mom told me she was a teacher,” Ward said.

“Parapro. She was a good one, too. She loved it, loved working with the kids. She wanted to be a teacher. We were trying to work out her going over to Westbrook to the junior college, then finding an online course to finish her degree.” Tyler changed the subject. “Are you back to stay?”

Ward nodded. “I think so.”

“Got any plans?”

Ward’s mind went immediately to his hopes for re-establishing his relationship with Tyler. But he decided it wasn’t yet the time to bring up that possibility.