Day 1
"I have to go with Toby to look at a bungalow over on Merrit." Ven poked his head into Cake's room to find his brother busily assembling packing boxes. "Do you want to ... I guess you're busy." His brother looked up and grinned at him.
"I only have two weeks," Cake said, almost wriggling with glee. Zoe and Whistler, two of the dogs, were sleeping in Cake's unmade bed with a pillow apiece, snoring away. "I want to get started."
Blade, the biggest of the dogs, shoved past Ven on his way to investigate the boxes. He wasn't keen on change, and Ven didn't blame him. But it was hard not to be happy for Cake right now. "Okay. Don't forget your stuff in the attic." Ven leaned in the doorway, hands in his pockets, watching Cake put another box together. There were eight assembled that Ven could see. "Why don't you stop and put some stuff in the boxes?" he suggested. "Otherwise you won't be able to move in here."
It wasn't a big room, none of the rooms in Ven's house were, and it really was time Cake had a place of his own. He was a grown man; he needed more space, more privacy, than Ven's house could give. Looking around his room and realizing he was surrounded by empty boxes, though, Cake didn't look even close to his thirty years. He was too innocent, too sweet to be thirty.
Blade flipped one of the boxes over with a paw and stuck his head and shoulders in to check it out. "Blade's coming with me," Cake chortled.
"Well, if you can get him to stay in the box..." Ven heard tires on the driveway. "That's Toby."
"Did you tell him?" Cake dropped the tape and scrambled to his feet. Standing, he was bigger than Ven, and getting bigger, in spite of Ven's attempts to limit the donuts in the house.
"Nope." Ven got out of the way as Cake and the dogs made for the door. He'd had a feeling Cake would want to share his good news on his own. Over the last year, Cake had gotten close to Toby, especially in the last six months that Ven and Toby had been dating.
Ven followed Cake down the hall, snapping his fingers to get the dogs to stay as Abby and King came out of the den to check things out. All five stopped and Ven stepped out onto the porch to see Cake trundling down the steps, waving madly at Toby.
"Toby, Toby, guess what!"
Toby got out of the car, smiling at Cake, and Ven leaned on the step railing to watch the pair. Toby was still wearing a suit, so he must've just come from the office. Ven knew Toby hadn't been in court today; somehow Ven had started keeping track of those things along with his own business. One of Ven's favorite things about Toby was how good he was with Cake. Another was how damn fine he looked in a suit. Ven had a whole list of favorite things about Toby.
"What's up, Cake?"
"I got my own apartment," Cake crowed. He made for Toby, to hug him out of sheer excitement. "I'm gonna live at Greenwood!"
"That's great, Cake," Toby said, going from smiling to beaming in an instant. "You just find out?" Cake nearly took Toby off his feet with the hug and Ven winced. He'd be unhappy if his brother broke his boyfriend; Toby had gotten tougher, though, working with Ven on houses when he wasn't off being lawyerly.
"Yesterday," Cake said, putting Toby down in one piece and letting him go. "I told Momma and Poppy last night. I waited 'til you were here to tell you. I'm packing my stuff. I only got two weeks." Cake could hardly keep from bouncing as he spoke. Ven thought he was about to burst from happiness.
"That's fast." Toby patted Cake's shoulder and turned, guiding them up the walk toward Ven. "You going to need any help?"
"I'm having a moving day," Cake said brightly, throwing his arm around Toby's shoulders. "You're invited."
)
Toby and Ven have settled into a happy partnership, in business and in bed. While they don't get together enough, it's always good when they do. But the pleasant routine of Ven's life is upended when Cake gets notice that he can move into the assisted living facility where he's always dreamed of living. Cake is ready to live on his own, and Toby is ready to make other moves, but Ven isn't ready for any of it. Does Toby have the faith he needs to keep them together while Ven tries to decide if he can accept what life is offering them?
