Three weeks later…
Owen heard the front door close, just as he was putting the garlic bread in the oven. “Hey,” he called out to Brody. Tossing the oven mitt on the counter, he closed the distance between them as Brody walked in the kitchen. Brody and Nate didn’t usually work weekends, but the owners they were building a deck for were desperate to have it done before their daughter’s baby shower. Considering they hadn’t found someone else when Brody postponed to be with his mom, he and Nate were working like crazy to accommodate them.
“Hey,” Brody leaned in and kissed him. “Smells delicious in here.”
“Mmm, you taste delicious,” Owen said, putting a hand on Brody’s chest to hold him back. “But if you touch me before you shower, I’ll kick your ass.”
“I like it rough.” Brody growled as he kissed him again and tried to pull him closer.
Owen playfully shoved him back, laughing. “I’m serious. You have fifteen minutes until everyone gets here. I want my first Sunday dinner to be perfect.”
“You know it will be, babe.”
“It better be. It took a lot to convince Mom to share hosting.”
“You’re lucky your mom loves your lasagna. Otherwise, I don’t think you stood a chance.” Brody smacked Owen’s ass before leaving the kitchen.
“Hey!” He followed Brody up the stairs and into their bedroom. “Oh, who the fuck am I kidding? That’s the only reason she went for it. Did you invite Nate, like I told you to?”
“Yeah, and as soon as I mentioned Gabe’s name, the guy couldn’t make an excuse fast enough not to come.” Brody shook his head, tossing his wallet on the dresser. “I’m not sure what that guy has against Gabe, but I’m not gonna lie, it bothers me. I mean, I’m open about my life. He knows that I’m with you, but he made a comment today that pissed me off.”
“What’d he say?”
Brody entered the adjoining bathroom and started the shower. “Well, I tried to tell him that Gabe was a nice guy, and that he shouldn’t feel uncomfortable around him. I mean, I know that Gabe practically undressed him with his eyes—”
“Twice,” Owen added.
“Twice, and then at the diner…” Brody paused, “okay, that does sound bad…but it’s not like Gabe has actually harassed the guy in any way.” Brody pulled his dirty work shirt over his head and toed off his boots. “So, Nate says that he knows Gabe’s type and he wants nothing to do with a person like that.” He finished undressing and stepped into the steaming shower.
Owen leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. “Type? What the hell does that mean?”
Ironically, Gabe hadn’t given up on his quest, even with the guy acting like a dick. Owen had learned that it was in Gabe’s nature to go after what he wanted with full force. And apparently, what he wanted was Nate Black.
But if Nate had a problem with the way Owen and Brody lived their lives, then that was definitely going to be a fucking issue. And if he hated Gabe for the same reason? The guy was in for a rude awakening.
“I don’t know, but here’s the thing,” Brody said, raising his voice to carry over the shower door, “he hasn’t said one derogatory or homophobic thing to me. Never once said, or insinuated, that he has a problem with you and me. In fact, he offered to help me get my stuff out of storage in Boston and move it here. Confuses the fuck outta me, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Well, there’s no doubt, Gabe rubbed me the wrong way when I first met him. I can’t imagine I’m the only one who’s felt that way.”
Brody barked out a short laugh. “No, pretty much everyone feels that way about Gabe when they first meet him, untilhe turns on his charm. Nate barely met him though―doesn’t want to.”
“Well, give him time. Work with him a little more. It’s only been a couple months since you hired him. You think maybe we should invite him out or over here, minus Gabe?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Brody sighed in frustration. “Gabe’s like a brother to me. If the guy doesn’t want to get to know him, that’s his decision, but then I don’t need to be friends with him outside of work, either. You can bet your ass I’m gonna find out what he meant by that comment though.”
“Why didn’t you just ask him when he said it?” Owen asked.
Brody rinsed the shampoo out of his hair then said, “Because he got a phone call and said he had to leave.”
“Hello?” Jonah yelled out.
Owen looked back toward the bedroom door. “They’re here. We can talk about this later. Hurry up.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
“Whoa, save that for later, baby. Dinner first,” Owen called out as he walked out of the room, hearing Brody laugh behind him.
Jonah and Gabe were already in the kitchen when Owen got downstairs. Smelling burnt toast, he widened his eyes and picked up his step. “Shit! The bread!” Rushing over to the oven with the oven mitt, he pulled the garlic bread out, cringing at the darker edges.
“Don’t you own a bakery?” Gabe teased.
“Shut up, I was talking to Brody.”
“I bet you were,” Gabe said suggestively with a raised eyebrow, and Jonah laughed.
The front door opened and in came a tornado of three women, already laughing about something. Turning back to Gabe, Owen poked him in the chest and ordered in a hushed tone, “You better be on your best behavior, and no sex jokes in front of my mom.”
“Why do you assume I’d say something? What about Jonah?” As soon as the words were out of Gabe’s mouth, all three men burst out laughing. “Okay, even I realize how stupid I just sounded.”
“What’s so funny?” Owen’s mom asked, walking into the kitchen with Leslie and Aunt Laurie behind her.
In unison, all three men said, “Nothing.” Then they snickered, trying not to laugh again.
“Yeah, that didn’t make you sound guilty or anything,” Leslie said, passing by the men to set the two bottles of red wine on the counter.
Owen’s mom narrowed her eyes skeptically. She shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh before lifting up on her toes to kiss Owen’s cheek. “Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Mom. Dinner’s almost ready. We’re eating in the dining room.” Finally, Owen had a reason to use the room. “Should we open the wine?”
“What kind of question is that?” Aunt Laurie chimed in.
“Seriously, Owen.” Gabe rolled his eyes.
“Did Brody burn the bread?” Leslie asked with a snicker, picking up one of the darker pieces and then dropping it back down onto the tray.
“What did I burn?” Brody walked into the kitchen looking refreshed and so damn sexy.
Owen jolted out of his lust-filled stupor when Gabe slapped him in the back. “Oh, no, that was Mister Muffin Man.”
“Shut the hell up!” Leslie stared at Owen like he’d grown another head then doubled over laughing.
Owen pushed Gabe away with a huff. “I was talking to Brody, and I lost track of time.”
“I’m never letting you live this one down.” Leslie shook her head, an evil glint in her eye. “Wait until I tell the employees.”
“Hey, Red,” Brody called out, pointing to her neck with a smirk. “You got a little something right here.” All attention landed on her, and Brody gave a sexy wink to Owen.
Leslie slapped a hand to her skin and narrowed her eyes at Brody. Her cheeks reddened as she held her hand over what appeared to be a pretty fresh hickey.
Aunt Laurie’s eyes widened as hope flared. “Are you seeing someone?”
Leslie glared at Brody. “Oh, you’re going down, Walker.”
“Bring it,” Brody replied with a wicked grin. Oh, I’ll be the one going down later, Owen thought as he watched his man cross the room. Brody’s face softened as he approached Owen’s mom and he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Hi, Sandy.”
She placed a palm on Brody’s face. “Brody, how are you, honey?” she asked, concerned.
“I’m okay, thanks. I miss her, but it helps that I don’t feel so alone anymore. Aunt Nora is so excited about Owen and me visiting her in a few weeks.” He looked at Owen and smiled. “I’m happy.”
Owen felt a fresh wave of love wash over him. “Me too.” They stared at each other for a heartbeat…two…
“Okay!” Gabe said loudly, clapping his hands once. “So, everyone’s happy. Jonah, are you happy? I know I’d be happy if I was eating that lasagna, instead of just smelling it.” Leave it up to Gabe to shift the mood before things got too serious.
On his way past, Brody smacked Gabe on the back of the head, and then opened the cabinet to get out the wine glasses.
“Don’t mess the hair,” Gabe complained. “Owen, I don’t know what you did to get this man to drink wine, but I commend you.”
Owen laughed as he walked over and kissed Brody on the side of his neck. Grabbing the oven mitts, Owen said, “Why don’t you all go sit down.”
For the first time in Owen’s memory, the long table his grandfather built over 40 years ago was filled with family—blood and chosen. He couldn’t believe how things had changed in such a short period of time. And it seemed to be what they all needed.
Jonah had finally completed all of his classes. “Hopefully, I can open my own place in the next couple of years.” He’d been working so hard, for so long, to get his degree in nutrition. If anyone deserved a break, it was Jonah. However, he’d never complain about how tired and burnt out he truly was.
“And what about you, Gabe?” Aunt Laurie asked. “Are you staying here for a while? Lord knows, we could use some more sexy scenery in this town.” Aunt Laurie perused Gabe unabashedly. Leslie groaned as her mom looked innocently at the rest of the table. “What?”
“You look all you want, sweetie.” Gabe waved a hand at her with a knowing grin. Then he glanced at Brody and his eyes softened. A few weeks ago that would’ve driven Owen crazy, but now he understood their dynamic; they’d only had each other for so long. “To answer your question, yes, I believe Small Town, America has grown on me.”
And a rugged blond, no doubt, Owen thought.
“I haven’t had any luck finding a job though.” They all knew Gabe didn’t actually need a job. It was obvious the man came from money, so the need for a job must have been out of boredom...or maybe even loneliness. “I asked about a job just the other day that sounded absolutely perfect for me. I mean, why read the job description for a Back-Up Receiver? Trust me, I’m a pro.” Gabe waggled his eyebrows and the table once again broke into laughter.
Owen choked on his wine and looked at his mom wide-eyed—who at the moment was laughing so hard she had tears.
“Gabe,” Brody said in warning, but was having trouble keeping his own amusement of Gabe’s antics at bay.
“Oops...sorry,” Gabe apologized, sheepishly, looking at Owen’s mom.
“For what?” she asked. “Please, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. What do you think we womenfolk talk about? New recipes and cleaning tips? Contrary to my son’s beliefs, I have a sense of humor.”
“I never said―”
Owen’s mom patted his cheek and laughed. “You didn’t need to, honey. Did you forget how good these ears are?” She pointed a finger at Gabe and in a deep, mocking voice, she said, “‘No sex jokes in front of my mom’.”
This time, Owen blushed and the whole table cracked up.
“Owen, you could learn a thing or two from this lovely woman.” Gabe squeezed her hand.
“I guess so.” Owen smiled at his mom and the smile was returned.
“So, I thought you were going to ask Nate to come tonight,” Gabe suddenly said. It was surprising how long it took Gabe to bring it up.
“Uh, well...he couldn’t make it,” Brody said, shifting his eyes to Owen instead of Gabe.
“I see. So, he found out I was going to be here and decided not to come.” Gabe didn’t miss a thing, did he?
Brody floundered for something to say, but Gabe interjected, “Well, I’ll take that as a good sign.”
“What?” Owen, Brody, and Jonah all said in unison.
“Boys, if the man is afraid to be around me, then obviously I’m already getting to him, and he hasn’t even talked to me yet. Little does he know…I love a challenge. It’s the hunt, my friends, and…It. Is. On.”
Brody hung his head and groaned. “Just please...please, don’t scare the guy away. He’s good at his job and the last thing I need is him quitting.”
Gabe pointed to his own face and looked at Brody incredulously. “Does this look like the face of a man who could scare someone away?”
“It’s not the entire face I’m worried about. Just the mouth,” Brody deadpanned.
“Aren’t you forgetting one important thing?” Jonah asked.
“You’re obviously referring to his...” Gabe looked at Owen’s mom and thankfully censored his words, “beard,” he finished. “A good razor will take care of that.” Gabe winked and took a sip of his wine.
“He’s married to a woman?” All heads snapped in Aunt Laurie’s direction in shock. “What? I have cable.”
The night carried on like that: Gabe making everyone laugh, Owen’s family shocking the group, and copious amounts of wine being consumed. Owen watched it all and couldn’t help but feel lucky. His mom and aunt accepted him and Brody wholeheartedly—and had better senses of humor than he gave them credit for. Jonah, thankfully, was genuinely happy for him. Gabe was a riot—and a better man than Owen had originally judged him to be. And Leslie…well, Leslie didn’t start a food fight or tell an embarrassing story about Owen. So there was that.
Then there was Brody.
Would Owen have ever really let go of the past—or the hostility and resentment that simmered just under the surface—without Brody? He locked eyes with the man sitting next to him and immediately felt a rush of emotion and a flutter in his stomach that only Brody seemed to evoke.
Two hours later, with the table cleared and the dishwasher full, Jonah headed toward the door. “I’ve got an early client tomorrow, so I’m gonna head out.”
“We’ll walk out with you,” Owen’s mom chimed in, picking up her purse. “Laurie and I have a lot to do for book club tomorrow night.”
Leslie glanced at Gabe. “Guess that just leaves us.”
“Hmm, yes. Well, as much as I’d love the company,” Gabe said to Brody and Owen, “something tells me the two lovebirds would rather we go home?”
Brody squeezed the nape of Gabe’s neck. “I always knew you were a smart man.”
All were slowly, but efficiently, ushered out the door. As soon as it was closed, Owen leaned back against it and sighed. It had been a long evening and all he wanted to do was snuggle up to Brody—and then fuck him into the mattress.
Brody moved in front of Owen, pushing his warm, strong body against him. Owen ran his hands through Brody’s hair, pulling him closer. “That went well,” Owen said on a sigh as Brody ghosted his lips up Owen’s jaw and began nibbling on his earlobe.
“Mhmm,” Brody replied, his mouth busy doing delicious things to the tender skin behind Owen’s ear.
“You do realize that Nate doesn’t stand a chance, right?”
Brody pulled back to look at Owen. “Are you kidding? I’ve never known Gabe to back down from anything. I might as well start looking for someone new right now,” Brody said then moaned as Owen grabbed his ass and started to grind against him.
“That’s going to be pretty difficult.” Owen leaned in, licking a long line up Brody’s neck.
“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” Brody asked breathlessly.
Owen reached into his back pocket and pulled out the black blindfold. “Pretty sure your vision’s gonna be compromised for the next few hours.”
Brody’s eyes darkened as he whispered, “Hot damn.”
Owen lifted Brody’s shirt until the man raised his arms, and the garment was discarded somewhere on the floor. Then he stepped around his man and walked to the stairs, taking his own shirt off and dropping it behind him. “You coming?”
“That’s the plan,” Brody said.
Owen turned around when they were both on the top landing. He put the blindfold on an eager Brody and took his hand, leading him to the bedroom. There was nothing more freeing than letting go of the past to hold on tightly to the future, but the best part was, they’d do it together.