“EVELYN, TO WHAT do I owe this pleasure?” Logan held the phone to his ear Monday morning and reminded himself it was rude to hang up on one’s mother—if Evelyn could really be called that.

“Have you forgotten what next week is? I’m calling to find out what you want for your birthday, of course.”

Logan tossed the pen he was holding down onto the desk and spun his chair around so he was facing the windows. Thank God they don’t open, he thought, or I just might be tempted to jump out of one.

“Logan?”

“Yes, I’m here. But sorry, you broke up for a second there. Why did you say you were calling, again?”

“Your birthday, son. I’m calling to see what you want for it.”

Logan’s lip curled up at the side as he told her in a tone dripping with sarcasm, “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“Don’t you be like that with me, young man.”

Logan pressed his fingers against his temple. It was unbelievable how a two-minute conversation with Evelyn could bring on an instant headache. “I’m not being like anything. But there’s nothing I want.” That you can give me.

“Fine, I’ll just have to call Tate, then.”

“No, you won’t. I don’t do birthdays. You know that, Evelyn.”

There was a pause and then, as if he hadn’t spoken at all, Evelyn said, “What about something for your new home?”

“I’m going to hang up now.”

“Logan, I’ll just call Tate…”

“And I’ll text him and tell him not to pick up.”

Evelyn gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

Okay, he probably wouldn’t. But shit, he didn’t want or need anything. Especially from her. As Logan shut his eyes, he thought back to last week and the photos he’d been looking at with Tate.

“Do you remember Ken?” He wasn’t sure why he asked, and wasn’t even sure he really wanted the answer now that he had. But as he sat there looking out at the buildings in front of him, Logan waited to see what Evelyn would say.

“Ken? The dentist?”

Yes, Evelyn. Also known as the man we lived with for two years. “Yes. Ken the dentist.”

“Of course I do. Why do you ask?”

Good question. But with the past week of emotional ups and downs, he’d apparently decided he wanted to delve into every damn memory he had, whether it be painful or not, just to examine it.

What the hell is the matter with me? Midlife crisis? Oh, hell no…I’m not that old.

“No reason. I was just thinking about him the other day. I found an old book he gave me.”

“The Hardy Boys. The Tower Treasure,” Evelyn said, surprising the hell out of him.

“Yes. That’s the one.”

Evelyn laughed softly, and Logan almost forgot the reasons why he avoided calling her. “I remember he spent days agonizing over which book to buy you. He knew how much you loved to read and wanted to get you something special.”

Logan’s heart tightened at the thought. “Really?”

“Really.”

“I loved that book.” And him. Then you drove him away.

“I know. You took it to school with you. Read it at night before bed. In the morning before you left. You must have read that book a hundred times.”

“Probably more.” And as he thought about the inscription on the inside cover, Logan heard himself asking, “Hey, whatever happened to Ken the dentist?”

Evelyn sighed. “Last I heard, he got married and had a couple of kids. A boy and a girl.”

Oh wow. Logan wasn’t sure why that piece of information hurt, but it really did. They were lucky kids. “I liked him.”

There was silence at the other end, and just when he thought Evelyn might say something comforting or motherly, she took in a breath and then asked, in a voice full of over-the-top cheer, “So, what did you want for your birthday, then?”

And just like Ken had been back then, he was dismissed from her mind and their lives with no more thought than a change in her mood.

* * *

TATE HELD THE phone to his ear Monday morning as he stood at the bay window in their new living room. There was stuff everywhere, but they were slowly making their way through the house room by room—and he was about to tackle this one. Well, after he finished with his call.

He figured he was about to hit Rachel’s voicemail when, at the fifth ring, the phone connected.

“Ahh, I’m so glad you didn’t hang up,” Rachel said by way of greeting.

Tate chuckled but turned to plant his ass on the windowsill, letting the sun warm his back. “Nah, I thought I was going to get your voicemail and was about to leave a message.”

“No. No. Thank God you didn’t. I would’ve died if you’d left a message. I wanted to congratulate you in person, but Cole told me to at least wait until I was invited over.”

Tate frowned. Congratulate me in person? What is she— Oh shit. She’s talking about the proposal. Wait, she knew Logan was going to ask me?

“So…” Rachel drawled. “Congratulations! Aren’t you just wow that Logan asked? How are you this morning? Over the moon, right?”

As she continued to rapid-fire the questions at him, Tate rubbed a hand over his forehead and remained silent.

God, how was he going to tell her? Did Logan even want him to? And why hadn’t Logan told him that Rachel and Cole knew?

This was going to be awkward.

“Tate? You still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here, but that’s not why I called.”

There was a long pause. “It’s, uh, not?”

Yeah, now she’s staring to clue in. If his non-answer wasn’t obvious enough, Tate figured the tone of his voice was. “No. I was actually calling about Logan’s birthday.”

“Tate…?”

Tate sighed. He really didn’t want to get into this. And he wasn’t sure Logan would want him to. But he knew there was no way Rachel would let this go. “It’s complicated, Rach.”

“Complicated?”

Tate thought about Logan’s face Saturday night, the fear that plagued him and his ability to say yes, and Sunday, when they’d practically existed around each other like strangers—until last night, when Logan had let him know in no uncertain terms that he didn’t care if there was a piece of paper, a ring, or a damn ceremony between them. He was his in the most basic way that one mate could be to another—so yeah, what they had, it was complicated.

“Uhh…okay,” she said when Tate offered nothing more on the subject, and he had a feeling that Logan would soon be getting a call or visit from his brother at work, if he hadn’t already. “You two are still togeth—”

“Of course. That hasn’t changed, Rachel.”

“Okay. So, umm, Logan’s birthday, then.”

“Yeah, I finally decided what I want to do for him. You still on board to help?” Tate rolled his eyes at the hesitant way he asked, but he was unsure she’d want to help after knowing he’d likely hurt her brother-in-law. But he should’ve known better.

“You know I am,” Rachel told him, and the smile in her voice had Tate breathing out a sigh of relief. “Just tell me what you need.”

* * *

IT HAD JUST turned eleven when Sherry called through his door, “Tate’s on line one.”

Logan put his pen down and picked up the phone, pressing the flashing light and connecting the call. “Hey there. I already told Sherry I was leaving early, so don’t worry, I’m not leaving you with all the heavy lifting.”

Tate didn’t say anything in response, and Logan said, “Tate? You there?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said. “I’m not calling about that. I, uhh, well, I just got off the phone with Rachel.”

Oh shit. Logan didn’t even have to ask to know what had been discussed during that conversation. Fucking hell, how had he forgotten to tell Tate that Cole and Rachel knew?

“Tate, I—”

“No, it’s okay. I just wanted to give you a heads-up because I figure it’ll take less than the time it took me to call you for her to text Cole.”

Logan sighed. After he’d ignored a text from Cole on Sunday asking how everything had gone, he’d totally forgotten to deal with him after that. But the minute his brother got back from court today, he would be in Logan’s office wanting to know what had happened this weekend.

“Logan?”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t tell her much of anything. Just that it was complicated. I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what to say, and I didn’t want to lie.”

“No. No. Of course you shouldn’t lie.” As silence fell between them, Logan pinched the bridge of his nose.

“They’re probably going to hate me now, aren’t they?”

“What? No. Why would they hate you?”

Tate didn’t answer, but Logan wasn’t about to let him go back down that rabbit hole again. There was no more room for guilt here. Not between them and not between their families. He was done with that emotion.

“Listen to me,” Logan said. “You did nothing wrong. You were honest, and yeah, it hurt at the time, but I’d rather you tell me the truth than lie to me. What happened between us this weekend is nobody’s business but ours. And if and when we’re ready to talk about it again, we will. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“And you and me, we’re good. Tell me you know that.” Logan’s heart thumped hard. “Tate?”

“Yes, I know we’re good.”

“Good. Then I’m going to go and finish up some paperwork I have here so I can leave on time and come home to you.”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

“Really?” Logan said, and he dropped his voice down to be sure nothing he said drifted out his cracked door. “What about this morning when you made me shout your name?”

Tate laughed, and Logan grinned in response. “Yeah, you’re right. That was the best thing. But hurry home, okay? This house is too big and empty when you’re not in it.”

Tell me about it, Logan thought. And it was comments like that that let him know they were more than okay. “I’ll be there as soon as I can get there.”

“Logan?”

“Yeah?”

“Be here sooner.” And with that, Tate hung up.

“YOU’VE BEEN AVOIDING my calls.”

Logan didn’t have to look up from his computer to know that Cole had just walked through his office door. Instead, he continued working and didn’t bother stopping until Cole put his briefcase down in one of the chairs facing Logan’s desk, and then planted himself in the chair beside it.

Logan rocked back in his seat, twirled his pen through his fingers, and stared at Cole. Then, because he knew it would distract Cole from what he was no doubt there to talk about, he said, “I had a dream about you the other night.”

Cole cocked his head. “You did? Was I annoyed at you? Because that seems highly likely.”

“Actually, yes, you were. It was that day on the university library stairs—you know, after you beat the shit out of Chris?”

“Oh yes,” Cole said with a smile, as though he was remembering it fondly. “What made you think of that?”

Logan sat up and tapped his pen on his legal pad. “Ahh, just everything going on this week with Jill, I think. Brothers, sisters, that kind of thing.”

“Really?” Cole’s eyes narrowed, as though he didn’t believe that, and Logan knew if he didn’t keep talking that Cole would start asking questions. Questions he didn’t want to answer. So the best way to deal with that was to be evasive as hell. A.k.a. talk about what I want to talk about.

“Yeah. You know that Tate and I went to Jill’s last night. I finally got to meet his nephews. They’re great, by the way. And Cooper, the oldest one, is the spitting image of Tate, only with glasses.”

“As fascinating as that is, and it really is, I want to know more about it. How about you go back to the beginning of your weekend? To the part where you had Rachel and me go over to your condo and set the place up so you could ask Tate to—”

“Why? I already know Rachel told you how that ended. So why do we need to go over it all again?”

Cole uncrossed his legs and sat forward. “So he really said no?”

“Well, I’m not engaged, so…”

“Logan, stop fucking around for one second in your life, would you, and answer me.”

Logan glared at Cole. “He really said no.”

Cole looked as though someone had socked him in the stomach. Probably the same way I looked the first time I heard Tate’s answer. “But…that makes no sense.”

“It makes a whole lot of sense, actually.”

“But Tate loves you. Like, crazy, ridiculous loves you. Everyone knows that.”

“I know,” Logan said, and smiled, because he did know that.

“Then why would he say no? And how are you smiling about it?”

“Oh, trust me. I wasn’t smiling at the time. I almost called you guys to come get me Saturday night, but instead took a walk down at the harbor.”

Cole frowned. “It was pouring on Saturday night.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Logan… What the hell happened?”

Logan took in a breath and got out of his chair. He slid his hands into his pockets and then wandered over to the window, knowing it would be easier to say this if he wasn’t looking at Cole. “There were things I hadn’t…considered, I suppose you could say.”

“What kind of things?”

Logan closed his eyes and thought of Tate in their bedroom Sunday morning, confessing his deepest fears. “The past. Things I should’ve probably thought to talk to him about and didn’t.”

Logan turned around to face Cole and leaned back against the window. “The romantic gesture would’ve been amazing if we’d been on the same page. But for once in our relationship, I was several chapters ahead of him, and didn’t bother to warn him about the giant twist that was about to take place.”

Cole frowned, and Logan pushed off the window and walked over to his chair, putting his hands on the back of it.

“So where does that leave the two of you?”

“At first? In a really awkward spot. God. Sunday was painful. It was like we were walking on eggshells around each other, not knowing what to say. Not knowing how to act. It was the worst fucking feeling in the world.”

“But now…?”

Logan smiled. “Now we’re good. I never thought I’d say this, but I think going to Jill’s was probably the best thing that we could’ve done last night. We both agreed to push the issue aside for the evening and just get through the night. Lord knows dealing with Tate’s family and all of that was more than enough to distract us.” Logan pulled his chair out, sat down, then placed his arms on the desk and grinned. “But then something amazing happened. We had a wonderful night. His friends and family were awesome. His nephews missed him and didn’t even care that their uncle had a boyfriend, and after that, Tate took me to the drive-in.”

Cole arched an eyebrow. “The drive-in? I thought the only one that was still functional around here was the Cascades. And you weren’t that far out of town, were you?”

“Nope. He took me to the Harvest Moon Drive-In. It’s abandoned.” As Logan aimed a get my drift expression Cole’s way, his brother sat back and steepled his hands over his stomach.

“Ahh, so that accounts for the smile?”

“Part of it. But yes, Tate and I are good. We’ve shelved the discussion for now, and honestly, I don’t know that we’ll ever go back to it.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Cole asked, and Logan took a second to really think about that, then nodded.

“Yes, I am. Do I want to marry Tate? Apparently I do. But he’s not ready and might never be. That doesn’t diminish or lessen the fact that before all of this I was one hundred percent happy and I still am. And as long as it’s stated that I’m his emergency contact and that our wills are clear and up to date, then I will go on being happy. He isn’t going anywhere. I know that.”

Cole relaxed into his chair and put his palms on the arms. “Well, okay then. Is Tate all right?”

Logan slowly nodded. “I think so. He seemed okay this morning, and I’m knocking off in about an hour to go home and help him unpack. He took the night off from work so we could get some more done.”

“I don’t envy you that job. Rach and I don’t plan to move house again for a very long time, if ever. What a nightmare.” Cole got to his feet and picked up his briefcase. “Okay, I’m going to head to my office if you don’t need anything else from me.”

“I didn’t need anything in the first place. You tracked me down to gossip, remember?”

“Oh, right.” As Cole got to the door, he tapped his hand on it and aimed one last look in Logan’s direction. “You sure you’re okay? I can go hunt Tate down and kick his ass if you’re not. I’m good at that—just ask Chris Walker.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather pry my eyes out and eat them for dinner than have to speak to him for any reason. As for kicking Tate’s ass, don’t you dare. The only person with permission to ever touch that part of his body is me, and kicking it is not what I plan to do with it. Him and I, we’re just fine.”

“Fair enough. I’ll talk to you later, brother.”

“Talk to you later.”