For all his talk of not wanting Newton to feel nervous, Gage couldn’t help but feel a few butterflies of his own as they stood in front of Calvin and Jack’s door. They were the same butterflies that had been doing backflips in his stomach all afternoon, in fact.

There was just something about seeing Newton that made Gage happy. It was hard to wrap his mind around it, if he was being honest.

Sure, Gage was normally pretty laid-back and outgoing. And he was like that with most people he met, so that day when he had first spoken to Newton at the gym hadn’t felt like anything out of the ordinary.

Not at first, anyway.

But in the days that had passed since then, Gage hadn’t been able to get the guy out of his mind, no matter how hard he had tried.

Well, to be fair, he hadn’t actually been trying that hard not to think about Newton.

And why should he try not to, anyway? He enjoyed being around Newton, and as far as Gage could tell, Newton enjoyed it, too.

He hadn’t said as much, of course. Gage figured Newton was probably too shy—or maybe even too straight—to put it into words, but Gage would have had to be completely oblivious not to see that Newton smiled a little wider and his eyes sparkled a little more than usual whenever Gage was near.

Gage recognized it in Newton, because he felt the very same way himself.

“Are you ready?” Gage asked, his finger hovering over the doorbell.

Newton nodded and shot Gage a quick smile. “Ready.”

Seeing him looking relatively calm and relaxed made Gage feel a little better. He knew for sure that Newton would get along with Calvin and Jack once they all got to know each other a little, but he also didn’t want to push too hard. He didn’t want Newton to get overwhelmed.

But he really seemed okay for now, so Gage wasn’t going to question it.

He rang the doorbell and smiled at Newton as they waited. Newton looked good tonight in his cute polo and khakis. Had Gage told him he looked good? Would it be weird to say it now?

Gage shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. He was really going to have to get it together. It was just really hard to be this close to Newton without thinking about how amazing he looked, how cute his smile was, how badly Gage wanted to reach over and pull him close.

That would definitely be crossing a line, though. Right? This wasn’t a date, after all. He wasn’t even sure—well, he was mostly sure, but still—that Newton was interested in him. Or if he was even interested in guys.

There was a lot he didn’t know about Newton, but hopefully that would start to change tonight. One thing Gage knew without a doubt was that he’d be able to count on Calvin to find out as many details about Newton’s life and his past as he could over the course of wine, dinner, and dessert.

From the other side of the door, he could hear Calvin’s voice calling for Jack to answer it, and a few seconds later the door swung open with Jack standing there to greet them.

“Hey, guys,” he said, smiling as he stepped aside and ushered them into the house. “Come on in. Calvin is just finishing up in the kitchen.” He turned to Newton once they were in the living room. “I’m so glad you were able to join us tonight. We’ve really been looking forward to talking to you. The photos we’ve seen are absolutely stunning.”

Gage looked over in time to see Newton’s face light up, those beautiful blue eyes sparkling as Jack complimented him. “Thank you so much,” Newton said. “I can’t take all the credit, though,” he continued, glancing over at Gage before turning his attention back to Jack. “Gage is really, um, photogenic. I think that his energy really came through, even in the practice shots we took.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Calvin said, appearing in the archway that led into the dining room. “Would anyone like a glass of wine? Newton? Gage?”

“I’d love a glass,” Newton nodded, still smiling.

“Yes, please,” Gage answered. “Is it that sweet kind I like so much?”

“Moscato?” Calvin called from the other room, already out of sight fetching the wine. “I bought an extra bottle, just in case.”

“Sometimes I think he knows me too well,” Gage laughed as he looked from Newton to Jack.

Gage was only sort of joking. While Gage struggled to remember what he had for lunch, or what he might have done the day before, Calvin was the opposite. He only needed to be told something once, and it would be forever committed to memory.

Which, over a lifetime of friendship, could really add up. When it came to friends and family, though, Calvin had always gone that extra mile.

“He notices every little detail,” Jack agreed. “And fortunately, he mostly uses his powers for good.”

“I heard that,” Calvin said, reappearing with a wine glass in each hand and giving his fiancé a mock glare that only lasted for a split-second before the corners of his mouth turned up into a grin. “Don’t worry, Newton. I’ll go easy on you since you’re our guest.”

Newton laughed, but Gage cut in. “What about me? I’m a guest, too.”

“You don’t count,” Jack replied, tossing Gage a playful wink. “You’re practically family, so you get treated like family. We save our good behavior for guests.”

“Come on in and have a seat at the table, you guys,” Calvin waved them all through to the dining room. “Newton, I’ve been dying to talk to you ever since Gage showed us some of the promo materials you’ve put together for him.”

“I’m ready to answer any questions you might have about the process,” Newton said, taking a seat at the table next to Gage. “It’s been a lot of fun for me so far, I have to admit.”

As they all started talking, Gage couldn’t help but smile. He had known all along that Newton would hit it off with these guys, and he could see that it was already happening.

It was going to be a good night.