“No, I just mean—” Danny sighed, frowning at the RV. “Never mind.”
In a case of perfect timing, the RV door banged open right then. There was Soren, looking a little rumpled but much happier than when they’d first arrived, and Gabe following him, looking relaxed and a little sheepish. “Hey, guys.”
Jay took them all along to the pond while they waited for the others. Danny seemed to like it best, letting out a long, happy sigh. “This is beautiful. It’s practically a lake. I had no idea it was even here.”
Then Jay helped Danny set up his tent, since Roman said he didn’t know the first thing about such matters and Jay had become a bit of an expert (he’d practiced in the backyard after the first time he’d accidentally broken the poles in his excitement).
He was overjoyed when Jamie and Luc pulled up. “You came!”
Jamie laughed at him, tugging his green hair up into a ponytail while Luc gave surly nods to everyone around them. “I texted you yesterday to say we were on our way.”
“Yes, but now you’rehere! Do you need help setting up your tent?”
Jamie shifted on his feet, shooting a small frown at Luc. “I’m afraid we’re not staying the whole night, little guy.Someonehere refuses to lower himself to sleeping on the ground.”
“We’ve rented a suitable hotel room some half hour away,” Luc explained. “We’ll stay until everyone settles for the night.” He shot Roman a smirk. “Enjoy the outdoors much, Roman?”
Jay held his breath. It didn’t sound like a sincere question; it sounded like teasing. Mean teasing. And the two had been known to fight over much less.
But Roman only smiled, his gaze traveling to Danny. “I was promised an exchange.”
Luc scoffed. “He’s going to give you your balls back if you play nice?”
Roman’s smile sharpened. “I get to take him away again, actually. I was thinking Croatia. A little house on the Mediterranean. Three weeks.”
“We agreed to two,” Danny countered from where he’d come to stand beside Jamie.
Roman gave him a pained look. “But, little king, to fully appreciate theculture…”
Luc was looking thoughtfully at Jamie, who was grinning back at him knowingly. “Regretting your stubbornness, monster?”
“We have an extra tent!” Jay yelled out, doing a little dance when Luc gave him a reluctant nod.
“Well, we brought a consolation prize for not staying, even if it’s moot now.” Jamie stepped to his car and leaned into the back seat to pull out a grocery bag, raising up a bag of marshmallows.
“Oh yes, thank you,” Jay said politely. “I love marshmallows.” Marshmallows wouldn’t have been better than Jamie and Lucstaying, of course, but Jay didn’t have to bring it up now that Luc had been convinced.
Jamie shook the bag at him. “For s’mores.”
“S’mores,” Jay repeated slowly. He knew the word, but he couldn’t remember… Something about throwing marshmallows into a fire?
Jamie gaped at him. “Little guy, you’ve never had s’mores? Roasted marshmallows and chocolate smashed between graham crackers? Ooey, gooey, messy goodness that gets everywhere? Absolute camping staple?”
Well, that sounded…that soundedamazing. Jay whirled on Alexei. “You’ve been keeping these from me?”
Alexei smiled softly at him, shaking his head. “I never went camping either, kotyonok. I’ve never had one.”
“Oh. Right.” Jay smiled back at him, so grateful they’d found each other and could explore all the things they’d never gotten, but together instead.
Soren moaned behind them. “Christ, you two are tragic.”
By the time Wolfe and Eric showed up, it was practically dark. Jay waved at them from his spot between Alexei’s legs on the ground.
“Sorry we’re late,” Eric said. “We had to go to, like, three different wine stores. Apparently, we needed an appropriate ‘outdoor wine,’ whatever that means.”
That had Luc and Roman rising from their chairs, the two of them circling Wolfe as he pulled out different bottles for them to peruse.
“Youdon’t mind sleeping on the ground?” Luc asked Wolfe skeptically, after they’d all agreed on which wine to open first.
