“Glad you brought your boy.” Quinn drops beside me as we face the pool.
My eyes roam over Theo, playing volleyball in the water with Baylor, Bishop, Perrin, Liam, and Piper. It’s warm for this early in spring, but the pool is heated. Theo’s pale skin contrasts starkly with the bright red swim trunks I found in his size. His dark hair is wet and pushed back from his gorgeous face, brown eyes amused at the competitive spirit of the game. I watch water roll down his skin, paying close attention to how it clings to the dark line of hair disappearing into the band of the swim trunks.
“Got to admit, he’s delicious.” I lean back. Quinn agrees, watching Bishop, and Jack takes a seat, his eyes captivated by his husband. I’m sure we are a sight, all sitting here, entranced.
“I’m not sure I even know what the rules are anymore to the game they are playing,” Jack muses, and Perrin meets Jack’s gaze with a smile as bright as the springtime sun. The love between them zings with force, visible and fierce.
Quinn shares the same moment with Bish, Bish’s chest reddening under whatever he must read on Quinn’s face.
Theo breaks from below the surface of the water, laughing. Liam and Piper maneuvered somehow to take him down. Laugh still on his lips, he sends me a shy smile, and it’s a damn beautiful sight.
I’ve been careful about not asking Theo too many questions about himself. Quinn said when Theo first arrived in Bear Valley, he got the impression questions were unwelcome and almost drove Theo away. But now I know a few things about Theo I didn’t before, and I didn’t even have to ask.
I knew Theo was a good worker, dedicated and reliable. But, earlier at Summit House, something more appeared. A quiet pride, maybe. I’m not sure exactly, and I’ll need some time to puzzle it out. Other things are more obvious. He is quick and graceful in the water and with the game they are playing, and he clearly enjoys Piper and Liam’s company as well. Cats and children love him. That’s worth knowing, too.
Even sated and blissed out, even sick, Theo still carries worry with him all the time. He never takes it off, never sets it down. Not fully. Maybe today I can help lessen the weight of it.
A family full of adopted brothers will cure you of trying to fix shit for other people pretty fast. I learned early on you can only be there for them. Walk beside them. A day of fun and relaxation is worth a hell of a lot.
“I’m starving.” Perrin barely towels off from the pool and plonks his wet ass right on Jack’s lap. Jack just laughs, wraps his arms around Perrin’s hips, and accepts the kiss his husband offers. Farrow barely twitches, settled in the sun next to Baylor, who followed Perrin out of the water.
“Matt, you’re up,” Baylor says, stretching his long legs in the sun. “Don’t forget the video Piper wants to do.”
As if I could.
Bishop rolls Liam up in a large towel, and Theo hands one to Piper, who blushes hard. I’m not surprised. My boy is gorgeous. Anyone would get a bit flustered at his attention.
After the swim, we change separately into the clothes we brought.
“Who are you?” my mom Rita teases me when I come downstairs to find Theo. “You look . . .vaguely familiar.”
“Sorry, Mom.” I give her a kiss and a hug, both of those for Ellen too. “You too, Mom.”
“It’s just a tease. We’ve seen more of you since the first of the year than we have the entire six months before. But you better get started,” Rita continues. “Piper and Liam are all set up, and they just about have Theo wrapped around their little fingers.”
We make our way outside to the large outdoor kitchen, where Theo was asking Liam about baseball. “So, do you help with this video thing Piper does, too?”
“Sometimes, but I can’t be seen or anything. My baseball coach would lose his mind. Do you know how many followers Piper has?”
“No.” Theo gives me a curious look, “I have no idea. How many?”
“More than the population of Denver,” Quinn grumbles, and I shrug and nod to let Theo know Quinn isn’t kidding.
“Oh.”
I set up my space while Theo watches. “What are you making?”
“Morilles a la crème for the starter and Piper’s video. It can also be used on the chicken that’s roasting, but I have another sauce.” I feel Baylor’s eyes on me. I guess morels are a bit more serious than my usual vegetable puns in these videos.
“You found morels?” Theo asks, brown eyes wide and pleased. I shouldn’t be surprised a guy who knows Pierre Stanton also gets excited about the elusive mushroom, revered for its earthy, nutty tones.
“I did.” We share a smile, and Piper whispers,this is good. I wonder what that’s about. Our videos are always fun.
“Those are beautiful,” Theo says when I set out the morels.
“Yeah, the season has been lean. At Summit House, we will only have morel recipes on the menu for a few weeks unless it improves. That’s what makes seasonal cooking exciting, though. It changes constantly.”
“Those are small.”
