Meredith giggled and took pity on me. “I had a great night with Harley, sugar. I just wanted to wind you up.”
“It worked,” I groused. “So, did you or did you not sleep over?”
Mere pinned me with a look I’d seen her mother use a billion times when we were working on her last nerve. “Not that it’s your business,” she said, “but I didn’t stay overnight. I need to take this slow and be sure we’re on the same page before I let my heart get carried away.”As if we controlled our hearts.“We met for coffee first to get the introductory stuff out of the way and to see if we sparked.”
“And?”
“Just call me Sparky,” Meredith said with a giggle. “He’s sweet and funny. He crazy loves kids, and his manners were impeccable.” Her voice grew softer, and her eyes lost focus as she thought back on her date.
“So, I’m assuming you advanced to the dinner phase of the evening,” I said prodding her.
“Wait!” Chaz said, bursting up the stairs. “I want to hear all about it.”
“There’s not a lot to tell,” Meredith replied. “We had dinner then went to a movie.”
“Did you kiss him?” Chaz asked.
“Are you twelve?” I asked him.I was just pissed because he beat me to it.“Well, did you?” I asked Meredith.
“Do you kiss and tell with Gabe?” she asked, knowing full well that I didn’t.
“I see your point,” I replied.
“Do you?” she asked. The thing was, I had kissed and told plenty of times in my past. Gabe had been different from the very start. I got what she was saying without her saying it.
“I do.”
I checked the clock and saw that it was time to get my ass in gear and put the finishing touches on my dinner. I had made the mashed potatoes early and kept them warm in a crockpot so that I could look put together and poised when my company arrived. Gabe made a wisecrack about instant potatoes that morning and nearly missed out on the amazing blow job I bestowed upon him.
Meredith filled water glasses while Chaz stared at the extra plates at the table. I could tell he was struggling internally with the pros and cons of Kyle showing up, or not. I felt horrible that I had put him in the situation. The doorbell rang downstairs which meant it was either Emory, Silver, or Kyle since everyone else had a key to the back door.
Chaz bit his lip while he waited to see who came up the steps with Gabe. Emory’s soft laughter rang out from the bottom of the steps and Chaz’s shoulders slumped. I had half a mind to tell him to call Kyle or ask Gabe to do it, but I had learned my lesson. He seemed to snap out of it quickly and offered a warm smile to Emory.
“It’s good to see you again, Emory,” Chaz said.
“You too.” Emory’s slight blush was cute. He turned to Meredith and said, “I don’t think we’ve formerly met. I’m Emory Jackson.” He extended his hand to Mere which she used to pull him into a hug because that was her preferred way to greet people.
“I’m Meredith Richmond,” she told him, pulling out of the embrace. “I’m so happy you’re joining us today.”
The doorbell rang again, and I saw Chaz wipe his hands nervously on his jeans. I was so excited to hear about Meredith’s date that I forgot to mention to them that Gabe invited Jonathon Silver. In fact, they didn’t even know that Nate Turner had a twin brother. It wasn’t my story to tell, and the last thing I wanted to do was inadvertently fuck up Gabe’s case. I felt bad about not giving them a warning though until I saw the shocked expressions on their faces, then I thought it was funny. Emory turned and looked at the newcomer curiously to see what caused such a stir.
His eyes widened slightly, but the sexy man standing awkwardly next to Gabe with a bottle of wine in his hand was impressive. He wore dark jeans and an impeccably pressed, white dress shirt that was open enough to get a glimpse of dark chest hair. It was shocking how much he looked like his brother, yet there was a completely different look in his eyes. Nate had looked arrogant and entitled, Jonathon looked wary and cynical. There was a great sadness about him, and I understood why Gabe felt the need to make sure he wasn’t alone that day.
Meredith and Chaz blinked a few times then closed their mouths that had fallen open in shock. They looked to me for answers then to Gabe. They were so synchronized it looked rehearsed, but it was because they were so in tune with one another. I was sure I would’ve been making the same face had I not already known about Jonathon.
“Guys, this is Jonathon Silver,” Gabe said. “He’s Nate’s twin brother. Jonathon Silver, this is Meredith, Chaz, and Emory.”
Chaz was the first to snap out of his surprise to cross the room and shake Jonathon’s hand. Meredith hugged him and told him she was sorry for his loss, which Jonathon seemed to appreciate. Emory stepped forward slowly with his head tilted slightly as he studied Jonathon, who seemed uncomfortable with the intensity aimed in his direction.
We all watched as both men cautiously extended their hands toward one another. When their hands connected, they both narrowed their eyes suspiciously. I wondered if they felt an electrical current zinging through their bones like I did when Gabe touched me. It was something that seemed to get stronger with time, not fade. I also noticed that neither of them pulled away from the other.
Emory closed his eyes for a few seconds then jerked, breaking their connection. He opened his eyes slowly then blinked as he came back from wherever he had gone. Only Gabe and I knew about his abilities, and I wondered if he’d had a vision or something. Was Jonathon the reason why Emory moved to town? Why Blissville though when Jonathon lived in Cincinnati?
Jonathon’s face was completely devoid of expression as he looked back at Emory. I would’ve loved to know what was going through his brain right then. Wanting to break the weirdness that had crept into the celebration, I walked over to the two men and kind of wedged myself between them. I looked over at Gabe and found him glaring at my proximity to them. I expected to hear a possessive growl from him at any moment.
“Welcome to our home,” I said to Jonathon. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” He looked over at Gabe and smiled wryly. “No wonder you turned me down. Twice. Your man is adorable.”
