“Sometimes. But she was amazing at it. She worked as a waitress mostly, but she was an incredible baker. I always told her she should open her own bakery, but she’d just laugh and say she wasn’t a businesswoman.” I feel my eyes getting wet. “That’s part of why I wanted to open Special Blend. It’s kind of for both of us, you know?”
Nate reaches over and takes my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. The gentle touch breaks something in me, and I feel tears spilling over.
“Sorry,” I whisper, wiping at my face with my free hand. “I just miss her so much.”
Without a word, Nate pulls me up from my chair and into his arms. I let myself sink into his warmth, breathing in the lingering scent of pine and winter air that clings to his sweater. His hand runs soothingly up and down my back, and I relax against him.
“So you’re saying that if you’d grown up here, I could have met you a long time ago.”
I lift my head from his chest and give him a playful smile. “Would you have noticed me? Little teenage Caspian with his terrible fashion choices and questionable hair decisions?”
“I would have noticed you anywhere,” Nate says softly, his fingers trailing along my jaw. “Though now I’m really curious about those questionable hair decisions.”
“Oh no.” I laugh, shaking my head. “Those photos are sealed away forever. But what about you? Were you a brooding forest boy even back then?”
“More like the awkward tall kid who kept tripping over his own feet.” His eyes crinkle with amusement.
We finish eating, trading comfortable conversation about our days. After we clean up, I lead Nate to the living room. The snow is falling harder outside now, creating a cozy backdrop as we settle on the couch, me sitting between Nate’s legs with his arms wrapped around my waist.
I lay my head back on his chest and let out a contented sigh.
“Tell me more about growing up in Phoenix,” he murmurs after a moment.
I shift slightly but don’t move from his embrace. “It was just me and Mom, so it was pretty quiet most of the time. I used to love going to my best friend Marcus’s house because it was chaos—four kids, two dogs, always something happening.” I smile at the memory. “But Mom made sure I never felt lonely. She’d sing while she cooked, dance with me in the kitchen, and read me stories. She worked so hard to give me everything.”
Nate’s arms tighten around me slightly. “She sounds amazing.”
“She was.”
“How about boyfriends? Did you leave any broken hearts in Arizona?”
I let out a small laugh. “Not a single one. I was more focused on school and helping my mom at home than dating. Plus, the dating pool for gay guys in my high school was pretty much limited to me and the guy who ended up dating the closeted football captain instead of being interested in me. So, no, definitely no trail of broken hearts left in my wake.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Nate says as he runs his hands down my stomach. His fingers ghost the outline of my panties where my dick is thickening. “Have you always liked wearing lacy underwear?”
I let out a moan when his warm fingers find my cock, and I can’t stop myself from pressing against his hand.
It’s tempting to see where this is going, which hopefully will be with him inside me. Although I’d love to switch it up with Nate. See how the big guy would unravel for me.
“You’re a little quiet over there,” he whispers. “Thinking hard about something?”
I pull his hand from inside my jeans and place it over my chest, where I’m sure he can feel my heart galloping.
“Don’t think you’re getting away with it so easily. It’s your turn. Tell me something about you.”
He’s quiet for a moment, his fingers absently playing with mine. “I was engaged once. Just over a year ago,” he says finally. “To Addy.”
“Addy?”
He nods. “We were best friends first. Everyone thought we were perfect together, and for a while, we thought so too. But then…” He trails off, gathering his thoughts. “She fell for someone else. Hannah is the curator of an art gallery in Burlington. They’re really good together.”
“It sounds like there’s a but in there.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “No buts. Addy is my best friend, but she also hurt me a lot. Everyone works out their sexuality in their own time. I always knew I was bi and liked girls and boys equally, but Addy thought she was straight. It’s not her fault. She didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“That must have been a really difficult time for her,” I say, reaching out for Nate’s hand and placing it between mine.
“It was. It hurt to see her struggle so much and not know why. Then, one day, she told me we needed to call off the engagement because she was in love with someone else. A woman.”
