“That’s…” Evan cleared his throat. “Unexpected.”
“Didn’t Nix give you any kind of heads-up about his family?”
“My boy,” Evan said seriously, “tends to exaggerate things.”
“Not this time,” Vin assured his old friend.
“At least it seems I’ve got a few more hours before I meet the parents,” Evan commented.
“Gem should be here after breakfast,” Vin said. “What are the plans for today?”
Evan’s eyes lit up. “I thought we would challenge the triplets to a friendly game of hockey in the backyard.”
“Friendly?” Vin asked with obvious skepticism lacing his words. His own boy would never lace up just for fun. He didn’t believe Nix would either.
“I think the young ones might need a reminder of why we have action figures,” Evan replied.
Vin laughed so hard he needed to set his mug down. He'd been embarrassed to see that Nix had bought Aries his old hockey figure from back when he played in the NHL until he saw that Evan’s had also been included. It was a good gift and Aries had been excited.
“I love the way you think,” Vin admitted. “I’m in.”
“Great.” Evan drained his second cup of coffee. “It’s probably time to start breakfast.”
Vin hesitated.
“Is there something going on with you?” Evans asked when Vin froze.
“No, yes.” Vin huffed. “Maybe.”
“What is it?” Evan asked softly. “You know you can talk to me about anything. Is everything okay between you and Aries? I’ve never seen you so happy.”
“Everything is great between us,” Vin said quickly.
“Then?” Evan asked.
“How much have you told Nix about your dragon?”
“A lot.” Evan shrugged. “It gets easier the longer we’re together. If it comes up naturally.”
“This was a big trip for the two of you. He saw your other form.”
Evan nodded. “Yeah.”
Okay, Vin needed to stop fucking around. He just needed to get the words out. “I think Aries is my beloved.”
Instantly, there was a smile on Evan’s face. He didn’t even look surprised.
“You knew,” Vin accused.
“I suspected,” Evan said. “We all did. You're different with him.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“Maybe not,” Evan agreed. “But he had you wrapped around his little finger before you had even met. You used to follow his career.”
“He was an upcoming rookie sensation. I knew the Vikings were looking at him,” Vin defended.
“Uh-huh,” Evan said. “And how did your first meeting with him go?”
