His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone in that way that always made my breath catch. “It does work, Nick. We work.”
And looking into his dark eyes, seeing the certainty there, I found myself believing it. Found myself wanting to say the words that had been building in my chest for weeks now, the ones I’d been too scared to voice.
“Dante, I?—”
The sound of a truck engine cut me off, and we both turned toward the window. An old truck was pulling up the drive, dust billowing behind it. The moment I saw it, I knew exactly who it was.
“What’s Evelyn doing here?” I asked, glancing at Dante.
He just shrugged. “Another casserole maybe?”
I got up from his lap and headed for the door, pulling it open before she even got the chance to get out of her truck. Instead, she rolled the passenger window down, calling out to me.
“I won’t bother you long,” she said with a smile. “Just came by to invite y’all to dinner tomorrow night. We’re doing barbecue.”
I glanced back at Dante. He didn’t seem upset by the idea.
“What time?” I called back.
“Shoot for seven and we’ll see what happens,” she replied. Her truck roared back into life. “Just bring yourselves. We’ve got the rest covered.”
I nodded, waving to her as she put the truck in drive. “See you then!”
Dante stepped up behind me as she pulled away, his arms wrapped around my waist. “God… it’s almost like this is normal.”
“Thisisnormal out here,” I replied, turning in his arms to kiss him. “Now what do you say about leaving those spreadsheets and taking a nap with me?”
“A nap?” he grinned. “Is there any actual sleeping involved in this nap?”
I shook my head. “Not even a little bit.”
Chapter 23
Dante
“Ifeel like a kid on a play date,” I said as I pulled the SUV up to the old farmhouse. “All that’s missing is my mother and freedom of me shitting my pants.”
“Wow,” Nick answered, grinning from ear to ear. “Thanks for that visual.”
“You know I’m right,” I retorted. “Evelyn invited us out here to make friends because Jesse and Cole are gay.”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and glanced at the house. Through the windows, I could see movement, shadows passing back and forth like whoever was inside was pacing. Or maybe just watching. It was hard to tell from out here.
“And what’s wrong with that?” Nick asked, opening his door. “We could use some friends who understand what it’s like.”
He had a point. Back in Jersey, I’d had plenty of associates, people I did business with or worked alongside. But friends? Real friends who knew who I was and didn’t run screaming? Those had been in short supply. And out here in Montana, isolated on the ranch with only Angelo, Nick, and my in-laws, I was starting to feel the lack of social connection more than I’d expected.
“Nothing’s wrong with it,” I admitted, climbing out of the SUV. “It’s just weird. Being set up on a friendship date because we’re both gay couples in the middle of nowhere.”
“Welcome to small-town Montana,” Nick said with a chuckle. “This is how it works out here. Evelyn’s just looking out for us.”
I couldn’t argue with that. The woman had been nothing but kind since we’d arrived, even when my own in-laws could barely stand to look at me. If she wanted to introduce us to other gay men in the area, who was I to complain?
The front door opened before we even made it to the porch, and a man stepped out. He was tall, maybe my height, with sandy brown hair that looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and hazel eyes that took us both in with open curiosity. Tribal tattoos snaked down his right arm, disappearing under the sleeve of his worn t-shirt.
“You must be Nick and Dante,” he said, his voice carrying a slight twang that was different from the Montana accent I’d gotten used to. “I’m Jesse. Come on in before the mosquitoes eat you alive.”
We followed him inside, and I immediately noticed how different this house was from the Wesley place. Where Nick’s family home was worn but well-maintained, this place had an edge of chaos to it. Boots scattered by the door, a jacket thrown over the back of a chair, dishes in the sink visible through the kitchen doorway.
