Tex noticed Ridge’s head snap toward the door a second before the knock came through the open space between the kitchen and the living room.Ridge tensed, trying and failing to look casual as Jethro went to open the door.
Kael stepped into the living room just as Tex and Orlando did the same, his face flushed with excitement.His hair was all over the place, and his eyes were bright.“You guys, I just saw the most amazing thing on the way over.There was this street performer doing magic tricks—not real magic, obviously, but these illusions with cards and—” He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze landing on Ridge.
Ridge had sat up straighter, every line of his body focused on Kael with an intensity that would’ve been unsettling if Tex hadn’t suspected what was going on between the two.He didn’t have confirmation, and he wasn’t going to ask Ridge, but there was only one logical explanation for how focused Ridge always was when Kael was close.
Kael’s mouth snapped shut.His cheeks flushed a darker pink.“Hi, Ridge,” he said, his voice quieter.
“Kael.”Ridge’s voice was rough.“You made it.”
“Yeah.I...yeah.”Kael seemed to remember he was still standing in the doorway and moved further into the room, but his eyes kept darting back to Ridge.“Is that pizza I smell?”
“In the kitchen,” Nymon answered, emerging from the kitchen.“We were waiting for you to eat.”He caught Tex’s eye, and they smiled at each other.Tex’s heart settled in his chest.
“I ordered five different kinds,” Tex said, enjoying the smile that brought to Kael’s face.
“Five?”Kael’s eyes widened.“That seems like a lot.”
“Trust me, with this group, we’ll be lucky if there’s any left over,” Jethro said dryly.“Milton can eat his weight in pepperoni.”
“That’s not true,” Milton protested.“I can eat at leasttwicemy weight in pepperoni.It’s the best pizza.”
Everyone laughed, and Kael relaxed slightly.He moved toward the kitchen, but he had to pass by the couch where Ridge sat.As he did, Ridge’s hand twitched like he wanted to reach out.He didn’t, but Kael noticed, and the flush on his cheeks deepened.
Tex felt Nymon’s amusement through their bond and had to suppress a smile.Those two were going to drive each other and everyone around them crazy before they finally figured things out.Tex wasn’t sure why Ridge wasn’t doing more or talking to anyone about it, but he was sure his friend had his reasons, and he wasn’t going to push.This was none of his business, and he wouldn’t intervene as long as no one got hurt.
“So,” Orlando said loudly, clearly trying to give Kael a moment to gather himself in the kitchen.“What’s this game Milton’s setting up?”
“It’s a strategy game,” Milton explained eagerly.“You build settlements, collect resources, trade with other players, things like that.”
“Sounds complicated,” Jethro muttered.
“It’s not that bad once you get the hang of it,” Liam assured him, returning from the kitchen with Kael in tow and the pizzas.“Although Orlando tends to have a creative interpretation of the rules.”
“I prefer to think of it as innovative gameplay,” Orlando said with a grin.
They set up the pizzas, plates, drinks, and napkins around the board game on the coffee table.No one talked while everyone was busy choosing pizza and eating.Kael was holding a plate with three different pizza slices, his eyes wide as he examined them.“Which one should I try first?”
“The margherita,” Ridge said immediately.“Start simple, work your way up to the meat lovers.”
Everyone turned to look at him, and Ridge shifted under the attention.Kael smiled at him.“Okay,” he said.“Margherita first.”
He sat down on the floor near the coffee table, leaving the couch spot next to Ridge open.Ridge stared at that empty space like it was mocking him.
After a long moment, he moved down to the floor too, positioning himself next to Kael.“You want me to explain the toppings?”
“Yes, please,” Kael said, and launched into questions about cheese varieties, and tomato sauce, and whether all pizza places were the same or if there were differences.
Ridge answered each question with patience that Tex had rarely seen from him.His entire focus was on Kael, and it was like the rest of the room and the other people in it had stopped existing.
Nymon settled next to Tex on the other couch, fitting perfectly under his arm.Through their bond, Tex felt his mate’s contentment, his happiness at having Kael here, safe, and experiencing new things.
“They’re going to be fine,” Tex murmured, knowing Nymon worried about his friend.
“I know.”Nymon leaned into him.“Ridge is good for him.Patient.And Kael’s braver than he thinks he is.”
“Takes after his best friend that way.”
Nymon huffed a soft laugh.“I wasn’t brave.I was terrified.”
