As if on cue, his phone lights up somewhere on the floor. He scrambles to find it, finally fishing it out from under the seat.
“It’s Jason,” he says, flashing me the screen before accepting the call and putting it on speaker. “Hey, birthday boy.”
Jason’s voice blasts through the speaker—loud, frantic, and very much alive with older brother panic. “Carter! Jesus Christ, where have you been? I thought you were dead!”
“Sorry,” Carter says, wincing. “We, uh…both had our phones on silent.” He shoots me a quick look—half panic, half amusement. “The car died completely, and we were just trying to stay warm.”
Not technically a lie.
I bite back a smile.
“Are you guys okay?” Jason demands. “It’s like negative ten out there with the wind chill.”
“We’re fine,” Carter says quickly. “Cold, but fine. Happy birthday, by the way. Sorry we couldn’t be there.”
There’s a pause, and then Jason’s voice softens. “Thanks, man. I was just worried about you two. The storm’s getting worse.”
“Do you like the decorations?” I ask, leaning closer to the phone.
“They’re amazing,” Jason says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “The Yzma piñata is genius. And the ‘Pull the Lever, Kronk’ banner over the bar is iconic.”
Carter and I exchange a look and can’t help grinning.
“We’re glad you like it,” Carter says.
“Listen,” Jason goes on, his voice sliding back into concerned-big-brother mode, “Mike and I can come get you. Just send your location.”
“That’s not necessary,” I say quickly, already picturing Jason getting stuck in traffic—or worse, stranded somewhere else in this storm on his birthday. “The tow truck should be here soon.”
“The roads are getting worse,” Jason argues. “They might not come. I don’t want you guys freezing to death out there.”
“We’ll give the tow company another thirty minutes,” Carter says, catching my gaze over the phone. “If they’re not here by then, we’ll call you.”
There’s a pause, and I can practically hear Jason’s internal debate.
“Fine,” he says eventually. “But I’m setting a timer. Thirty minutes, and then I’m coming—whether you like it or not.”
“Fair enough,” I say.
“Thanks, Jase,” Carter adds.
“Yeah, yeah. Love you guys. Stay warm.”
“Love you too,” Carter says.
The call ends, and he turns to look at me with a grimace.
“Shit,” he says. “I just realized—we’re going to have to tell Jason at some point.”
He pauses, then adds, “About us.”
I blink.
Oh. Right.
The idea of telling Jason makes my face heat up, which is honestly stupid considering I’ve already told Carter I’m in love with him. Multiple times. Including—yes—while he was riding my cock in the backseat of his car.
But telling Jason? That’s a whole different kind of vulnerable.
