The man backed off after a second, removing his sunglasses and looking Scott up and down. “You arenotone of my brothers. Sorry, man.”
This had to be Riley. Scott understood immediately what Charlie had meant about him being a little odd.
He gave good hugs, though. Even if he hadn’t actually intended to hug Scott.
“Uh, no,” Scott said, unsure why he felt guilty about that.
“Who are you?” Riley asked.
It wasn’t a rude question, or even really a demand. He seemed genuinely curious, looking between Scott, Kayla, and Chewie.
“Is that a puppy?” he added, apparently forgetting that he still didn’t know who Scott was.
Charlie had been right. Scott did like him. Anyone who’d completely ignore the presence of a stranger in their home in favor of paying attention to a dog was okay by him.
“His name is Chewie,” Scott said.
“And that’s Charlie’s new boyfriend,” Owen added, walking over to greet his brother. The hallway was getting a little crowded, but Scott didn’t mind.
He’d always wanted a big extended family, but he was the only child of two only children. No brothers or sisters, no cousins, no aunts or uncles. His grandparents had died when he was in elementary school, so it had just been him, his parents, and the dogs.
“Oh.” Riley stood again, having ruffled Chewie’s fur gently, and turned to face Scott. “Hmm,” he said, looking Scott up and down. “I guess he can keep you. As the oldest, I’m legally required to mention that I will hurt you if you hurt him.”
Scott wasn’t sure how seriously to take that.
“He’s joking,” Charlie said, squeezing into the already crowded hallway and wrapping his arms around Scott, kissing his cheek.
Scott blushed. The whole family was looking at him.
“I actually wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Riley said. “I probably wouldn’t know how.”
“You’ll get used to him.” Charlie smiled wryly, tugging on Scott’s arm. “Time to sit down. There’s plenty of food.”
Riley grinned. “After you two,” he said, holding his hand out to let Charlie and Scott into the kitchen first, holding back the stampede.
Scott headed inside, moving out of the way so he could take Chewie’s leash off and give him a chance to explore, since no one had said not to. They all seemed to want to give him attention, and Chewie was happy to indulge everyone as much as they wanted.
Later, he’d pretty much pass out from all the excitement, but that was okay. Puppies needed plenty of sleep and love. This way, he’d get both.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Scott said as Riley sat down next to him at the table. Thankfully, Charlie was sitting on his other side. As they all settled in, Charlie took his hand under the table.
He hadn’t exactly heard alotabout Riley, but he had heard of him. It seemed like the kind of thing to say in a situation like this.
“Andno onetold me about you.” Riley tutted, standing to help Mrs. Jules find space on the table for all the dishes she was setting out.
She’d cooked enough food for the entire town, but since no one mentioned it, Scott assumed that was normal.
He suddenly wondered what Thanksgiving was like in the Jules household if this was a normal Sunday.
“I haven’t been around long,” Scott said. “I’ve only been in town a few months, and I didn’t meet Charlie until recently.”
It was strange explaining himself when everyone else at the table already knew what was going on, but Scott didn’t hate doing it. Riley did seem genuinely interested.
“Well, you’re hot, so you can stay,” Riley said.
The whole table went quiet.
“What?” Riley asked. “Are we pretending he’s not? Is this some kind of weird mind game we’re playing with the poor kid?”
