“Well, it’s a little rougher than figure skating,” Jace said to Carolyn before turning back to Noah. “But now I really wanna see you in a sparkly leotard. You must have been so cute.”
“I’m still cute.” Noah sniffed. “But also very tough, obviously.”
“Obviously.” Jace chuckled, squeezing Noah’s hand more gently than Noah had squeezed his earlier. He wasn’t having the best afternoon, but he’d learned something about Noah’s past, so it wasn’t a total loss.
“You should go nap before dinner,” Noah said, giving Jace the graceful exit he desperately needed. “I know how tired you get after a shift. I’ll come get you when it’s ready.”
Jace smiled a genuine, warm smile at Noah, relieved to have an escape from this conversation before he said anything else Noah’s mom wouldn’t like.
“Thanks. It was lovely to meet you, Carolyn, and I promise to be better company at dinner,” Jace said, forcing himself to smile at her.
As he walked past Noah again, he leaned down and kissed him on the temple. “Love you,” he murmured, just loud enough for Carolyn to hear it.
It came shockingly easily. It felt good to be casually affectionate with Noah.
Jace kicked off his shoes and flopped down on the bed, closing his eyes for a moment. He could survive this. Noah hadn’t been exaggerating as much as Jace thought, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle for three days.
Or at least, he hoped it was nothing he couldn’t handle for three days.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I am so, so sorry about my mom,” Noah said as he climbed into bed beside Jace. Normally, the night before a game would see him edgy and unable to settle, but his mother was exhausting, and he expected to be able to sleep pretty much immediately.
Jace’s bed smelled of him, too, which would help. Jace had been a steadying force tonight, and Noah was grateful. Without him there, Noah might have snapped.
“I’m sorry for not believing you about what she was like.” Jace rolled over to face him. “I figured anyone who raised you would have to be pretty cool.”
“I get my competitive streak from her. Everything else, I take after my dad. She always said that like it was a bad thing. I was never ambitious enough for her, and neither was he. And now he’s gone and she’s all I’ve got.”
Jace reached out and took Noah’s hand, holding it between them on the bed. “You’ve got me.”
Noah swallowed. “I know.”
He was enjoying the increased level of affection between them, even though he knew Jace was faking it. It didn’t feel fake. Jace was nothing but comforting and soothing, and it only made Noah’s heart hurt all the more for not being able to have him.
“C’mere,” Jace murmured.
“What?” Noah asked. He thought he’d heard right, but he couldn’t process what Jace was asking him to do.
“Come over here. So I can hug you. If you want.”
Noah hesitated. On the one hand, he did want a hug. On the other hand, he didn’t want to impose on Jace. Noah had already taken over half his bed and made him deal with his mother. A hug seemed like too much to ask.
Jace was waiting for an answer, and Noah’s need for touch won out. He scooted over on the bed, but didn’t have to move much before Jace grabbed him and pulled him in the rest of the way, squeezing him tightly. It reminded Noah of a cat hugging one of its toys out of fear it’d be taken away.
“Better?” Jace asked after a minute.
“Better,” Noah agreed. He sighed and let himself relax against Jace’s chest, letting their legs tangle together. He’d worn sweatpants to bed, not wanting to subject Jace to sleeping next to another man who was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear. Jace hadn’t bothered, but Noah wasn’t exactly unused to sleeping with other men.
“Don’t worry about your mom. We’re gonna go out and kick ass tomorrow, and if she can’t be proud of you for that, then there’s something wrong with her. And there’s nothing wrong with you, anyway.”
“Thank you,” Noah said, tucking his head under Jace’s chin. He needed all the comfort he could get right now, and Jace was being generous with his affection. Noah intended to take as much as he could get.
“You wanna tell me about your dad?” Jace asked.
“He was a good man.” Noah snuggled a little closer. “Drove a long-haul truck. I remember going on week-long trips with him in the summer, when school was out. He taught me to fish, and to make a campfire, and showed me some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. When I came out, he told me he’d known for years and he was proud of me. He never treated me any different. He died about five years ago now, and I still miss him all the time.”
“He sounds cool. I would have liked to meet him.”
