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Later that day, when he got in his car to head to work, Garrett made a call he’d hoped to avoid.

“Hey, Garrett, everything okay?” Riley said when he answered the phone.

“Um, good question,” Garrett said. “Would it be okay if I came over to your place to discuss some… information you previously found?”

The line was quiet for a moment before Riley muttered something inaudible, then a door shut. When Riley spoke again, he kept his voice hushed.

“Is this about Josh’s parents?”

Earlier that year, Garrett helped Riley dig into the death of Josh’s birth parents. He told Riley and Josh he’d give them more information about the investigation if he ever found it, and if it was safe to do so. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Riley and Josh about Rafe’s investigation yet, but Riley may have been able to help him dig deeper, thanks to his little side hobby.

“It’s not not about his parents, but it’s more about how you found the information you did. I need it.”

The chances of someone listening to their conversation were slim, but they weren’t zero, so Garrett tried to take every precaution he could, especially when it involved his innocent friends. Well, mostly innocent.

“Come on over. I got you,” Riley said after a beat.

“Thanks, see ya soon.”

Garrett hung up and made his way to Riley and Josh’s place, a necessary detour on his way to work.

Riley was a part-time hacker, and when he dug into the car accident that killed Josh’s parents, he managed to hack into Cherrywood Police Department’s database. Notably, into Captain McHugh’s files.

Garrett wanted to check those files to see if he could find anything about the mole in their department. For all Garrett knew, the captain could be the one he was hunting for. The guy was dumb enough to be the mole by accident, so Garrett might as well investigate him too.

He reached Riley and Josh’s place in no time and knocked on their door. Excited voices rose on the other side.

The door swung open to reveal both Riley and Josh. They welcomed him inside, happy to see him, but Garrett detected a bit of anxiousness. Garrett was so happy for them for finally figuring out they were meant to be together, and they were a handsome couple. Both of them were dressed down since they worked from home for their graphic design business.

“Thanks for letting me stop by,” Garrett said as he pulled out his phone and turned it off. He wasn’t taking any chances.

“Anytime, man,” Riley said. “You want a drink or anything?”

“Or something to eat?” Josh offered.

Garrett’s gaze bounced between them. They were both way too excited, considering his reason for being here.

“Why are you guys acting weird?” he asked.

The two of them glanced at each other and had a full conversation with their eyes. Riley’s were pleading, while Josh’s were adamant. Josh finally answered with a shrug.

“We like you.”

Garrett’s eyes widened as his gaze jumped from Riley to Josh.

“Uh, I’m not really looking to be anyone’s third.”

Josh’s brow furrowed, and Riley blushed.

“No! No. No, no, no,” Riley said, waving his hands in front of him as if he could wipe away this entire conversation. Garrett wished he could, too. “Josh only meant we’re happy you’re here. It seems like you’ve been going through something and it’s been making Josh’s empath powers tingle like crazy, so we’re here for you, no matter what you need. We like you as a person, and we want to help if we can.”

Garrett’s tension eased. He chuckled internally at how often Riley said we when talking about him and Josh. He still couldn’t believe it took these two so long to figure out they were bi and in love, especially because they’d always been a we. Another part of Riley’s statement confused him.

“Empath powers?”

Riley gushed while Josh stood there sheepishly. “I mean, not like a superhero or anything, but sometimes it really seems like it. He’s really good at sensing things about people, their emotions especially.”