Chapter Twenty-Five
Six months later
Jacob’s hands were already cold, which made his newly healed wrist ache, and he had to shuffle his feet to keep warm as Linc checked the position of the crate in the truck bed, reaching in to test one of the bungee cords.
“We’re going to be late,” he complained.
“We’ve got the star of the show. Think they can wait for us for cake and singing.” Linc offered him a patient smile, probably because he knew Jacob was more than a little antsy about Junior’s birthday party.
“True. Hope he gets some cool presents from everyone else.” Poor kid was saddled with a holiday birthday—between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when everyone was crazy busy with holiday get-togethers and school concerts and the start of the ski tourism season. But his family wasn’t one to ignore the chance for a party, and Mom and May were combining his family party with a chili cook-off and movie marathon.
“Ours is better,” Linc said confidently as he climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. He was technically cleared to drive now, but they’d fallen into a habit of Jacob chauffeuring him around. It would take some getting used to Linc being fully independent again, but his physical therapy was almost done and he’d clocked several miles on the treadmill the last session.
“I can’t believe Mom and May are letting us do this.” Now that they were underway, the giddiness returned. Junior was going to freak.
“They trust us, I guess.” Linc shrugged like it was no big deal. But it was. Thanksgiving had been weirdly tense until the four of them had hatched this plan for Junior over pie. His mom had run hot and cold like that all fall—reserved one day and showing up with cookies the next. Maybe they were all still figuring out how the pieces went together in the new reality where he and Linc were a couple, but this joint project had been good for all of them. Linc especially. He’d never say, but it mattered, him being treated like one of the family again.
“Are we still on for seeing Garrick tomorrow?” he asked.
“Yeah. He sounded upbeat on the phone. Said we’d be a good distraction from PT hell.” Garrick’s recovery was long and slow, but Linc and Jacob tried to do everything they could to support their friend.
“Remind me to dig through my boxes of winter stuff in mom’s garage.”
“Why don’t we just load all your stuff in the truck after the party? You don’t have to use her as storage anymore, you know.”
“Seriously? It’s more than just the one box.” Jacob had been so used to the tight confines of his trailer for so long that he’d built up a fair collection of stuff at his mom’s, mainly off-season clothes and sporting equipment.
“You haven’t slept at the trailer in months,” Linc pointed out as Jacob took the turn toward his mom’s house. “Other than getting mail there, you’ve been living with me and the dogs ever since the accident. Even those mismatched dishes of yours migrated over. Probably past time you let the space rent go, honestly.”
“You want me, my stuff from mom’s and my trailer on your property?” As he braked for a stop sign, he blinked at Linc.
“The trailer might be useful for camping come spring. I’m getting too old to do tents. And as for the rest of it, yeah, I do. I’ve got the room.” Only his fingers drumming against the window frame gave away that Linc was anything other than casual about this offer.
“You’re keeping me through to spring?” he teased as he resumed driving. “What if you get cabin fever come January or February?”
“Not happening. And if you’re the one itchy for...warmer parts, I’ll just have to chase you down in Aruba or wherever, drag you home.”
“Promise?”
“You know it.” Linc’s confidence was back, and with him making promises like that, it was only too easy to agree.
“Okay. I’ll do the official change of address thing and make arrangements to move the trailer over to your place.”
“Our place,” Linc corrected with a grin as Jacob pulled into his mom’s driveway, finding a parking space among the other assorted vehicles.
“Our place.” Jacob liked the sound of that, a lot. “Come on. Let’s make Junior’s year.”
May came bustling out of the house as they were carefully unloading the crate. “You got it?”
“You doubted us?” Jacob faked being wounded. “Sorry if we’re late.”
“You’re not.” She rubbed her hands restlessly. “And your arrival will distract everyone from me being the subject of all the gossip.”
“You? Gossip?” Linc’s head tilted.
“I...uh...” May looked out over the horizon. “I might have brought a date. Sort of. Accidentally.”
“You accidentally brought a date?” Jacob was pretty sure his expression mirrored Linc’s wide-eyed confusion.
“Who is he?” Linc demanded, all bristly and apparently more than ready to do the whole protective big brother thing for May.