Virgin Flyer

By the time the food was ready, I felt… not exactly thrilled he was there, of course, but at least I felt less intimidated by him than I had when I’d first realized who he was. I even had the random thought that if Jack and Ty ended up together, that wouldn’t be so bad for Jack. Ty was kind and interesting, clearly smart and successful at what he did, and he already had the family connection as Kirk’s brother. If the only thing holding Jack back from committing to Ty was his disinterest in settling down with anyone, that meant the minute Jack was ready to settle down, he still had the option for it to be with Ty.

Those thoughts took me down a dark path that unsettled my stomach.

“You okay?” Jack asked, whispering low in my ear. His hand was resting on my thigh under the table, and his touch had helped up until this stupid train of thought about Ty and Jack and their perfect house in La Porte together.

“I…” I looked around at Millie, who was teasing Ty about his ideas for the baby’s nursery. Keith was busy asking Kirk about work, and Lori was gathering up dirty plates from the table. I stood to help her. “My head’s starting to hurt,” I said quietly to Jack. “I might need to beg off early.” It wasn’t really a lie. The stress of meeting Jack’s whole family in addition to his beautiful and perfect ex was getting to me with a low throb behind my forehead. I wanted some time to myself in a dark room to just be still.

Jack’s brows furrowed. He reached out to brush the hair back from my face in a tender gesture that made a lump form in my throat. “Okay, let’s go up to bed, then.”

My heart thundered erratically. The affectionate look in his eyes, the gentle caress of his hand… his assumption that if I needed to go to bed, then he was coming too. It all hit me at once.

I was in love with him.

“No!” I blurted, suddenly frantic. If he came with me, I’d say it. I’d say it out loud like a stupid jackass and ruin everything. I didn’t want to lose him, lose what we had now. Friendship was better than nothing, and I sure as shit didn’t want nothing with him.

Jack’s expression froze in surprise, and then he pasted on a fake smile. “Okay, let me show you where we’re sleeping, and I’ll leave you to it.”

30

Jack

I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, really. Bringing Teo to meet my family would have been stressful enough as it was, but then adding in the unexpected appearance of my ex, and it was excruciating.

All I wanted was to get him into the guest bed and snuggle the shit out of him. Or maybe suck his dick until his brain went offline. Either way, what I did not want to do was leave him. But he seemed to be in need of some alone time, so I did anyway.

“He okay?” Millie asked as I returned to the patio. It was a nice early summer night, and I appreciated the chance to sit outside.

“Headache. He’s been working odd shifts, so his sleeping is off. I’m worried he’s been skipping meals because of it too.”

I took a seat again at the table next to my mom, who patted my arm. “He’s a real cutie, Jack.”

My dad nodded, but I noticed Ty look down at his glass of wine.

“He’s a sweetheart,” I added softly. “I’m glad you all got a chance to finally meet him.”

The sound of summer nights floated around us, crickets and neighbors having their own backyard barbecue a few houses away.

“I like him too.” Ty’s voice was hesitant. “He reminds me a little bit of Pat Farrow. Remember him? Tina’s friend who we met at that party in Chelsea?”

I thought back to the man with the bright green eyes who was trying to make a living as a professional figure skater. “It’s the eyes,” I said with a laugh.

“And the dark hair, and the dimple. But also, he just has that nurturing vibe, you know? He’s nice, Jack.” He met my eyes. There was sadness and regret there, but I could see he meant what he said. “It’s good to see you with someone. I hate thinking of you being alone.”

“I…” I’d started to say I wasn’t with anyone, but I couldn’t exactly admit that when I’d brought Teo here for the weekend. “It’s not serious,” I said instead.

Every single person sitting at the table burst out laughing.

“Sure it’s not,” Millie said through tears.

“Yeah, right,” Kirk added.

Even my dad was chuckling. “Son, you’ve got a screw loose if you think there’s nothing serious between you two. I’m not sure if…” He glanced at Ty.