Fall by Winter

I considered it a triumph that Matt hadn’t asked if he could use the pullout in Brady’s studio. It was the first time, after a year and a half of consistently telling him that Brady’s room was his room too. Matt didn’t have to ask.

Mason lifted a brow and smirked strangely. “Barbecue in November?”

“It’ll be cozy! The boys don’t have a yard at their dads’, so I let them go nuts at my house. After William moved out of the old house, we barbecued all year round too. It’s insane to restrict that to the summers.” I pushed the cart to the coffeemakers and pointed at a fancy one in question.

Mason nodded his answer but stayed on the topic. “How many heaters are we talking about here?”

“Only two. I swear it’ll be enough. I have a roof over the patio, you know. Just bundle up a bit.”

His smile reached his eyes, and he closed the distance and dipped down to kiss me slowly. “And you wonder why I call you wild. Count us in.”

“I really do wonder that!” It came out as half a chuckle, half a confused whine. Because I just didn’t see it. “A barbecue in the fall doesn’t equal wild.”

“I think it’s technically winter now,” he pointed out with another kiss. “But it’s the little things. You literally took the nine-ball off the pool table and pulled your own Shawshank stunt.”

I spluttered a laugh and rested my forehead on his sternum.

“I love that about you, Lis.” He hugged me to him and kissed the top of my head. “You make me feel more alive than I have in years.”

I shivered and peered up at him. How had this happened to me? How had he happened to me? “Ditto,” I murmured. “This has been the best fall ever.”

“Winter,” he whispered and kissed me.

“Fall. Just because you’re used to the desert doesn’t mean you can come up here and change—”

“Just shut the fuck up, baby,” he chuckled against my lips.

Since he put it so nicely…That evening, I had an amazing time.

Brady and Matt manned the grill, although Mason couldn’t stay away completely. He opened up a new world to the boys when he told them about using different types of wood for the grill. There was talk of “next time” and something about applewood in the smoker and…I just kept thinking about Mason’s wood, to be honest.

It was nice to get to know Tristan and Katie better too. While he would commute between Camassia and Vancouver most days, Katie worked from home as a web designer. They’d gotten settled and liked the new house, and tomorrow they were meeting with their new doctor in town.

The air was crisp and cold, but we had the heaters and a bunch of thick blankets.

Plus, wine. So much wine for me.

I let Brady and Matt have beer with dinner too, since Mason asked me if he could offer some.

I wasn’t the only one collecting brownie points. Mason was making an effort to get to know Brady—and Matt too—and it mattered a lot to me.

“This is fantastic, guys,” I praised. We were treated to steak, baked potatoes, and grilled vegetables. The only thing I’d been allowed to contribute was the sauce. “You will make an amazing chef one day, Matthew.”

“You’re in culinary school?” Mason asked.

“Not yet,” Matt replied, shifting in his seat. He didn’t handle compliments very well. “I want a few years in college first.”

“He’s studying chemistry and business right now,” I explained.

“Smart choices.” Mason nodded and slipped a hand onto my thigh under the blanket we shared. “What about you, Brady? You can’t have many semesters left, can you?”

I smiled at my son, proud of him. For as rambunctious as he’d been in high school—and still was—he took his studies seriously.

“Engineering degrees take fucking forever to get,” Brady groused. “When my roommates graduate next spring, I’ll have at least a year to go. Then I gotta get my master’s too.”

“But I’ll be outta the dorm by then and can join you at the apartment.” Matt was pleased by that. I’d heard from William that Matt wasn’t overly fond of his dormmate.

“I didn’t like dorm life either,” I said, taking a sip of my wine.

“Same here.” Tristan shook his head. “Then I made a deal with Dad. He bought me a studio off campus, and I started working for him on the weekends.”

“You made the shittiest coffee, son,” Mason noted, to everyone’s amusement. “But I enjoyed having you at the firm.”

“Best part of being pregnant,” Katie added. “I don’t have to drink his coffee anymore.”

“Hey!” Tristan glared playfully.

They were adorable together.

Mason seemed to think so too, judging by how he sat back and watched them with pure contentment rolling off of him.

“Has everyone finished?” Brady asked. “Matt’s gonna start with the dessert, and I’m on kitchen duty.”