Page 104 of Noah

Liam was right. My friends getting to know Brody was long overdue. The exchange of I love you was still so new and then there'd been Brody's accident. Now, it was time.

"Owen's Christmas barbeque, maybe?" I suggested.

"Perfect. I'll let Owen know." Liam put his hand on my shoulder. "I really like him." He smiled at me. "He's a bit odd at times. His words seemed very deliberate sometimes."

"He didn't want to say the wrong thing. He knows how important you are to me."

"Are you going to tell me what's up with him?"

"I'll talk to him about it." I knew we'd have to tell my friends about Brody being on the spectrum eventually, but it had to be Brody's decision.

When I got home, I found Brody in the kitchen, trying to make toast. He had a plate backed up and pinned against the microwave and fridge, the butter ready to be spread. He'd adapted as best as he could, employing some techniques to be as independent as he could be. His brother wasn't coming over anymore while I was at work, and I'd stretched my shifts to be four hours.

"Can I give you a hand?"

"No, I'm good."

"I brought dinner."

"I'm feeling a bit tired. Thought I'd just eat something light and go to bed."

"No worries, I can put the food in the fridge." And I did just that. Reorganized a few things and slid the meal containers in alongside a row of canned club soda. Brody liked to sip on it at night. He liked that it was zero calories and I appreciated that he took care of his sexy body.

The toast popped and Brody made a complete mess of buttering it, but I didn't interfere. I could clean the smeared butter off the fridge once he was in bed.

I followed him over to the kitchen table and let him fight with getting his leg cast beneath it. Once he huffed into a chair, I sat across from him.

"The gang wants to hang out with you. Get to know you better. Owen hasn't even met you yet. Liam and I were talking today. We have an annual Christmas barbeque and I'd love—"

"I'll go. Anything to get out of this damned house." He graced me with the most beautiful smile. "Plus, I'd like to meet Owen and get to know your friends better."

My heart filled with joy. I wanted Brody to be part of every aspect of my life. This, my friends, was an important one. There was only one more thing. "I'd like to tell them about your autism."

Brody frowned at his plate but then nodded.

"That makes sense."

"Liam already knows something's up."

He looked up at me. "Did I come off that bad when he was over?"

I touched his hand. "No, you were perfect. He really likes you."

Brody exhaled, his head bobbing, but didn't speak.

"The barbeque is a lot of fun. We've been doing it ever since Owen bought a house eight years ago. It's a great start to the Christmas season."

"When is it?"

"Next week. The twenty-first."

"And you actually barbeque?"

"Owen has a nice setup. Outdoor kitchen right off his regular one. He has a nice house. The front entry leads you past a dining room and straight to the kitchen. There's a bathroom along that hallway. Impossible to miss." Brody had told me how new spaces stressed him out. That he liked to get an image in his mind of where he was going. "We usually make ribs."

Brody smirked at me. "You don't have to cook anything, do you?"

"God, no. Owen and Ethan prepare the entire thing."

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