Page 75 of Loving You

Jules’s words that night would have eviscerated him entirely if he hadn’t had a kitchen full of people ready to chop his head off. Adele hadn’t shown up because he liked to play hero. Dallas hadn’t shown up out of obligation to his brother—or for fear that Jules might wreck his house.

Monty hadn’t talked his son through his fear on the entire drive home and stuck close to him if he hadn’t wanted to be there for Bronx. Because of Bronx.

It was a weird pill to swallow after convincing himself the opposite for so long.

And he had a feeling if he told his brother the truth, Dallas was going to get his feelings hurt.

“I wasn’t sure that I was being included on my own merit,” he finally said. “Uh…before. When I first got here. You had this whole life with everyone. Inside jokes, history, support. You’d built this family, and everyone’s so…”

“Obnoxious? Loud?” Dallas chanced.

Bronx snorted. “Kind. Supportive. You all hang out together because you genuinely like each other. I felt like an outsider.”

Dallas didn’t look upset. He leaned on the counter, both arms folded, and looked at Bronx. “I get it. It might look like we’ve had years and years to build this foundation, but we haven’t. The whole thing was cobbled together one afternoon when Adele met Frey. It took him forever to get Lane to agree to hang out, and then they met me. We’ve only been doing this a little while. It just feels like forever because it’s right.”

Bronx bit his lip. That was something Lucas had said to Monty—that this little family they were testing together felt right. There was no real explanation for it. If this had been anyone else, Bronx would be telling that person to pump the brakes. It was too fast. They hardly knew each other, and it was going to end in disaster.

But the truth was, he’d known Jules forever. They’d dated slowly and took their time, and he still ended up being one of the worst things that had ever happened toBronx. He was pretty sure it couldn’t get worse than Jules, so why not just lean in?

Especially considering his son was on board.

“You really thought the guys didn’t like you?”

Bronx shrugged. “I thought maybe they were putting up with me for your sake. And I thought maybe you were humoring me because you felt like you owed me.”

“I do owe you,” Dallas said. “But I also like you. Staying away for so long was the worst mistake I ever made, and I know I’ve said that before, but I’ll keep saying it until it sinks in. We probably could have both saved each other years of heartache if we’d stayed close. I would have been able to spot what an absolute dick-weasel Jules was.”

Bronx chuckled. “And I would have done more to convince you that Katie was not the one.”

“But we’re here,” Dallas said. “So quit moping, and get your ass outside. Monty’s probably overwhelmed by Frey’s enthusiasm, and you know his boyfriend isn’t going to do shit to stop him. I’m pretty sure Renato gets off on watching Frey flail around like a wild man.”

Bronx laughed and grabbed the two bottles of punch he’d been asked to bring out, tucking them under his arms as he followed his brother to the deck. He liked Adele’s house. He hoped to have something like it one day. An actual home—not just a place his brother had given him.

Something he, Lucas, and maybe Monty had built together.

Glancing around, he spotted Adele at the grill with the guy he was supposed to be meeting today sitting in a chair beside him. The party was a joint thing to introduce Monty as Bronx’s official boyfriend and to welcome Kash into the fold.

Bronx had gotten a very quick introduction when hearrived and Adele answered the door. Kash was a few inches shorter than Adele but broader, with thick, dark curls and tan skin. He had a very Mediterranean look about him, with dark eyes and full lips, and he spoke softly and shook hands with loose fingers.

Bronx couldn’t tell if he was shy or if something else was going on, but he was betting the latter with the way Adele had been hovering over him all afternoon. He figured they’d find out eventually—or they wouldn’t. It didn’t really matter. Adele seemed happier than he had been in a while, and that was enough.

“Hey there.”

Bronx turned to find Monty a few feet away, smiling at him, shielding his eyes from the sun. Pulling a pair of sunglasses from his shirt pocket, he slid them onto Monty’s nose. “Better?”

Monty smiled and turned his face up for a kiss. Bronx ignored the wolf whistles and shouts as he obliged.

“Regretting this yet?”

Monty smiled against his lips, then pulled back. “No. It’s a rite of passage, and I’m not afraid of a few voyeurs.”

Bronx laughed. “Just don’t let Lucas hear you say that. He’ll sue me for emancipation and make me pay for his therapy. Where is he, by the way?”

Monty gestured toward the yard, and Bronx turned to find Gage and Lucas having a lightsaber fight with two glowing plastic replicas. He felt warm all over. He knew Lucas had never quite felt like he fit in, no matter what school he went to. But Gage had turned that around for him. He was also pretty sure that Lucas had a crush on the older boy, but he didn’t think Gage liked him back.

His chest hurt at the thought of his son’s first heartbreak.

“Did youmeet Kash?” Monty asked, dragging Bronx to one of the tables under the big umbrella. They took up the love seat, Monty leaning against his chest.

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