Page 94 of Just Bromantically Invested

Before we can spend the night looking up the origin of words, I usher everyone over to the table and then help Madden set the food out. He’s done an amazing job, and while quinoa and spinach aren’t the types of foods I gravitate toward, I like that Madden pushes me out of my comfort zone of pasta or roasted vegetables.

And my man can cook. Every single thing here is delicious.

Dinner passes in a haze of food, laughing so hard my face hurts, random facts from Rush and doting looks from Hunter, and the very, very subtle flirting and blushing coming from Lana and Lisa. I’ll get the story out of Lana when she’s alone, but I really hope that whatever is going on there works out because I can see me spending more time with the two of them.

And as dinner goes on, no one mentions Madden’s nudity. There are no dick jokes, no awkward glances, no whispering behind hands.

This is what Madden meant when he said he needed the freedom to be himself without judgment. I’m giving him that. We all are. It will never not feel great to give Madden what he needs.

And hopefully, I’ll get to do that from now on. Forever.

Chapter 33

Madden

I can’t believe it’s happening. Damien and I have narrowed down our list of what we need to start organizing first for Peach Acres, and our next step is to get a full-scale design of the site and start on engineering. This is the main reason he wanted Penn on board. Without him, we’re going to have to find someone we can hire for the job, but I’ve asked Damien to give me one last attempt at convincing him.

He might end up pissed off with me, especially when I tell him I’m thinking of taking a permanent role at Peach Acres once it’s done, but it’s a conversation we need to have anyway.

I texted Penn earlier to let him know we’d be hanging out this afternoon, and I stop to grab sandwiches on my way to pick him up. He brings towels, and I love that he can read my mind.

We pull up at Howell Beach, where it’s a little busier withpeople stopping by after work and the heat of the day still lingering. Penn and I strip off before heading down to find a spot just for us. He lays out the towels, and I open the sandwiches, swapping his tomato for my pickles.

“Cheers,” he says, taking his and tapping it against my own.

We eat, and it’s peaceful, a familiar place that gives me all the vibes of home. I wonder if Peach Acres will ever feel like this for me.

“You’re thinking really loud, by the way,” Penn says. “That’s usually my job.”

I dust the crumbs off my hands. “So …”

His long inhale tells me he’s preparing for the worst. I want to reassure him, but he actually might be.

I take his warm hand in mine. “I’ve been thinking a lot. When it comes to work and what I want out of life.”

“Uh-oh.”

I realize a second too late how that might sound. “It’s nothing to do with us. We’re solid. Still love you, and I’m not letting you go anywhere.”

He laughs. “Okay, then anything else we can deal with. What is it?”

“Peach Acres will need someone to run it when it’s done.”

There’s a split second before the implication of that sinks in. His eyebrows inch subtly higher, and his gaze leaves mine. “It will.”

I know it’s not a question, but I treat it like it is. “Yeah, and I thought that person could maybe be me.”

“So … I mean …” He tugs his hand from mine and runs his fingers back over his hair. “I’m … how will that work?”

“The job?”

“With our business.”

Of course he’s going to make me spell it out for him. “Well,if I’m working there full-time, I … I wouldn’t be able to keep working at Leaf It to Us.”

Penn doesn’t say anything.

“You can buy me out, obviously, or I’ll do more with the admin side of things and stop drawing a wage. Plus, Lawns is going well, and …” I’ve run out of things to say. I can’t keep listing positives when none of those make up for the fact that we agreed to do this together, and now I’ve decided to jump ship.

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