Page 80 of Relief Pitcher

But he’d made the effort to come and watch me tonight.

I searched the bar until I spotted Coop chatting with someone I didn’t know. He pulled a hairband off his wrist and tied his hair back. Jesus, he was so fucking sexy.

I watched as Coop waved the person off and headed to the restroom. I set my empty glass on the bar and followed him. Before he could get the door to the single gender-inclusive restroom closed, I pushed it open and slid inside, spectators be damned. I pulled him against me, kissing him until I ran out of breath.

“Wow. What was that for?”

A curl of hair hung at his temple. I teased it back into place with my fingers. “For you being you and you letting me be me.”

Because he had. He hadn’t hovered all night trying to take my attention or turned down my invitation to come tonight. Instead, he’d periodically caught my eye and smiled while doing his own thing and letting me do mine. I hadn’t felt restricted. I supposed I’d assumed that many relationships resulted in people smothering each other and possibly not even realizing it was happening until it was too late. But maybe I’d been wrong about that, like I’d been wrong about a lot of other assumptions I’d made. My parents never acted smothered by each other. If anything, they uplifted each other.

He smiled softly at me.

“Wanna spend the night? The guys will be obnoxious in the morning, but we’re stocked with good coffee from Dave.”

“I’d love to as long as I get to see you in this.” He slid his hand up my thigh and under the dress.

I shivered. “You can see me in anything you want.”

CHAPTER35

COOPER

Danita: Good luck at the party!! Ty’s parents are going to LOVE what you made.

Cooper: You think so?

Danita: I know so. And if that doesn’t get you laid, I don’t know what will.

Cooper: Not interested in a 4way with the McNeills.

Danita: You’re ridiculous.

Danita: Let me know how it goes!

* * *

After placing the piece I’d made for Ty’s parents next to the trellis where he’d directed, I draped a light-blue sheet over it. Ty had mentioned offhandedly the other day that his mom had uncovered some of the baby-blue napkins they’d had printed for their wedding, and I thought it would be a nice nod to their wedding to go with that color scheme.

The June afternoon sun beat down on me as I stood at the edge of the tree line on Ty’s grandpa’s property. It took a minute to adjust to the landscape without that beautiful oak, but I was happy to return it in some form. Even if the idea of so many people seeing my work made me want to empty my stomach into the bushes.

A trellis covered with white, peach, and lavender flowers stood where the tree had been. Rows of chairs stood on the freshly mowed grass facing the spot. Stepping back, I wiped my clammy hands on my dress pants to check the placement. Dammit. I should’ve ironed the sheet instead of bringing it over in the packaging. I could ask Ty if there was an iron inside his grandpa’s house.

I puffed my cheeks and blew out a breath. Ty had better things to do than wrangle an iron for me. It didn’t need to be perfect.Stop stressing. It’ll be fine.I needed to get myself under control. I’d been spinning out to varying degrees since I’d asked Ty what time I should drop off the piece and he’d informed me I would be staying at the party as a guest. Though I wasn’t sure if I was invited to the party as the guy who’d repurposed the important tree or as Ty’s date. I’d nearly asked him several times but hadn’t worked up the nerve. What if he freaked at the D-word?

Though, after he’d invited me to stay at his place post-drag show last weekend, I wasn’t as convinced he might pull back if I brought the topic up. I smiled at the memory of waking up in Ty’s bed with him cuddled against me last weekend—staying there with our arms wrapped around each other and trading soft kisses and hand jobs until his need for coffee won out. How he’d dropped a quick kiss on the back of my neck while I’d fixed myself coffee in their kitchen. Casual and domestic and in front of both Dom and his brother.

I didn’t need a label to be at the party to support him. There wasn’t room for hesitation any longer. I wanted to find out where things could go between us, and I suspected Ty was getting there too. I couldn’t help but feel a time crunch. With the championship game next weekend, the easy reasons for us to hang out were about to dry up.

I turned back to the McNeill patriarch’s house to find out if there was anything else I could help with since the party was due to start in an hour or so. The brewery guys had been there helping set up and delivering an alarming number of kegs. How much beer would these people drink? It was sweet how family—blood and otherwise—rallied to show love to Ty’s parents for their anniversary.

“Hey, man. Cooper, right?” I turned toward the voice and found a vaguely familiar man, probably a couple of years younger, approaching. He was taller than Ty with short blond hair and a lean swimmer’s build. His smile was disarming.

“Hi.” I tried to place him.

He held out his hand, and I shook it while he gave me a discreet once-over. “I’m Gavin.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Best friend Gavin? I thought you were on the other side of the globe.” Surely, I would’ve heard about it if Gavin was going to be there. Did Ty know?

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