Page 20 of Starts With a Bang

“And you have never disappointed us a day in your life, son,” Dad added. “We wouldn’t trade you for anyone.”

“I feel the same way about you guys too,” I told them. “I love you.”

“We love you, honey,” Mom said. “Oh, and tell Sven we said hello. Wish him a happy Thanksgiving from us.”

“Sven?” I was surprised she’d mentioned him.

“It’s too bad you don’t realize how often his name comes up in our conversations,” Dad said.

“It does?”

“He’s helped you with a few of your investigations.” Mom sounded hopeful that there was something more going on between us.

“He helped once,” I corrected.

“And then there’s your movie nights,” Mom said.

I’d told them about those?

“Sven is always saying or doing something that makes you laugh,” Dad said.

Mom hummed her approval. “He makes you happy.”

And horny, but I luckily didn’t admit that much. “There’s nothing romantic between me and Sven.”

“Okay,” my parents chimed together. It was obvious neither one of them believed me.

“I’m going now. Love you both. I’ll call you later.”

My parents said their goodbyes and disconnected the call. I turned off the engine and tried to put our conversation out of my mind for a few hours so I could celebrate the holiday with my best friend’s family.

“Been watching for me?” I asked as I approached the porch.

“I worried you were going to ghost me again now that I have a prize to claim for winning our bet.” Sven sounded so smug, and I wanted to kiss him right there. That would settle our score, but I wanted to take my time, and his tight jeans covered the pucker I wanted to smooch.

I jogged up the steps and stopped in front of Sven, who showed no sign of moving. I usually tucked my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching for him. Not this time. I restedmy hands on his hips and brushed my thumbs over his exposed flesh. I needed this connection. I neededhim. Sven gasped and swayed a little toward me but caught himself before pressing his body against mine.

He cocked his head to the side and studied me. “Are you okay, Dom?”

“No, I’m not,” I admitted. Sven would see through a lie, anyway. He sometimes gave the appearance of a shallow, self-absorbed man who was only interested in having a good time, but he was extremely observant and intuitive, especially when it came to me. “But spending time with you will help.”

My response made Sven smile, and he turned to go inside. “Look who I found,” he announced, giving me no choice but to follow him.

I plastered a jovial smile on my face as I stepped over the threshold. “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Everyone greeted me warmly, and I was happy I’d joined them instead of moping around my crappy apartment. I could tell by the high energy that Kerry and Keegan had already shared the joyous news with the family. I congratulated the happy couple right away. They radiated so much joy and happiness that it almost hurt to look at them. My gaze drifted to Sven as it always did when he was nearby. I smiled as he settled a dispute between the younger cousins about the game they wanted to play. He must’ve sensed my attention because he looked up, and our eyes met. I wanted to free-fall into his cobalt-blue eyes, but I yanked myself away from the edge before I tipped over.

I got pulled into one conversation after another, mostly about football because I’d been a highly recruited quarterback in high school before a car accident stole that dream from me. I’d buried my bitterness immediately after the accident to make others feel better. Time had eventually healed the wound or at least made the pill easier to swallow. Some people avoided footballdiscussions around me, while others loved to rehash my greatest plays and what might have been. I’d never wanted to be one of those guys who peaked in high school, and I certainly didn’t want others to see me that way.

Luckily, Lucinda rescued me from a heated debate on which teams would win their conferences and who would take it all. One of the kids tackled Sven as he walked near me, and the hit would’ve taken him to the ground if I hadn’t sidestepped into his path to catch him. My hand slid across his warm, bare skin and lingered longer than was appropriate. Sven ruffled the boy’s hair and reminded him that tackling was forbidden in the house. He stared into my eyes for what seemed like ages before smiling softly and sauntering off, leaving me alone with Lucinda. My fingers tingled from the contact with his skin, and I balled my hand into a fist to hold on to the sensation longer.

“How are your parents? The last time we spoke, they were planning a trip to Cairo next year.”

Steven paused on his way to the living room to hand me a beer and kiss his wife’s temple. He clapped my shoulder and told me he was glad I could make it before heading back to the action on the television. Dinners with the Ruehls and Harts were pure chaos, but I loved it. I gave Lucinda my full attention and recalled what she’d asked me.

“They’re doing great,” I said. “That trip is all they’ve wanted to talk about lately.” Too bad that didn’t include our most recent chat. “They asked me to pass along their holiday greetings.”

“That’s so sweet. I will call your mom this week.”

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