Page 123 of A Hard Fit

“Absolutely.”

They kissed properly, sweet and lingering.

“You two!” Finn grinned. “So fucking cute.”

Luka and Thomas blushed in unison.

“Nah,” Luka demurred with a hand wave.

“Please,” Finn said. “So cute I could puke.”

Luka and Thomas had finally—finally,finally—admitted their feelings for each other a few weeks earlier. It had gone right down to the wire in dramatic fashion—of course, since Luka was involved—mere minutes before Thomas was supposed to leave town for his next Breakpoint VP gig. They had kissed in the rain and everything, the whole fucking romantic movie finale.

And they had been inseparable and achingly adorable since.

“Hey, you know what?” Luka said, pulling out his phone. “Can I send a picture of this to the manager of the coffee shop? They have all kinds of work by local artists up on the wall. I bet you he’d love to display it.”

“Um…” Finn bit his lip. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?” Rory said. “You don’tknow? Finn! Love. I think it’s an amazing idea.”

“Really?”

Rory barked a laugh. “Yes, really. I’m going to keep telling you how gorgeous your work is and how everyone should see it, over and over, as many times as it takes to convince you.”

“You have to say that,” Finn grumbled. “You’re married to me.”

“There was nothing in our vows about that,” Rory said, eyes twinkling. “So you can trust me.”

Finn nodded and sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. Sure. You can send it to him. But tell him no pressure—”

“Done!” Luka said, thumbs already dispatching the message. “I’ll let you know what he says.”

“The food’s almost done,” Thomas reminded them with a look at this watch. “Is everyone ready to eat?”

The two couples had made dinner together—rigatoni with pan–roasted cauliflower and capers—except really Thomas had done most of the work. Finn’s mouth watered as they gathered around the dining room table, although his gaze was momentarily drawn from the feast to the wall behind their guests.

Cali and Bryson’s paintings were in the center, next to framed photos of the kids at Thrill Island. Finn and Rory’s wedding photos were beside those, including one with Luka and Thomas. There was an old picture of him and Liz that she had sent him, two kids smiling on the front step of the house they grew up in, the pair of them with matching scraped knees and lopsided smiles. A picture of the Barrett clan, rows of shining faces, and one of Finn and Rory from Halloween, so happy in their costumes.

The family wall. There was lots of space for it to keep growing.

The four of them dug into their dinner, cutlery clattering in the quiet that descends at the start of a good meal.

Luka broke the silence first. “I make the most amazing pasta,” he said wistfully. “Really, I’m so talented.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Oh, are you?”

Luka booped him on the nose. “I sure am. You’re lucky to have me.”

Thomas shook his head, completely smitten. “That I am.”

Luka beamed at Thomas, cheeks flushed, eyes glittering. The man was drunk on love. “Oh, that reminds me,” he said, tearing his attention away from his boyfriend and back to his hosts, “do you two want to go to Montecalvo with us Saturday? Thought we’d have dinner at the pork pastry place.”

Finn was about to say ‘Sounds great!’ but Rory placed a gentle hand on his arm.

“Oh, we can’t. That would be lovely, but it’s Griffin’s birthday.”

Finn sighed. “Right.”

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