Page 48 of Thinking It Over

“I picked up steak for us.”

“Sounds good.”

Reluctantly, we parted, and we collected the glasses and steak before heading back outside, where Ian and my brother were chatting.

“Wow, that sounds amazing,” Ian said, awe in his voice. “I’ve still never left the States.”

“Do you plan to one day?” Frankie asked.

Ian bobbed his head. “Definitely one day. There’s alot of world to explore. Just figured it would be nice to do it with someone, you know, rather than by myself?”

“I get that, but there’s a lot to be said about the freedom of going it alone and only being responsible for yourself.”

There was something about my brother’s tone that had me angling to look at him. A shadow passed over his expression. Had I blinked, I would have missed it. My attention turned to Jasper, whose brow was dipped as he focused hard on Frankie. Maybe he’d seen or heard something too.

“How do you like your steak, Ian?” I asked.

“Medium, please.”

“Coming right up,” I answered.

Conversation continued, this time without the lull of unease around Frankie. Relaxed and seemingly having pulled himself together, he told us stories about his adventures and then shared a few embarrassing moments about our childhood that left Jasper crying with laughter.

“Our mom walking in on you jacking off to porn, though, was admittedly one of the highlights.”

I flushed in embarrassment.

Jasper laughed, asking, “How old were you?”

“Twenty-five,” Frankie answered for me, almost falling to the ground, he was laughing so hard.

“Oh my God,” Jasper said, wide-eyed and then bitinghis lip. I was sure it was so he wouldn’t lose himself to laughter.

“In my defense,” I said, “it was the holidays, and the house was meant to be empty. I didn’t know Mom was going to slip back to pick up more bottles of wine for the party at a neighbor’s.” A grin followed, remembering Mom’s amused horror. “Two days later, when it was Christmas Day, she’d put in a card for me for a subscription to higher-quality porn.” Warmth filled my insides. Mom had been so incredible.

“She was the best, right?” Frankie said, his eyes on me. Emotion shone in them, and I nodded.

“She really was.”

Jasper squeezed my hand that he held on top of his thigh. I appreciated his comfort as well as his understanding.

A quick glance at the time told me it was close to ten. “Are you sure I can’t talk you in to saying the night?” I asked Jasper. He’d already said he and Ian needed to leave around this time so they could get back for a decent sleep.

“I promised Mom I’d be back. She’s making a big breakfast in the morning for us. But I’ll see you at eleven, right?”

I nodded sulkily, not hiding my disappointment.

Frankie’s laugh drew my attention to him. “Brother, a night apart isn’t going to make your balls explode.”

I flipped him off, aware he regularly brought out this lighter side of me. I always became so far removed from the professional principal I was when I stepped fully into big-brother mode.

“You ready, Ian?” Jasper said, standing and pulling me up with him.

“Yep.” Ian stood. “It was so great to meet you, Frankie.” A sweet smile lifted his mouth, and his muscles bunched when he shook my brother’s hand. He really was a muscled wall of gentleness. “And thanks for the great food and night, Austin.” I happily pulled him in for a hug. As Jasper’s best friend, it added to my ease around him.

“You’re welcome. And I’ll see you tomorrow.” I tugged on Jasper’s hand as he finished saying goodbye to Frankie. “I’ll walk you out.”

After saying goodbye and watching them leave, I headed back to see Frankie already tidying up from the evening. We were quiet as we worked side by side until Frankie said, “I’m really happy you’ve found Jasper. What you have seems real.”

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