Page 12 of Home for Nathan
That had Kaleb laughing again, even as he started twirling up some pasta on this fork. “Yeah. I mean, sure. It’s a weird situation, but it’s important that he not get his hopes up about something when he has so much else on his plate.”
“I don’t know what this is that I have going on with Nathan, man. I know that I really like him a lot, as in more than I can remember liking anyone who I’ve dated in forever. I want to see more of him. I want to get to know him.” He sighed and shook his head. “I can tell you what kind of breakfast cereal he likes already, and that he can’t stand the smell of tuna fish right now, and that he really likes anime movies.”
“That’s a pretty good run for three dates,” Kaleb said, grinning at him like a possessed pit bull. “I mean, I’m impressed.”
“Are you saying I’ve been shallow before now?” he asked with a laugh, waving his fork around.
“I’m not saying that you’re shallow. I’m just saying that when you’ve been on tour, you really haven’t had time to deep dive into the dating scene. It’s just a little weird to me that Nathan is the first person you’ve met here in Secret Springs, and you automatically started dating.” Kaleb paused for a moment, head tilted to the side. “But then again, it was really immediate for me with Charlie, so maybe I don’t have any room to talk.”
“I was going say that, but I’m too nice to do it.” He took a bite of his calzone, moaning at the amazing explosion of flavor—ricotta, pepperoni, lovely peppers and onions. But it was the crust that was perfect—crunchy on the outside, a little soft on the inside, amazing. David’s had possibly the best red sauce that he’d ever tasted.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Kaleb sighed a little. “I just want him to be safe and secure and happy.”
“I can’t promise anything, you know that, but I will do my dead level best not to break his heart, if that’s what you mean.” In fact, the thought of letting Nathan down kind of made him queasy.
“Good. Good deal. I just think that he needs to settle into his new life a little bit more and take things slow.”
Zion rolled his eyes. “I am taking things glacially slow. I am taking things slower than I have ever taken them before. We haven’t even kissed yet.”
Now Kaleb’s eyebrows flew up, and he stopped with a meatball halfway to his mouth. “No shit.”
“Absolutely. No shit. I want it, but I don’t want to rush him, so I’ve settled for hugging.” He shrugged and held his hands open. “It was a great hug. He’s really good at it…”
And what he wouldn’t say to Kaleb was that it had made him hard as a rock, and he’d had to end the touching before he wanted to. He figured that Nathan would feel it against his belly, and he wasn’t sure what the protocol was for having sex with a pregnant man. Maybe he should ask, but he wasn’t certain he was there yet in his own head, let alone for sharing that with his bestie.
“Wow. Okay, so maybe I don’t need to have this sort of talk with you.”
“No, maybe you don’t. Not that I haven’t had those thoughts.” He’d had those thoughts a lot.
He’d had those thoughts enough that when he was in the shower at night, he took himself in hand and then sometimes he did it again when he was in bed.
“Oh, we all have those thoughts. I just get to take my thoughts and make them reality with Charlie.” Kaleb’s grin went sort of wicked like he was very busy remembering a moment that Zion didn’t need to hear about.
“La la la la la. Not listening. I don’t want to know about your sex life, okay? I mean, you have two kids so obviously you like doing it.” Because it was such a hardship—having sex. Christ. “In fact, Secret Springs seems to be having an explosion of children. Everyone in your friend circle has lots of kids.”
“Hank and Elliot only have the one.” Kaleb winked at him. “It’s just such a safe place to have them and raise them. It’s like everybody kind of comes here and settles in and decides to have a family, so beware.” Kaleb munched on his lunch for a few minutes, then grinned again. “I’m glad you’re here, man.”
Zion chuckled and flicked a piece of pasta from his half and half salad at Kaleb’s chest. “I am too, and I’m also glad you’re here to help me with these damn floors, given how much sanding I have to do…”
“It’s going be amazing, and that hall tree is the perfect thing for that wall right by the stairs.”
“See? I told you. Come on. Let’s see if I can get to work. I know that you don’t have all day, and I might see if Nathan’s free tonight to go have ice cream. And maybe we’ll find something cool in the floor or the walls.” He loved to dig for historical strangeness in an old house.
“You got it, man. Let’s get it on.”
Chapter
Five
“Wow.” Nathan looked around at the entryway of Charlie’s house, wide-eyed and almost speechless. A grand central staircase wound its way up from the center of the foyer and split into two to crawl out into the upstairs level. Carved griffin heads, he thought, adorned the newel posts, and recessed paneling filled the walls halfway up to the chair rail where there was the stunning wallpaper that went the rest of the way. The furnishings were all just perfectly matched with the house. He couldn’t even. “This place is amazing, Charlie.”
Charlie laughed, clearly pleased. “Thanks. I got to do most of the design work, and it was my first real project. I just adore it. I mean it’s a bit much, but the family rooms are way more livable, I think.”
“Still, I mean this is like an Architectural Digest historical home.”
Charlie nodded, linking their arms and walking him through the entry toward the back of the house. “It really is. It’s on the historic register.”
“That is so neat. Thanks for having me up so I could see it.”
