Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Colby

"I 'm having sex with Vince," Colby blurted to Clint while the two of them were hiking.

Clint tripped on a rock and nearly fell, Colby reaching out to catch him. "Warn a guy, would you?"

Colby chuckled. He and Vince had been home for a week now. They'd slept in the same bed every night, and Vince had blown him more than once since then. Colby had even returned the favor. Sure, he wasn't as good at it as Vince, but his friend seemed to enjoy it, and Colby realized that giving head was really fucking fun.

"Sorry. I just needed to share it with someone. The people I talk to the most now are Vince and you, and clearly Vince already knows. And you said before that I can come to you…"

"Absolutely. I'm always here for you for anything. I just didn't expect to hear that right at this moment. Clearly, you're okay with it? Not having any confusion or anything?"

Colby shook his head. He was definitely into the sex. He liked Vince's dick, liked the fact that he was a man too. "No, no confusion." Not about the sex part, at least. "I'm not surprised I'm bi…or pan…or whatever I am. I've been wondering a little if I'm queer." It started before Vince had moved here. There had been the high school jerk-off thing, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized how much he'd truly watched the other guy. How much he'd enjoyed it. Then, there was the breakup with Lulu—he couldn't understand why he hadn't been able to love her, just like he hadn't been able to love any of the other women before her. He couldn't work through how to say that to Clint, though, didn't want his friend to think there was something wrong with him for not seeming capable of that feeling in a romantic way.

"And now you obviously have the answer to that."

"I do." He grinned. He really fucking liked being attracted to men, having sex with men—or at least with Vince, since he hadn't tried it with another guy yet.

"Are you guys together? Dating?"

His stomach dropped. Why was that the first thing people asked? Why did it always have to go back to a relationship, finding that person you're supposed to be with forever. Maybe that wasn't the case for everyone, maybe they didn't all have a person, and maybe some people didn't want one. That was okay too.

"No. Just friends." He stepped over a rock on the trail. "Neither of us wants a relationship. I don't think I'll ever want one," he hedged, waiting to see if Clint would look at him like he was broken.

"That's okay. You don't have to. Hell, if it wasn't for August, I never would have settled down with someone."

But that wasn't what he didn't get. Now that Clint had August, he could romantically love him, and Colby didn't think it was possible for him.

"It's easy with Vince. There's no pressure. We trust each other. Have fun. I can be honest with him, and he feels the same. We do this as long as we want to, and then if one of us isn't feeling it anymore, we stop."

Clint pumped his brows at Colby. "Famous last words. I'm pretty sure everyone says or thinks that before they realize they're in love."

Another pang landed in his chest. Clint didn't mean anything by it; the assumption was one everyone made. The default in life was that everyone should want love or would eventually find the person they loved romantically, and Colby was proof that wasn't the case.

"Nah, not with us," he replied without looking at Clint.

"Hey, did I say something wrong? I feel like I did. I didn't mean anything by that."

Colby shook off his concern. The last thing he wanted was for Clint to feel bad. "You're fine. No worries. I'm just glad I can talk to you about these things." He knew he could tell Roe too, but for whatever reason, it was hard. Roe was the best brother a guy could have, but he was also perfect. It shouldn't be a competition, but Colby couldn't help feeling like he didn't measure up to Roe or Dennis.

"Your secret is safe with me." Clint wrapped an arm around Colby's shoulders. "And I'm happy for you. The friendship between you and Vince is special. It's easy to see that. I'm glad you have him."

Colby nodded, unsure what to say. All he knew was how glad he was he had Vince too.

They finished their hike, then went their separate ways. Colby and Vince were off today, but Vince was with Holden, and Colby was bored. The second batch of beer was fermenting. He couldn't wait to taste it. The waiting in this process was the hardest part for him, but then he also had a feeling that would make it more exciting in the end.

When he got home, he went into the shop, though there was nothing he could do with the beer at this point. He was lucky he had this space, lucky that it had power, insulated walls, and could be just as comfortable as being in the house.

He had the fridge, the countertops, the shelves on the walls. There were his tools and some random projects he'd started but not finished. The couch and a TV so he could watch that when he was outside too, but there was also a lot of extra space he never had any idea what to do with, and if he rearranged things, he could make even more.

He pushed the couch against the far wall. If he maneuvered things right, half the shop could be a fun hangout area with the couch, television, and a pool table, and the other half could be…well, anything. Maybe a better-equipped spot to brew beer? Even if this didn't go anywhere, if it was just for fun, that didn't mean he couldn't upgrade the equipment for shits and giggles. Even if he only brewed for himself and Vince, he could still have a better counter put in for it…maybe build a room off the back that was just for fermenting. He could make bigger batches, more of them if he was smart about how he set it up, ordered new equipment, and came up with a schedule around his job at Covington Acres.

He didn't allow himself to question what he was doing, just got to work—moving things around, visualizing ideas, and when he was done with that part, he went into the house, pulled out his laptop, did some research, and put an order in.

Just as he finished, the front door opened, and he looked up to see Vince. He was sweaty, his jeans dirty from whatever he'd been doing with Holden that day, and damn, was a sexy, hardworking Vince hot as hell. It seemed everything he did turned Colby on now.

"Uh-oh. What are you up to?" Vince joined him at the bar counter, tossing his cap down.

"Who says I'm up to anything?"

"I see the look of mischief, mixed with a bit of questioning yourself and a whole lotta wanting to see me naked."

Colby chuckled. He'd never enjoyed anyone in his life as much as he enjoyed Vince. "You see all that on my face?" He quirked a brow.

"Yep. And in your eyes. You tell me all sorts of stories with those, babe. Even when you don't want to."

Colby's pulse raced. Did Vince always see everything Colby felt when he looked at him? If so, how? It didn't make sense to him how that was even possible. What if he looked deep enough and didn't like what he saw?

Vince's brows drew together, and he reached out, cupping Colby's cheek. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Of course Vince's thoughts would go there. It's how he was built. He never stopped worrying about others.

Colby turned on his stool, held Vince's waist and pulled him so Vince stood between his legs. It was an intimate gesture, but then, even before they started hooking up, there was something intimate about his relationship with Vince. "I think I'm going to build a better, fully functioning brewery in the shop. That's probably jumping the gun, considering I haven't even tasted our second batch yet, but…I think I want it."

They had tasted the first batch again, after it had been bottled, and it was a hundred times better than it had been before. Definitely not bad for a first try.

Vince grinned. "Then you should have it. Fucking do it. There's no reason you shouldn't. You know what you enjoy, and you never do anything for yourself. If you've only brewed two batches and you're thinking about it this much, there's a reason for that. I'm proud of you."

Colby let his fingers slip beneath the bottom of Vince's shirt and danced them over his warm skin. It was nice to be able to touch him this way, to know no one would get hurt and that he could just let go with Vince. That if any questions arose, they would talk to each other and work it out together because that's just how they were. "I wouldn't be doing it at all if it wasn't for you."

"You said that before, but how can you be sure?"

"Forty years of experience?" he teased, earning a chuckle from Vince.

"Maybe that's true and maybe it's not. The reason doesn't matter, if you ask me. What matters is that you're doing it at all. Let me shower, and then you can show me what you have planned."

Colby smiled, a happiness in his chest, in his blood, that he only felt with Vince. If he told his family about the beer, especially his dad or brother Dennis, they would throw a hundred questions at him: Had he really looked into it? What about permits? How much money will it cost? Why did he want to brew beer? How long has he wanted to brew beer? Would it affect his work at the farm? Even his friends would likely be surprised and wonder what had gotten into him, but Vince never questioned him. Vince never offered him anything but support.

"I can put some steaks on the grill in the meantime," Colby offered.

"Perfect." Vince pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then headed for the hallway. Damned if Colby didn't watch him go.

He got the food going, and Vince joined him outside. He learned something new about his friend—Vince could draw. While Colby talked about what he wanted to do, Vince sketched out his ideas. That helped them scratch out some and tweak others for better flow. They checked the sizes of what Colby had bought so they could get the layout just right.

They ate in the shop together, laughing and planning, and somehow, over the course of the evening, the idea of a brewery in his shop had stopped sounding strange.

It sounded inevitable.