Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Colby

C olby had thought it would be awkward waking up in bed with another man, but it hadn't been. Vince's alarm had gone off, and they'd both grumbled good mornings, Colby grabbing his box of cereal and slipping out of the room before Vince could stop him.

It had been on the tip of his tongue to explain to Vince that he didn't think it was possible for him to be in love with someone, that he didn't think he worked that way, but he hadn't been able to make himself do it. Vince had such a big heart. He had only been in love with one man, but still, Vince knew how to love so well that he'd done it twice, even though his ex hadn't deserved it.

But talking with Vince about the other things had helped. It always did. He didn't have any real answers, but for the moment, that didn't seem to matter. He was looking forward to figuring things out with his friend by his side.

They were at the farm now. They'd just finished working on the irrigation, which they'd been able to fix. They'd spent most of the day on it together, and Colby had had his doubts, but luckily, he'd been wrong.

"The first movie with goats for this summer is this coming weekend. It would have been the worst time to have something major go wrong that we couldn't fix." Colby wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm.

"Your cheeks are getting pink. We need to reapply sunscreen." Vince grabbed the bottle, squirted some in his hands, and tossed it to Colby. They applied on their necks, faces, and hands, both wearing long-sleeved shirts to protect their arms from the sun.

"You didn't rub it in all the way." Colby came forward, lifting Vince's hat and blending the cream into his forehead. "There you go." He almost joked and called Vince husband, but he thought that might be weird. They'd joked around about it last night, but that was just a thing that happened in a random moment between them. Keeping the joke going would be strange…right?

"Vince! Can I get your help real quick?" Dennis came over.

"Yep."

"Where's Dad?" Colby asked.

"He had to take a break. He was getting hot," Dennis replied. It was warm and humid, but still, Colby's dad rarely took extra breaks. He worked harder than anyone Colby knew. Always had.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's tough. He's slowing down some, but I think that had to happen at some point. That's what he has us for." Dennis reached over and squeezed his shoulder.

It made sense, of course, but thinking about his dad slowing down was so foreign to him. Taking a bigger role in the farm was something he thought about often, but this made it feel more real.

Then he felt like a dick for thinking about himself in a moment like this.

"I can help too," he said, needing to feel like a good son.

"It's all good," Vince told him. "Meet me back at the house for lunch. I'll be right there."

Colby nodded. They were taking a late lunch today because they'd been so busy with the irrigation. He headed to the house and in the back door that led to the kitchen. His mama always had sandwiches and drinks there for the workers each day.

He washed his hands, then noticed there was only one ham and cheese left, and he pulled that out for Vince, knowing it was his favorite, before grabbing turkey for himself.

"Hey, you," his mama said, coming into the room.

"Hey. Just fixing mine and Vince's lunch before we're back at it." He grabbed paper plates from the cabinet.

"Sit down with your mama for a second. I feel like we never talk anymore. You're my baby, and I miss you."

Christ, he loved her, but he also wanted to run out the back door before she could say anything he didn't want to hear. Contrary to some of his actions, he wasn't a coward, though, so he sat at the table with her. Plus, he wanted to get her thoughts on Dad.

"What's going on with Dad?" He watched her, looking for signs that she was uncomfortable or worried.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Dennis said he was too hot and took a break. It felt weird."

"He's okay." She gave him a sad smile. "Just getting older, is all. It's not quite as easy as it used to be, but your daddy loves this farm, and he's going to work this land until it becomes impossible."

That sounded like his dad. Maybe he was blowing this out of proportion.

"How are you?" she asked.

He frowned. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Not sure. You just don't seem like yourself lately. You really haven't since you broke up with Lulu. Do you regret it? You seemed upset when we mentioned her being engaged."

Yep. He had a feeling this would happen. He groaned. "I'm fine. I'm not upset about Lulu. She deserves to be happy. She deserves what I couldn't give her."

"What couldn't you give her? The two of you were so good together."

"I wasn't in love with her." He looked down, looked away, searching for a change of subject. "Me and Vince were thinking about going away for a weekend pretty soon. I'm not sure exactly when…whatever is best for the farm. I realize it won't be easy for both of us to take time off together…plus, if Dad needs the extra help, I don't want to bail on him."

She didn't answer. When the silence stretched on, Colby looked at her. His mama's brows were pulled together, her forehead wrinkled in thought.

"Colby…you know it's okay if you and Vince are together. That would be lovely! We adore him. He already feels part of the family."

A weight landed in his gut. "Ah, hell. There is no me and Vince. We're friends." His mom playing matchmaker was the last thing he needed. She'd have him and Vince married off just like Roe and Holden.

"Are you sure? You can tell us anything. We love you."

He sighed. "I'm not gay."

"You could be bisexual." When he cocked a brow, she added, "I know the terms. If you think I didn't do my research when Roe came out, you're wrong."

That didn't surprise him at all. "I'm not bisexual either." He didn't think… Again, he figured he'd know. But then there had been that one high school jerk-off session, and he'd looked… "Vince and I are friends. He's…probably my best friend, but there's nothing more to it."

"Okay. Just hammering home that you can tell me anything. Like I said, we adore Vince and he's already like a member of the family. I—"

Colby dropped his head back and groaned. "Get those ideas out of your head." He knew her well enough to know she had them married off already. Definitely no joking about them being husbands around her. Even if Colby wanted a relationship with Vince, even if he was bisexual and wanted to be with him, Vince didn't want a serious relationship either. The two of them had that in common.

The back door opened, and Colby said a silent thank-you that they were being interrupted.

"Speak of the devil," Mama joked.

"You talking about how great I am again?" Vince teased, washing his hands, then grabbed the plate off the counter. "Oh, you saved me the ham and cheese. It's my favorite."

"It's Colby's favorite too," his mama replied.

Damn it. She was going to read something into that that wasn't there and also make Vince feel bad.

"Here, you take it." Vince sat beside Colby and tried to trade plates.

"It's fine," Colby said. "I like turkey as well."

"I have an idea." Vince got up and grabbed a knife. He cut his sandwich in half, putting one side on Colby's plate, before doing the same to Colby's and taking half of that. "Compromise." He winked.

His mama smiled. "I'll leave the two of you alone." She slipped out of the kitchen.

Fuck. They were in trouble now.

"What was that about?" Vince asked.

"You don't want to know," Colby replied before taking a bite of his half of the ham and cheese.

It was a Friday night, and he and Vince headed to a brewery in Chelsea Colby liked. They usually went out to dinner once a week, alternating who chose the place.

"They have a great beer selection here," he told Vince as they were seated.

"You gonna pick for me?"

"Since I have better taste? Yes, I will," he said playfully.

Vince was across from him, wearing a short-sleeved, button-up red shirt. He kept the top couple of buttons undone, and Colby noticed the cut of his pecs. Vince adjusted the black, backward ball cap he often wore, not noticing that for whatever reason, Colby was watching him.

"We should go with something dark tonight," Vince said, pulling Colby's attention away.

"A stout?" Colby eyed the menu, trying to find one he thought Vince would like.

"Sure. You're the expert."

"I wouldn't say I'm an expert." Colby chuckled. He just knew what he liked.

He looked over the beer menu, and when the waiter returned, Colby ordered them both a milk stout, wanting something different.

"What was that with your mom earlier?" Vince asked, and Colby gave a humorless chuckle.

"I'm embarrassed to say." From what he knew of Vince's ex, he was a wealthy, sophisticated, businessman type. He was a big-city guy who liked to travel, and though Vince had been with Holden and Holden wasn't like Gregory, Holden still held a world of experience Colby would never have. He had seen things Colby would never see. Done things Colby would never do.

"It's me. You don't have to be embarrassed about anything with me."

No, he really didn't, did he? "She thinks I'm bisexual and with you. I told her we're not together, but I'm not sure she believes me."

Vince smiled. "I'm honored she would think that."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm honored she thought I could pull you." Colby laughed, waiting for Vince to join in. When he looked across the table at his friend, Colby saw his forehead wrinkled like he was confused.

"I promise, you could pull me. You could probably pull anyone you want. You're fucking gorgeous, and even more importantly, you're the best kind of man. If you were queer and I ever planned to get into a relationship again, I would snatch you up."

Warmth flooded Colby's belly. His chest maybe swelled a little too. Who wouldn't like the idea of someone like Vince thinking they were attractive? That if the situation were different, he would maybe want to be with Colby. They were talking in hypotheticals, of course, and Vince was likely trying to make him feel good, but still.

"Ah, but you forget I don't want a relationship either," Colby teased. He wasn't sure why they kept joking this way, how the conversation tended to lean toward them dating or fucking or being married, but it was all in good fun.

"True. I guess it's just your pesky sexuality standing in our way. That, and I could never risk losing you as a friend."

His skin tingled, though Colby couldn't put his finger on why. Just that Vince made him feel good. Vince always made him feel good. "Don't think that's possible. Not anymore."

Vince grinned.

Colby grinned.

Then they both started laughing.

The waiter approached and interrupted them, setting their beers down. "Are you ready to order?"

"Sorry, we haven't even looked at the menu yet." Colby opened it. He noticed Vince do the same.

"No worries. I'll give you a few minutes." He disappeared.

Colby looked up, watching Vince as he scanned the menu. Had Vince been giving him shit, or did he really find him attractive? If their situations were different, would Vince really want to be in a relationship with him? Colby shook his head, trying to knock those thoughts free. It didn't matter anyway, since that wasn't the case. He couldn't say why he was even thinking about it so much.

Vince looked at him over the menu. "What?"

"Nothing." Colby's gaze darted down, and he smiled again…for no reason he could discern.

"Okay…I think I'll get the whiskey burger. It has pepper jack and caramelized onions."

Colby closed his menu. "That sounds good. I'll get the same." When their waiter returned, they placed their order. "Taste the beer," Colby told Vince.

He picked up the mug and took a sip, Colby watching him the whole time. He hoped Vince liked it. That he hadn't chosen wrong. Maybe he should have gone with a dry Irish stout, since those were the most popular.

"Oh, that's good. It's a little sweeter than I expected."

Colby sat up straighter. "It has lactose in it. I've looked it up. The lactose doesn't ferment, which gives it that sweeter taste. And it should be smoother, almost creamy. I think it's a good dichotomy—the sweet with the bitter flavor."

Vince leaned forward, elbows on the table, dark eyes full of mischief.

"What?" It was his turn to ask, like Vince had asked him only minutes before.

"You should brew beer."

The hairs on his arms stood up, and he shook his head. "I couldn't brew beer."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know anything about it?"

"You'll learn."

"What if it's terrible?"

"You'll get better. And if you don't and you hate it, then you stop. You don't lose anything by trying. You love beer. You want to figure something out of your own. Try new things. This is new."

He couldn't…could he? It wasn't something Colby had ever considered, but the longer he sat there, the more he noticed the fluttering feeling in his stomach. He could try it. Maybe it would be fun, maybe it wouldn't be, but Vince was right. He didn't lose anything by trying. And then maybe he could just brew his own beer. It would be a new hobby for him.

"Yeah?" he asked, waiting for Vince's response, as if he needed it. As if there was no way he could do this without Vince telling him it was a good idea.

"Fuck yes. We can do some research to see what we need. Start out small, of course. Who knows what will happen."

"You'll do it with me?"

"I can't believe you even have to ask. I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do with you, Colby Covington."

His stomach somersaulted. He couldn't figure out how he got so lucky to have Vince as a friend.

"Yeah." Colby nodded. "Let's do this. Let's brew some beer. Can we keep it between us for now?" He didn't want others to think it was silly. Or even worse, to expect it to actually go somewhere. His family was the type who could do anything, and whatever they chose turned out incredible. Colby wasn't sure he had that gene.

"Of course. Our secret." Vince winked.

Colby's stomach did gymnastics again.

"Here you go." The waiter stepped up to the table, setting a plate in front of Vince, then Colby. "Can I get you anything else?"

Colby shook his head. In that moment, he had everything he needed.