Chapter 63

63

ZACH

We finished our shower and stopped by Jason's house so he could change into a fresh set of clothes before heading to the diner. I figured I ought to get a gold star for keeping my hands to myself while he changed. Now that I'd had a literal taste of him, I wanted nothing more than to feast on him like he was an all-you-can-eat buffet. But as my stomach gave a growl while I was standing in his living room, looking at the pictures of him and his family, I figured I probably needed to eat some actual food first.

When he came out of his room in a black fitted shirt, paired with his usual backward ball cap, athletic shorts, and flip-flops, I almost said fuck it and attacked him where he stood.

Judging by the smirk on his face, he knew exactly what I was thinking.

The diner was hopping when we walked in, busy with customers who had the day off post-holiday and were looking for lunch or maybe just a late breakfast. After about a twenty-minute wait, we were escorted to a booth in the corner, where Sarah greeted us with a smile and some waters shortly after.

She rushed away, saying she'd be back in a few moments to take our order while we looked at our menus. Jason didn't bother looking at his, but since I'd only been here one other time and hadn't actually eaten anything, I needed a moment to look everything over. The only problem was that the feel of Jason's foot running up and down my calf had me reading the description for the same burger half a dozen times until I eventually gave up, figuring I'd just order the same thing he did and call it a day.

I tossed the menu down in front of me to find Jason watching me with a shit-eating grin.

"Having fun?"

"Absolutely. You?"

I reached under the table, trying to discreetly adjust my erection. "I'm finding my shorts have suddenly become a little snug."

He picked up his water and took a sip, reminding me of the Kermit the Frog tea-sipping meme. "That's what you get for wearing chinos. Had you worn athletic shorts, you wouldn't have that problem."

Despite my attempts at adjustment, my cock felt like it was being strangled. "That's not helping."

He reached over and grabbed my hands. "I'm sorry, honey. Was that insensitive of me?"

The fucker had the gall to wink.

"When did you become such a tease?"

"You must bring it out in me."

Warmth settled in my belly, and I smiled. I liked this playful side of him. He'd always been so serious, so thoughtful, which I loved about him too, but it was good to see him having a little fun, even if it was at my expense.

Sarah reappeared, eyes locking on our clasped hands, then darting between us, giving me a moment of concern. From what I remembered, Astaire was a pretty progressive town despite being located in a red state, but there were always those who would disapprove of a same-sex couple, regardless of where you were in the world. When her face lit with a smile, I relaxed.

"So, is this a thing now? You introduced him as a friend, but you guys looked pretty cozy on the lounger last night."

"It's kind of a long story, but yeah, we're, um, dating."

I glanced at Jason, who was beaming. I felt my face flush with warmth and realized it was from happiness, not embarrassment. I'd always been happiest when I was with Jason, but at our closest, we'd been wrapped in turmoil over our sisters' accident. This was the first time we were free to simply enjoy the beauty of what it meant to be in a relationship. It was a damn good feeling.

"Well, I'm happy for you guys. Y'all're sweet together."

"Thank you."

We placed our orders and then chit-chatted about innocuous things. Gossip we'd picked up on last night at the party. Speculation about the new guy Drea had hired. As we ate our burgers, Jason shared pictures of his new nephew while I bragged about what an amazing job Sean had done with the kids at the elementary soccer camp earlier in the week.

When Sarah dropped off our check, I asked if we could take Daisy over to visit Sean, which she agreed to. It was nice to see her warming up to me, and I hoped we could continue to be friendly. I suspected she needed some friendship in her life.

We ran home, picked up Daisy, and then headed over to visit Sean. The pure joy he radiated when he opened the door to us had me smiling ear to ear. We took Daisy around to the back of the house where Jason and I sat on the deck steps while we watched Sean throw an old tennis ball for Daisy to catch. I leaned my head on Jason's shoulder, content with the direction my life had taken in the last twenty-four hours. Jesus, had it only been last night that Jason declared he wanted to date me? My instinct was to worry, to overthink and panic about how quickly everything had changed, but I'd already done that. It was time to let it go and embrace it.

"Do you know Sarah's story? Does she have any family here?"

"I'm not sure. I know Sean's mom was her sister and they were close growing up, but that's about all I know. Why?"

"I was just wondering. The yard could use some work, and I'm betting she doesn't have time to do much more than mow."

"You're probably right. Hey, Sean!" I called out. "Come here a sec."

Sean came loping over, tripping a little on the uneven grass. Daisy came, hot on his heels, and dropped the ball at our feet, looking at us expectantly. I picked up the ball and chucked it, laughing as Daisy shot across the yard like a rocket.

"Who mows the grass here?"

"Oh, well, I would, but I don't really know how. Maybe you could teach me?"

"It wasn't an accusation, bud." I put a hand on his arm, hoping to reassure him. "We were just wondering."

"Well, Aunt Sarah does it whenever she has time."

Jason and I exchanged a look. "Does your aunt work tomorrow?"

"I think so. Why?"

"How would you like to surprise her with a little yard cleanup?"

"That would be awesome! She's always so tired after work. It'd be nice for her."

Jason tapped my arm. "I have to work tomorrow, so I can't be here to help you."

"That's alright." I turned back to Sean. "Think we can get Rusty to help? And maybe even Lauren?"

He pulled a face. "Isn't she too little?"

"Nah. We'll find something age-appropriate for her to do. It's gonna be a lot of work. Are you sure you're up for it?"

He stood tall, puffing out his chest. "I can totally do it."

I grinned and put my fist out for him to bump. "We'll start early before it gets too hot. I'll be over at nine."

Daisy trotted over and dropped the ball at our feet. "Will you bring Daisy?"

"Absolutely. But we're gonna head out now, alright?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks for bringing Daisy over. I'm, like, really glad you're the one who adopted her. I can tell she really likes you, and if I couldn't keep her, I'm glad she gets to live with you."

My eyes flooded and a lump formed in my throat as we stood and made our way to the front of the house. Jason took my hand in his, giving it a squeeze in understanding.

We said our goodbyes and got into Jason's truck. I was glad he'd driven because I needed a moment to compose myself. He started the truck but didn't pull away. Instead, he turned to face me.

"You okay?"

I blew out a shaky breath. "It just gets to me sometimes, how sweet that kid is. He didn't deserve to lose everything like that, you know? I wish there was more I could do for him."

"You've done more than a lot of folks would do." He pulled me forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "You've got a good heart, Zach Jacobs."

I was pretty sure that heart belonged to him.