Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“It’s muffins, not the Mona Lisa.” Ben shook his head. Thank God, those roommates didn’t have the domestic bliss of Pike and Zack. Ben was still smarting from a divorce and Maddox was...well, Maddox.
“Hey, hold up. We’re being rude,” Maddox waved in the direction of Dylan. “Who’s the new guy?”
“Oh hello.” Ben got about ninety degrees more charming, flashing a smile and extending a hand to Dylan as he took it on himself to introduce the group.
“Who needs drinks?” Dustin asked after the introductions were done.
“Me.” Pike followed Dustin back into the house, Zack trailing along like he couldn’t stand being separated from his boyfriend even for a beer run.
“I’m going to see if your mom needs help.” Maddox gave Apollo a nod and Dylan a smile that while far more subtle, was no less interested than the ones Ben had been flashing around. Fuck.
“Dylan. Come see!” Chloe wandered over from doing somersaults on the grass, tugging Dylan away to see her and Sophia do a “show,” which was their favorite game, thanks to his mom’s love of reality music and talent shows.
Apollo went to the grill to check the meat, but Ben followed, keeping his voice low. “Remind me to thank Dustin. Profusely.”
“I think he’d call you out if you go there,” Apollo said mildly even as his jaw tightened.
“But the kid does play on our team, right? I’m not wrong there?”
“You’d have to ask him,” Apollo hedged, even though he knew from Dustin that Dylan was out to his family and active in LGBTQ groups.
“Oh I plan to.” Ben’s voice was only too eager.
“And don’t forget the kid part,” Apollo warned.
“Oh he’s not that young.” Ben gave Apollo a knowing smile. He was only a couple of years younger than Apollo, but ever since his divorce, he’d had a taste for subby young things. And no way was Apollo going to think of Dylan in that light or question whether his tastes ran in that direction. Maybe the kid was a top for all they knew...
Nope. Don’t go there. Yeah. Not ever thinking about sex and Dylan in the same thought bubble.
Laughter carried across the yard, where instead of simply watching the girls Dylan had been talked into joining in some silly dance that had all three of them laughing.
He’s really good with them. Since Apollo was the only one of the group with kids, his friends usually didn’t know what to do with the girls—alternating between ignoring them and good-natured indulgence. But Dylan got right in there and played, something Apollo himself struggled with.
Even Neal had been a quiet soul, not one for loud playing, but so full of love and compassion... Apollo pushed that thought aside because dwelling on what an amazing dad Neal had been inevitability led to a wave of fresh amputation-level pain.
The others came back, bearing more food and plates. His mother arranged everything in a buffet line, instructing the guys where to find extra chairs and rounding up the kids. Apollo loaded the finished meat onto a fresh platter and added it to the table.
Dylan ended up sitting between Maddox and Ben, because of course he did, but at least Dustin was sitting close enough that Apollo didn’t feel the need to go police what was sure to be some flirting worthy of the movies his mother favored. And besides, Apollo was occupied cutting up meat for the girls and arranging their plates the way they liked them—nothing touching and a big pool of ketchup in the center.
“They could probably handle a whole hot dog now.” His mother observed as she fixed her own plate.
“Last thing we need is choking.” Apollo sliced slightly bigger pieces before handing the girls their plates. “And I don’t mind fixing their plates.”
Truth be told, he kind of liked it. He still wasn’t used to the two of them sitting side by side on the picnic bench, no booster seats in sight, real little people.
“Hey, Apollo,” Maddox called. “We were just talking. If Dylan can’t stay here, Ben and I could rearrange some stuff, see if he could stay with us.”
Hah. Apollo knew the “rearranging stuff” would undoubtedly include jockeying for whether Dylan shared Ben’s bed or Maddox’s by summer’s end and just...no. Something angry and surprisingly protective unfurled in his gut.
“He’s staying here,” Apollo said firmly before he could recall the words.
The girls sent up a delighted squeal, and Dustin grinned widely. Ben winked at him, and Apollo knew he’d been had. Fuck.
Chapter Three
Dylan kept himself from grinning after Apollo announced that he’d be staying there for the summer. Apollo wasn’t happy with his offer—that much was clear from how he stared down his friends. Maybe staying with the other two would be preferable to being some kind of burden on Apollo. At least Ben and Maddox were funny and seemed to want him around.