“To each his own. I’ll have to wait until Christmas to meet them.” He grabbed his wallet, tucked it into his pocket. “So where’re we goin’ for dinner?”
“Their place.”
“Oh, yeah?” Brantley grinned. “They trust me enough to invite me into their house, huh?”
“They’re armed to the teeth,” Reese said easily. “They aren’t worried about much.”
That was something Brantley had in common with them.
Because he knew the area better than Brantley and seemed to have an idea of where they were going, Brantley let Reese drive. While he did, Brantley exchanged a few text messages with JJ, asked how Tesha was doing so he could relay the information to Reese. He knew his man was worried about the dog and part of him wished they’d brought Tesha along for the trip. He got the feeling Tesha would be a good partner for Reese.
“You’re not the least bit nervous, are you?”
Glancing over, he studied Reese’s profile. “Should I be?”
“I was a basket case when it came to meetin’ your parents.”
Brantley turned his attention back to the window. “I mean, if you want, I could stutter when I talk to Z.”
“I did not stutter,” Reese said on a rush of air, his forehead creased with worry when he looked over. “Did I?”
“No. Well … not much, anyway.” He laughed, couldn’t help it. “Kidding. You did fantastic.”
Reese’s sigh of relief made Brantley’s heart swell. He didn’t want Reese to be nervous around his family, but he couldn’t deny that it was the little things that he’d fallen for. Reese’s vulnerability was part of it. Mainly because he knew it was a rare characteristic, one that only came out when Reese truly cared about something.
Brantley rested his arm on the center console, turned his palm up, and wiggled his fingers.
Reese glanced down, over to Brantley’s face, then back to the road. And when their fingers twined, he wondered if Reese felt as secure in their relationship as he did.
***As was always the case, at least since he’d been an adult, Reese was thrilled to see his brother. More so these days because it was such a rare occurrence. Back during their father’s last days, they’d spent quite a bit of time in one another’s presence, talking about the past, laughing about their childhood antics. Despite the depressing nature of the encounter, Reese looked back fondly at the memories. No doubt about it, he’d always looked up to his big brother.
“Well, I’ll be damned, Walker,” Z greeted when he stepped out onto the front porch. “I think you mighta grown since high school.”
Brantley laughed, held out a hand. “I could say the same to you. What are you? Seven feet tall?”
“A few inches shy.” Z turned to Reese. “Hey, little brother.”
A hug ensued because that was what Z did. At least with those he was close to. Reese figured by the end of the evening, Z would be hugging Brantley goodbye. He considered how Brantley would react. Go with the flow, that was what he would do, because he was smooth like that. Nothing seemed to faze him with the exception of nightmares and migraines, both of which were reoccurring at a rapid pace.
“Well, come on in. RT’s in the kitchen.”
“Cookin’?” Brantley asked, just as at ease with Z as he seemed to be with everyone else.
Reese certainly envied his ability to interact with anyone and everyone.
“Hell no,” Z answered with a chuckle. “We ordered out. But I’m sure he’s dishin’ it up in order to pass it off as home cooked. Never really understood that myself. What if it tastes like shit and you passed it off as your own? Screwed the pooch, right?”
Reese grinned. It was good to see Z so laid-back, so … happy.
RT looked up when they stepped into the kitchen, smiled. “Hey.”
Ryan Trexler looked the same as he had every other time Reese had seen him. Blond hair, ice-blue eyes, and a build that leaned more toward a swimmer than a gym rat, RT was a handsome man, something Reese had always thought. Granted, it had never been from an interested perspective and it still wasn’t. Try as he might, Reese hadn’t met a man who’d caught his eye. Not the way Brantley had.
“Brantley, meet my husband slash boss, Ryan Trexler. RT for short. Babe, meet Brantley Walker. My little brother’s main squeeze.”
Reese felt his face heat but heard the relaxed chuckle from Brantley. He’d known going in that this would be uncomfortable, but he had vowed to get through it for Brantley’s sake. Last thing either of them needed was for Reese to let his nerves get the best of him. This was a judgment-free meal and he would do well to remember that.
“It’s good to meet you,” Brantley said, shaking RT’s hand. “Heard a lot of good things.”
“About him?” Z asked, turning to Reese. “You talk about my man?”
