Page 86 of From Coast to Coast
There is a flurry of greetings and excitement as Sam and I make the rounds as well. Troy’s smile is so broad, it looks like it might be painful.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” he asks Corwin.
“We wanted it to be a surprise. Grayson had the idea before he even asked you. Figured it might be nice to change the scenery a bit—we can’t have an anniversary party in my backyard every year.”
“Our anniversary?” Troy asks, gesturing toward Sam.
“No,” Lawson answers dryly. “Our other friends who got married on July twenty-first. Not everything is about you, Nicky.”
Nico’s sigh is drowned out by Nigel’s snort of laughter. “You walked right into that one,” Sam tells his husband.
I sneak around everyone until I’m standing next to Remy, leaning back against the railing and putting my arm behind him. As he always does, he rests his weight against me, body warmer than the heat of the day. He kisses my arm and licks his lips.
“Salty.”
Before my dick can get any ideas about where that might lead, Corwin appears next to me. The wind has wreaked a little havoc on his usually perfect hair; it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him looking a smidge less than impeccable.
“Thank you, again,” he says to Remy, “for inviting us and letting us stay here.”
“We’re happy to have you,” Remy replies, using that damnweword again that he’s suddenly so fond of. “And actually, I was sort of hoping you might be willing to helpout with the cooking a little bit. Gray told me you’re an amateur chef.”
“Oh, no, it’s more a hobby than anything,” Corwin demures immediately. “But I’d love to. In fact”—he checks the time on his phone—“why don’t I go start something. Everyone is probably hungry and?—”
“We ordered food for tonight,” I tell him, almost laughing at the way his face falls. “But the rest of the week is all yours.”
“Cor!” Troy shouts. “Did you see the gym in the basement? And thepool?”
“I think it’s clear none of us are spending our salaries correctly,” Nigel comments, hip leaned against the railing as he looks out over the ocean. “Remy has the right idea.”
“Anthony wanted to add a pool at our place,” Nico comments. “Something tells me we’re going to be revisiting that conversation shortly.”
“Just think of the pool parties you could have for your hockey kids,” Sam says slyly, earning an exasperated look from Nico and a grin from Lawson.
The others break out into a spirited conversation of the pros and cons of a pool at Nico and Lawson’s house. Nigel tries making a case for his and Corwin’s, but the general consensus is the others have more space in the backyard. I settle in beside Remy, half listening to the conversation, but mostly watching and enjoying the simple fact of them being here. I wish they were going to stay longer than a week.
“What are you thinking about?” Remy asks. I look down at him.
“Just feeling lucky, I guess, that I met Troy all those years ago and that they’ve allowed me to be a part of the family.” I wave an arm to encompass the group.
“Me too. I’m going to ace this trial run.”
Snorting, I pull him a little closer. “I wasalsothinking about the way you keep saying ‘we’ when you’re talking about your house.”
“You live here,” he says indignantly. “It’sourhouse. Keep up.”
“Interesting how I seem to have missed that conversation.”
“You moved in a month ago.” He shrugs. “Really, Gray, you need to pay better attention. Your toothbrush is inourbathroom, your clothes are hanging inourcloset, and our dirty laundry is all mixed up together waiting forusto wash it inourwashing machine.”
“Okay, smartass.”
He gives me a smug grin. Shrugging out from underneath my arm, he puts both hands on the railing and brackets my hips. I widen my stance so I’m not looming so far above him, and he steps closer between my legs. If it wasn’t for the presence of six other people on the patio, I’d think we were about to engage in public indecency.
“Grayson Brody.”
“Yes?” I try to keep the amusement from my voice, but it’s not easy when he’s working hard to give me his best approximation of puppy dog eyes.
“Will you move in with me?”