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Ellery laughed again, but to his surprise, Jack backed off.

“However.”

“However?”

“There’s a catch.”

“What catch?”

“They’re coming here.”

“Who?” Ellery remembered what they had been talking about a few seconds earlier. His eyes popped open. “Yourfamily?Here?”

Jack sounded amused. “Not into the bedroom, no. Although…they have to sleep somewhere.”

Ellery opened his mouth but was forestalled by Jack’s, “My parents aren’t like yours. If I suggested a hotel, there would be words.”

“Gotcha. But that’s okay. I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

Jack made a noncommittal noise.

Ellery thought he understood. “Jack, if you’re not ready to introduce me to your family as your boyfriend, that’s okay. I get it. We haven’t been seeing each other that long, and it might send the—”

“If you’re about to finish that sentence withwrong message,we’regoing to have words,” Jack interrupted.

“Which words? So long as the words aren’twe’re breaking up—”

“Hell no, we’re not breaking up. Nor am I worried about sending the wrong message because there’s only one message: I care very much for you, and…and that’s it.”

Hopefully the expression on his face was not as goofy with happiness as he felt. “Okay. Well. I mean, I feel the same, obviously. I’m happy to meet your family ornotmeet your family. Whatever you want.”

Jack’s long sigh sounded a lot like one of Watson’s moans.

Despite his confusion, Ellery had to bite back a laugh. “Jack.”

“Listen.” Jack’s expression was earnest, his green-blue eyes soft with uncharacteristic emotion. “Iwantyou to meet my family. I want them to know you, and I want you to know them.”

“Well, then…”

“But.”

“But?”

“I don’t want you hurt by someone saying something stupid.”

Ellery blinked.Ohhkaay.He hadn’t seen that one coming. He asked cautiously, “Does your family not realize you’re gay?”

Actually, Jack was probably bisexual, but in this case, it was kind of the same difference. What didn’t make sense, given what he knew of Jack, was that Jack’s family wouldn’t know his sexual orientation.

“They’ve known since I was in high school.” Jack’s smile was wry. “Did you ever see that movieGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”

“Of course. It’s a classic.”

“Well, there’s a lot of truth in that film. My family had no problem with friends and colleagues being gay, but whenIcame out, they struggled. Which is to say, they thought maybe I was mistaken.”

Ellery considered and discarded several responses. He settled on a neutral, “Hm.”

“When I fell in love with Hannah, they latched on to the idea that I’d worked out the kinks.”