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Not one to stand on ceremony or risk the food getting cold, his mother insisted they all dig in as soon as they sat down. There was no argument, considering everyone had been waiting hours for the meal, and everyone immediately began filling their plates.

Maria, to his right, leaned closer. “Any idea what they’re talking about?”

Nick blinked, a biscuit in his hand as he tried to figure out what she meant. “Huh?”

She nodded toward Matt and Eric, who were both quietly but swiftly speaking as they grabbed food. “Them.”

Nick snorted. “No, I haven’t got the foggiest clue what they’re talking about.”

“It’s kind of cute though, isn’t it?” she asked.

Nick set his serving of beans onto his plate a little too hard. “Is it?”

Maria’s eyes darted to him, the corner of her lips quirking. “I meant, it’s cute to watch two quiet guys get to geek out togethercomfortably. Though now you mention it, Eric is pretty cute if you like them little.”

Nick grunted. “Yeah, I guess it’s cute.”

Okay, itwas,but he didn’t like that knowing smirk on his sister’s face. He was going to be damn happy that his best friend in the whole world found a part of his family to be comfortable with. Matt had a hard enough time socializing as it was. He didn’t need anything to get in the way of any progress his friend wanted to make.

Of course, she’d fed a sliver of distaste into his mind. He wasn’t jealous that Matt was making friends. He wasn’t. While he was at it, he definitely wasn’t going to make assumptions about the sort of guy Matt was or wasn’t into since he wasn’t even into guys.

One guy notwithstanding.

Shit, what did that guy even look like? Nick had never asked. It was weird enough knowing something like that had even happened, let alone that it might mean his friend wasn’t quite so?—

No! Bad thought. No, he was going to enjoy his meal.

“Uh, Nick?”

Matt’s voice raised Nick’s head, swiveling to find his friend frowning at him. “What’s up?”

“Well, I was going to ask if you could pass the gravy. But you…” Matt trailed off, eyes searching Nick’s face.

“You’ve been glaring at your potatoes like you were trying to set them on fire with your mind,” Maria added helpfully.

Matt grimaced. “What she said?”

Nick snorted, reaching to take the gravy bowl and hand it over. “Sorry, was just lost in thought.”

“Must have been an interesting thought,” Maria said.

Nick glared at his sister when Matt leaned over, speaking softly so only he could hear. “You okay?”

Without thinking, Nick took hold of Matt’s wrist and squeezed gently. The corner of Matt’s mouth twitched, but he nodded. Nick sighed, knowing his attempt to tell Matt everything was okay hadn’t worked. His friend wouldn’t confront him at the table, but Nick was already trying to think what he could tell Matt later.

When Matt turned back to Eric, Nick furiously turned back to his younger sister. “Your end will be slow and torturous. Trust me, I was trained in a few interesting ways to kill someone.”

She popped a green bean in her mouth, chewing with an unimpressed expression. “What a delightfully morbid thought. That’s what every little sister wants to hear. How their big brother was trained to be a killing machine.”

Grimacing, he scooped up some mashed potatoes. “Just...quit, okay? It’s not and never has been like that.”

She grew silent, which was either a good thing or the worst because it meant she was thinking. Nick knew he’d find out soon enough as he ate his meal silently. He could feel Matt glancing at him but shrugged every time he felt a silent but pointed question aimed his way.

Finally, Maria laid a hand over his, leaning forward to talk to Matt. “You mind if I borrow this one for a little while after dinner?”

Matt blinked. “Uh...sure? Why...why am I being asked like I’m his keeper?”

Maria beamed. “Thank you. He and I haven’t had a good talk in a while.”