Page 18

Chapter 18

Jack

When the guys had said we were heading to the city for some big fancy double-date, part of me freaked out because of the memories I had of another city not so very long ago.

My gut churned when any thoughts of Joseph or Douglas appeared in the shadows of my mind. It was amazing being on my own and away from them, but that didn’t mean the trauma they saddled me with for all those years didn’t come slinking back to haunt me from time to time.

Okay, probably more often than that.

But I should have known Henry and the guys would help me make new memories in a new city.

Not gonna lie, it did suck to constantly realize I had a few childish words stuck in my head, didn’t know how to tie a damn tie, and had no real family to my name. But Henry was right when he said Mom probably thought my words were cute, so she let me keep them. It’s not like she planned to die and leave me using the wrong words.

And in all actuality, the words weren’t really that big of a deal.

The tie thing was a simple fix, it was just a blow to my ego to have to admit I didn’t know how to do something so many people took for granted. But having Henry and his family— my family—there to ease the discomfort and teach me new things at every turn was what I’d been missing since losing my mom.

As the four of us made our way through the silver and glass lobby of the hotel, I caught a glimpse of us in the mirrored wall.

Lance and Hudson looked fantastic in their dark dress pants that clung to them in all the right places. What? Henry was the guy for me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate how hot my friends were.

Lance wore a maroon dress shirt with a rose and silver tie which perfectly complemented Hudson’s deep rose shirt and his black and maroon tie.

I’d been worried I’d be under dressed, but Hudson had been right when he said he picked out something for me to wear that would look perfect with the three of them. While I wore charcoal gray slacks and a black shirt with a royal purple silk tie, Henry wore black pants, a charcoal gray button-up shirt with a silver paisley tie that had enough purple in it to blend with mine perfectly.

While I wasn’t short , I was the shortest of the four of us, but we looked really good together. A group of friends ready for a nice night out together.

Truly, something I never thought I’d have. The tight squeeze of forever grateful took hold in my chest. Walking away was always my plan, but the timing and ending up in Haven Grove couldn’t have gone better. I used to think it was silly when I’d hear the phrase, “Everything happens for a reason.” Honestly, it pissed me off when I heard it about my mom’s death, but after that, it just made me roll my eyes.

Until I stepped off that bus in Haven Grove.

Henry gave my hand a squeeze as we made our way down the sidewalk. His eyes scanned me, checking me over, making sure I was okay. Always there, always protecting. I gave his hand a return squeeze and smiled. How this broad, gruff teddy bear had wedged his way so far into my heart and soul I honestly could barely recall what life was like without him, I’d never know. But I’d also never question it because the connection we’d found together was nothing short of magical.

The four of us fell into easy conversation as we walked toward the restaurant. Chatting about the orchard, the ice cream parlor, the general store, the restaurant, and our newest cake and cocktails business venture as we told stories about townsfolk and funny things we’d heard or saw in Haven Grove.

Right then was the perfect time for me to bring up Brother Larry. We were too far away for the guys to get a wild hair up their asses to go teach him a lesson, even if I kinda wanted them to do just that.

Only kinda .

For the most part, I wanted to forget about the preacher’s visit .

Even though it nagged at me constantly, and my gut told me I needed to let Henry know what Larry had said.

But I let the conversation move on to Henry’s dad because that was easier than mentioning the preacher had threatened me.

Supposedly on Henry’s behalf—and that was the part bothering me the most.

Why did Brother Larry want me out of Haven Grove and Henry’s life? What was in it for him? Why did he care? Was it simply homophobic behavior? Or was there something more?

The guys were talking about Casey Joe, so I pushed the thought away and joined the conversation.

Everyone who’d known Casey Joe for their entire lives expressed he seemed different these days, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. All of us agreed we didn’t want any more medical scares with the Riggs family patriarch. His heart attack had been one of those situations that was bad but could have been much worse. The biggest issue at this point was that Casey Joe was doing better , but he was still only half-assing most everything the doctor had instructed him to do.

By silent agreement, I knew the four of us would be pushing him a bit harder in the coming weeks and months. Henry and Hudson had already lost a mother, they didn’t need to deal with losing their father too. Plus, Casey Joe had quickly become one of my favorite buddies, and I’d be crushed if I lost him.

I asked about certain buildings as we walked, and the three of them filled me in on businesses, locations, and important parts of the city. While they didn’t come to the city often, I could tell they enjoyed visiting. My heart gave a little leap at the thought of making trips to the city part of what the four of us did together.

“I picked this place,” Lance started as we approached the unassuming eatery, “because it’s super casual, and the food is amazing.”

Sighing inwardly because I was both starving and concerned I’d look like a fool at some fancy-schmancy restaurant, I gave Lance a quick smile. He likely didn’t realize how anxious I’d been about dinner, but his choice made things a lot easier for me.

Henry’s big, warm hand on the small of my back calmed me even more, and we made our way to the host stand. One overly cheery person took our name and handed us off to another overly cheery person who showed us to our table in the back corner of the restaurant.

Again, I wasn’t sure if Lance and the guys had purposely made things easy on me, or if my good friend fate was just shining on me right then, but I was grateful we weren’t at one of the tables out in the middle of everyone.

Dinner was absolutely amazing, and I hadn’t laughed so hard in my entire life.

Thanks to the casual atmosphere, I didn’t feel the least bit pressured about using the right fork or worried about ordering the wrong thing because I couldn’t read the language on the menu. And Lance’s plan of eating early had worked out perfectly so we weren’t rushed to get to the show.

The guys laughed at me when I ordered a Lemon Drop Martini despite the fact the place served a couple drinks made with peach syrup from the Juicy Peach.

“What?” I asked when they all ordered peach drinks, and I asked for the lemon concoction.

“Isn’t it like sacrilege to order lemon when you live and work in Peach City, USA?” Hudson asked.

I shrugged. “I like lemon drops.”

“What’s wrong with my peaches?” Hudson asked, a pout on his pretty face.

Giggling, I patted his shoulder. “Nothing is wrong with your peaches—or your peach,” I teased, and we both leaned into each other laughing until tears threatened the corners of my eyes. “I’m just a lemon guy, I guess.”

Henry gave my thigh a squeeze, and I knew he was perfectly happy with me getting any drink I wanted as long as it made me happy.

Sigh.

This man.

He made me happier than I’d ever allowed myself to dream of being.

The food was amazing, and I was impressed with Lance’s idea that we all get a different dish and the share when our meals arrived. We all ended up with a soup, salad, and four small portions of our shared entrees. Maybe it was purposeful, or maybe it just worked out that way, but Lance, Hudson, and Henry all ordered meals I’d never had before, so the sharing gave me a chance to discover new foods.

I started to feel self-conscious that I hadn’t had the somewhat ordinary meals, but Henry’s hand on my leg reminded me that I hadn’t had a normal childhood after Mom died. Any feelings about what I’d missed out on needed to be directed toward Joseph and Douglas rather than pointed inward.

My stomach was near bursting, but it was my heart that really threatened to explode. One night out with these three men had given me more love, support—a true sense of belonging—than all the years I’d been stuck with Joseph and Douglas.

I knew it wasn’t my mom’s choice to have me suffer for all those years, but I couldn’t help but think she was excitedly cheering me on from the other side now that I’d finally escaped.

If only I’d left sooner. Maybe if I’d overheard their shit before that night, I would have gotten out of there quicker.

No.

The night I left was just right because it led me to Haven Grove and Henry.

A shiver shot through me as I recalled the conversation I’d accidentally eavesdropped on.

“You okay?” Henry asked.

I am now , I thought, but I gave him a real smile and nodded. “Perfect. Thank you for tonight.” Joseph and Douglas were out of my life for good, and I’d spend the next however many months and years forgetting all the shit they put me through.

When our bubbly waitperson came back to check on us and asked, “Who’s thinking about the D word?” I was extremely proud of myself for not choking on my drink. Hudson bumped his knee into mine, and Henry put his hand on my thigh, but the four of us kept our composure .

Mostly.

Lance smoothly interjected for the table. “I can assure you that we are all most definitely thinking about the D word, Mia.”

Her eyes lit up.

“However, we have a show to get to, so we’re going to have to get the D word a bit later,” Lance continued.

Mia deflated. “Oh, shoot! We have the best cannoli. The cream is made fresh right here in the kitchen. Really, it’s to die for. You should come back after the show and try some!” She truly was the very definition of effervescent.

“Coming back for cream-filling sounds like something I could definitely get behind,” Hudson said, his grin a mixture of wicked and sincere while his knee dug into mine. “Maybe we’ll see you later.”

Mia beamed and left the check on the table.

Henry grabbed the check just as Lance swooped in to pick it up.

“Back off,” Henry groused from behind an amused smirk. “You set all of this up and got tickets for the show. Least you can do is let me get dinner.”

Hudson nodded. “Let him get dinner.”

Henry shot a look at his brother. “Maybe you should get dinner.”

Hudson just grinned. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks for buying.”

Henry just grumbled something and put his card in the bill folder while tossing a glance at Lance. “You better make him pay for gas or something, or his spoiled ass will think he gets everything for free. ”

“Oh, I’ll be sure to pay him back tonight,” Hudson drawled, and then threw his head back and laughed when Lance’s cheeks pinked.

Henry groaned, but he wasn’t quite able to hide his smile. “You,” he pointed at his brother, “are a menace.” He looked at Lance. “And I’m pretty sure you’re at least partly to blame.”

Lance’s brows shot up. “Me? What did I do?”

All I could do was sit there and watch the exchange with a goofy smile and all the warm fuzzies in my heart for these men.

My friends.

I had actual, honest to goodness friends .

Back in college, I’d been too…well, too everything to put a lot of effort into any relationships. I wanted friends, but it was hard to tell if anyone was actually genuine or if they were just along for the ride—homework help, designated driver, someone to cover a shift, that type of shit.

And intimate relationships were even harder. So many people were only interested in fuck and run type connections—like anti-connections—and that was so not me.

What I’d found with Henry and the guys was exactly what I’d been missing all those years. Closeness, fondness, joking around, truly knowing each other, laughing together, spending time building and celebrating what we had. I knew I was the new addition, but Hudson and Lance were pretty new as a couple too, so the four of us could grow our connections together.

By the time Mia returned with Henry’s card, and he signed the receipt, we had the perfect amount of time to walk to the theater. The cool night air nipped at my cheeks, and Henry took my hand.

From the opposite side, Hudson hooked his arm in mine. “Have you seen this one?” he asked, pointing at the marquee with the show’s name in lights.

I shook my head, suddenly nervous.

“It’s one of my very favorites,” Hudson said. “I mean, I have a lot of favorites, but I love this one. What about you?”

I shook my head again. “I’ve listened to a lot of Broadway musical songs, but I’ve never actually seen one.” I frowned. “Actually, that’s not true, I’ve seen some that were released to be streamed, but I’ve never been to a theater to watch a live show.”

For the tiniest fraction of a moment, I thought Hudson was going to laugh at me. Instead, he tightened his hold on my arm. “Oh my god, that’s perfect. I’m so glad you get to pop your cherry with this one, and we get to be here with you.”

“No one is popping anyone’s cherry,” Henry grumbled, his hand on mine tightening while Hudson chuckled.

And just like that, we headed into the theater. No one laughing at me for all I’d never done. No one calling me names or threatening me. Just friends happy we were all spending time together doing something we loved.

Well, I guess I didn’t know I loved watching musical theater productions, but I definitely adored the music I’d listened to, and I’d been enthralled with the few productions I’d been able to watch on streaming services. And I was with three of my favorite people, so I had no doubt I’d leave the show being able to say I loved attending musical theater productions.

Hudson made sure we got our playbills and took the proper selfies and group pictures with them before we hit the restrooms and found our seats. Since no photographs were allowed in the theater, we made our way back out to the lobby to snap pictures in front of the promo images.

“Anyone want drinks before it starts?” Hudson asked. “I’ll buy.” His charming wink made me smile.

“I’ll take a?—”

“Lemon drop,” they all said in unison before I even had time to glance at the menu.

For a split second, I thought about changing my order, but tasting lemon drops in every location had somehow become my thing , so I just shrugged. “Yeah, I’ll take a lemon drop.”

Henry threw his arm around me and kissed my temple. “I love you and your lemon obsession, even if it’s a blow to my ego.”

I giggled. “It’s not like I’m saying I don’t like you or even peaches. I just like lemon drops best.”

“Good thing,” Henry whispered in my ear. “Because I like you best.”

Hudson returned with our drinks.

I took a sip, enjoying the sweet tartness on my tongue before biting my lip and batting my lashes at Henry. “I guess if I had to choose, I’d pick you over lemon drops,” I teased.

Henry grinned and kissed my cheek. “Thank fuck for that.” The deep words rumbled through me, and I shuddered .

This man was my everything.

We sipped our drinks and milled around the lobby. The theater was fairly old, but it had been refurbished and updated. Everything was crisp and clean, and I was seriously already daydreaming about the future shows we’d come to watch.

A large poster caught my eye with the next season’s top shows. Three I’d heard of, one I loved, and two new-to-me titles. Maybe we’d be able to come to some of them if tickets weren’t too expensive, and if the dates fit with our work schedules.

A thought flashed through my mind. Maybe someday Cake and Cocktails would be doing well enough I could treat my friends to season tickets to the theater. Based on how well we’d been doing since opening, I had high hopes it wasn’t a far-off dream.

When people began making their way toward their seats, we joined the flow. Our location was absolutely perfect, Lance had done a great job choosing our seats. Nestled into a comfy chair with Henry on my left—we let him have the aisle seat so he could at least stretch out one leg—and Hudson to my right with Lance on the other side of him, I thumbed through the playbill until the lights dimmed.

And then I lost myself to the show.