Page 133 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

His mother looked up from the stove, giving him a dirty look. “In case it slipped your notice, an entire army is waiting for this food. An army of family.”

She made a show of looking around him, which he thought a little unnecessary. A handful of people, including his sisters, were in the massive kitchen.

“This from the man who does whatever he can to make him feel comfortable and safe,” she muttered.

“He’s my friend. Of course I do.”

The disbelieving snort and sneer did not make him feel any better.

He could practically hear the comment his mother wanted to make, namely that friendship wasn’t all that lay in Nick’s heart.

Thankfully, there was more than just him, her, and Maria standing around, and she’d keep her promise to keep her mouth shut around others.

“That hall is big enough for everyone to sit at four tables, but I’d really like him to sit beside more than just you,” she continued.

“I’m sure we’ll find someone to keep him company,” he told her with a roll of his eyes.

Emily sidled closer, looking smug. “I wouldn’t worry about that. I think he’s found a new friend.”

Nick’s attention snapped to her. “What? When did that happen?”

Christ, he’d only left Matt alone for a few minutes.

Emily shrugged. “Remember Katrina?”

Nick searched his memory before recalling one of his many second cousins. “Didn’t she show up with her husband and kids earlier?”

“Mm, and her brother-in-law. Unmarried little weed of a thing,” Emily explained.

Their mother prodded her. “Don’t call him little. He’s a grown man.”

“And I think you’re taller than him, which makes him little,” Emily pointed out.

“Don’t be rude, Emily Jean.”

His sister sighed. “Anyway, apparently the guy, uh, Eric! Eric’s his name. I guess he’s some programmer or something at a tech firm.”

Nick blinked. “Well...that would do it.”

Emily leaned on the table between them, avoiding the plates of food with her elbows. “They’ve been geeking out by the fire over some new piece of...actually, I don’t know what. I just know geek talk when I hear it.”

“Ooh, getting replaced as the best friend so fast,” Maria teased, laughing with Emily.

“Both of you,” their mother chided, swatting at them. “Quit. Emily, get back on those potatoes, and if they turn to mush, so help you God. Maria, you’re supposed to be keeping an eye on the pies.”

“They’re pies, Mom,” Maria protested but was quickly shoved away by their irritated mother.

“I didn’t need rescuing,” Nick told her.

“Maybe not, but they need to cook like they promised.”

“I could have helped too, ya know.”

“Oh, please, honey. I wasn’t going to have you in here and leave poor Matt to the wolves.”

Nick glanced toward the doorway. “Doesn’t sound like we need to be worried.”

His mother looked up from the huge pot of gravy she’d been fussing over. “Hm, your sisters hit a nerve?”

“No,” he said, grabbing a mini-cornbread muffin from a stack. “They didn’t.”

She scowled. “Well, fine, then get out of my kitchen, you little thief. And don’t go pestering Matt either since you’re not bothered.”

It was his turn to give her a dirty look as he retreated from the sprawling kitchen into the hallway.

There were a few family members lurking in doorways, undoubtedly waiting until his mother wasn’t looking so they could dart in and take something from the growing food supply.

He shook his head at them, the only warning they would get about how bad an idea that was.

He had walked the halls and rooms of the main house in his childhood, but he’d never seen it with so many people.

In the main hallway, a handful of people sat around the small fireplace between the two staircases.

He could see people at the top of the stairs talking and a few kids running and shrieking happily.

One of the dens had a group of mostly older men standing around looking at something on the table.

When he spotted his father, he looked at the other faces and made the connection.

The men, his father included, had all served in the military at some point.

Nick would bet that whatever they were looking at was probably an old map as they reminisced and told gory stories their wives would scold them for.

His father had only once asked Nick and Matt if they wanted to join in.

They’d both declined, though never expanded on why.

It didn’t help that his father had chosen to ask shortly after a deployment had ended where Matt had nearly died saving Nick.

Neither had a taste for war stories then, and Nick suspected they never would.

It took a few minutes, but he eventually found Matt. As Emily said, he was tucked away in the corner of the reading room, engrossed in conversation.

Nick couldn’t help but feel the slight tug in his chest as he watched Matt gesticulate wildly, then jab his finger aggressively against his knee.

Nick knew that motion all too well. His friend was ranting about something.

The man listening so attentively was as small as Emily had said and thin enough that Nick was pretty sure he could wrap his hands around the guy’s waist, and his fingers would touch.

Light auburn hair fell over a pair of thick-framed glasses, dark eyes watching Matt intensely, speaking softly in moments of silence.

And despite his sisters’ insistence, Nick didn’t feel replaced or threatened. If Matt had to have someone tech-savvy and obsessed like him in order to have a close bond, he and Nick would have never been friends. Theirs was a bond that went far deeper than common interests.

Still, knowing that, he couldn’t deny the slight twist in his stomach.

It was good that Matt had found someone to talk to.

But the selfish part of Nick wished he was the only one who could see Matt light up like that.

It was easy to shove the thought away, not only because he was well-practiced at ignoring what he called his lovelorn thoughts but because it wasn’t fair to Matt.

Even if, in some weird alternate universe, he had the chance to be with Matt, Nick would no sooner keep the man caged up than he did as friends.

As if sensing someone watching him, which Nick wouldn’t doubt considering their experiences, Matt looked up.

He caught sight of Nick, and somehow, incredibly, his expression brightened even more.

The faint tug in Nick’s chest became a twist, and he held his hand up in greeting, content to leave them to their conversation.

And if Matt glanced up now and then after that as though making sure Nick was still in his sight, then all the better.

As expected, when the dinner bell was finally rung, Matt hopped up with his new friend. They were introduced briefly, with Matt pausing their exuberant discussion to exchange his and Eric’s name. The smaller man smiled up at him. It wasn’t a shy or meek smile, just a quiet, gentle one.

They all filtered into the main dining hall.

When it was just a few family members, they’d pull a small table from storage for their meals.

With so much extended family there, they had settled on using the massive slabs of wood that served as tables.

There were four in total, allowing dozens of people to sit comfortably.

No one was surprised to find Matt and Nick sat beside one another.

No more than Nick was surprised to find his mother had placed names at each seat, apparently deciding she was going to minimize any trouble.

Nick had been a little surprised to see Eric’s name placed on the other side of Matt’s. Apparently, his mother moved fast.

Thankfully, not only had their table been arranged to include Nick’s immediate family, but he noticed that Great Aunt Lily was as far from them as was physically possible.

That didn’t stop her from giving them a dirty look as they passed, wine glass clenched in her hand.

From the color in her cheeks, Nick guessed it wasn’t the first glass of the night and reminded himself to find some way to pay his mother back.

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 together comfortably. Though now you mention it, Eric is pretty cute if you like them little.”

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

Okay, it was, 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.”

“I feel like being bossy and strange is a family trait,” Eric muttered, though not quietly enough.

Maria snorted. “You’re damn right it is, and don’t you forget it.”

Matt snickered as Eric went scarlet, bowing his head to pay close attention to his pork chops.

Nick winked at Matt, feeling his friend squeeze his knee before returning to his conversation with Eric.

It went a long way toward easing his annoyance with Maria, if only because it meant he hadn’t heard anything.

Maria bumped his shoulder with hers. “Don’t worry, I’ll play nice with you later.”

“No, you won’t,” he said in resignation.

“Naw, I won’t.”