Page 60 of On Thin Ice

“Maybe he’s not looking for a white knightora happily ever after,” Bryan pointed out, setting the pan on the drying rack on the counter. “You ever think about that? You’re actually the worst at taking good things and justenjoyingthem.”

“I know,” Jacob said.

“Just . . .if he wants you and you want him, why can’t you just enjoy it?”

Why couldn’t he? Well, of all the reasons he was planning to come out, that was one of the most important. He’d said for nearly as long as he’d been retired that one of the few advantages of retiring early was coming out and finding a boyfriend and enjoying a real relationship for the first time in his life.

That wasn’t going to be in the cards with Finn.

Even if, deep down, he wanted Finn to be that guy, so much it hurt.

Finn didn’t fit into the mold. He was too young, too eager for the rest of his life to begin. And named Reynolds to boot.

“You know what I want,” Jacob said. “We’ve talked about it.”

“Youthoughtyou wanted that. And there’s no reason you can’t have it, eventually. But I’m telling you, as the older, wiser one in this scenario—”

“You’re barely eighteen months older,” Jacob interrupted.

Bryan shot him a grin. “Still older. I’m telling you—enjoy him. It doesn’t come around very often, like this, and you should get that chance, just the same as everyone else.”

“I’ll think about it,” Jacob said and pulled his brother into a quick half-hug. “I’ll go say goodbye to the girls.”

Jackie and Krista were already deep in their Mario Kart battle, and he dropped kisses on their heads and a minute later was out the door, wrapping himself up in his coat as he headed towards his car.

Luckily, the school was only a few blocks away from Bryan’s house, and only a few minutes later he was pulling up to the curb where he’d dropped Finn off just two days ago.

Finn was waiting, too, hands shoved in his jeans pockets, duffel over one shoulder.

He slid in, putting the bag in the backseat before he settled into the passenger seat.

“Where’s your coat? You’re gonna get fucking pneumonia on a clear night like this,” Jacob complained.

Someone had to worry about Finn, if he wasn’t going to worry about himself.

“I was hot,” Finn said.

Jacob made a disgruntled noise and cranked the heater up.

“Where are we going?” Finn asked when they were halfway to their destination.

He’d probably guessed they weren’t going to Jacob’s house since he’d deliberately turned the opposite direction. Jacob had wanted to ask him what had been so bad about the practice, buthe knew how those could feel. It was always better to wait until someone was ready to talk.

“What I always did after a really bad practice or a shitty game,” Jacob said. He pulled into the parking lot.

“Dairy Queen?”

“It’s impossible to be sad when you’re eating ice cream,” Jacob said. “Come on.”

Finn grumbled under his breath, but when he emerged from the car, he’d grabbed a sweatshirt from his bag and was shrugging it on. “Is that like scientifically proven?” he wondered as they walked into the store.

“We’re getting milkshakes ’cause we’re not staying,” Jacob said, refusing to answer Finn’s teasing question.

Teasing was better than the look of concentrated doom he’d worn when he’d gotten in the car.

“You gonna at least ask me what flavor I want?” Finn asked, nudging him with a shoulder.

“Well, obviously,” Jacob said.

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