Page 112 of On Thin Ice

Jacob shrugged, awkwardly. “I had the tickets you left for me at the box office—two of them—and they’re good seats and—”

“Don’t sprain your few remaining brain cells, Braun,” Morgan said, but he was actually honest to God smiling.

Finn wanted to ask if he’d just suddenly been dumped into an alternate universe.

“Seriously,” he asked his dad as they walked towards Jimmy’s. “Are you okay?”

Morgan elbowed him. “I can be a mature adult.”

“No evidence of that so far,” Jacob muttered under his breath. Finn caught his gaze and grinned.

“Is this how it’s gonna be?” Morgan wanted to know.

Finn wanted to say yes.Wanted to believe that it was true and that it wouldstaytrue. Pretended, for a single glorious moment, that Morgan already knew the truth and didn’t care—but more than that, actuallylikedthat Finn had found someone he cared about, who cared about him in return. It was a hazy beautiful possibility that Morgan not only didn’t care that it was Jacob, but they got along. Maybe they’d bicker, but only in the way of people who knew the worst of each other a little too well and yet liked each other anyway.

“I wouldn’t hate it,” Jacob said.

Finn laughed, and Morgan made a face but didn’t lookthatupset about the possibility.

Jacob opened the door to Jimmy’s and they grabbed a booth in the back, Finn very aware of how more than a few heads turned, watching as they walked in.

Morgan was recognizable of course, but Jacob was harder to pinpoint as he’d spent his career in a helmet and extensive padding.

Still, Finn was pretty sure at least one person, an older guy whose eyes widened comically as they passed, recognized that Morgan Reynolds and Jacob Braun had just walked by and were about to sit down and break bread together.

Finn considered reminding his dad that nothing he did went unobserved, at least for long, but that was only asking for trouble.

Morgan was in a good mood—theyallwere, Finn realized—and was it so much to ask for reality to not shove itself in, uninvited?

“I’m gonna take a leak,” Morgan said, after Finn slid into the booth. He put a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Order me a Coke, okay?”

Then he was gone. At least for a minute or two.

“Well,” Jacob said, and the corner of his mouth tilted up.

“Don’t,” Finn said, but he was smiling, too.

“Your dad as a third wheel. That’s not weird or anything.”

“God, don’t remind me,” Finn said with a groan. “But maybe . . .maybe if he gets used to this, he won’t lose his shit when he finds out there’s more.”

Jacob didn’t look convinced. “He’s still going to want to kill me.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” Jacob leaned forward. “’Cause he loves you a lot, Finn. And if I was him, I would absolutely want to kick the ass of the older guy who seduced my son.”

“Iseducedyou,” Finn reminded him.

“I don’t know if he’s going to keep his fists out of my face long enough to hear that part of it,” Jacob said wryly. “Or if he’s going towantto hear it.”

“Probably both.” Finn’s foot brushed Jacob’s under the table. “Maybe I can convince him to go home, after this, and you can come back to my room with me.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Jacob said.

And yeah, Morgan was suddenly very into this togetherness, which was actuallynotterrible, but it also made it really fucking hard for Finn to have sex.

Morgan came back a second later, taking a seat next to Finn. That wasn’t that surprising. Finn wasn’t going to assume that he and Jacob were suddenly best friends.

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