Page 48 of Choose Me

Bjorn’s cop voice barks at us from the back of the house. “Jesus, Erik, come inside already! You’re getting wet and letting all the heat out.” Jules jumps to his feet, eyes wide. I scowl into the house. If he’s frightened Jules, I’m personally going to kick Bjorn’s ass. Okay, probably not. But I’ll be angry.

Gesturing for him to go first, I follow Jules and Pita into the entryway and close the door behind us. We take off our coats and shoes, leaving them by the door with everyone else’s. Pita has latched onto Jules and won’t leave his side, but Jules doesn’t seem to mind. “Hey, if he’s too much, just push him away. He’ll get the message.”

Jules gasps, hugging Pita to his chest. “Are you kidding? I will not push this sweet baby away.” He scratches under the dog’s chin and Pita closes his eyes, melting into Jules.

Chuckling, I lead them down the hall towards the kitchen. “Bjorn, something smells really good.”

The room is a flurry of activity. Bjorn is cooking at the stove wearing one of his classy aprons. This one has ‘I heart my Butt Rubbed and my Pork Pulled’ in big letters. Gunnar’s at the center island, chopping various vegetables. It’s nice to see them working together and not bickering, though I still expect things to devolve into shouting at some point. Hopefully after we leave.

Astrid is sitting at the breakfast bar with the man I assume is her new boyfriend. He’s a good four inches shorter than she is, with short wavy reddish hair, a long, crooked nose that says he’s been in his share of fistfights, and an amused grin. He’s not conventionally handsome, but altogether, it works. This must be the infamous Gary Atkinson. I’ve seen his picture on the inside flap of his books. I wink at Astrid and she blushes but flips me off, which makes Gary laugh, and I relax. He’ll fit into this crazy lot just fine.

“Hey, everyone. This is Jules.” He leans into me, and I put my arm around him and give him a squeeze. “Jules, you remember Gunnar.” Gunnar raises his knife in quick acknowledgement before he goes back to chopping. “And Astrid.”

She raises her glass to toast him with whatever white wine she’s currently drinking. “Hi Jules. It’s been a while, but it’s nice to see you again.” I take a few steps into the room, Jules tucked under my arm, and extend my hand. “You must be Gary. I’m Erik. Nice to meet you.” He holds out his hand and we shake.

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you, Erik.” His grip is firm, but he doesn’t try to crush my fingers, and he meets my eyes without hesitation. I like him already. Stepping back, I look at Jules, who’s doing his best to meet Gary’s eyes. “This is Jules.”

Astrid must have coached Gary on what to do, because he waves but doesn’t extend his hand when Jules nods in his direction. “And this,” I turn to my left, moving Jules along with me. “Is Bjorn. You probably only met him a handful of times over the years.”

Bjorn turns and wipes off his hands like he’s going to extend one to Jules, but I give a small shake of my head. He does a quick once-over of us, taking in how Jules is tucked against me, and smiles, keeping his body language relaxed. “Hey, Jules. How’re things?”

“Good, thanks.” His breathing is fast and his hand is fisted in my sweater, but he’s doing a good job of meeting Bjorn’s eyes and I’m so damned proud of him. After he agreed to come with me to dinner, I promised him that if we needed to leave at any point, we’d go immediately and I wouldn’t be the least upset. We aren’t quite there yet, but I plan to keep a close eye on him.

After making his rounds of the kitchen looking for dropped food and scritches, Pita plops down next to Jules, leaning into his side and all but squishing him between us. Bjorn stares at his dog and then at me, his brows drawn together in confusion. I hold up my hand. “Hey. Don’t look at me. Pita’s been loving on Jules since we got here.”

Bjorn grins at Jules. “You have the magic touch. I can’t even get him to calm down like this unless there’s food involved or belly rubs.” Bjorn scratches behind Pita’s ears and turns back to the stove, still talking. “I hope everyone’s hungry. We’re about fifteen minutes away from eating.”

“It smells amazing, Bjorn.” Astrid pulls a bottle from the wine cooler, uncorks it, and pours more into her glass. “Jules, can we get you something to drink? I’m having chardonnay.”

He takes a breath and peers around me, one hand still in my sweater and the other buried in Pita’s fur. “I’d love a water, please.”

Jules lets go of my shirt and pats his jeans pocket. I know he’s making sure he has his anxiety medication, even though he insists he won’t need it. He says it’s enough knowing he has it in case things get to be too much. I can’t imagine what he goes through on a daily basis, and anyone who thinks people with anxiety are weak can fuck right off. Jules is amazing, and I’ve honestly never met anyone braver.

I squeeze him around the shoulders, wanting to kiss him, but that might not go over well. We’re not officially telling people we’re together yet, and that might add to his stress. Stef needs to know about us first, and we still have to figure out how to do that. And soon. Jules deserves better than sneaking around. “I’ll get it.”

He keeps his fingers in Pita’s fur, and I grab a glass out of the cupboard and fill it with ice and water, then grab a beer from the fridge. “Anyone want anything else?” I turn to Gary. “Another beer?”

“Yeah, I’ll take another one, thanks.” He salutes me with his mostly empty bottle.

I grab another out of the fridge and pop the tops off both, handing Jules his water and a beer to Gary. “So I hear you have a new book coming out.”

Gunnar chimes in before Gary can open his mouth. “Yeah, he was telling us about it before you guys got here. It sounds great.”

Bjorn looks at me over his shoulder. “It sounds right up your alley.”

I raise my eyebrows, curious about what he thinks that is. “Oh,really?”

He smirks, not missing my snarky tone. “I assume you’re still into action adventure stuff, and that’s what Gary writes.”

Before Bjorn can say anything more, Gary interjects. “It’s my latest Sterling Archer novel. You may not be familiar with them.”

It’s nice of him to give me a pass, but I’ve read the first few in the series and they’re excellent. “I don’t have much time to read, but I’ve read books one through four.”

As I talk to Gary, Astrid gets up and walks behind me to Jules’ other side. She slips her arm through his and whispers something in his ear. I trust Astrid, but it still makes me nervous. Whatever she says must be all right, because Jules smiles and nods once.

Astrid winks at me. “I’m going to show Jules the house.”

Before I can say a word, Bjorn calls out, “Don’t be too long. We’re eating in a few.” He stirs whatever sauce he’s making, never looking away from the stove. “Take Pita with you, if you want.”

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