Page 54 of The Map Home
Mat snorted as he sat back down. “It’s eerie how alike Dakota and Niall are.”
Niall nodded, arching a brow. “Nothing wrong with brooding, although I like to call it deep thinking.” He started to stand, but Dakota waved him off.
“Seriously, that’s about enough hugging for now.”
Mat and Tad laughed. “I swear, it’s like a mirror sometimes,” Mat said quietly.
“Sit down,” directed Tad. “I already ordered you a beer. And yes, a big one.”
Dakota sat as directed but had another question for Tad. “Why are we back here if there’re only four of us?” Tad wrinkled his nose in that way that made Dakota want to kiss him while also knowing it meant there was more coming for Dakota to cringe over. “What did you do?”
Tad didn’t have time to answer his question because Penny’s voice carried through the restaurant to where they were sitting.
“Are they here already?” she asked someone near the front.
“They’re in the back,” Waylon replied. “That’s what Tad said.”
“Oops?” Tad said.
At that moment, a server appeared, as if he knew Dakota needed his beer desperately. He carried a tray loaded with several beers and a basket of rolls. From experience, Dakota knew they were warm and delicious.
“Thanks,” Tad said as the server set everything down. To Dakota, he said, “Please don’t kill me. They were coming here anyway, and I couldn’t figure out how to tell them not to. And I guess it just seemed like some kind of weird fate.”
He handed one of the beers to Dakota, who immediately took a long gulp. They could walk home.
Which, yes, home was with Tad. They’d stay in the apartment for now, maybe find another place together when Tad’s lease was up. As long as Tad was where he was, Dakota was home.
Why had it taken him so long to figure that out?
“I’m good,” Dakota assured Tad. He reached out to squeeze Tad’s thigh and then left his hand there, the heat from him warming Dakota’s chilly fingers.
“Just…roll with it, that’s all the advice I have for you,” Niall said quietly. “If Tad is anything like Mat, you’ll soon realize it’s best to do what they suggest—within reason.”
Niall shot his husband a look that had Mat laughing again. Dakota figured Mat was the force behind Niall traveling to Collier’s Creek and he couldn’t be mad at him for that, not really.
“Tad, are you going to introduce us?” Penny asked her son as she took a seat. “Dakota, will you forgive us for crashing your party? We’re just so incredibly happy for the both of you. Waylon and I, we consider you family and have almost since the day you arrived at the ranch. We feel protective toward you, same as we do with Tad and Boone, so we had to meet the restof your family. Although”—she frowned—“Boone is still in the doghouse at the moment.”
Dakota thought he’d been embarrassed by the Gillespies’ reaction after he and Tad drove out to G-Bar to tell Tad’s family they were officially together, but this get-together had the potential to be a million times worse.
“Let’s talk more about Boone,” he said.
“Yeah, let’s,” Tad chimed in.
“I’d rather you introduced us, Tad,” Penny said cheerfully, looking across to Niall and Mat.
Tad obliged and when he was finished, the server reappeared to take Penny’s and Waylon’s orders.
“And how about one of those goat cheese and pear tarts and a baked brie with cranberry, as well? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving,” Penny added, glancing around at all of them.
“This is on us tonight. A thank you, Mat and Niall, for making the trip out here.” Waylon raised his glass. “Here’s to family of all kinds.”
“Hear, hear!” Mat added, earning alookfrom his husband.
They all followed suit, clinking their glasses against Waylon’s.
“Fucking hell, we’re outnumbered,” Niall said so only Dakota could hear.
Nodding his agreement, Dakota took another long sip of his beer. He was going to need the next one soon and maybe even a third before long. “Maybe tomorrow you and I can go on a long drive and not talk at all.”
