Liam appeared at his side again, close enough for Teagan to catch that cedar scent once more. “Everything okay? You look like you’re calculating escape routes.”
“Always calculating them,” Teagan admitted. “Occupational hazard of being the size of a garden gnome at a lumberjack convention.” He leaned in and whispered, “Already mapped three exits and calculated the probability that your friend with the spatula is actually a serial killer.”
A deep chuckle rumbled out of Liam, rich and warm. The sound stole Teagan’s breath and lodged it somewhere between his ribs where it had no business being.
Those blue eyes crinkled at the corners, and suddenly the mountain of a man looked younger, warmer, like someone who’d share his last beer rather than crush skulls for fun.
“Come on,” Liam said, gesturing toward the crowd. “Let me introduce you to some people who definitely aren’t killers. Mostly.”
Following Liam through the throng of people felt like being escorted by a particularly attractive bodyguard. People naturally stepped aside, creating a path that wound past clusters of conversation and laughter.
“That’s Preston.” Liam nodded toward a short blond with small love handles who was playing cornhole. “He’s convinced he’s good at that game despite all evidence to the contrary.”
Preston’s next toss sailed wide, bouncing off the board entirely. “You moved it!”
“Did not!” called a shorter man with blue and pink hair from across the yard. “If I’d tried, the board would be in Alaska!”
“And that’s Newt, taking advantage of Preston’s delusions.” Liam steered them past a picnic table where two men sat close enough their thighs touched. “Wade and Alex. They’ve been together about six months now.”
Something loosened in Teagan’s shoulders at the casual mention of a gay couple. There was no hesitation in Liam’s voice, no lowered tone like he was sharing something shameful.
At the grill, a mountain of a man wielded tongs like weapons, flipping burgers with military precision. His dark hair was pulled back, revealing a face that could’ve been carved from granite if granite came with a permanent scowl.
Teagan vaguely remembered Aiden saying something about this guy but couldn’t remember.
“Zeppelin runs this place,” Liam explained. “Don’t let the serial-killer expression fool you. He’s actually—”
“Touch my ribeyes and lose a hand,” Zeppelin growled without looking up.
“Exactly as terrifying as he looks,” Liam finished, grinning.
Oh yeah. He was serious about his grill, treating it like gold.
“Though your guests are more than welcome to anything I’m cooking,” Zeppelin added with a wink at Teagan.
Despite the threat—even though Zeppelin had softened it—Teagan found himself relaxing incrementally. These people felt real in a way that made his guard slip, made him forget to keep scanning for exits. Liam continued talking as they circled the yard—who was afraid to step on cold floors, who didn’t mind going on donut runs and who refused, and how everyone, no matter what they were doing, always sat down for dinner as a family.
“Must be nice,” Teagan heard himself say, “having this many people who actually want you around.”
Liam’s hand shifted slightly on Teagan’s back, fingers spreading wider. “It has its moments. Though sharing space with this many guys can be a headache sometimes.”
A burst of laughter escaped Teagan. “Hayden takes forty-minute showers. Says he needs proper conditioning time for his hair like he’s maintaining a show pony.”
“Your roommate sounds high maintenance.” Liam’s tone stayed light, but something flickered in those blue eyes.
A slow swallow pushed against the tightness in Teagan’s throat. “Not roommate. Boyfriend. Hayden and I…we’re together. Like, together-together. A couple. Two people dating.”
Shut the hell up!
Silence stretched between them for exactly three heartbeats—Teagan counted—before the weight of what he’d admitted settled too heavily into the heels of his feet, like grounding would stop the unease.
Why had he said that? He’d been so careful, maintaining the lie, and now he’d just confessed it to this stranger who could—
“Cool.” Liam’s expression didn’t change except for the smallest uptick at the corner of his mouth. “Suspected as much, honestly. The way you two move around each other there’s too much awareness for just friends.”
A laugh escaped Teagan, high and slightly hysterical. “Are we really that terrible at pretending?”
Teagan always thought they pulled it off flawlessly. Well, until the neighbors found out and beat Teagan senseless. Then the assholes had spread the truth around the building, turning the rest of their neighbors against them.
