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Julien chuckled and looked over to see that Priest’s lips were pulled up in a grin that even he couldn’t hide.
“Robert?”
“Yes, Priest?” Robbie drawled as he looked over his shoulder, and Julien tugged on one of the pompoms.
“What do you usually eat for breakfast?” As Robbie’s mouth opened, no doubt with something insanely inappropriate on the tip of his tongue, Priest held up a finger and added, “At your nonna’s house.”
Robbie rolled his eyes. “Well, you’re no fun. But okay, cereal, toast, a bagel? Whatever. What do you eat?”
“Priest likes a coffee with three sugars and cream. And a bagel with far too much cream cheese,” Julien said, earning a glare from Priest.
“Excuse me. Not all of us want to drink a garden for breakfast.” Priest went to the fridge as Robbie looked to Julien.
“A garden?”
“I drink a green juice each morning. That’s what he’s referring to with such disgust.”
“Why don’t you tell him what’s in it?” Priest suggested, as he put a tub of Philly spread on the counter.
Julien got to his feet and kissed Robbie on the nose, and then smirked as Robbie gingerly took a seat. Making his way over to the fridge, Julien grabbed the colander where he’d already prewashed and cut everything he needed for the morning, then put it down on the counter next to Priest’s bagels and cream cheese.
Robbie screwed his nose up as he reached in and held up a cucumber. “This might’ve been better to show me last night,” he said, and squirmed on his seat. “I would’ve appreciated it more.”
Julien pulled the juicer out from under the counter and plugged it in as Priest took the vegetable from Robbie.
“No one appreciates what he’s about to eat,” Priest said. “But I will admit, his body is the best advertisement for a juicer that I’ve ever seen. It almost convinced me.”
Julien laughed as he popped a couple of apples in the funnel and flicked on the switch. Robbie grimaced, and Priest shook his head, and when the machine finished pulverizing the fruit, Priest added, “Almost.”
PRIEST POURED HIMSELF a coffee as Julien tipped his freshly pressed green juice into a tall glass and added a celery stick.
Robbie had been watching the entire process with a horrified expression, as though every time Julien added a piece of cucumber or spinach to the funnel, he was murdering the vegetable. But Priest had a sneaking suspicion it was more in revulsion over how Robbie thought it was going to taste—and that facial expression was the right reaction, as far as he was concerned.
“Would you like to try some?” Julien said.
Robbie looked over to Priest as he bit into his bagel. “Don’t look at me. You and him are alone with your cucumbers.”
“Oh, so now you develop a sense of humor,” Robbie said.
“I’ve always had one,” Priest said. “You’ve just been too on guard to notice.”
Robbie glared at him, but then looked back to the green concoction in front of Julien.
“Can we maybe add some vodka?” Robbie asked.
“At eight in the morning? I don’t think so. Kind of defeats the purpose. This is healthy. It keeps your mind clear.”
Priest raised his coffee to his lips, but before he took a sip, he added, “Or just bores it to death.”
Julien pointed at him. “Don’t be so harsh, mon amour. You want me to stay healthy, don’t you?”
“Always.” Priest kissed Julien and then said, “Robert?”
“Hmm?”
“What are you doing this weekend?”
As Julien wrapped an arm around Priest’s waist, Priest took a sip of his coffee, more determined than ever to see if they could convince Robbie to come and stay with them for longer than a night. It was the best way for Robbie to learn about them and vice versa. They needed time and space outside of dinner and bed.
“Would you like to come and stay with us?” Julien asked, as though reading Priest’s mind. “Friday through Sunday, maybe?”
Robbie’s head snapped up, and his eyes moved back and forth between them as though gauging their intentions.
Priest nodded. “I think that would be a smart idea, so we can all get to know one another better.”
“Better than—”
“Fucking,” Priest said, and, unbelievably, Robbie blushed. “Now that we know we are compatible—”
“Compatible? What am I, an electrical socket?”
“No,” Priest said. “You’re a sexy little spitfire who hasn’t stopped arguing with me since we met. It would be nice if we could find some common ground where you’re comfortable enough that you don’t feel the need to argue all the time.”
“I don’t always—”
“Boys,” Julien said, “play nice, or not at all. Those are the rules. And we liked playing, didn’t we?”
“Oui,” Priest told his husband, as Robbie rolled his eyes.
“Princesse?”
“I mean, obviously, yes,” Robbie said as he played with one of the drawstrings on his onesie, making the pompom twirl around. “I can barely sit and I’m already thinking about next time.”
