Paxton nodded. “Justgreat.”
“Awesome!”
I tugged Bryson forward again. “Don’t poke the bear.”
“I’m not poking the bear. I’m showing him it’s time to move on.”
I turned and leaned up for a kiss. “In that case, let’s really show him.”
Bryson kissed me, keeping it sweet in the crowded restaurant, then nudged me toward the table. “Okay, I want the big boyfriend intro. This is my moment to shine.”
“You are very shiny,” I teased. “I think you might be sweating a little…”
He pinched my side, making me yelp and laugh. “No need for violence. They already love you.”
Maverick overheard my last few words.
“That’s right,” he said. “We told Silas to lock that shit down.”
“Appreciate it,” Bryson said.
Damon nudged him. “Hey, are you checking out Silas’sboyfriend?Keep your eyes on my hot ass, please.”
Maverick craned his head. “It’s kinda hard to see from this angle.”
Jamie snickered. “Sit down. They’ll be at this all night.”
They’d chosen one of the large corner mafia booths, which was positioned in a semicircle, so I slid in beside Hank, and everyone scooted down to make room for Bryson on the end.
Everyone looked at me expectantly, waiting to follow my lead.
I cleared my throat. “Well, Mav and Jamie, you both know my boyfriend, Bryson.”
“We do,” Jamie said with a big smile. “So happy for you guys.”
“And these other guys are Hank and Damon, their long-suffering boyfriends. You’ll all have a lot in common soon.”
“Nice to meet you,” Hank said. He was a big, bearded giant, but also a softie, and it showed in his warm tone.
Damon was cockier, the perfect match for sassy Mav. “Yeah, just text us SOS if Silas is too much for you to handle.”
“Oh, I can handle him,” Bryson said with a grin. “He makes me work for it, but he’s worth it.”
He kissed my temple, and my face heated as I squirmed. It had been a long time since I’d been half of a couple, but along with the blush, my chest warmed. Bryson wasn’t afraid to show affection, as Michael always had been. I’d never thought much of it. We were a gay couple, and it was learned behavior to hide your affection in public. But now, with Bryson, I realized just how different it was to have someone who looked at me with love and touched me often—not just for sex, but for connection and affection.
“Bryson’s a saint, basically,” I said with a laugh.
“He just knows a good thing when he sees it,” Hank said. “He’s a smarter man than I was. I took way too long.”
“Me too, bro,” Damon said. “Maverick had to parade a bunch of terrible dates under my nose for me to figure it out.”
Maverick laughed. “They weren’tterrible.”
“Not even Percy?” he challenged.
“Well…”
“And Gordon?” Hank added. “That guy’s a creep. He hit on Jamie right in front of me!”
