“He’s the one who essentially threw you under the bus,” Kalin retorted.
Richard ruffled Kalin’s wet hair. “Stop being such a brat, little one.”
Kalin shot him a deadpan look. “It’s literally my entire personality.” It wasn’t, but Richard and I were the only ones who really knew that. Kalin, at his core, was sweet and needy and so perfect for the two of us.
I chuckled and began to apply sunblock to his face. Kalin closed his eyes and sat still so I could apply it evenly and rub it into his skin well. Once I was done, he turned, giving me his back. I set my feet on either side of the chair so he could fit between my thighs comfortably.
“You boys hungry?” Richard asked, still standing over us, like he could somehow protect Kalin’s skin from the sun while I applied the sunscreen.
“Yes,” Kalin groaned. “I could eat a cow. Or a shark. No cows in the middle of the ocean.”
I laughed. When Kalin was as relaxed as he was now, his mouth just ran. Absolutely no filter. Just spoke before he thought of what he was saying.
“Yeah, I’m hungry. What are we being served today?” I asked.
“Shrimp and crab legs,” Richard responded.
“Fuck yes,” Jesse groaned. “I’m starving. I was about to ask for a fishing pole.”
Dalton barked out a laugh. “Baby, you don’t know the first thing about fishing.”
Jesse pouted at him. “When a man is in need, he can figure it out.”
Richard chuckled and dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “Come on down below deck when you’re done. Food should be getting laid out soon. I’ll go find Salem and Tor?—”
“No need. When food is mentioned, Salem can hear the mention of it from a mile away,” Tor drawled, shooting his husband an annoyed look, who was dragging poor Tor across the deck.
“You said below deck?” Salem asked, already heading for the stairs. “Say less.” He tugged Tor after him when Tor didn’t move fast enough for his liking. Tor shot an apologetic look at Richard for Salem’s behavior, but Richard just smiled and waved them on.
Anyone who met Salem either took him as he was or just didn’t associate with him. There was no in-between.
“We’ll head on down, too,” Dalton announced as he stood. Grabbing Jesse’s hands, he tugged him up, then held his hand as they followed Salem and Tor down the stairs. Richard took a seat on the edge of the lounger beside my hip, and Kalin turned to look at us.
“Have you told them yet?” Richard asked us.
I shook my head. “I thought it’d be part of the trend of not coming outright and saying anything about our relationship,” I said, smirking.
Richard chuckled. “They’re going to blow a gasket when they find out we’re engaged and they weren’t told.”
“Engaged?!” Dalton suddenly yelled, making Kalin flinch from the unexpected shout. I soothed my hands over his arms, and Richard gently squeezed his knee.
Guessed they hadn’t gotten far enough below deck yet.
A moment later, our four best friends were pushing past each other to get back on deck. Kalin snickered at them. “Anything else we need to know? One of you magically fucking pregnant?”
“No,” Kalin assured him. “I think I’d know if I was knocked up.”
Jesse mimed gagging. Kalin flipped him off, but he was smiling. “You told me Spike got you the ring as a random gift. Not that you were fucking engaged,” Tor pouted, looking genuinely a little hurt at being lied to.
Kalin shrugged one shoulder. “Thought it’d be fun to leave you guys guessing for a while.” He leaned into Richard, who wrapped an arm around him.
“Cool. Now that’s confirmed, my stomach is eating itself.” Salem turned, heading back down the stairs, completely unbothered, apparently. “By the way, I already knew. I just kept the secret,” he called over his shoulder, his voice getting quieter the further he got away. My jaw dropped. He knew already? How?
“He knew?” Kalin asked, looking at me. I shrugged. I had no idea he’d known the entire time.
“Wait, what?” Tor exclaimed, spinning to hurry after his husband. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I asked him for his blessing,” Richard told us quietly. “He’s always been the overprotective one of your family.” I swallowed thickly, my chest tightening that he loved us so much that he’d go ask Salem if he was okay with it. “He just asked that I take care of you two, and he promised to make me disappear if I didn’t.”
