Rux stayed frozen at the window, watching Sam approach, adjusting his glasses twice before reaching for the doorbell. The chime echoed through the house.
Mabon squeezed Rux’s shoulder once, then headed toward the dining room.
This was it. Their final gesture. If Sam didn’t understand after this…
The front door opened. Urien’s low greeting carried down the hall, followed by Sam’s softer response.
Rux forced himself to move, leaving the library and positioning himself near the dining room entrance. His dragon clawed at his ribs, demanding he go to Sam, pull him close, never let him leave.Not yet.
Footsteps approached. Sam appeared around the corner, Urien at his side, and Rux forgot how to breathe.
Sam looked...gods, he looked stunning. The blue shirt brought out the soft hues in his brown hair and made his freckles stand out againstskin that flushed pink as he met Rux’s eyes.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” Rux’s voice came out as a rasp.
Sam’s gaze drifted past him to the dining room, and his mouth fell open.
Rux had covered every available surface. The mahogany table groaned under platters of bruschetta still glistening with olive oil, wild mushroom risotto in their best serving bowl, and the lemon and herb chicken arranged on his grandmother’s porcelain platter. There were bowls of roasted vegetables, plates of fresh bread, three different salads, along with handmade ravioli, pizza cut into careful squares, and Salmon with dill cream sauce. And that was just the savory side.
The desserts sat on a separate trolley – the chocolate torte, lemon posset, and panna cotta with a berry compote.
A lot of food, and hopefully enough food to say everything Rux couldn’t put into words.
Mabon stood beside the table, hands clasped behind his back like he was presenting a business proposal. Urien moved to flank Sam’s other side.
All three of them were watching…waiting.
Sam’s eyes went wide, traveling from dish to dish, taking in the sheer absurd volume of it.
“This is...” He turned in a slow circle, processing. “Wow, when you said you cooked…this is incredible.”
Rux’s dragon preened.He likes it. Our Treasure approves.
“I might have overdone it,” Rux admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Might have?” Sam laughed, but it wasn’t mocking - it was delighted and astonished. “Rux, this is enough food for a wedding reception.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sam
Sam’s gaze swept across the table again, taking in the sheer excess of food. His stomach flipped, not from hunger but from sudden, dawning realization that he hadn’t been invited on just a date with Rux. It was all three of them watching him…he was on a dinner date with all three of them.
“Please, sit.” Mabon pulled out a chair at the head of the table.
Sam sat, feeling bizarrely like royalty at a banquet he hadn’t requested. The three men took seats around him - not across from each other like normal dinner companions, but arranged so they all faced him. An audience of three. His pulse kicked up.
Rux began serving, piling Sam’s plate with portions that would’ve fed him for three days. Bruschetta. Risotto. Chicken. Vegetables. Bread.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d prefer,” Rux said, still adding food. “So I made options.”
Options?Sam stared at his plate, then at the table groaning under enough dishes to stock a restaurant buffet.
“This is wonderful,” he managed, because it was true and because the three of them were watching him like he held the answer to a question he didn’t understand. “Really. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Rux’s face brightened.
