AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Luke tasted his. He couldn’t tell full-bodied from plain old nice. “I got nothing.”
“I’m making it my mission to teach you good wine from bad,” Nico said easily and then pivoted sharply, frowning into another sip. Like he’d forgotten himself. Luke pinched his wineglass hard, and Nico continued, “I didn’t know this was part of Fairmont Park. Not that I’m an expert on Philadelphia parks.”
“Me neither.” The Lemon Hill Mansion behind them was amazing. “I still can’t believe the firm was able to book a museum for our picnic.”
“It takes money to maintain historical buildings.” Nico spread his arms wide. “I’ll bet the security deposit is huge.”
Luke loved when Nico injected life into the mundane. He made everything more interesting. He made everyone feel welcome. Like they belonged.
Luke swallowed, glancing around the fancy picnic. A far cry from life back home in the Midwest.
Nico leaned against the tree trunk beside him, arms infuriatingly close and not close enough. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“Just wondering if this was the life I wanted.” He shrugged.
“Funny how the world expects us to chart our life at an age when science says our decision-making ability isn’t fully developed.” Nico stared into the crowd. “No wonder ‘midlife crisis’ is a thing.”
“You seem to know what you want.”
Nico shook his head. “It’s not the same. The bakery comes with my family.”
“That’s . . .” Pure Nico. “An amazing way to put it.”
“It’s true. When I’m around them, I’m grounded. I don’t want a world without family.” Nico never looked over, but he swallowed loudly.
Luke twisted and stared at Nico. “Penny for your thoughts.”
Nico’s fake smile slammed into place, and he grinned at Luke. “I’m wondering if we should brave the line for food yet.”
Luke forced down a sigh and held out his hand. “We could both stand to be brave.”
The line moved faster than they thought. Luke’s plate was piled with flounder in a cream sauce, rice, green beans, and pasta salad. Nothing he’d ever had at a picnic back home. Except the rolls. He took three and extra butter.
They found a table and sat across from each other, Nico constantly scanning the crowds. Halfway through his meal, Nico latched on to something, and his face fell. Luke jerked his head in the direction—
Ah, fuck. Kent and Sebastian had arrived.
“Mind if we join you?” Without waiting for a reply, Kent took the seat next to Luke.
Sebastian’s face twitched, but he recovered instantly and set his food on the table next to Nico.
“So, Sebastian.” Nico’s voice broke the awkward silence, and Luke froze. “My family is staying at your hotel for my sister’s wedding.”
“Really?” Sebastian smiled, and it seemed to ease the tension. “Which one?”
“Eighteenth and something.” Nico shrugged. “It’s down near the Ben Franklin Parkway.”
“Gotcha. That’s the Parkway hotel.” He snorted. “I know. So original. When’s the wedding?”
“Next weekend. But my parents stayed there last weekend and said it’s really nice.”
“It was renovated last year.” He wiped his mouth. “I’ll talk to the GM to be sure they give your family the best rooms.”
“I’m sure all the rooms are great, but that’s really nice of you.”
“Seb’s that kind of guy,” Kent said, reaching across the table. “Always thinking of others.”
Sebastian glared at Kent for a moment, pulled his hand back, and took out his phone. “Give me your contact information, Nico. I’ll set up a meeting with the general manager.”
Kent tensed next to Luke as their boyfriends exchanged numbers. When Nico and Sebastian put their phones away, Kent nudged Luke. “Some game last night, eh? Harper really crushed those two homers.”
What was he up to? “Yeah.”
“The bullpens really had to work overtime once it got to extra innings.”
Luke’s gaze darted to Nico, who sat rigid, donning his fakest smile. But even that cracked, and Luke glimpsed a hint of moisture in his eyes.
Fuck.
“I wonder if the other manager flipped a coin before pitching to Harper in the twelfth with two on and one out,” Kent continued. “Tough call, you know?”
Nico stood and snatched his glass from the table. “I’m getting a refill. Anyone need anything?”
He walked off before anyone could answer. Sebastian looked between Luke and Kent. “What’s that about—”
Luke lurched to his feet, glaring at Kent. “You’re such an asshole, you know that? I shouldn’t be surprised, given . . .” He swallowed the urge to call Kent a lying, cheating asshole. “Enjoy the rest of the picnic.”
He needed to find Nico.
There was no sign of him near the open bar, and he wasn’t in the food tent. Luke scrubbed his face. How fucking stupid was he to tell Kent anything. From his smarmy tone, it was clear Kent had been waiting for the right time to drop those lines.
“Luke?” He looked up and found Mrs. Umstead across from him. “Something wrong?”
“Just looking for Nico.”
“Is everything okay? You look pale.”
