Chapter 8
Asher
The trip back home—and more importantly, the look on Gage’s face when we showed up unannounced at the fire station—had made the ungodly hour I’d been forced to wake up and catch my flight at entirely worth it.
The moment he spotted us, his eyes had gone wide, his mouth dropping open like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, and then, just like that, his tough, no-nonsense firefighter exterior cracked right down the middle.
The tears in his eyes had been an extra nice touch, honestly.
Not that he’d actually cried—Gage had too much pride for that—but the shine in them, the way his voice had wavered just slightly when he yanked Greyson and me into the strongest damn bear hug of our lives, had been more than enough.
He barely kept it together in front of the entire station, peppering us with a million questions in between squeezing the life out of us in the process: “When the hell did you guys get in?”, “When did you get time off?”, “I can’t believe you two little shits plotted this behind my back.”
Yes. Yes, we did.
Because, at the end of the day, we were pranksters at heart. And as much as we’d grown up, as much as life had separated us onto different paths, some things never changed.
Making sure Gage got at least one good surprise a year, especially when it came to knocking him off his well-structured, responsible, older brother pedestal, was our brotherly duty.
And honestly?
I had no regrets.
While Grey and I weren’t expecting Gage’s boyfriend, Xavier, and his son to be staying at the house, we definitely weren’t mad about it, either.
In fact, the surprise was a damn good one.
Finally getting to meet the man our brother had been dating for an entire year in the flesh instead of just hassling him whenever we happened to catch him on FaceTime was long overdue.
Gage wasn’t the type to parade his relationships around.
Hell, he barely talked about his own life when we were growing up, let alone his love life when he actually cared to have one.
He’d always been more focused on making sure Grey and I had everything we needed rather than letting us worry about him.
So when he did bring someone around, it meant something.
And Xavier? The guy was solid.
Taller than I expected, all broad shouldered and thick muscled, his sharp features gave him an edge that was quite intimidating until he opened his mouth and showed you the quiet confidence hidden underneath.
He was a calm, steady presence that wasn’t the type to be rattled easily.
And more importantly?
It told me right away he could handle our brother’s particular brand of stubbornness without breaking a sweat. Because if there was one thing Gage was known for, it was being as stubborn as a goddamn mule when he set his mind to something.
He greeted Grey and me like he’d been looking forward to meeting us just as much and making a joke about how Gage had warned him we were “a couple of troublemakers.”
Which was fair. We absolutely were.
His kid on the other hand?
Pretty quiet. Not in a shy way—more like the kind that came from watching, from observing everything around him. His eyes tracked us all carefully when we all finally met him, shifting between me and Greyson, taking in the way we moved, the way we spoke, the way we interacted with Gage.
It wasn’t an uneasy kind of silence, though. Not one that made you feel like you had to tiptoe around him or be afraid of waking up to him standing at the foot of your bed in the middle of the night. Just the kind of quiet that made me insanely curious.
Judging by the way Dexter hovered just slightly behind Xavier—close enough to be within reach but not clinging—I had a feeling he wasn’t one to warm up to new people right away.
But that was fine, Grey and I always liked a challenge.
If we were going to be spending the next few weeks together, I’d enjoy cracking into this kid and getting him to warm up to us.
Because behind those big, thoughtful eyes was a kid who was paying attention. Who was figuring us out before he made any move of his own.
Smart.
Sharp.
I liked that in a personality. It reminded me a lot of Wilder in a way.
Having dinner together on our first night as a full group felt nice, comfortable in a way I hadn’t even realized I’d been missing. Like coming home in the truest sense.
Even with the newness of having Xavier and Dexter there, even with the quiet pauses that naturally came from figuring out how to fit together as a unit, there was something undeniably easy about it.
A kind of peace that settled over all of us the moment we finally sat down at the table, plates full, the hum of conversation filling the space.
It would take time, of course, to get to know Gage’s boyfriend and his son beyond the handful of FaceTime calls. Time to really see how they fit into the family dynamic Greyson and I had built with our brother over the years.
But there wasn’t awkwardness or any type of forced conversation or strained efforts to connect.
It was all really nice.
After we finished eating, we all pitched in to clean up, putting leftovers away, and wiping down the dining room table until the place was back in order. It was comfortable, easy, the kind of teamwork that reminded me of being back at the ranch.
Once that was done, we branched off for the night, letting Gage and Xavier slip away to their room while Greyson and I found a way to rope Dexter into hanging out with us until his curfew.
Or rather—his curfew.
Since he was still in high school, he didn’t have the luxury of the adult bedtime Grey and I enjoyed, which meant he still had to answer to Xavier when it came to staying up late.
Not that it stopped us from trying.
Thankfully, Xavier seemed fine with letting him stay up with us for a little while longer, probably figuring that Dex was safe enough in our company.
Or maybe he just wanted to give his kid some space.
Either way, we weren’t complaining.
“So, Dexter. Dex? D-train?” Greyson slapped a red reverse card down onto the carpet on top of the slowly growing pile between the three of us. “You excited to go on your campus tour tomorrow?”
His legs were kicked up behind him, swaying slightly in the air as he leaned on his elbows, casually flipping through his remaining cards like he wasn’t about to absolutely ruin my hand.
Dexter let out a small snort as he slapped down a skip card that had me narrowing my eyes.
Of course. Of course these two would team up against me.
“Yeah,” he said, watching with far too much amusement as my turn got completely bypassed. “You two ever been there?”
“Nah,” Grey answered, grinning like a little shit as he and Dexter continued their silent alliance, throwing down another card—this time changing the pile to blue.
Oh, I’m so getting them both next round.
“But I hear it’s a nice place,” Grey continued, clearly unbothered by my growing scowl. “Big campus. Lots to do. Should keep you busy. What are you planning on studying?”
Dexter shrugged, picking at the edge of one of his cards as he considered the question carefully. “I’m not sure yet. They’ve got a good engineering program, though.”
I perked up slightly. “Oh yeah?”
His expression shifted, something thoughtful settling onto it. “I like figuring out how things work.”
Grey snorted. “So, basically you like breaking shit apart and then trying to put it back together?”
“Jarhead stuff,” I answered before Grey could launch into one of his overly enthusiastic explanations. “If it isn’t obvious by his buzzcut, this joker is in the military.”
Grey shot me a look, flipping me off casually as he leaned back on one elbow. “Thanks for giving him the rundown, cowboy.”
Dexter’s gaze flicked between us, the corners of his mouth twitching like he wasn’t sure whether we were messing with each other or if this was just how we talked.
To be fair, it did sound like a bit. Maybe in a way it kind of was.
Grey and I had a habit of bouncing off each other like this since we were kids, our conversations littered with half-insults and casual jabs that would make grown men weep. It was all second nature by now—an easy back-and-forth that felt more like home than anything else so far.
But to an outsider?
Yeah, I could see why Dexter was looking at us like we were performing some kind of long-running comedy sketch.
“Quite the opposite career paths,” he finally noted, his voice laced with something thoughtful, like he was filing that information away for later. Probably was, actually.
Grey and I grinned at the same time, exchanging a quick glance before replying in perfect unison, “No kidding.”
Dexter just shook his head, small touches of amusement twitching at the corners of his mouth. “What made you both want to do that instead of going to school?”
I liked this kid’s curiosity. It was refreshing. He wasn’t simply interested in making small talk. He actually wanted to get to know us. Seeing as though our families were quickly becoming blending, it was only fair that we all got to know each other anyway.
Before I could answer, though, Greyson was already opening his mouth.
“I wanted to make something of myself,” he said smoothly, then shot me a shit-eating grin. “Asher wanted the chance to fuck a hot cowboy or two.”
I shoved him, hard enough that he nearly toppled over onto his side. “Shut up.”
Grey barked out a laugh, catching himself on one elbow. The one thing about my brother going into the military was that it turned him into a surprisingly agile individual. One I couldn’t exactly push around anymore like I was dying to.
On more than a few occasions we got into wrestling matches to settle scores. And while that was a tempting avenue to go down if a disagreement ever came up during our three-week stay, I had a hard time believing I was going to come out the winning side.
Especially, given how buff he was now.