Risking the Shot (Stick Side #4) - Amy Aislin Page 0,95

the crap out of Kas, and Calder stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. “We need cake and champagne, not chicken pot pie.”

Andy held up his box. “I have cookies. But you said only one, so everyone else gets only one too.” He proceeded to hand everybody exactly one cookie each. Once he’d put the box away, he hugged Dakota’s leg. “Did I help, Daddy?”

“You most certainly did.” Surprisingly. That could’ve gone either way.

As the newly engaged couple made heart eyes at each other and brushed cookie crumbs off the other’s shirts, Dakota’s gaze strayed to Tay, only to find Tay’s already on him. The wink Tay shot him was camaraderie and affection so deep it made Dakota’s heart leap in his chest.

It was much too soon to be thinking of marriage to Tay, but given tonight’s events, it was only natural that his mind wandered there. The both of them in tuxes, surrounded by friends and family, Andy greeting everyone with his trademark energy. Yes, much too soon, but maybe in a year or two if they were still on the same page.

Later, much later, after Andy was in bed, Dakota hugged Owen by the door and his brother tucked his face in his neck. “He said yes.”

“Of course he did.” Dakota kissed Owen’s messy brown hair, his heart full to bursting with happiness for him.

Owen, Kas, and Calder were gone within the next minute, with Dakota’s promises to visit Owen and Kas in Vermont with Andy this summer trailing after them.

Maybe Tay would like to come too.

Speaking of Tay, the man had found the cookie container and was currently sitting on the couch in the living room with it in his lap.

“What are you doing?”

Tay sat sideways, legs crossed, and placed the container in front of him. “Sit.”

Dakota glanced longingly up the stairs where his very comfortable bed was waiting, then back at Tay, who’d dug a cookie out and devoured the entire thing in two bites. “Cookies at two in the morning?”

“Why not?” Tay waggled his eyebrows like cookies was a euphemism for something else. If it was, Tay was going to be sorely disappointed—Dakota was dead on his feet.

Except the way Tay kept popping cookies in his mouth, it appeared he didn’t mean anything other than what he was doing.

Snorting a laugh, Dakota sat facing him, the cookies between them. As he selected a chocolate chip and bit into it, he had to admit that Tay might’ve had the right idea. Cookies at two in the morning. Why not?

“I didn’t see that coming,” Tay said. “How long have your brother and Kas been together?”

“Four years. Since Kas got traded to Vermont from Vancouver.”

“Man. Go Andy.”

“Sometimes I wish I had his ability to say whatever’s on my mind, but . . .” Dakota shook his head. “At the same time, that could’ve ended a lot differently.”

Nodding, Tay selected another cookie. “True.”

“What were you and my brother talking about so seriously?”

“Art, actually.” Tay swiped his hands together, getting crumbs everywhere. Dakota resigned himself to vacuuming the couch cushions tomorrow. “He says he’s working on illustrating another children’s book. He’s so . . . I don’t know. Confident in his art. The way he talks about it, it’s like he knows how good he is and isn’t afraid to show people who he is through it. Makes me wish I could be more like him with my own art.”

“You’ll share yours when you’re ready, Tay.” Dakota rubbed Tay’s knee. “There’s no rush.”

“That’s what I’m trying to say. Owen motivated me to want to share mine, so I was thinking I’d post the first chapter on the weekend.”

“Uh . . .” God, the smile on Tay’s face was so fucking proud that Dakota hated himself already for what he was about to say. “You might want to talk to your agent about that first, no? Because if you start sharing your comic now—your super gay comic, I might add—you’ll be outing yourself without meaning to, and I thought you were going to wait until the off-season to do that.”

“Oh.” There went the smile. As suspected, it made Dakota’s stomach clench. “Damn.”

Dakota winced. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re totally right.” Scrubbing his hands over his face, Tay groaned into them. “Ugh, you’re so right. Can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“Look.” Dakota moved the cookies onto the coffee table and scooched forward, bumping his knees into Tay’s. Grasping Tay’s hands, he pulled them away from where Tay was digging his palms