princes or fairy tales with happy endings. He didn’t believe in soul mates. Right now, the only guys he trusted to have a monogamous relationship were taken. Could he trust Jack to be faithful? The real question was, could he let his guard down long enough to find out? He popped a grape into his mouth and grinned at Colton. “I bet communication isn’t a problem where Ace is concerned.”
“You would think that, wouldn’t you?” Colton’s smile turned wistful as he shook his head. “Ace doesn’t like to talk about what happened, so although he will pretty much talk your ear off about anything and everything, getting him to open up about his time in the military is a different story. Granted, there’s a good deal he can’t tell me—national security and all that—he still struggles to open up about certain things, but that’s where patience and love come in. We’re a work in progress, but I wouldn’t be marrying the man if I didn’t adore him.”
“And want to strangle him at the same time,” Laz teased.
Colton chuckled. “There is that.”
“Why haven’t you strangled him already?” Fitz asked before popping another grape into his mouth.
“Because Ace has incredible survival instincts. The moment he sees I’m about to murder his fine ass, he’s all over me.” Colton’s cheeks turned pink. “The man has a sinfully talented tongue.”
Fitz and Laz both whooped and teased Colton mercilessly. In retaliation, Colton grabbed a handful of almonds and started pelting them with it.
“Come to the party,” Laz insisted as he swatted the almonds away. “I hear Jack’s one of the bachelors up for auction.”
Fitz snorted. “Please. The place is going to be crawling with rich guys. I can’t afford to bid on him.”
“Doesn’t cost anything to show up. Who knows what could happen?” Colton waggled his eyebrows, and Fitz threw a grape at him, laughing when it bounced off his forehead. A bark caught their attention, and Fitz stilled. He knew that bark. Wherever Chip was, his person was close by, and wherever Joker was, his best friend was usually with him. Fitz glared at Laz.
“You said he wasn’t coming.”
“He wasn’t,” Laz promised.
Chip sped straight to Fitz, tail wagging excitedly, and Fitz jumped off his chair and dropped to the floor like he always did to hug Chip. He loved this damn dog so much. The few times he’d been able to hang out with the guys, Joker had showed up long enough to steal some food, Chip at his side. No one was ever as excited to see Fitz as Chip. His tail wagged so hard he could easily take someone out if they stood too close. It made his whole butt wiggle. As Fitz accepted Chip’s doggie kisses, he realized that over the last couple of years, he’d spent more time with Chip than he had with Jack.
“How’s my favorite handsome boy?” Fitz cooed. He laughed when Chip flopped onto Fitz’s lap and rolled over onto his back, paws up so he could get belly rubs. He weighed a ton, but Fitz didn’t care. Chip would get all the belly rubs he wanted.
“He’s a pain in my ass as usual,” Joker said, strolling into the kitchen and making straight for the fridge. “He’s nerding away behind his computer at work and will be there all night unless someone pries that damned keyboard away from him.”
Fitz gently moved Chip off his lap and stood. He planted a hand on his hip, one eyebrow arched at Joker. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.” Joker removed several dishes from the fridge. He turned and blinked at Fitz. “Oh, when you said your handsome boy, you meant Chip.”
“Yes, I meant Chip.” Fitz cast Colton and Laz a sideways glance as the two snickered like a couple of schoolboys. He’d certainly not be getting any help on that front. Turning his attention back to Joker and the mountain of food that was taller than he was, Fitz shook his head. “Why would you think I meant Jack?” He wasn’t about to admit that a small part of him was disappointed Jack hadn’t arrived with his best friend.
“Well, I wasn’t sure. What with the kissy-face emoji you sent our other handsome boy.”
Wait, what? Fitz frowned at that. “What kissy-face emoji?”
“The one that almost got me run over by a motorcycle.”
Fitz was so confused, but then he shouldn’t be surprised. That was often the case when dealing with Joker. Sometimes he was the easiest of the guys to read, mostly because he didn’t possess