hair before resting it on Fitz’s cheek. “You okay?”
“Yep. Thanks to you. Talk about reflexes. Thank you for catching me.”
“Always.”
At the softly spoken word, Fitz lifted his eyes to meet Jack’s. He seemed to be searching Fitz’s gaze for something, but what? Did he feel the same? Was he as confused as Fitz? This sort of thing didn’t happen in real life, did it? His entire relationship track record should have been all the evidence he needed to prove there was no such thing as “the one,” right? Destiny was a drag queen he’d met in a club in London, not some mysterious power controlling his future.
“Do you believe in destiny?”
Jack tilted his head in thought, and Fitz could tell he was trying to pick his words carefully, most likely not to offend Fitz in any way, because that was Jack. “I believe our actions lead us on certain paths.”
“So… no?”
“No, but that in no way invalidates what you believe.”
Fitz smiled at him. “You’re very sweet. To be honest, I’m not sure what I believe. It feels like we’ve known each other so much longer.”
“Well, we’ve technically known each other over two years.”
“But we barely spoke.”
“Doesn’t mean I didn’t think about you every day.”
Fitz sucked in a sharp breath. “You thought about me every day?”
“I tried not to, but that just made it worse. I know we didn’t talk, but it felt like you were there.” Jack shifted and ran a hand through his hair. “Laz would call almost every day and talk to me about you.”
Fitz stared at him. “What?”
“I know how that sounds.” Jack cringed. “I didn’t ask him to, he’d just start telling me about your day and what you were up to, and I didn’t stop him. It was nice.”
Fucking Laz. Fitz bit down on his bottom lip. “I should have known he was playing matchmaker even while I was being an idiot.”
“What do you mean?”
“He did the same with me. Every day he would update me on all things Jack.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Between Laz and Ace, I probably know more about you and your ex-boyfriends than you do.”
Jack let out a surprised laugh. “Holy shit. I should have known Ace was up to something. I mean, he’s always sticking his nose in everyone’s business, but over the last two years, I swear he was channeling his mother, the way he got me to tell him everything going on in my very sorry dating life. So as you can see, you weren’t physically around, but you were around.”
Fitz threw his arms around Jack’s neck and kissed him. He couldn’t take it anymore. Who the hell cared how they’d gotten here? The point was here they were. Fitz was tired of questioning every little thing. Overthinking was a talent of his, and he was done with it. Jack was an amazing guy with a wonderfully crazy family that Fitz loved. Call it destiny or whatever the hell, Jack had been there, either at the front of his thoughts or the back of his mind for two years. He was done wasting time.
Jack held Fitz against his hard body, his hands sliding down Fitz’s back before coming to grip his waist, drawing a groan from Fitz. He slipped his fingers into Jack’s hair, their kisses growing hungrier as heat flared through Fitz. Forcing himself to step away, Fitz kept his hands to his sides out of fear he’d launch himself at Jack again.
“Dinner first,” Fitz said. “This is our first real date outside the house, and I have every intention of getting to experience it with you. Pants party later.”
Jack laughed, and it made Fitz smile. He loved the way Jack laughed. It was loud, genuine, and sexy as fuck. “Okay. Let’s go.” He led Fitz back downstairs and toward the back of the house.
The porch outside offered a breathtaking view of the ocean, the twinkling lights running along the balcony’s roof charming and delightful. A table for two had been immaculately set up, with an antique gas lamp providing a romantic glow beneath the cloudless night sky filled with millions of stars. The rustling of palm leaves mixed with the sound of crashing waves.
Jack pulled Fitz’s chair out for him and told him he’d be right back. In the meantime, Fitz inhaled the fresh seaside air, enjoying the stillness around him. An old tune from a long-gone era played softly from the hidden speakers, and if he closed his eyes, he could imagine himself in an old Hollywood movie