Aidan spoke so damn fast that Bull couldn’t get a word in to stop him. That was something Bull had hoped to hear from Ben after a second chance and with a little trust between them. People made mistakes. It was a part of being human. What mattered most was what a person did afterward to avoid repeating those same mistakes.
“Crap. Sorry. And why the hell didn’t Nat tell you anything?”
Because his sister refused to let any of her words shape a person’s opinion of another. Damn her tunnel vision. Bull muttered a curse. His experience with his grandfather should have made him more aware of the cues. “Tell Matt and Julian I’m joining you guys at the barbecue this weekend.”
“Okay.”
“Make sure Jessie knows I’m coming too.”
“He can find out when we get there,” Aidan grumbled.
“No. Tell him. Or he’s going to be pissed you didn’t give him a heads-up so that he could make the tres leches I love so much.”
“I hate you right now.”
“Tell him or I’ll video chat with him. I’ll bring my charm and my dimple to the conversation.”
“Shut up.”
Bull chuckled.
“Bull…” Aidan hesitated. “I swear he’s worth it. And I should have led with that.”
He sighed. “In your own twisted way, you did. When you told me to go to Nat’s shop.” He sensed a snarky comment on the tip of Aidan’s tongue. “Don’t. Whatever you were going to say, just don’t. We’re good right now. Keep it that way.”
“Copy that. See you Saturday.” Aidan hung up before Bull had a chance to say another word.
He huffed out a chuckle. He should have teased and tortured his friend a bit more, but his mind was elsewhere.
Saturday couldn’t come fast enough.
Ben sat on the ground, cross-legged under the big tree in the backyard of Halfway House with a book in his lap. He anxiously waited for Julian to finish grilling the burgers and hot dogs. Mmm. Saturdays were cool. Sort of. Definitely not cool where South Florida weather was concerned.
He glanced at the clear blue sky and squinted. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, fanning a little bit of air to his heated body. The forecast called for another sunny day with highs in the upper eighties. Typical Miami, even though it was winter. The only seasonal reprieve was less humidity and the occasional dip into the thirties or forties in the early morning hours.
The big tree’s shade offered some protection from the sun, but even the thick foliage couldn’t cool the muggy air. Calvin had sat alongside him, refusing to abandon his duties as self-appointed guardian until the heat and stifling air proved too much for him. He had needed a break but promised to return once he cooled down and hydrated a bit.
Ben stole a quick peek at the small group sitting near the back porch. Shaw and Drayton promised to stop by for a while after their interview with some car magazine while Aidan and his partner, Jessie, were inside helping Matt. Ty and Cole sat together at the larger round table Julian had set out earlier. Ty, Aidan’s brother, was quiet but Cole just didn’t seem to stop talking to Julian. Ben tried to keep up, but after attempting to read something Cole had said about Florida and special pregnant pigs and sexy porcupines, Ben gave up trying to make any sense of what the man was saying.
The spot under the tree was too far away to read anyone’s lips, but Ben didn’t care to eavesdrop. It was the sense of familiarity he sought, the comfort of being welcomed into a home with so much happiness, even if he wasn’t smack in the middle of it all.
That was what he had missed most about these Saturday barbecues.
He glanced over at Julian by the grill. It was the only place where Julian, food, and fire were a good combination. Any minute now, Matt was going to walk out that back door holding a salad and insisting everyone have some even though there were burgers and hot dogs for lunch. And Aidan would trail behind him, rolling his eyes and complaining about…something. Until his partner, Jessie, would touch him somewhere and silence his rant, as if a single graze of skin held that much power over someone.
Ben’s mind wandered, mentally thumbing through the memory pieces, trying to recall another instance where a simple touch could be so epic in a connection. He wondered if he would ever be so lucky.