walked by. “We all have foods that disgust us.”
Bishop left Trent standing in the kitchen with a confused and upset lover completely unaware of the mess he’d just made. Trent instinctually took a couple of steps toward Wood when he suddenly stumbled to a stop. Wood clenched his teeth, and Trent hurried to hold off whatever pissed comment he was about to make.
“I’m not a liar, and I’m not dishonest.” Trent gripped his neck and cursed in frustration. “See. This is what I meant. Bishop has a way of making me look like a jackass.”
“That’s not Bishop doing that, brat. You’re doing a good job all by yourself,” Wood said snidely, then turned and walked into the living room. “I don’t care what’s on my pizza, Edison.”
Trent stood there in the middle of the floor bristling at how much he was blowing this. This was his opportunity to show Wood that he really did want him no matter how uncomfortable, inconvenient, or hard his life would get. Edison was sitting on Bishop’s lap, helping him navigate the online app to make their food order, as Wood dropped down at the opposite end of the sofa.
Trent straightened his spine and walked into the living room, bypassing Bishop’s curious eyes, and settled onto Wood’s lap.
“Oh my god,” Edison gasped first.
“What the hell, Trent?”
Trent ignored Bishop’s shocked question and focused on the man in front of him, gazing at him with hope and a whole lot of pride.
“Listen to me.” Trent cupped Wood’s cheek, his fingers digging into his beard the way he liked. “When you made me that omelet with those nasty-ass mushrooms in it, yeah, I might have thrown up in my mouth a little bit. But you said it was your specialty, and I couldn’t seem to bring myself to say the dish was making me sick.”
“Trent! What are you—?”
“Shut up, Bishop!”
“Shut up, Bishop!”
“Shut up, Bishop!”
Perhaps since they were all in agreement, Bishop shut his mouth and didn’t interrupt again.
“Continue,” Wood said gruffly, linking both big arms around Trent’s waist, anchoring him in place.
Trent swallowed thickly. “You told me you used to make that omelet for someone you cared about, someone important… then you made it for me. So yes. I ate it and said it was delicious.”
Wood watched him intently as if he was dissecting his every word. As if he was searching for a hint of dishonesty. Trent released a shallow breath before he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against Wood’s. He heard an irritated groan in the room, but he didn’t let it distract him. Wood’s arms tightened around him, strong fingers splaying across his lower back as Trent allowed Wood to deepen the kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, and by the satisfied glaze shimmering in Wood’s eyes when he pulled away, Trent knew he’d made his point.
“Can I say something now?” Bishop asked.
“Sure,” Trent agreed, suddenly feeling lighter.
“Do you mind climbing off his goddamn lap first?” Bishop griped.
“I knew you’d have a problem,” Trent said angrily, sliding off Wood’s lap but not going far.
“What?” Bishop asked, pushing his big body to the edge of the recliner, nudging Edison off his lap. “Yeah, I got a big problem. I don’t want to watch my little brother hump on his boyfriend in front of me.”
Wood laughed loudly, but Trent didn’t find anything funny. He mimicked Bishop’s posture and returned his glare.
“Your grand gesture wasn’t necessary, Trent. I already knew about you and Wood. But Edison thought it’d be best if I let you tell me yourself.”
Trent turned toward a blushing Edison. “You promised.”
“I didn’t say a word, I swear. Bishop just figured it out like he does everything. He doesn’t even know I cut your hair for you guys’s first date.” Edison slapped his hand over his mouth. “Oops.”
“Well, he does now,” Trent muttered, rolling his eyes. “I was gonna tell you, B, you know that. I just wanted you to see that I was sure about this. It’s not something I jumped into without thinking.”
“I know that, Trent. You’re not the man you used to be. I don’t think any of us are for that matter. I knew you were serious when you stayed home from work for two days to take care of him. You wouldn’t do that for just anyone.”
“So you’re not surprised I like a man?” Trent raised his voice. “Forget that it’s Wood.”
Bishop made a noncommittal sound and shook his head. “Nope. Put that together a while ago.”
Trent dropped