He remembered when his brother told him he’d find a woman who would make him fall. Bryce hadn’t believed him, and he was right not to. It wouldn’t be a woman at all. It was Nick.

Bryce gave his brother a quick nod and then walked out. He found his mom on the back porch, her arms wrapped around herself. “That’s not me, Bryce. I didn’t mean to purposely hurt Nick. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I know.” He stood beside her.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know that, too.”

“That doesn’t change how I feel, though. I’m still angry and confused. I’m afraid to get attached. I don’t want to fall in love with the idea of you settling down with Nick and then he’s out of your life. I know there are no guarantees in life—nothing that says Jamie and Hope or Mitch and Abbey will be together forever—but I worry so much more when it comes to you. I worry that nothing will be forever with you, Bryce, and then tonight...I wanted you to prove me wrong, but you hardly spoke a word to Nick all night. Are you pulling away from him already?”

Bryce cursed silently, threaded his fingers together behind his head and looked up at the dark sky. This was all on him. He’d let his day screw things up. “No, I’m not. It’s different with him. I’m serious about him. I know today didn’t show that very well, but it’s true. I also know I can’t prove it to you. You’ll believe me, or you won’t. But none of that will change how I feel about him.”

It took her a couple of minutes to reply. “And I’m trying to believe in that, Bryce. All I can tell you right now is that I’m trying, and I love you.”

Bryce turned to the door and stopped. “I love you, too, Ma. And just so you know, I love him as well. He’s the only person in my life I can tell you I’ve ever been in love with.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

They were silent the whole drive home. Nick wasn’t sure what to expect when they pulled into his driveway. Would they sleep in their separate homes tonight? They hadn’t slept apart in months. But more importantly, he wondered what in the hell had happened today. All he knew was, he was tired—mentally and physically. He didn’t have it in him to argue, or even to question Bryce’s behavior.

But when he turned off the car, Bryce spoke, answering one of his silent questions. “Your house or mine?”

A relieved breath deflated his lungs. He hadn’t known he needed them to stay together tonight as much as he obviously did. “Is mine okay?”

“Yeah.”

They got out of the car and went into the house. Both men went straight for Nick’s bedroom, Nick into the bathroom there. What the fuck had happened today? Something was going on with Bryce. It drove him crazy not knowing how things had gone with Bryce’s mom...but they had to be okay. They were both here, together, which meant they had to be good.

Nick splashed some water on his face to wake up, took a piss, washed his hands and then brushed his teeth. When he stepped out of the bathroom, Bryce lay on his bed, head on the pillows, arms behind his head, looking at him. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” Nick replied, and he did.

“It’s hard. I didn’t expect it all to be so fucking hard.”

“I know that, too.” They were both in foreign territory, both trying to make their way through the landmines to find their way out. “Did something happen at work when I left?”

“Nothing important. I was just being an ass. If there’s one thing my family is right about, it’s that I’ve had it easy. Besides the aneurysm and surgery, there’s nothing I really had to fight for. If something didn’t go my way, I quit. I’m not proud to admit that, but it’s true. When I fell in love with motorcycles...that was easy. It came naturally. I think when I fell in love with you I expected it to be the same.”

It still made his chest feel full to hear those words from Bryce—that he loved him.

Nick lingered in the bathroom door, knowing he should go over. “If we’re going to work, we have to be honest with each other. We have to talk about the bad days, knowing we’re going to have them. This is new for us. We don’t know what the fuck we’re doing.”

“I know I want you. That’s what matters. Take off your clothes and come here, Nick.”

His dick instantly went hard. They should probably talk more. He needed to know what happened at work with Bryce today, but, fuck, he just needed to feel close to him, as well. In some ways, he worried they were just screwing up each other’s lives. Bryce and his family were close, yet they were at odds because of Nick.