Wiley’s hand landed on Baer’s arm, and Baer swore his heart gave the strangest flutter. “I’m good. I swear. The bedroom…well, the whole suite is just perfect. It’s nicer than the basic thrift-store stuff I’ve got in my apartment. I feel like I’m staying in a fancy hotel with a bunch of friends.”
Baer smiled at Wiley, some of the tension easing from his chest. “Okay. Good. I just…this is all my fault and if I’d been more careful, you’d be in your own place, living a normal life.”
“Yeah, but is that really a good thing?” Wiley lifted his shoulders in a little shrug as he dropped his hand to his side. “My life was good but so boring. Now, I’m living in a comic book. Surrounded by superheroes. Helping them fight villains determined to destroy the world. If this is a dream, please don’t wake me up!”
“Okay, I won’t,” Baer murmured, wishing Wiley would put his hand on his arm again.
“But you know…” Wiley drawled as he walked deeper into the room. “I’ve been too busy with work recently and haven’t had a chance to set up my Xbox. We could set it up in here, if you wanted.”
“You mean, secretly get some practice in before we tell the others? Though none of them play.”
Wiley placed both hands to his chest. “I don’t need any practice, but if you do, I’m happy to give you some tips.”
A high-pitched squeal left Wiley as Baer lunged at him, picking up, and tossing him onto his shoulder. The guy was lighter than he’d expected. Were they not feeding him enough? That wasn’t going to be a problem tonight.
“Hey!” Wiley said around a mouthful of laughter.
With one arm locked around Wiley’s legs to keep him in place, Baer gave him a light smack on the ass with his free hand. “Come on, smart aleck. The aunts are all here making dinner. We can set up the Xbox afterward so you can prove to me that you’re not all talk.”
“Are you serious? They’re all here? Actual goddesses are making dinner for us.”
When Baer reached Wiley’s room, he placed the smaller man on his feet. So far he’d only met Flo, and that had been briefly. The others hadn’t been around for a bit, but he’d known it would only be a matter of time before they all descended on the house.
“Yeah, they’re good cooks. And it’s not all magic from what I can tell.”
Wiley rushed toward Baer and started playfully pushing him toward the door. “Hurry up. Let’s go. Let’s go. We can’t keep goddesses waiting!”
Baer chuckled and led the way to Wiley’s door. The young man paused next to the walk-in closet and frowned. “Should I change clothes? Shorts and an old T-shirt aren’t appropriate attire for a meal with goddesses.”
With a shake of his head, Baer grabbed Wiley and pulled him toward the door. “Don’t worry about it. They’re not so much into appearances.”
Together, they descended the stairs to the first floor. Once again, he noticed that Wiley seemed to take each step deliberately, murmuring something under his breath. Was Wiley counting again? He shrugged it off but couldn’t help wondering. He could ask about it later. Wiley was just starting to feel comfortable in the house, and he didn’t want to sidetrack him when he was already excited about a dinner with goddesses.
The heavenly scent of a roast and vegetables filled the air along with the yeasty goodness of fresh bread. A meal prepared by the aunts was always amazing. It would be even better if they also provided dessert.
A cacophony of noise rose from the kitchen. The clatter of pots and pans accompanied by many voices raised in conversation and laughter. Baer led the way into the kitchen, followed cautiously by Wiley. Grey was seated at the breakfast table next to Dane, while Clay was filling glasses with ice. Baer frowned at the table for a moment. It comfortably sat eight, and tonight it was full. Dane was right. They needed to get the larger table out of the attic and refinished. There were a few stools at the center island, but they were quickly running out of room.
“Hey, Wiley,” Clay called. “What are you drinking? Wine? Beer? Water? Iced tea?”
“Ummm…water is just fine with me.” His voice was soft, barely reaching above the noise as if he were afraid of anyone noticing him just yet.
Clay nodded and pointed to Baer.
“Beer me,” Baer said. A dinner with the aunts was always interesting, and it was better if he cut the crazy with a little alcohol if he could.
“There you boys are.” Flo turned away from the stove, pushing a stray hair from her face with the back of her hand.
Jo looked up from where she was working on something light and fluffy and covered in strawberries. She was wearing her usual pastels, and her hair was perfectly coiffed in a short, white poof almost like the head of a dandelion.
“I met you!” Wiley shouted. Baer twisted around to see Wiley pointing directly at Jo. “You were the one I met in the coffee shop. The one who told me to go to the bakery.”
“I knew it! One of the aunts did talk to Wiley.” Baer threw his hands up in the air.
“Well, yes, of course, dear. I’d just popped into town for my morning coffee. That particular shop does a wonderful caramel macchiato,” Jo said, making it sound like it was just the easiest thing in the world. “That sweet boy there and I were chatting about pumpkin spice, and it reminded me of those wonderful pumpkin doughnuts.”
“So…you weren’t trying to get us to meet Wiley by sending us there at the same time?”
Jo chuckled and Flo snorted. “Of course not. I just wanted you to try those doughnuts. You meeting Wiley there was simply a coincidence.”
“Like I said earlier, not every cute boy you see is going to be a Weaver,” Flo added. She turned to Wiley and smirked. “No offense, of course.”
“Oh, none taken,” Wiley replied with a wide grin. “It’s not every day a goddess calls you cute.”
“Naturally, she called you cute. You’re absolutely adorable.” Jo walked around the island toward Wiley. “I’m Josephina, by the way, but you can call me Aunt Jo or just Jo, if you want.”
“Wiley Stuart. And should I bow or kneel? You are a goddess, after all.”
“Cute and sweet,” Jo declared as she wrapped her thin arms around Wiley, pulling him in for a tight hug. Jo was a hugger. When she released Wiley, she turned him toward Flo back at the stove. “And I believe you’ve already met my sister, Florina, but you can call her Aunt Flo.”
“Where’s Willie?” Baer asked.
He accepted Wiley’s glass of iced water and a beer from Clay, carrying them over to the table. Without thinking, he placed them in the open seats next to each other. He paused as he looked at them. It wasn’t like Wiley had to sit next to him. The artist didn’t belong to him the same way Dane and Clay belonged together. But then, since he’d been the one to bring Wiley to the house, he couldn’t help feeling responsible for the guy. And it would probably be far too overwhelming to be placed between any of the aunts.
He glanced over and spotted a strange smirk on Grey’s lips, but the writer was always smirking about something.
“Willie is picking some wildflowers for the table. She’ll be along shortly,” Jo said. After Wiley got a hug from Flo, which was shocking in itself, she brought him over to the table and sat him where Baer had already placed the water.