Bryce blushed. “No, I get my own coffee, but my last assistant would throw little candy bars at me when she thought I was getting grumpy, her take on that commercial. I once got a mini Snickers upside the head when I was arguing with Grant about something. She took his side.”
Oliver snickered, then let his voice drop low and sexy. “How about I find other ways to keep you happy at work?”
Loud catcalls from just outside the door made him jump. What the hell was up with the people in Bryce’s office?
“Go home!”
“We wanted to see what they look like.” Random heads poked in the doorway as people filed by.
A short guy with blond hair grinned. “They’re cute, boss.”
Off-color jokes along with waves and grins were called out from the hall as the people in his office walked by. They’d waited late on Friday just so they could meet him and Troy? Oliver couldn’t believe it, but Bryce was taking it in stride. “We’re like one big family most of the time. They heard something from one of my brothers, probably, and it spread like wildfire. When I said I didn’t need a ride home tonight, they started speculating right away whether you were coming. I’ve been trying to send everyone home for an hour, but they kept finding things to do.”
He called out as his staff was heading out the front door. “I’m going to remember how busy you guys were the next time someone asks me for time off!”
Laughter and giggles flowed out the door before the office was quiet again. “They’re…”
“Strange.” Troy said it with such a dry, serious expression, Oliver couldn’t help but laugh.
Bryce had to agree. “You’ll find most of the offices are the same way. It takes some getting used to.”
Bryce started to say something else, but a yawn stopped him. Oliver didn’t like the feeling that was settling around Bryce. When they’d come in he’d been frazzled and stressed, but not unhappy. Now that was starting to change. Bryce looked at Oliver, then glanced to Troy. “I know we said you guys were going to come to the barbecue Saturday, but with my mother coming and interrupting everything…”
Oliver wasn’t sure what to say. Troy cleared his throat. “We understand. We’ll meet your family another time.”
“Thank you.” Bryce sighed, sounding torn and sad. “Can I still come over after, or…”
“Yes!” As worried as Oliver was that it wasn’t just about Bryce’s mother coming, he wasn’t going to let Bryce find any reason to push them away. Despite how serious they were with each other, he knew it wouldn’t take much to derail everything. It was still so new.
“You are always welcome.” Troy said the words softly, but husky with meaning. “You need to remember that.”
Oliver had a feeling Bryce was going to be tied to the bed again soon. Troy had that look. It was one Oliver had seen countless times in the past before he would wake up restrained to the mattress so they could talk. In a strange way, it made him feel better.
If Troy was planning something like that, then it couldn’t be as bad as Oliver was imagining. It couldn’t be. He tried to shove the sea of emotions pushing at him away. “Let’s get you some dinner, then you can get a good night’s sleep.”
“Do you still want us to drop you off at home, tiger?” Troy’s question was simple, and Bryce probably thought it was another way to make sure he knew they weren’t upset at him, but Oliver had seen the tactic before.
“Yeah, I just need to relax. I’ll be over to your house after the barbecue. Probably seven or so, depending on what time my mother shows up.” Bryce either didn’t get it or ignored it, but it had been Troy’s way of giving him an out before making a bad decision.
Oliver generally got one “are you sure” kind of question before they talked and sometimes he got punished. He bit back a sigh. Bryce would learn. As much as he was saying he needed quiet, Troy clearly thought Bryce shouldn’t run and hide from whatever was going through his mind.
After their rough start, Troy was a firm believer in communication and working things out. In his mind, no one got to run from whatever was making them miserable. They’d made that pretty clear to Bryce on their tied-to-the-bed-Saturday.
Oliver gave him a kiss on the cheek. “All right, let’s go find food. I’m starved.”
Bryce smiled, but it was a bit forced. “Me too.”
The men stood, and Troy and Oliver went out to the reception area while Bryce locked up. Troy pulled Oliver tight to him. “You’re worrying about this too much, kitten.”
“I’m not sure I am. This feels wrong,” Oliver whispered quietly.
“We’re giving him some space, not letting him run. There’s a difference. Besides, we have a secret weapon.” Troy grinned, making Oliver suspicious.
“What?”
“We know where his family works. If he does something insane, we’ll track him down. I think, from the stories he’s told us about them, they’ll be on our side.” Troy’s eyes had a naughty gleam. Even though he wasn’t close with his family as an adult, he’d had several siblings close together in age. If anyone could relate to Bryce’s brothers, it would be Troy.
“Okay.”