“I can confirm that’s true,” Law said.
As the evening wore on, the banter continued, and if the waiter stared a little too long at Ozzie, he didn’t seem to realize it. Opie kept him entertained, just like I’d hoped. Lawson and I didn’t need to say much as they chatted like two best friends reunited after years apart.
The food was amazing, as usual. We ordered a bit of everything, and Opie did a great job of eating off everyone’s platedespite Law telling him to behave. Ozzie ate more than he had lately, which was a huge relief.
“Oh, Ozzie, you must try the apple crisp and ice cream cake,” Opie said.
“I don’t know, Opie.” Ozzie squirmed, his gaze flickering to me, then back at his friend. “Dinner was so good I cleaned my plate. I should probably avoid dessert, though that sounds really good.”
I nudged Ozzie. “You should get it if you want. Opie’s right. It’s delicious.”
“But…it’s so many calories.”
I grinned. “Don’t you know? Date night desserts don’t have calories.”
The waiter came over, and we ordered the apple crisp and vanilla ice cream while Lawson went for a slice of cheesecake.
Opie was the first to dig in, carving out a generous piece of apple crisp and ice cream. His moan was sinful as he savored the taste, and Lawson’s tongue was practically hanging out of his mouth. So intent was he on watching his husband that he forgot his cake in front of him.
“You’re deliberately trying to turn me on, aren’t you?”
Opie giggled. “Control yourself, Daddy. You’re in the doghouse tonight, remember?”
Ozzie stared at his dessert, fork poised, longing in his eyes. “Go ahead,” I encouraged softly, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Only if you want to, of course. I’ll support whatever makes you happy, and if that’s enjoying the apple crisp, then so be it.”
“Okay.” He forked a small piece of the crisp and ice cream, eyed it skeptically, then took a small bite. His eyes widened, a soft hum escaping his lips. “Oh, my god. That’s pretty good.”
“I told ya!”
He went for another forkful, looking more at ease. Frowning, I took a bite of my dessert. The more time I spent with Ozzie, the more my heart ached for him. My son had treated him horribly. I knew he had turned down the dessert because he feared what I would say.
I reached over with a napkin and wiped a small smudge of ice cream off his lip. “Oops, thanks.”
Touching his lip had been a mistake. I couldn’t resist leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss there. At least it should have been a gentle kiss, but the taste of him, combined with the sweet dessert, made me lose my sanity. I cupped his chin and deepened the kiss, relishing the muted gasp that escaped him.
Slowly I pulled back. Opie and Lawson were looking at us, their eyes twinkling. “Well, don’t let the rest of us stop you,” Opie said. “We’ll be very quiet.”
“And now everyone knows my husband is a pervert.”
Ozzie pressed his face to my chest as though embarrassed by our display. I threaded my fingers through his blond hair. One day, he wouldn’t be so self-conscious about kissing me in public.
37
OZZIE
By the end of our double date with Opie and Lawson, I was relieved we’d come. Opie was a hoot, and spending the evening with him quickly distracted me from the stress of the week. I was having so much fun that when Opie suggested we throw darts, I agreed with him. Lawson and Gray moved on to play pool with some other guys.
Opie led me to the dartboard in the back, his eyes sparkling from possibly too much to drink. He explained the rules—which I already knew but listened anyway to appreciate his enthusiasm—and handed me three metallic-blue darts.
Giggling, we took turns throwing. While I was decent at darts, Opie had a knack for it. No wonder he’d suggested we played the game. He kept scoring triple twenties while my attempts mostly landed in the single digits, but winning or losing didn’t matter.
After days of having my stomach tied up in knots over my relationship with Gray becoming public, I was having a normal evening out with friends. And having fun.
“Hey, Ozzie,” Opie said. I startled, and the dart slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the wooden floor. “Oops. Sorry,didn’t mean to scare you.” He picked up the dart and handed it to me.
“Something wrong?”
“No, I just wondered how you’re doing, given everything.”
