A Restored Man (18 page)

Cole smiled weakly. "She's a tough little thing, but I wouldn't trade her for anything."

Julian smiled and slung an arm over Cole's shoulder. "Thanks for bringing me today. I know I was supposed to be a prop for your mom today, but honestly, she reminds me a lot of
my
mom. I almost forgot what that felt like. Watching you guys together. That was…nice."

Julian pulled his arm away to check his chirping phone. "Matt and Aidan are here. I'm going to meet them out front. By the way, Jessie's hanging out in the living room. He got here a while ago." He rose from the seat and walked inside.

Cole sighed. He tugged the sides of his beanie and took a deep breath. He rose from the bench seat and walked back into the house, looking around for his friend. Jessie was standing at the corner of the room with one of Cole's cousins. They wrapped up whatever they were saying, and she walked away, leaving Jessie on his own to fidget with his cup.

"Hey there," Cole said, walking up to him.

"I was looking for you," Jessie said before reaching out to offer Cole a hug. "You've got a big family."

"I know. It's like a loving mob." Cole looked at Jessie in his dark blue fitted suit and held back a smile. "A suit? Dude, you wore a suit to an outdoor Miami party?"

"You didn't tell me what was appropriate. All you said was that it was your mother's birthday and it would be like a big family reunion," Jessie said, shaking his head. "That doesn't help me at all. I don't have family reunions."

Cole chuckled and slung his arm over Jessie's shoulder. "If anyone can pull off a suit and still look cool, it's you, little man."

Jessie elbowed Cole. "Don't call me that," he said, feigning anger.

"Aidan's here," Cole whispered.

Jessie looked up, biting the edge of his lip. "You invited him?"

"Nah. But that's never stopped him before. What are you guys waiting for? Just jump the man already. You know he's interested," Cole teased.

A dark, flush of red flooded Jessie's cheeks. He looked up at Cole with a hopeful expression. "How do you know?"

Cole squinted his eyes and tapped his temple. "I can sense a darkness in our midst."

Jessie laughed and pushed him away. "You're impossible."

Cole stepped back, giving Jessie some room. He knew Jessie had personal space issues. He teased sometimes, but he never pushed too much. "C'mon, all kidding aside, I think he's waiting for you to make the first move. He can't take his eyes off you when you're around."

A smile tugged at Jessie's mouth. "I hadn't noticed that."

Cole rolled his eyes. "I call bullshit. How do you
not
know? It's creepy as hell. Can't you feel his eyes on you like he's feeling you up?" he said, extending both hands and wiggling his fingers slowly.

Jessie shoved him away playfully. "I don't. I just know when he's around because I feel…safe. Like everything is going to be okay. Hard to explain," he finished quietly.

"Cole!" a family member yelled from across the room.

He looked over his shoulder and waved, then turned back to Jessie. "Are you fine hanging out on your own for a bit?"

Jessie nodded. "It's like hanging out with a hundred
little
Cole personalities."

Cole squinted his eyes and pursed his lips. "Oh, you are so going to pay for that one, little man," he said with a mock sneer before walking away.

Cole greeted more family, carried a few of his nieces and let the older aunts pinch his cheeks until they hurt. Why the hell was it that older women didn't seem to grasp the concept that he had grown up? He didn't care. He was happy. He loved being around people and hearing the laughter that filled the room. He looked off to the side and noticed Aidan sitting in the corner of the room, away from the crowd. He walked over to the glowering Calloway and sat in the spot next to him on the couch.

"Cole," Aidan said in greeting with a flex of his jaw muscles.

"Aidan," Cole responded in the same tone. He followed Aidan's line of sight and held back a grin. "I didn't realize you were into suit porn."

Aidan turned. "What?"

"He's your Kryptonite."

Aidan scowled and focused his piercing hazel gaze on Cole. "What?"

"Your Kryptonite. Your weakness. Like Superman," Cole clarified.

The scowl deepened in Aidan's expression before he turned to focus his attention back across the room. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Him," Cole said, pointing to Jessie who stood across the room chatting with another one of Cole's cousins, or nieces, who knew. He was losing track of his growing family.

Aidan pushed down Cole's hand. "What are we, in elementary school or something?"

"I could say the same thing to you. Go ask him out. Pass him a note if you can't say the words."

Aidan sat quietly, rubbing his hands together, trying to busy himself.

"You Calloways like to make things harder sometimes. You see him almost every day at his office or the station or at the halfway house to talk about Cam's
case updates
," Cole said in a mocking tone with air quotes. "Just walk over there and make a move."

Aidan's jaw muscles flexed. "Stay out of it."

"No."

Aidan gave him a sideways glare. "You, literally, have no boundaries."

Cole sat back and crossed his arms. "What are you worried about?"

Aidan lowered his head and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath as if trying to compose himself. "Can we just drop this?"

"Oh c'mon. You can't just open a door like this and expect me to walk out voluntarily."

Aidan turned with a death glare in his eyes. "I didn't open the door and welcome you."

Cole sat up and neared Aidan. "Bullshit. The moment you started eye-fucking him across the room in my vicinity, you threw open the door. Just walk over there and work your"—Cole moved his hand around in a shooing manner—"whatever it is you do."

Aidan sneered.

Cole pointed at Aidan's face. "Yeah that! Do that bulldog look. Maybe he digs it. Just do it already. If you don't make a move, someone else will. He's an amazing guy. You can't expect him to be alone forever."

Aidan returned his focus to Jessie and continued to stare, unfazed by Cole's comments.

"I think you just want him to cave. To admit he needs you," Cole said, looking over at Jessie on the other side of the room. He sighed as his mind wandered. "Everyone wants to feel needed."

Aidan looked at him, the anger replaced with a pensive expression. "This conversation is over," he said, standing and leaving Cole on his own on the couch.

Cole smiled, enjoying the loud jokes he heard and the even louder laughter echoing throughout the house. He looked over and saw Julian with
Pulga
wrapped around his neck again talking to Matt.
Mami
was making her rounds, taking plates of food to anyone who seemed as if they didn't already have something they were nibbling on. He missed this. He leaned his head back on the cushion, stretching his arms across the back of the couch and closing his eyes. He wasn't sure how long he sat that way before he felt the seat dip at this side.

"I'm sorry."

Cole opened his eyes and saw his brother Rio sitting next to him, fidgeting. He wasn't sure what he was expected to say, the anger from their previous exchange still tugged at the corner of his mind. He couldn't be expected to just wipe away all that with a simple 'I'm sorry.'

"I don't know what you want me to say to make things right," Rio mumbled. "It's hard being in the middle."

Cole withdrew his arms from the back of the couch and turned to face his brother. "Don't play the victim. I can easily say it was tough being the youngest and always getting the leftovers but you don't hear me bitching."

Rio wrung his hands in his lap. "Just tell me what to say or do to make this right. I didn't mean to hurt you like that," he finished quietly. "I know what to do on paper, but I missed the Renzo class on dealing with people."

Cole looked at his brother and couldn't contain the chuckle that bubbled to the surface. "Well, I'd say that sums you up about right," he said. "You are the smartest. Even Carmen won't argue that point."

"And she argues everything. You'd think she was the lawyer in the family," Rio added.

Cole huffed a laugh.

"I'm sorry, Cole. I don't know what else to say to make it right."

"Just give me some time. I lived with this weighing on me for over two years. It's not going to go away in a few hours."

Rio nodded. "I understand. If you need me, I'm here for you. Okay?"

Cole nodded. His brother patted him on the knee and left him alone again. He loved his family but it was too much at times. It seemed as if everyone ran at the same full speed. He knew he was tough to tolerate—more often than not—but having to deal with so many Renzos at once was difficult, even for him. He rose from the couch and circled the room again, working the small clusters of family a little at a time. Julian and Matt left after a while with a promise to return to pick him up later that day. Everything was going great and he knew they were dying to have some alone time with everyone out of the house.

He spent more time with his mom and sat with her for a while, letting her embarrass him with stories of when he was a child. It was her day. She could have anything she wanted.

After the crowd thinned out, he walked to the backyard again, enjoying the blissful silence of the empty yard. Overall, it had been a good day, far better than he could have hoped for.

"There you are."

The day just got better.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd know that voice anywhere. "I didn't think you'd make it," he said, turning to see Ty standing there in black slacks and a gray dress shirt.

"My appointments took longer than expected. I wanted to swing by to see you, even if only for a minute," Ty said, squinting to avoid the sun hitting his eyes. He walked over to Cole and stood in front of him. He reached out and tugged the edge of the beanie. "You even wear these on weekends?"

"My mom knit this one. I had to wear it," Cole said. "Did you meet her?"

Ty nodded. "Petite woman, dark hair in a bun, green eyes, and your same pushy personality. Yeah, I met her. She spotted me as soon as I walked in and cornered me," he said. He looked away as if thinking of what to say then looked back at Cole. "She said I better be good to you."

Cole stilled. "She tells everyone that," he said, praying like hell that would fit with whatever else his mother may have said. She had no shame and wouldn't put it past her to embarrass him, especially if she liked Ty.

Ty looked back at Cole and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't think that's what she meant."

Oh, he was going to have it out with his mom. Cole pulled Ty to the side to guide him to the covered terrace area, out of the sun. "Who else did you meet on your way over here?" he asked, hoping and praying he hadn't met too many Renzos along the way who might scare him off.

"Your sister, Carmen. She's uh…"

"Did you run away really fast?" Cole asked, snickering.

"I tried," Ty said, smiling sheepishly. "She told me where you were so I came over here."

"You look nice. Was your appointment a date or something?" he asked, trying to ignore the stab of jealousy.

Ty shook his head. "I changed before coming over. How did things turn out here? I know you were anxious yesterday."

"It was fine, better than I thought it would be. Are you staying for a bit or do you need to leave?" Cole asked, hoping to have some time with Ty outside of the shop.

"I don't have anything else for today," Ty said with a smile. "I can stay if you'd like."

"I'd like that." Cole led Ty inside the house and enjoyed the rush of cool air hitting his face. How the hell some people loved working outside in the Miami heat was a mystery to him. They sat on the small couch in the corner and waved at a few of the lingering family members as they walked by them. They laughed and swapped childhood memories, ignoring the curious stares they received. Cole would close his eyes and let the current pass between them when their arms brushed accidentally. He wanted to be close to Ty, to know what it felt like to touch him, to kiss him.

Sometime later, Cole glanced up at the clock and couldn't believe how much time had passed. "I'm glad you stopped by."

Ty looked over and grinned, his eyes holding more joy than Cole had ever seen in his expression. "Me, too."

Cole removed the last of the spark plugs and snuck another glance at Ty. He couldn't stand this anymore. His eternal hard-on had only been compounded after stealing a few hours with him at the party.

"So what was it like? You served two years, right?" Ty asked, reaching into the engine.

Cole laughed. "You make it sound as if I was a patriot doing my country a service or something."

Ty half smiled. "Are you wearing Captain America today?"

Cole looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.
Fucking tease
. He wiped his hands with the shop towel and undid the top button of his pants, lowering the front just enough to reveal his underwear. He looked down casually as if he were seeing his underwear for the first time that day. "Fantastic Four," he finally said, looking up at Ty.