“Joe,” I whispered. “What’s on your mind?”Did booty call partners care what was on their booty call’s mind?”

“What’s happening?” Her question was quiet.“Honey, cast your mind back,” he urged gently. “Two minutes ago, I was kissin’ you. Three days ago, I was dancin’ with you. You know what’s happening.”

“I love you, Bud," he whispered to Billy and two more tears escaped."I love you too, Mitch," Billy whispered back, my breath hitched and both males' eyes came to me.I waved my wineglass at them and murmured, "Don't mind me. Have your moment."Mitch leaned back, letting Billy go and grinning at me. "Men don't have moments.""You do," I returned. "I'm witnessing one.""This isn't a moment, honey, it's a meeting of the minds," Mitch contradicted me.”

“I’m gonna take care of you,” Sam whispered against my lips. “Okay,” I whispered back.”

“You have no clue," he whispered."No clue about what?" I whispered back."What you handed me last night."I took in a deep breath and asked softly, "What did I hand you, honey?""What's lyin' in that bed."That was when I stopped breathing."I claimed it," he went on. "But last night you gave it to me. Gift's given, no takin' it back. You get that, Tyra?""I think so," I whispered."Get that, baby, it's important.”

“<…>Tate fell silent. Ty didn't. "Since the day I was released, you knocked yourself out. You had my back, you took care of Lexie when we had our thing then you did what you could to help me sort that. It's important to me that you know I'm grateful. I've been tryin' to figure out how I can show how much but, keep thinkin' on it, nothin' comes to mind and I know why. I get it. You're a man who has everything so there is nothing I can hand you that you want or need. And I get that because I am now that same man. So the only thing I can give you are words and, my guess is, that'll be enough. If it isn't, you name it and it's yours." "Friends do what I did for friends," Tate returned. "No they don't, Tate. You did what you did for me because you're you. That's what I'm talkin' about." Tate ws silent a moment then he said, "Well then, you guessed right. Words are enough." Ty nodded. Tate tipped his head to the side and asked jokingly, "We done with the near-midnight in the middle of fuckin' nowhere heart-to-heart?" Ty didn't feel like joking and answered, "No." "Then what -?" "Love you, man," Ty interrupted quietly. "Learned the hard way not to delay in expressing that sentiment so I'm not gonna delay. You call me brother and I got one who's blood who don't mean shit to me and today, all this shit done, rejoicing and reflecting, it hit me that I got two who aren't blood but who do mean something. And you're one of those two." "Ty-" Tate murmured. "I will never forget, until I die, what you did for me and my wife and until that day I will never stop bein' grateful." "Fuck man," Tate whispered. "Now, do those words work so you get what you did mean to me?" Silence then, "Yeah, they work." "Good, then now we're done with our near-midnight, middle of fuckin' nowhere heart-to-heart," Ty declared, turned, opened the door to the Viper and started folding in. He stopped with his ass nearly to the seat and looked up over the door when Tate called his name. "I don't have a blood brother," Tate said. "But you should know there's a reason I call you that."<…>”

“Prettiest thing I've ever seen.""Gray,""In that getup, in your jeans and tees, in your bikini on the lawnmower, when I open my eyes in the morning and see you next to me, anytime I see you, that's what I think. First thing that comes to mind. Anytime. Every time.”