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A woman behind a small counter near the entrance smiles at us. “Welcome! Just find any seat you like. I’ll bring the menus over in a moment.”

“Thank you,” I acknowledge with a smile, then guide my men toward an open spot near the fireplace. The heat from the flames is glorious as we all sink into a large leather couch positioned directly in front of it with simultaneous groans of relief. Joey takes one end, I settle in the middle, and Scotty drops down on my other side.

“I think my face is going to fall off. How is it possible to be this cold?” Scotty asks.

“Because you were screaming into the wind at forty miles an hour,” Joey points out with a grin.

“Worth it,” Scotty insists, but he’s still rubbing his hands together, trying to generate heat.

“It sure was,” I agree. Then, without thinking about it, I reach over and take both of Scotty’s hands in mine. They’re ice cold, so I sandwich them between my palms and start rubbing gently, trying to warm them up.

Scotty goes very still, his eyes meeting mine. “You don’t have to⁠—”

“I want to,” I interrupt softly.

He swallows hard and nods, letting me continue. His hands are smaller than mine, and I focus on warming each one, rubbing circulation back into them, and I don’t miss the way his breath catches or how his eyes soften as he watches me.

Joey shifts closer on my other side, pressing against me. “My hands are cold too,” he teases.

I laugh. “Come here. I’ll gladly warm you both up.”

Joey tucks himself against my side, and I wrap my arm around him while continuing to work on Scotty’s hands with my other. The three of us sit like that, pressed together on the couch, the fire warming our faces while we warm each other. After a moment, I realize what we might look like to anyone who cared to pay attention. The way Joey is leaning into me, resting his head on my shoulder, while I hold Scotty’s hand on my other side, certainly doesn’t feel like a platonic position with either of them. It’s our first real time showing intimacy together in public.

The woman who greeted us approaches with menus and a warm smile. She clearly doesn’t seem fazed by our public display of affection. I smile back, grateful that the first person to truly witness us together isn’t a dick.

“Can I start you gentlemen with something to drink?”

“Do you have hot chocolate?” I ask before she can hand over the menus.

“We do! We make it from scratch with real chocolate. We have classic, peppermint, salted caramel, or Mexican spiced.”

“Ohhh, I’ll take the peppermint,” Joey responds immediately.

“Classic, please.”

“Salted caramel for me,” Scotty orders.

“Perfect. I’ll have those right out for you.”

As she walks away, I reluctantly release Scotty’s hands after bringing them to my lips for a quick kiss on his fingers. “Better?”

He flexes his fingers, and I’m pleased to see color returning to them. “Much better. Thank you.”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

The endearment slips out naturally, and I see the way he looks around to see if anyone is staring, the flush that has nothing to do with the cold or the fire. Joey notices too, and he reaches across me to hold Scotty’s hand, bringing it to rest on my leg. It might appear like a casual move, but I appreciate the gesture of inclusion and affection for what it is.

I look around the rest of the space more closely and confirm none of the handful of other people here seem to have even noticed us. The woman returns with three enormous mugs of hot chocolate, each topped with whipped cream and various garnishes. Scotty’s has caramel drizzle and sea salt, Joey’s has crushed candy canes, and mine is topped with whipped cream.

“Oh my god,” Scotty sighs, wrapping both hands around his mug. “This is the best day ever.”

“Enjoy, gentlemen. Let me know if you need anything else.”

We all take our first sips, and the collective sounds of satisfaction make me grin. The hot chocolate is rich and tastes perfect, warming me from the inside out.

“This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had,” Joey declares.

“Agreed,” Scotty says, licking whipped cream from his upper lip. The move is innocent but still manages to make my pulse quicken.