His eyes twinkled. “The word.”
The relief that swept through Forrester was like the removal of a physical weight, and he wanted to laugh. “Okay, then. I’m glad that’s settled. It’s the Kyle and Forrester Show from now on.”
“I’ll have to set my DVR so I never miss an episode.”
“I think our show might be too hot for HBO,” Forrester joked, squeezing his boyfriend. “Lots of full-frontal.”
Kyle threw back his head with a laugh, slapping Forrester’s naked butt. “With the way you don’t bother to get dressed, I’d have to agree.”
Ecstatic, Forrester kissed Kyle, then hurried into the bedroom to get dressed. No, he wasn’t ready to tell his family about Kyle—hell, it had only been eight days—but he did not want to treat their relationship lightly. Kyle meant something to Forrester.
He meant a lot, actually.
“You never did answer my question about what you wanted to do today,” Kyle said. “You only have one more week until you go to summer hours at the bookstore.”
Forrester groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“You’re the boss, so you have no one to blame but yourself.”
“Yeah, well the boss didn’t have a boyfriend when he chose his hours.”
“I like the sound of that. Boyfriend.”
“Me too.” He grinned at Kyle. “I like my drawer too.”
“I’m glad.”
Forrester yanked up his cargo shorts. “What do you want to do?”
“Well,” Kyle began, dragging out the word and looking like he had something up his sleeve.
“Obviously you have an idea,” he said with a smile.
Chewing his lip in the cutest way, Kyle rolled up on the balls of his feet. “Yesterday I noticed someone set up a little farmer’s market in that empty parking lot beside Mama Rosie’s.”
“Lemme guess. They’re selling flowers.”
“Really?” He feigned shock, eyes wide. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Forrester laughed.
Kyle loved flowers. Since the weather had warmed up, he’d been cleaning out the various flower beds around his house in the evening. He’d planted annuals in between the perennials popping up, and he spread fresh mulch yesterday when Forrester had been at work.
“You really want more flowers?” Forrester clarified. “Everything you already planted looks great.”
“Thank you. But the front porch will look better with hanging baskets, don’t you think? And they had hot pink wave petunias.”
Kyle’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Okay, okay.” Forrester laughed. “We’ll go get hanging baskets. You got hooks to hang them from?”
“Not yet.”
“We’ll get those too, then.” Pulling on his T-shirt, he added, “I can put them up for you.”
“That would be great,” he gushed, obviously excited. “I can’t wait to get started on the backyard. There’s quite a bit I plan to do.”
“Is this going to involve any manual labor on my part?”
Kyle pecked Forrester on the lips. “Weren’t you just the one offering to remodel my house?”
Forrester pulled him into a gentle headlock, careful of his processor. He smooched him right on top of the head. “You know I’ll do whatever you want. I don’t have the superpowers to tell you no.”
Beaming up at him, Kyle said, “Great, it’s decided, then. We’ll take your truck, in case I find something more than four hanging baskets.”
“Four? But you only have the two openings above the porch rails.”
Kyle stepped away, shaking his head like Forrester was the one being silly. “Yeah, but you gotta hang some on the sides too.”
“Oh, how could I have forgotten?” he teased. “Should we take Jasper?”
Kyle studied his little pooch, now contentedly curled up on the end of the bed. “Sure. I’ll just have to get his seat belt out of my car.”
“Oh my God, he has a seat belt? That’s so cute.”
“More safe than cute.”
“True.” He gave Jasper a soft caress so he didn’t rile him back up. “You wanna go buy flowers, little buddy?”
Jasper snorted as if bored.
“You can see he’s thrilled,” Kyle joked. “I’ll get his seat belt and we’ll head over there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
After Kyle got Jasper’s seat belt—basically a harness that attached to the shoulder strap—they piled into Forrester’s pickup and drove over to the farmer’s stand. Jasper panted and pulled on the harness, bouncing around in the tiny backseat. Forrester parked beside the four wooden tables set up in the empty lot. He stepped out of the truck and popped on some shades.
Kyle secured Jasper’s leash, then wrapped one arm around his middle. Only then did he unfasten the seat belt. Otherwise, Jasper The Wild would’ve leapt right out of the backseat and probably hurt himself.
After a few snorts and flails from Jasper, the trio walked over to study the wares—flats of colorful flowers, pots ready to go with multiple flowers and greenery, and the hooks laden with the hanging baskets that Kyle had been talking about. There were hothouse tomatoes, strawberries, and some other produce for sale too, along with the actual vegetable plants.
“Hey, look. Tomato plants,” Forrester said. He’d ordered six self-watering tomato planters for the bookstore patio, and if he was going to buy plants, he might as well buy local.
“Weren’t you going to get some from Phin, though?” Kyle asked, his arm jerking a bit as Jasper pulled on the leash, eager to explore.
“You must mean Phineas Robertson,” a pleasant-faced woman remarked from a lawn chair tucked behind the hanging baskets. Obviously the proprietor, she sat beside the open tailgate of her pickup, which displayed even more flowers.
“Yes, that’s him all right,” Kyle said. “Hi, I’m Kyle Benson, and this is Forrester Giordano. I’m new to town, and he owns the bookstore.”
“Karen,” she said, standing and giving them each a handshake with well-worked hands. “How do you know Phin?”
“His husband did a reading at Forrester’s bookstore.”
“Ah,” she said with a nod. “Been meaning to stop by your bookstore. But during springtime, I’m so busy getting my greenhouse plants going, there’s just not enough hours in the day.”
“We’re open late, starting next week,” Forrester offered.
“Maybe I’ll come by for a latte.”
“You have a greenhouse?” Kyle said, looking intrigued.
As Kyle and Karen began to chat, Forrester took Jasper’s leash so Kyle could free up his hands to examine the hanging baskets.
“C’mon, you,” Forrester said to the dog, leading him around the tables and letting him sniff to his heart’s content. Behind the lot, the muddy Shiloh was still running high after all the rain. A few kayakers paddled below the dam and the sun was shining, already heating up what the weatherman had promised would be a hotter than usual day for mid-May.
He wondered if Kyle would enjoy kayaking. Though Forrester spent a lot of time in Gilead, he hadn’t been out on the river in years. Was the last time fishing with Dad and Joey?
Guilt flushed his skin at another unexpected memory. Dad had wanted to go fishing before he died, but Forrester had said no. He hadn’t wanted the stress of being alone with Dad.
Forrester pushed family drama from his mind. He had the day off and was spending it with his new boyfriend. Like Kyle said, they’d figure out stuff with his family as it came up.
Hopefully Kyle would remain patient with Forrester.
“Jasper, no!” Kyle cried, startling Forrester.
He looked down, and to his shock, Jasper had his paws on one of the milk crates displaying produce, face buried in a pint of strawberries.
“Jasper,” Forrester scolded, pulling him back with the leash.
“Bad dog.” Kyle pointed at the less than penitent pooch, the white on his muzzle stained bright red. Jasper licked his chops, and Kyle gave Kar
en an apologetic look. “I’ll pay for whatever he ate.”
Karen laughed. “No problem, but don’t be too hard on him. Those berries are delicious. And I did put them right at puppy eye level.”
Shaking his head, Forrester frowned at Jasper. “You’re a naughty boy,” he said in a gruff voice. “But you’re very funny. No wonder everyone loves you on Instagram.”
Jasper cowered at his tone, and Karen and Kyle laughed.
“I suppose this would be funny for your followers,” Kyle said, slipping out his phone and snapping a pic. Forrester still couldn’t believe Jasper had over two thousand followers.
But then again, he was totally cute.
While Kyle posted the pic, Karen came around and gave Jasper a good scratch. Then she plucked up the pint of berries Jasper had been snacking on. “But you did your daddies a favor, little guy. Now they get to have fresh strawberries with lunch.”
Forrester and Kyle shot each other a look. Had she just said…?
“Daddies?” Forrester mouthed.
Looking both pleased and perplexed, Kyle just shrugged and went back to posting his pic.
Forrester’s body flushed. How had she known they were a couple? They hadn’t been holding hands or anything when they arrived. Maybe it was just the way they acted or looked at each other. Maybe it was because they knew Scott and Phin.
Whatever had clued her in, he was just glad she wasn’t a homophobe. And he was damn proud of himself for not deflecting or denying what Karen thought of them.
In fact, he loved the idea of him and Kyle being Jasper’s daddies.
Chapter Fourteen
KYLE’S PARALEGAL dropped a stack of manila folders into his inbox.
“What is this?” Kyle asked.
“A new arrest connected to that heroin ring. The boss wants you to go through it, maybe take the case,” Annie Sullivan told him with a huge grin. A tall, pretty blonde, Annie had been hired a few months before Kyle. While they didn’t hang out often, he considered her a friend.
“Just one step closer to getting the big guy,” she said.
“Awesome. I’ll take these home, but I can’t do anything about it now. Remember I took a half day?” It was Forrester’s birthday and Memorial Day weekend. He couldn’t wait to celebrate with him.
Of course, Kyle’s plans were contingent on Forrester being available. He might have family obligations Kyle couldn’t tag along on without raising suspicion. A longing to be included in every part of Forrester’s life filled him, though he knew he had no right to ask for that after only a couple weeks.
Annie grinned. “When are you leaving?”
He looked at his watch. “In about ten minutes.”
“I can’t believe you’re cutting out before lunch on a Friday. He must be some guy.”
“He is,” Kyle agreed, unable to hide his smile.
Annie left, and Kyle straightened his desk, anxious to head out.
Kyle was the happiest he’d been in ages. Everything about dating Forrester was perfect. They laughed, they read, they made love. There had been no hiccups at all. Even their friends had gotten along. Forrester’s friend Lucas was still in Florida, but last night they’d played darts with Holly and Rachel at Reverends, a bar here in Shiloh. Forrester called them his “hags,” but Kyle could see the genuine affection. They’d made Kyle feel welcome, and when Steve Wryneck from Kyle’s office had shown up by coincidence, they’d all gotten along famously.
Kyle’s favorite moments with Forrester had been the long walks along the towpath in Gilead with Jasper. The only days they’d been apart since that rainy Mother’s Day morning, were the ones when Forrester had baseball practice or a game after work.
And the sex was great. Intense, and plentiful. Forrester had a sexual appetite that rivaled Kyle’s during his college days, awakening a hunger Kyle had long denied. Last weekend—after Forrester hung Kyle’s new hanging baskets—they went to the batting cages at the Rec in Shiloh. Forrester looked so sexy hitting every single ball like a pro, Kyle had to give him a blowie in the parking lot. Turned out Forrester was as kinky as he claimed, because he’d made Kyle jerk off afterward until he sprayed his steering wheel with cum—which Forrester had no qualms about licking off.
Such happy thoughts were quickly dashed by a wash of guilt.
As great as the sex was, Forrester had no idea Kyle was still holding back, and keeping up the ruse was getting harder and harder. Especially when coming up with excuses not to shower together, something normal couples did all the time.
You’ve got to tell him about your past.
He’d had plenty of opportunities. Since the bookstore had gone to summer hours, Forrester had been working late and stayed at Kyle’s those nights. Shared drawers, a key to the front door of his bungalow, and wild sex in parking lots?
Yeah, Kyle trusted Forrester.
And he owed him the truth.
But his stomach ached when he thought about reliving that night.
With a sigh, he locked his office. Steve was leaning over Annie’s desk, pointing at the computer screen, explaining something to her. At first glance, Steve appeared to be any other nondescript lawyer. Lanky, fair-skinned, with thinning brown hair, and well-dressed. But Kyle knew firsthand what a diva he could be off the clock.
“Hey, Steve,” he said. “I’m leaving. Call me if there’s an emergency, ’kay?”
“It’s not even noon.” Steve looked at his watch. “Where are you off to?”
Kyle shrugged. “Personal day.”
Steve put his hand on one jutted-out hip, showing a glimpse of his real self. “With Forrester?”
Unable to hide his grin, Kyle said, “Yup.”
“I met him last night,” Steve told Annie. “He’s a real hottie.”
Annie grinned. “Lucky you, Kyle.”
“I know.”
Steve gave Annie a dramatic hand flap. “Almost three weeks. You know, that’s like six months in gay years.”
“Oh be quiet,” Kyle laughed. He glanced at his watch. “I gotta go.”
“Don’t do anything I’d do,” Steve said, then laughed. “But I suppose he already did.”
Chuckling at Steve’s rephrasing the old cliché, Kyle waved to them both before heading out to his Challenger.
When Kyle started it, the V-8 revved to life with a throaty growl. He let it run for a moment, reveling in the feel of the engine beneath him as he checked his text messages.
Forrester had left him one: U still able 2 get outta work early?
Yup, just leaving office now.
There wasn’t a long delay in Forrester’s response. You eat yet?
Nope
Ok, I’ll get us lunch. C u soon :-)
Can’t wait! xxx ooo
Kiss!
Grinning to himself, Kyle put the Tremec six-speed manual into Drive and headed home. The drive to his small town was mostly freeway, but after half an hour, he exited and took State Route 5 toward the Shiloh River. As soon as Kyle left the open expanse of concrete and was surrounded by trees and agricultural fields, all the tension of work fled and calm settled over him. The small country road curved past fields and farmhouses, even an old brick schoolhouse, no doubt used by some farmer for extra storage. Even with the occasional whiff of livestock, this was his favorite part of the long commute home.
Gilead came into view ahead, and he took a left onto the bridge over the Shiloh. He smiled, glancing out at the muddy expanse of water. Skirting the downtown area, he took the residential streets to get to his house. Most of the historic bungalows were all in various stages of restoration. Kyle’s house was mostly complete on the outside, which had been part of the draw in purchasing. Maybe Forrester could help Kyle with some of the inside stuff. He’d proven even more knowledgeable than advertised when they went to the local Ace Hardware to buy hooks for the hanging baskets—even if Kyle could’ve done it all himself. Though just a simple task that day, Kyle had loved the domesticity of taking on a DIY project togeth
er. He daydreamed about taking on bigger projects, like landscaping the backyard so they could enjoy the beauty of his garden every evening. Maybe they could even build a koi pond.
Jasper would probably swim in it, he mused.
When his car was tucked in the garage, he headed inside to take Jasper out for a quick potty. Then he changed into jeans and a fresh T-shirt. After putting Jasper on his lead in the backyard, Kyle turned on the garden hose and watered his plants, first in the back, then moving up front.
The pink petunias looked gorgeous hanging on the porch, and the annuals in the front beds had really begun to thicken, lush blooms of yellow and purple filling in between what he was learning were a lot of hostas. He might have to divide them to fill in some of the shaded parts of the backyard. He set about dead-heading the petunias—plucking all the sticky dead flowers off the plant to encourage more blooms. The task was tedious, and he lost himself in the methodical act, until Jasper braying at something out back caught his ear. The handful of sticky dead flowers went into the garbage beside the garage before Kyle hastily rolled up the garden hose.
Once Jasper was on his leash, Kyle locked up his house, and they walked the relatively short distance to A Novel Idea. Jasper pulled ahead, just as excited about an afternoon with Forrester as Kyle.
The sidewalks were old and uneven in places, getting more maintained the closer one got to Front Street. This being a holiday weekend and the first official weekend of summer, Gilead was busy. There was not a single parking spot to be found in the historic downtown as tourists browsed the quaint shops and antique stores. All the buildings were painted any combination of the historical society’s approved eight colors, creating that All-American Main Street postcard quaintness that had first lured Kyle here.
Forrester’s bookstore was on the river side of Front Street, a prime location. The deck he and his brothers had built for customers to lounge outside and gaze at the river was officially open now, and Kyle imagined it was packed. Across the street on the corner of Front Street and Pickford Lane, country music spilled out of the open doors of the famous Six-Shooter Saloon. It had once been a movie theater, and the marquis remained, advertising live music all weekend. The May sun shone in a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds.
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