Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
He hummed. “I wish I could snap my fingers and make it go away. But I know you’re right.”
“You’ll get there. And I’ll be here for you along the way. As long as you need me.”
I felt him pull in a long breath of air, his body rising then falling under the weight of my arm. “All I know is right here, with you, I feel better than I have in so long.”
I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his head. I was drifting off to sleep, no matter how much I wanted to fight it.
I could have stayed in this moment forever. So comfortable, cozy, and right, with this man by my side. I knew he was falling asleep, too, though, and he needed it like air.
20
Theo
“Now, Theo, I wasn’t sure which one would be your favorite,” Roman’s mom said, coming out into the living room with her hands full. “So I made three different ones, and you can choose.”
She placed three little crochet objects on the table. One was a buffalo, one was a hummingbird, and the other was… well, I couldn’t quite tell.
“Donna, has anyone ever told you you’re amazing?” I said. We were in her living room again, and I felt better than I had in a long time. It had been two weeks since my stalker had been caught and when Roman’s mom heard the news, she immediately arranged a celebration dinner party for today.
“Ma, what exactly is this one supposed to be?” Roman said slowly, picking up the pinkish-red one on the end. “Because it looks a whole lot like…”
“I know, I know,” Donna said, waving a hand through the air. “It looks like a damn inflamed ball sack.”
I snorted.
“It’s supposed to be a pair of cherries,” Donna continued, “because I swore I remembered Theo saying his favorite pie was cherry pie, but I got about halfway through the crochet before I realized that it definitely looks like a saggy sack of testicles.”
I burst out laughing as I held the little crochet object between my fingers, twirling it around. “Well, now I have to pick this one.”
“Aw, who am I kidding, please take all three of them,” she said. “The buffalo is the Kansas state animal, and the hummingbird is just because I like ‘em, and you kind of remind me of one. Quick, pretty, and a ton of energy.”
“Wait, what does that say about me?” Roman asked, in mock protest. “You gave me a turtle, and you always called me Turtle. Does that mean I’m not pretty, I have very little energy, and I’m slow?”
I grinned as Donna’s jaw hung open.
“Of course not, Turtle,” she told Roman. “It means you have a perfect protective shell, you know how to conserve your energy, and… well, yes, you know how to take your time with things.”
“My mother’s calling me slow,” Roman said, a huge, goofy smile appearing on his face. “Are you seeing this, Theo?”
“Horse shit,” Donna said, letting out a long laugh. “I love you, Roman. Oh, jeez, I’ve got to go fire up the grill. Your brother and Logan are going to be here soon.”
Donna disappeared into the backyard and left me and Roman in the living room.
“When she said ‘soon,’ I don’t know if she knew how soon,” Roman said, nodding toward the front window. Outside, I saw a truck pulling into the driveway. “They’re here.”
I watched as a slightly younger carbon copy of Roman climbed out of the driver’s side. He looked similar to his brother in almost every way, other than the fact that Roman was probably a little bit taller and thicker.
Brody and his boyfriend Logan came into the living room a minute later, Logan carrying a big plastic container filled with what looked like little pigs in a blanket snacks.
“So good to see you, Brode,” Roman said, giving his brother a long, tight hug. “How’s Chicago treating you two?”
“So well,” Brody said.
“Holy shit,” Logan said as his eyes caught mine. “It’s you.”
I gave a polite smile as I always did when someone recognized me. “So nice to meet you two. Roman has told me so much about you guys.”
“You played Lord Byron in the first season of Tales from Ravenna,” Logan said, a faraway look in his eyes.
“Wait, what?” I said, “That’s what you know me from?”
“Oh my God, I’ve fallen asleep to that show more times than I can count,” Logan said. “Not, like, because it’s boring, but because it’s the most comforting thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I can honestly say I’ve never met a single person who recognized me from that show,” I said. “It was the first real acting job I got. Nobody knows about that series.”
“Anything historical, and Logan eats it right up,” Brody said. “It’s amazing to meet you, Theo. I can’t say I’ve ever seen one of your movies, but I sure as hell have seen you on the gay celebrity blogs, and I’ve always been a fan of your charity work. No other actors give as much money to LGBT organizations as you do.”