Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Tracy had to run interference while I escaped down the hall and through the pet gate. When he joined me a minute later, I said, “It’s hard to compete with such a cute rival for your attention.”
He nodded in mock-seriousness. “I’m pretty sure the chihuahua and the big dog are involved, so if you hadn’t found me, I would have become part of a puppy throuple. A pupple. A thruppy…”
I laughed at that as I lightly pinned him to the railing at the edge of the landing. Then I planted another kiss on him and started to step back, but he pulled me close again and deepened the kiss.
Somehow, I managed to bump the device next to us, which went off with a loud pop. The crowd below us in the foyer gasped in surprise, then cheered as gold confetti rained down on them. Tracy grinned at me and teased, “A bit premature, don’t you think?”
“That never happens to me,” I joked. “Well, rarely. As sexy as you are though, it’s no wonder I popped off.”
I pulled him to me again and kissed his smirk. It didn’t occur to me that we had an audience until everyone in the foyer started whooping and applauding. Tracy turned red, and I gave the crowd a wave before the two of us hurried down the stairs and out the front door.
On the way to the curb, I texted Josh and Darwin to let them know we were leaving, and to apologize for the glitter cannon. Just as we reached the street, a cab pulled up. A pair of gorgeous drag queens climbed out, and we took their place and gave the driver our address.
Fifteen minutes later, we were back in our apartment. “Let’s change into something more comfortable and meet on the couch,” I said, and Tracy and I went off in opposite directions.
When we reconvened in the living room, both of us were dressed in cozy sweats. I’d brought a tray with a bottle of wine and some snacks, and Tracy had brought us a warm blanket. I filled two glasses while he turned on one of the New Year’s countdown shows, prerecorded in New York, where midnight had already come and gone.
We curled up together under the blanket, and I kissed him again. Phil jumped onto my lap and tucked his legs under himself, and Tracy put his head on my shoulder. Both of them fell asleep within minutes.
A sense of calm and contentment settled over me as I held Tracy securely and thought to myself, I could get used to this.
15
Tracy
January came and went, but Ever didn’t move out of our apartment. He said his new place wasn’t ready yet, which was surprising, because it had seemed close to being done back in mid-December. I was glad about the delay, because I wasn’t ready for anything to change.
In early February, we hit a weird milestone—the anniversary of our fateful hook-up a year before. “I think we should celebrate,” Ever told me, as we crossed our apartment building’s lobby on our way back from the gym. “Let’s go out to dinner tonight.”
“Is that really something to celebrate? The day I bit you and ran off?”
“It’s the day we met.”
“Technically, yes. But isn’t the day we met again more significant?”
“We can celebrate that, too,” Ever said. “For tonight, there’s a new Japanese restaurant that opened near my building, and I’ve been wanting to check it out. What do you say?”
“Sure, let’s go.”
“Great! I’ll be spending the day in my office, so why don’t you come by around five-thirty? That way, I can show you all the new additions to the fitness center before we head to dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
When we reached the apartment, he turned to me and asked, “What are you doing with your day off?”
“I’m visiting Vee. He’s hosting an intervention.”
“For who?”
“For himself. Apparently he thinks he needs to get his life back on track.”
It turned out to be a bit more involved than that. When I got to the pink Victorian, Embry and Hal were waiting in the living room, tucked into opposite ends of the couch. I asked Vee, “Will the rest of your housemates be joining us?”
“No, they’re all at work or whatever. This is just for the four of us.”
Hal was in the process of collecting his long, dark hair into a ponytail. He froze with his hands above his head and shot Vee a suspicious look. “Why us four?”
“Because we’re the single ladies of our group.” Vee started to sing the instrumental part of that Beyonce song, while doing a little dance.
“I thought this was an intervention for you,” Embry said. He was wrapped in a fuzzy blanket and wearing a pink hoodie with teddy bear ears.
“It is.” Vee took a seat between his housemates, and I got comfortable on one of the club chairs. “After we fix my shit, we’re going to fix each of yours.”