Page 48 of Brokered Betrayals
“You set yourself up for that,” Abe said as he smiled down at Darla in the bassinet. He pumped hand sanitizer into his palm from the industrial-sized bottle Sawyer kept on the coffee table and vigorously rubbed his hands together. Abe eased the baby from her bassinet and said, “Isn’t that right, sweet angel? Uncle Lio stepped right into that one.”
Uncle Lio?Royce figured stranger things could happen than his chief becoming so familiar with Darla that she’d call him an uncle, but there weren’t many. Mendoza didn’t reject the notion outright, but he was too spellbound by his husband holding the tiny infant. The chief’s guard was down, and his expression was pure love.
“Don’t hog her to yourself,” Mendoza said.
“I’ve only held her for like two minutes. Kiss the dog and wait your turn.”
In the most shocking turn of the day, Mendoza kissed Dolly on the top of her head. He must’ve sensed Royce gawking at him because he curled his lips in a snarl. “Problem?”
“No, sir. Just don’t leave lipstick on her fur.”
“I’ll do my best,” Mendoza replied dryly.
Royce looked into the kitchen to see how Sawyer was faring with Evangeline, but the dustup was already over. She passed the makeshift murder board back to Sawyer, kissed his cheek, and grabbed her purse off the kitchen island. She blew Royce a kiss and then headed down the hallway toward the garage with Sawyer following behind her, wearing a hangdog expression on his handsome face.
“Oh, hey!” Abe said. “That’s Trixie Mattel. What are you watching?”
Royce turned back to the television and saw a very tall drag queen with big boobs, enormous blonde hair, and exaggerated makeup that made her look like a doll. “Um, I don’t know. We were checking out a hilarious show calledEnglish Teacherbefore our friends and family arrived. I might’ve resumed the show by accident.” The scene changed to include a group of high school boys gaping at the drag queen. Royce hit Pause on the remote, and the show’s name and episode title came up on the screen. He had started the next episode ofEnglish Teacher, but he hadn’t gotten far. “Oops. I better go back to the beginning and wait for Sawyer.”
“Good show?” Mendoza asked.
“Great so far,” Royce replied.
Mendoza nodded. “Is Trixie in every episode? She’s my favorite.”
“Your favorite actor?” Royce asked.
“Drag queen.”
Royce couldn’t imagine Mendoza watching drag queen performances, let alone having a favorite. “Interesting.” The chief’s scowl made him realize he’d spoken that out loud.
“You don’t watchDrag Race?” Mendoza asked.
Royce shook his head. “Just the kind that involves cars.”
“That’s not nearly as entertaining,” Mendoza told him. “You’ve got three months off work, so it would be a perfect time to watch the franchise.”
“Franchise?” Royce asked.
“It started with a single series in the US before moving to the UK, Canada, and far beyond,” Abe said.
“Both of you love it?” Royce asked.
“More than sports,” Abe replied. “Hearing these queens talk about the bigotry they’ve faced and how hard they’ve struggled to find acceptance really gets to you.”
Mendoza nodded before adding, “But then you get stories of unconditional love, and you realize that humanity still exists.”
“Sounds like those tear-jerking backstories they tell before every Super Bowl,” Royce said.
“It’s exactly like that,” Abe replied. “Except you get at least one or two backstories every episode while they’re getting ready for their main stage presentations. I think that’s my favorite part of the show.”
“Same,” Mendoza agreed. “One minute, you’re grumbling about a shady-ass queen, and the next, you’re cheering for them to win the crown and the cash.”
Royce looked from one husband to the other. Was he dreaming this conversation?
“Now, give me that baby, and no one will get hurt,” Mendoza said. He set Dolly on the couch, sanitized his hands, and held out his arms for Darla. The exchange was peaceful, and no one lost a limb.
“You sound like my mom when someone holds Darla too long,” Sawyer said as he rejoined them. “About that murder board…”