Page 17 of Finding Gideon (Foggy Basin Season Two)

Malcolm

Nothing made me second-guess my footing quite like sitting in a kitchen with two married gay men, wondering if last night had stirred feelings I’d always kept buried.

Christian passed me a mug of coffee without a word, and Noah slid a plate of something crumbly and golden toward me.

“Peach scones,” Noah said. “Baked yesterday. Christian claims they’re too sweet.” He waited a beat, eyes glinting. “He’s wrong.”

“You still married me, though,” Christian muttered, settling across from me.

I gave them both a faint smile and wrapped my hands around the mug, letting the heat soak in. I’d come here to talk—to ask, maybe, what it meant that I couldn’t stop replaying the feel of Gideon’s mouth on mine.

But now, with sunlight spilling across their kitchen table, one of their dogs, Stormy, sleeping under it, and a puppy worrying a blanket corner like it owed him money, the words felt heavy in my throat.

“Are you okay?” Noah asked, gentle but not prying.

“Yeah. I figured I’d check in.”

“On us or the zoo?” Christian asked, nodding toward the faint jingle of more collars in the next room.

“Both,” I said. “How’s Stormy? Still eating you out of house and home?”

“Like it’s her calling,” Noah said. “And Sable’s figured out how to open the bottom cabinets, so… boundaries are a work in progress.”

“Glad I don’t have kids,” Christian muttered.

“You literally told me last week you wanted a baby goat,” Noah said.

“That’s different. Goat kids don’t need preschool.”

Their back-and-forth loosened something in me. Just enough.

I set the mug down. “Something happened last night.”

Both of them stilled.

“With Gideon,” I added.

Noah’s brow arched. “Your assistant?”

I nodded.

“And?” Christian prompted.

I exhaled. “We kissed.”

Silence stretched long enough for the puppy to stop chewing.

Noah tilted his head. “Do you mean… spur of the moment? Or something that felt like it mattered?”

“It mattered,” I said, the words coming out before I could second-guess them. “It wasn’t casual. It… landed. Like it hit some place I didn’t realize was waiting for it. And now I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Christian smiled. “Doc, you do know how to make life interesting.”

“I didn’t plan it,” I said. “Wasn’t looking for it. We were just talking, and then… he looked at me, and it was like he felt safe. Comfortable. And there was this pull I couldn’t ignore. I don’t even know who started it, or who ended it. But it felt right.”

“And now you’re spinning?” Christian asked.

“Not really. I’m just… I think I’m feeling off balance. In a way I haven’t been before.”

Noah’s voice softened. “You kissed someone who means something to you. That doesn’t require a label today.”

Christian nodded toward him. “Exactly. Nobody owns the idea of attraction. It doesn’t belong to one group.”

“It’s not the label I’m worried about,” I said. “But I’ve only ever been with women. Never questioned that part of myself. And now there’s this man who makes me feel… different. Not bad different. Just… something I want to understand. Maybe explore.”

Christian studied me for a moment. “That means you’re figuring yourself out as you go. And it’s okay to let it unfold without demanding every answer right now.”

Noah added, “From what you’ve said, Gideon’s a solid guy. Gentle with the animals. Calm in a crisis. Dogs don’t just tolerate him—they listen to him. That’s a superpower.”

“And he’s been there for you without expecting anything back,” Christian said. “So maybe your job isn’t to define what’s next. It’s to be honest—with him and with yourself—about where you are.”

I let that sit for a moment. “I don’t even know what this means for me yet.”

“Then that’s your starting point,” Noah said.

Stormy huffed, as if she agreed.

“You’ve got time,” Christian said. “Just don’t close the door before you’ve looked inside.”

“I’m not planning to,” I said, and it was the closest thing to certain I’d felt since last night.

I stood, brushing my palms against my thighs. “Thanks. I needed someone to remind me that I don’t have to know everything today.”

“We’re not pushing,” Noah said, smiling. “You’ve got time to figure it out.”

Christian’s brow arched. “Just don’t hurt him.”

Noah shot him a look. “ Christian .”

“What? I’m serious. He’s still working out what this means for him. Go slow. But also…” His mouth twitched. “ Don’t be an idiot .”

“I’ll do my best,” I said, a corner of my mouth lifting despite myself. And maybe that was the real reason I’d come—to be reminded that I wasn’t navigating this alone.

Christian rose too. “You’re always welcome. But next time, bring beer. Scones are a one-time grace.”

“Bring cookies,” Noah countered.

I was still smiling when I reached the door.

“Hey, Malcolm?” Christian called.

I turned.

“You don’t have to name it yet,” he said. “You just have to let yourself feel it.”

That stayed with me. All the way to my truck. All the way back to Gideon.