Page 11 of Puppy Pride (Pride Camp 2025)

Chapter Eleven

Jai

“ A re you excited about family day?” Grey offered his signature boyish grin.

“I am.” Long debate had gone into whether we’d do this—for two reasons. First, if campers were here to get away from their parents, bringing those parents in might be painful. Secondly, not all parents could attend. We worried that might make campers feel excluded.

Gavin wasn’t the least bit fazed that his parents were taking a long-planned trip to Italy—he’d been glad not to be dragged along.

Chris adored their parents, but was relieved they were visiting family in Yellowknife. Family who weren’t always accepting of the nonbinary child.

Luli was a little sad about her mother not being able to make the day, but understood work had to be her mother’s priority as she’d taken a lot of time off to deal with her daughter’s issues.

As I surveyed the excited campers, Keegan stood out. He’d tried to play it off as cool, but he was clearly excited to see his father .

Parvan was grateful we limited guests to five. We were willing to make exceptions if the family had more siblings. Like, for instance, Arnav’s family, where there were seven children. Parvan only had a brother and a sister. His extended family was massive, and all wanted to come and support.

I loved that, but limits made sense.

Grey nodded, then headed down to the group.

The debate had been whether or not Cody should make an appearance. Everyone knew he was the psychologist.

What had become apparent very quickly was how easily he fit into the group. Campers would look for him and wanted him to be included. Is it because he’s gay and they don’t want anyone to be excluded, or does he provide a level of comfort and security? I didn’t know.

No one had asked about me when I wasn’t around.

Which I was fine with.

Demetrius was the first to arrive—twelve minutes early.

Keegan was over to the minivan at a run, and the big man was barely out of the vehicle before he caught his son in his arms.

I hadn’t perceived Keegan’s distress as that high.

Cody caught my gaze and gave me a subtle nod. Ah, so this wasn’t unexpected to him.

Parvan’s family was next to arrive. Each member hugged him, and then they made it clear they wanted to meet everyone. Parvan might’ve rolled his eyes, but he was also clearly pleased at the interest his family showed in his new friends.

“How are things going?” Demetrius offered me a grin.

I’d spotted him greeting Parvan’s family, but I hadn’t noticed him peeling off from the group.

“I’m fine.” I cleared my throat. “Keegan’s doing well. ”

“I appreciate that…but your regular updates assure me of that. I’m asking how you’re holding up—there’s got to be a lot of pressure on you.”

His intuitive understanding of my situation touched me in ways I didn’t expect.

Alessandra and Smith checked in regularly—always assuring me I was doing a great job.

Cody kept an eye on me. He couldn’t help himself.

I believed I was holding up fine. “We’re planning for the next session.”

Demetrius chuckled. “Keegan’s annoyed you’re limiting it to teens between fifteen and seventeen.”

“Ah. I was under that impression. We’re trying to keep the cohorts arranged by ages. I wasn’t certain we could get twenty campers that age, but we did.”

“And you’d better be operating next summer. Keegan’s letter said he wanted to be a camper until he was allowed to be a counselor.”

“That’s great.” It means Demetrius will be here every summer. But will I?

The toy and treats flashed in my mind.

“So...” Demetrius rubbed his chin.

His clean-shaven chin that appeared so smooth and that I totally wanted to caress with my fingers. “So,” I prompted.

“I’d like to ask you out. You get nights off, right?”

This was an easy one. Disappointing, but an easy one. “I do have most nights off, but I’m not allowed to date parents of campers. Hard-and-fast rule.”

He blinked. “That simple?”

I nodded. “I mean, I’m flattered…” And hadn’t even been certain you were gay, but now I know and doesn’ t that hurt.

“Uh…no exceptions?”

“Nope.”

“How about meeting a camper’s father for a nice dinner—as a friend?”

“Appearance of impropriety. Of favoritism.”

“I kind of want to call bullshit on that.”

I might’ve bristled at the cuss word, but Isla and Francis’s families had both arrived and the enthusiastic chatter even reached us where we stood, off to the side.

“Perhaps. But I don’t make the rules.”

“I’d like to see these rules.”

I winced. “Uh, it’s not written down.”

“So there’s nothing in writing that says you can’t have a personal life?”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I enjoyed my time at the gathering the other night.”

“Ah. So if I invite Arnav and Foster and we got together as a foursome…”

An image of Foster, Arnav, and Demetrius naked and in bed flashed before my eyes. “No.” I sort of shot that out. Then I started coughing because I was choking on my spit.

“Are you okay?” Demetrius gazed at me with his unfathomable dark-brown eyes.

“Fine.” I wheezed that.

“I’m not certain I believe you. But I’m not going to slap you on the back or give you the Heimlich maneuver or anything. I’m also not leaving you alone.” He crossed his arms and continued to stare unblinkingly at me.

He had me completely unnerved and panicking. “I need to go.” More coughing .

“I’m coming with you.”

God, I can’t catch a break. But I need a glass of water. Head held high—while still wheezing—I headed for my cabin. Once there, I pushed the door open and headed straight for the sink. I grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and started drinking.

“Hey, you might want to go easy—”

Demetrius’s words cut off as I spit the water out into the sink. Please, save me now. Aside from when Gary had told everyone about my puppy persona, I couldn’t remember feeling so embarrassed.

Even as I gasped, Demetrius put his hand on my back, between my shoulder blades.

He hadn’t asked me if he could touch—we had rules about consent—but I wasn’t going to complain because that strong warmth at my back had me slowing my breathing.

Had me trying to regulate my heart rate.

Had me gradually trying to re-center myself.

I stared out the kitchen window to the forest beyond.

Don’t miss the forest for the trees. Or is it don’t miss the trees for the forest? What am I missing?

I always felt like there was something just beyond my grasp, and if I could reach it, then everything would be okay.

More fool you. You have a handsome man with his hand on you, and you’re not taking advantage. I cleared my throat.

He didn’t move his hand.

I nearly shrugged him off…except I liked the comfort he offered. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

His deep, rumbly voice hit something deep inside me. “I’m not always incompetent.”

“Never thought you were. You seem like a guy who’s got his shit together.”

“But—”

“No buts. You’ve got a lot of responsibility. And I’m offering you a night away from that. It doesn’t have to be a date. I’m sorry you felt that was the only suggestion I was making. I don’t do this often, so maybe I’m not as suave as I think I am.”

That made me smile. I pressed back against his hand.

He held it secure.

“A night out as friends wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Great.” He sounded genuinely enthusiastic. “We have the choice of Fifties, White Spot, Boston Pizza, Stavros’s Greek, I think there’s an Italian place. Oh, and the Chinese restaurant, the Indian place…” He paused. “And the Brew Pub. Or we can go over to Abbotsford—”

“Let’s stick close.” Even though that meant a greater chance of running into people I knew. Still, we weren’t going on a date. Or so you tell yourself.

“Okay…which would you prefer?”

“You know, I grew up in Mission City, and I’ve never been to Stavros’s.”

“Okay. Now normally I would offer to pick you up, but since this isn’t a date, why don’t I just meet you there? It’s within walking distance of my hotel. Say six o’clock? I can make a reservation.”

Finally, I pulled away so I could meet his gaze. He was disturbingly close and had a woodsy scent. Interesting, because—as far as I knew—he hadn’t spent any time in the woods today. “I can meet you at six. You can text or call if you change your mind.”

He cocked his head. “Why would I change my mind?”

“Because, well, you’re you…” I gestured up and down.

“What are you talking about?”

“You might get a better offer. There are other single folks in Mission City.” I eyed him. “Oh God, I assumed you were asking me out on a date—”

“I was.”

“—but I thought you were straight.”

“Bi. Pan.” He offered a broad grin. “People know I’m a widower and that she was the kids’ mom, and they make the leap I’m straight.”

“And I, of all people, should know about making assumptions.”

He cocked his head.

I waved my hand to encompass the space. “Pride Camp.”

“Well, I was taking a bit of a leap inviting you. Because you might be straight as well. I do my best not to assume. I thought, if you weren’t inclined my way, that we could still have a night out.”

I held his gaze. “One hundred percent gay.”

Slowly, he nodded. “Do the campers know?”

“Parvan asked me. Super casual. Well, he made a comment about me being like his Uncle Arnav. I didn’t contradict him.”

“He might’ve meant you were both Indian.”

“He might have…but he didn’t. He was making the connection. I love that Arnav is part of his life—he’s an uncle by marriage. When his sister realized her nephew was gay, she made that connection. All the family members involved are really supportive.”

“Helps to have a gay uncle.”

“A really cool gay uncle. Arnav has always been so sure of who he was and what he wanted.”

“You think Foster was always part of that plan?”

I considered. “I know Arnav wanted to be seen as a competent lawyer, not a gay lawyer. But he’s done some advocacy work as well as defense counsel and suing a couple of people. I hope people in town don’t see him as the gay lawyer. Of course, he isn’t the only one.”

Demetrius arched an eyebrow.

“Alessandra hired Gil Herrington to do the foundation paperwork. He and his law partner Everett Williams are both gay. And Black. ”

“Oh.”

“And married.”

“Ah. Good to know. I’m finding more gay men—and more gay Black men—than I thought I would. Since Keegan started talking about moving here—”

“What?” My heart stuttered.

“Oh, right. Maybe you didn’t know. Keegan really likes it here. I mean, he hasn’t even been in Mission City proper, but everyone here he’s met have him wanting to come here.”

“There’s still prejudice.”

“I know that. I’ve been doing some investigation. Asking around. What I’m finding is that many people are accepting while some aren’t. Some of those people are bible thumpers and some are just prejudiced. I also worry about Keegan having a Black stepfather.”

“Those are valid concerns.”

“Yes. So maybe over dinner you can tell me more about the good and the bad. I haven’t made a decision yet. I also need to talk to Alaina to see where she’s at. Her best friend just moved to Abbotsford, so she might be amenable to moving to Cedar Valley. It’s a huge change.”

A knock sounded at the door.

We stepped away from each other.

“Coming.” I strode over to the door and opened it.

Cody stood on the other side. “Everyone’s here and ready for lunch. I think you were planning to say a few words…?”

“Yes, of course. Mr. Fulton and I were…” I faltered. I didn’t even know how long we’d been in here.

“Quickly discussing the potential move to Mission City.” Demetrius came up beside me, but kept a decorous distance. “Mr. Prasad is from the town, and I thought I’d get his perspective.”

Cody eyed us .

“As a person of color.” I added that, then mentally slapped myself.

Except maybe Cody would understand. He was Mission City born and bred…

but he hadn’t faced the discrimination Arnav and I had.

The town might have plenty of South Asian people, but Caucasian was still the primary race. I was careful never to forget that.

“Understandable.” Cody grinned. “I’m partial to the town. I went only as far as I needed to so I could earn my degree and come back. Plenty of kids in town to help. And not just gay ones.” He met my gaze. “When you’re ready.”

“We’ll come now.” I gestured for the other two men to head out.

Once we were all outside, I locked the door.

As a group, we headed to the great room.