Page 23

A month later, summer was in full swing. I’d just finished planting a crape myrtle in Kai’s backyard, which had been completely transformed since the first time I saw it.

In addition to the crape myrtle, I’d planted a banana tree, which was shooting upwards with great gusto, three leaves already unfurled and splayed over the lawn. I’d put in lavender and thyme along the walkway, and bumblebees danced drowsily from flower to fragrant flower. I’d set jasmine and clematis to climbing up the brick walls, and popped in some hibiscus bushes for more color.

A small bench sat in one corner, perfect for sipping coffee or wine, in between two butterfly bushes. Most of the plants would grow even larger over the summer, but the yard was already gorgeous.

Kai stepped outside, looking harried but adorable, and called, “I know you said you trust me to make dinner, but I don’t trust myself. Can you please come in and make sure I’m not going to poison everyone?”

I laughed and dusted my hands off as I headed inside.

He’d been serious about learning to cook, so we’d started with the basics—hard-boiling eggs, cooking pasta, heating up jarred sauce, baking potatoes. Stuff that was hard to mess up. Tonight we had guests coming, and I was confident he could handle it. The recipe I’d left him was foolproof—baked chicken thighs with herbs, roasted broccolini with lemon, olive oil, and pine nuts, and saffron rice on the stove. It all smelled amazing.

I peeked in the oven and gave an approving nod. “Looks good.”

“Yeah, but I think I fucked up the rice,” Kai said.

“It’s impossible to fuck up rice,” I told him. “Let me see.”

He lifted the lid on the pot, and fragrant steam rolled out.

“Look,” he said, frowning. “It’s still all runny.”

“That’s okay. It just needs to cook a little longer so the water can evaporate.”

“But you said it should be done when the timer went off.” He gestured to the kitchen timer I’d bought for him—a black and white cow with a unicorn horn, wings, and a clock in its stomach.

“The timer’s a guideline. It varies depending on how low you set the heat.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, still looking worried.

“Positive,” I said. “What are you so anxious about? You’re acting more nervous tonight than you were about your stalker last month.”

“Well, he only threatened my life. Tonight has the potential to ruin my standing in the eyes of my friends.”

I pulled him into a hug and wrapped my arms around him. My rib had healed enough that I could hold him tight, and I breathed in the warm, herbal scent of his skin. But holding Kai like that was dangerous—my body had a few ideas I couldn’t follow through on with guests arriving any minute.

I stepped back, holding his shoulders—and winced. “Shit.”

“What?” he asked, alarmed. “Did I fuck it up after all?”

“No, I did. I got dirt all over your nice shirt.”

He looked down to see two perfect brown handprints on his shoulders, then spun in a circle trying to see the smears on his back. I’d left my mark all over him.

“Sorry,” I said, but he smiled.

“It’s okay. Maybe I’ll just take my shirt off. Host this dinner half naked.”

“Are you trying to get me to fuck you on the table in front of my sister and Amir?” I asked. “Because that’s what’s going to happen if you tempt me like that.”

“Amir would probably enjoy the show,” he said with a snicker. “Might even ask to join in. But I suppose I can go put on another shirt. As long as you promise to take it off me later.”

“Try and stop me.” I grinned and moved to the sink to wash my hands. “Now go change before everyone gets here. I’ll keep an eye on the food.”

It turned into a really lovely evening. Kai came back down in a soft blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up and just enough of the buttons undone to show his collarbone. I had to remind myself I’d get him my time alone with him later. There was no need to rush.

Not that I wanted the night to end early. Dana was supposed to bring a friend with her, though it turned out he was late. She showed up with a bottle of wine instead. Amir brought two more. Carolyn brought a bottle of apricot rakija from Croatia, and Amber from Wardrobes for the Win brought dog treats and warm hugs. We all sat out in the backyard under string lights while Bella rolled around in the grass, clearly living her best life.

We’d finished dessert—chocolate mousse that I’d made earlier, since Kai refused to make it himself for fear of giving everyone salmonella—when Amir raised his glass, now full of rakija, and said, “I’d like to propose a toast.”

“To yourself?” Kai said, eyebrow arched.

“Well, obviously. That hardly needs to be said. I know you’re all thanking me for my existence every day of your lives. But just this once, we can focus on someone else.”

“How very humble of you,” I said.

Amir grinned. “I have my moments. Anyway, as I was saying, I’d like to propose a toast—this one to both Kai and Mason. To Mason, for breaking Kai out of his shell, and getting him out of his rut—”

“And saving my life,” Kai added.

“—And to Kai, for waking Mason up to the pleasures of a big, hard co—”

“Ahem,” Dana interrupted, giving a very pointed glance at Carolyn and Amber, both of whom were still technically Kai’s work colleagues.

“—Coffee in the morning,” Amir finished smoothly. “A hot, throbbing, creamy cup of coffee. And for getting his head out of his ass, besides.”

“Thanks…I think?” I said.

“For the record,” he added, “if you ever decide to expand your horizons and take your coffee black sometimes, well… You know who to call.”

Kai caught my eye and started laughing.

“Did I say something funny?” Amir asked.

“Not at all,” I said, biting back a grin. “Kai’s just remembering something we talked about earlier. But I’ll, uh, take your offer under advisement.”

“Excellent. Now, if someone would like to do the honors of speaking aloud the words of praise for me that I assume are engraved upon all your hearts, I’d be pleased to listen.”

“Forget that,” Dana said. “I want to hear the update on the Myers situation. Where do things stand now?”

“Not much new for now,” I said. “He’s been formally charged for harassment, stalking, assault, and attempted murder.”

“Not one to do things by halves,” Dana murmured

“He tried to get a plea bargain by giving up the people who helped him attack me. But the DA isn’t having it. The trial’s scheduled for another month,” I continued. “Kai and I will both have to testify, but the lawyer you sent us says we’ve got a strong case. Especially with that video of Myers that Amir plastered all over the internet.”

“You’re welcome for that, by the way,” Amir said with a broad grin.

“Don’t get too full of yourself,” Kai put in. “The lawyer also said it’s going to be hard to find jurors who haven’t seen the video already and are actually unbiased.”

“I’m still glad you did it,” I said when Amir’s grin started to dim. “The department had to fire him because of that. Whether we win the case or not, at least he won’t be able to get another police job anywhere.”

“Maybe it’s selfish, but I’m glad too,” Kai said. “Once people found out that Myers was the one trying to shut the center down—and saw what he did to me—suddenly everyone was a lot more forgiving about my little video.”

“So everything’s back on with the Butterfly Center?” Amir asked.

“Absolutely,” Amber said. “Not that they should have cut ties to begin with. I think they learned their lesson about jumping to conclusions.”

“And I learned a lesson about putting things on the internet,” Kai added with a sheepish laugh. “First thing I did when they asked me back was insist we start offering a media literacy class. Maybe it’ll save someone else from making the same mistakes I did.”

“Still not your fault,” I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

He flushed and grabbed my hand under the table. Bella wandered over, tail wagging for more treats, and plopped her snout directly on top of our hands like a smug little chaperone. Twilight deepened around us, jasmine scenting the air, and for the first time in ages, I felt totally at peace.

We tried not to let anyone help clean up, but Dana and Amir wouldn’t hear of it. They handled the dishes while Carolyn and Amber boxed up leftovers and slid them into the fridge. All Kai and I managed was to keep wine glasses full.

It was fully dark by the time everyone was ready to leave. Dana’s friend never showed, but it was a perfect night otherwise. We were all still in the kitchen when a sudden pounding shook the front door.

Kai gripped my hand, and my heart kicked into overdrive. Even with Myers arrested, it was going to take us both a while to stop expecting the worst when someone knocked. But whoever was out there wasn’t trying to be stealthy, at least.

The pounding continued, followed by a muffled, panicked voice yelling, “Open the door! There’s a vengeful goat out here coming for my blood! I repeat—a vengeful, bloodthirsty goat!”

Kai and I shared a stunned look before the whole group moved to the front door together. I opened it cautiously to reveal a frantic man—breathless, wide-eyed, and wearing nothing but a glitter-smeared tuxedo jacket, a silk satin tie, and boxer-briefs covered in tiny champagne bottles. He was barefoot, sweaty, and clutching a large plastic tube like a weapon.

Behind him, in Kai’s tiny front yard, a brown and white splotched goat munched contentedly on a patch of grass.

The guy’s brown hair was artfully messy, like he’d stepped off a fashion runway—or been flung from a moving car. Glitter clung to every inch of his skin, sparkling in the light spilling out from the house. With his sharp green eyes, long nose, and mouth curled into a sheepish-yet-arrogant grin, he was rakishly handsome. And from the abs I glimpsed beneath his open jacket, he was either genetically blessed or spent even more time at the gym than I did.

“Bailey, what the hell happened to you?” Dana demanded.

He glanced over his shoulder at the goat—who still didn’t seem to care about him at all—and let out a relieved sigh.

“It’s a long story,” he said. “I’ll tell you inside.”

“Nope.” Dana crossed her arms over her chest. “You are not tracking glitter all over Kai and Mason’s house. Not until I know why you’re late—and why you’ve brought livestock.”

Bailey sighed. “It’s not that dramatic. I was at a wedding earlier—supposed to seduce one of the bridesmaids. But her father walked in, tried to tackle me, and I only had time to grab my jacket and tie before I bolted. There was an Uber outside, so I jumped in to get away. Turns out it was headed to a gay bar doing drag bingo. Seemed rude to leave once I got there, so I stayed. And I won!” He held up the plastic tube proudly. “A glitter cannon.”

The thing was still half full of glitter, shimmering ominously.

“I was on my way here after that, but I accidentally set the cannon off in the car. The driver kicked me out, so I had to walk. Passed a backyard where they were having a kid’s birthday party with a petting zoo. I thought the goat looked funny, so I went to take a picture. But I guess it didn’t like the attention, because as soon as the flash went off, it jumped the fence and started chasing me. Didn’t stop until I got here.”

He looked at the goat again and shook his head. “It might look innocent now, but I swear it has a taste for human flesh.” Then he grinned and held the glitter cannon out to Kai. “Sorry I didn’t bring a gift, but you can have this if you like.”

“Uh, Dane?” I said, tugging her aside a bit. “Who is this guy?”

She sighed and rubbed her temples. “That is Bailey Durham—Heartbreakers Anonymous’s newest hire.”

The End

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