Second Nature (His Chance 2)

“Same. I can’t even imagine my life without Alastair. And I’m proud of myself too, because I’ve come really far since the night of the party. I dress how I want to now, and if it makes people uncomfortable to see a big, muscular guy in what they consider ‘women’s clothes’, good. Maybe it’ll make them examine what they’ve been taught to believe about gender, and about this ridiculous idea that we’re all supposed to be the same.

“I mean, what’s the big deal about a guy who wants to express his feminine side? Why are people so threatened by that? I’m so tired of our society’s rigid gender roles that tell us we have to look and dress and act a certain way, that we have to blend in, conform, ‘be a man’, and all that other bullshit. Why not just let people be themselves and be happy? It doesn’t cost anything to accept others instead of judging them.”

Gabriel exclaimed, “Exactly!”

Sawyer chuckled, and then he moved to the huge commercial espresso maker and flipped a few switches as he said, “Okay, I totally got on my soap box there, but what I’m trying to say is that I really believe in you and your idea for a company, Gabriel. It’s not just about making pretty things, although yay for that. There’s a bigger picture here, one that has to do with personal expression and smashing gender stereotypes, and I’m totally here for this. Let’s start a fucking revolution, one silk panty at a time!”

Gabriel started laughing and burst into tears at exactly the same moment. He crossed the kitchen and grabbed Sawyer in an embrace as he said, “I really love you. I hope you know that.”

“Right back at you, my friend.” When they let go of each other, Sawyer joked, “I’m going to put that bit about a panty revolution on a T-shirt. We’ll include one free with every purchase.”

“You’re not only making me believe I can do this,” Gabriel said, “but that I need to.” That made both Sawyer and me smile.

The stove beeped, and I placed the huge casserole in the oven while Sawyer pulled some milk from the fridge and said, “So, we’ll talk Monday and make this happen. For now though, we decided we’re going to have dessert first, since that fifty-pound saucy, cheesy pasta thing is going to take a long time to heat through.”

“Good idea. We can share the croissants Roger brought,” Gabriel said, “and Alastair can have his teething biscuits.”

Sawyer chuckled, then started pulling mugs from the cupboard as he said, “I’m making cappuccinos. Who wants one?”

“Everyone,” Gabriel replied.

“This is amazing,” I said with a smile, as Gabriel came over to me and I wrapped my arms around him. “I can’t even believe the man himself, Sawyer MacNeil, is making me coffee. It’s as if Mr. Peanut showed up and offered me a bag of nuts.”

Sawyer laughed at that and said, “You should probably say no if someone called Mr. Peanut offers you his nuts. Also, I am so fucking sorry I named my coffee houses after myself. In my defense, I never actually expected them to take off the way they did, but suddenly I’m a brand name.”

“It’s awesome. Just own it,” Gabriel told him.

“Besides mate, Riley’s wrong to compare you to Mr. Peanut,” Roger said, as he and Alastair joined us in the kitchen. “You’re not a company mascot, you’re the head honcho. You’re basically Chef Boyardee, Little Debbie, or Granny Smith. In fact, you’re a bit of all three! I’m going to start calling you Chef Little Granny.”

While the friends laughed and bickered, I held Gabriel a little more securely and let myself enjoy the moment. We’d gone through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. To wind up like this at the end of it felt like the most amazing gift.

Chapter 12

The next three weeks passed in a blur. Before I knew it, filming on Alex and After was completed, and the cast and crew gathered for a lavish wrap party. The best part about that was seeing Gabriel so excited. He got all dressed up in a black on black outfit that included a sheer long-sleeved shirt over one of his lace and silk camisoles, slim-fitting pants, and ankle boots with a three-inch heel. He even let me do his makeup, and the red lipstick and smoky eye accentuated his natural beauty. I loved seeing him so confident and comfortable in his own skin.

Will and Lorenzo flew in from L.A. for the party. They were both excited, because they’d just had an offer accepted and were buying their first home. They sat at our table in the swanky Japanese restaurant, along with Phoenix, who seemed frazzled. While we ate, I asked him, “So, how’s it going with Harper?”