The Lights on Knockbridge Lane (Garnet Run 3)

When he spoke, his voice was choked and high.

“What happened to Bettie?”

Gus’ eyes went wide.

“Oh, nothing. She’s fine.”

Relief flooded Adam, and he closed his eyes.

“Good, good.”

“It’s just... I can’t...exactly...find her.”

“What!”

Adam jumped up, skin acrawl.

“I just took her out for a few minutes,” Gus explained. “Wes said it was okay. And she was so sweet, crawling on my arm, and then I guess I must’ve fallen asleep for just a minute—”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Adam said, trying to tamp down his horror and panic in front of Gus. “No problem, we’ll just look for her. Okay.”

But although his brain sent the message Get off the bed and go look for the huge tarantula crawling around your house, his body didn’t seem able to carry it out.

“Daddy. Are you getting down?”

“Hmm? Ohmm, sure, yep.”

Adam did not get down.

“Daddy?”

Adam nodded fervently, trying to figure out what to do.

“Uh, just hand me my phone, would you, sweetie?”

Gus did, and he dialed with shaking fingers. It was morning, so he doubted Wes would be awake, but it was all he could think of to do.

A groggy-sounding Wes answered, and relief rushed through Adam.

“Wes, Wes, can you come over? Please!”

Wes was instantly alert. “Are you okay? Should I call someone?”

“No, no, I’m fine. I...it’s...”

Gus took the phone from him.

“Hi, Wes. It’s Gus. Can you help me look for Bettie? She’s crawling around somewhere and Daddy’s too scared. Okay, bye.”

She tossed the phone on the bed and bounced cheerily out the door.

“I’ll let him in,” she called.

Adam did some deep breathing with his eyes closed, then realized that with his eyes closed, Bettie could crawl onto him and he’d never know. So he opened his eyes.

To find Wes standing in the doorway of his bedroom, looking at him with a strange expression. Amusement? Scorn?

No. Fondness.

Wes looked under the bed, in the closet, and all around the room, then came to the edge of the bed and held out his hand.

“I’m so sorry about all this,” Adam said, taking his hand. All this encompassed approximately forty things at this point.

“It’s okay,” Wes said simply.

Adam let himself be soothed, and Wes tugged him into his arms, lifting him easily to the floor.

“I’ll just make some coffee,” Adam said. Coffee would make everything better.

Wes didn’t let go of his hand but reeled him in and tipped his face up.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Um, it’s honestly not the best wakeup call I’ve ever received, but I’ll be fine. Once you find her,” he added with a grimace and a little push.

Wes nodded, letting himself be pushed. Then he doubled back and caught Adam in a kiss.

Adam didn’t have time to think about how he hadn’t brushed his teeth yet or Gus could walk in at any moment. All he could do was be joyfully, gloriously kissed.

Thoroughly melted and in much better spirits, Adam made his way down to the kitchen, put the kettle on, and collapsed into a chair. It was only eight o’clock in the morning and already he was exhausted.

He got the box of pancake mix down from the cupboard—filed under P for pancake; god, Wes was so damn cute—put on the new Rhys Nykamp album, and lost himself in daydreams about more kisses from Wes as he made pancakes.

When he heard Gus’ triumphant, “Bettie!” he felt a wash of relief.

“Pancakes!” he called, and Gus came galloping down the stairs, Wes following with a discreetly draped box under his arm that he placed near the front door before coming into the kitchen.

“Where was she?” Adam asked trepidatiously.

“The shower,” Gus chirped gleefully, shoving pancakes into her mouth.

Adam pushed that image as far from his mind as possible, in the interest of ever cleaning himself again.

Wes sat down at the third plate Adam had set and took a sip of coffee.

“Don’t worry,” Gus told Wes with her mouth full. “They come from a mix.”

Adam snorted. “I think what you meant to say was, ‘Thank you for breakfast, and all the other meals you make for me so I don’t starve to death.’”

Gus grinned. “Thank you for breakfast and all the other meals you make for me so I don’t starve to death.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Gus giggled.

“Gus and I are going to The Dirt Road Cat Shelter, where River works, to visit them and play with some cats. Wanna come with us?”

Adam said it casually, but he dearly wanted Wes to say yes. Of course, he had likely woken the man up just hours after he went to bed, and scared him into thinking his beloved pet was lost.

“I mean, I know cats aren’t your animal of choice...” Adam gave him an easy out. “But no one will be there except River.”

“I like cats,” Wes corrected. “I just don’t like them more than snakes and lizards.”

“Yeah, come!” Gus said. “River showed me a video of this cat they have there who always walks backward.”