Bad Ideas (First & Forever 4)

Theo slipped his hand into mine as we stood back and watched all of this unfold. Kel’s expression softened, and he uncrossed his arms and took Royce’s face between his palms. “I love you too, Sonny,” he said gently. “You really hurt me, though. I can’t pretend like none of that ever happened.”

“I know. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

Kel leaned in and kissed him. Then he said, “Get up, before you screw up your knee even more. There’s coffee and breakfast, are you hungry?”

As Kel helped him to his feet, Royce said, “Starving. I took the redeye back and came here straight from the airport.”

“Is that all your luggage?”

Royce held out the tote and said, “Actually, this is your Christmas present. I left my suitcases on the porch.”

Eden called, “We’ll get them,” and he and Seth headed to the door.

Meanwhile, Kel opened the tote and exclaimed, “It’s a chinch!”

He pulled the big-eared rodent from the pet carrier as Royce explained, “I thought Winston might want a friend. I saw this little guy in the window of a pet store in Illinois and just knew I had to get him for you.”

Kel held the furball against his chest, then hugged his boyfriend, being careful not to squish the animal. “It’s the best gift ever,” he said. “Does she have a name?”

“He. They were calling him Wally at the pet store, but you could change it if you wanted to.”

“Wally is perfect,” Kel said, as we all moved back into the living room. He put his new pet down in the cat bed beside Winston, and the two chinchillas sniffed each other’s noses before settling in side-by-side. Maybe it was my imagination, but it really seemed like the patchy, stressed out rodent relaxed a little as he leaned against his new friend.

A little while later, George and Flora joined us. One of the first things George asked me was whether I’d spent the money he’d given me yet. I told him I’d paid off my student loans like I’d said I would, and then I mentioned my plan to put the rest of it into Theo’s community health center.

George wanted to hear all about that, and everyone turned their attention to my boyfriend as he described his vision. Then Seth asked, “How can I help?”

Theo seemed surprised. He was sitting on my lap because all the seats were full, and he fidgeted a little as he said, “I’m not sure, but there’s bound to be a lot of work to do once we find a building.”

Everyone started talking excitedly, throwing out ideas and brainstorming ways they could contribute. Theo watched what was happening with a look of wonder. Slowly, it began to dawn on him that he was going to have all kinds of support as he made his dream a reality. I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled his shoulder as I said, “Welcome to the family, baby.”

He turned and kissed me tenderly before giving me the sweetest smile. I loved the way his eyes sparkled as he whispered, “This feels like a miracle.”

The End