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  That day would be long and by the time it was over, Poppy would be cranky and I would be exhausted. But would I miss the annual family vacation? Not a chance! I never passed up a chance to see my whole family, despite having to sweat my balls off in a theme park. Dodie and her brood were flying in from Miami and bunking with Nan. Graham and his family were driving in from Tennessee and staying with Lucy. We would be going to the theme parks all weekend and various places around Atlanta for the rest of the week.

  I started dinner for Poppy and me but it wasn’t a chore because I love to cook. Cooking for one, however, leaves a ton of leftovers so I usually wait for Poppy to come over to cook a substantial meal. Tonight’s dinner was pretzel coated chicken breasts with diced pickles and mustard cheese sauce. If you’d set that down in front of any other kid and they’d have turned their nose up—not Poppy. This may sound horrible, but my baby girl is a walking, talking garbage disposal. When it was ready, I plated up our food and hollered for her to turn off the TV and come eat.

  Dinner was nice, if one-sided, as Poppy dominated the conversation and I listened, nodding at what were hopefully the appropriate points. I loved having her here and missed her like crazy when she was gone, and I enjoyed the idea of her being with me for a longer period. Jackie talked to me after Poppy was done chewing her ear off earlier and had asked me to keep her ‘til the following Monday. I think Jackie wanted plenty of time to rest and recover completely before letting hurricane Poppy come home, and I was tickled pink. A loud belch and a satisfied ‘ahh’ indicated she was done.

  “What do you say?” I asked reflexively.

  “’Cuse me.”

  “Good girl. You can go and watch a movie now.”

  She bounded out of the kitchen and I set about cleaning up the dishes. I grabbed a beer, after I was done, and joined her in the living room where we watched Frozen—again. I could repeat the dialogue and sing all the songs by heart. I winced as Poppy sang along beside me. It’s a good thing she’s smart, ‘cause she’s tone deaf and when she sang, hound dogs howled. By the time Elsa saved Anna and the kingdom rejoiced it was getting late. I glanced down at Poppy who was drifting off as the credits rolled on the TV.

  I picked her up and carried her to her room. She swayed as I dressed her for bed in her favorite frilly, pink, nightgown, never opening her eyes the entire time. I quickly turned down the bed and lifted her into my arms, laid her down between the sheets and tucked her in. Bending, I kissed her softly and she mumbled, “Love you, Daddy.”

  “Love you bunches, Pops. ‘Night,” I whispered and kissed her forehead.

  She was sawing logs before I even made it out of the room. I turned off the light and closed her door gently behind me.

  I wandered through the house, closing up for the night. Stopping at the fireplace, I gazed at the myriad of family pictures on the mantel. My favorite was the one of us Mutts together—all six Gaither children. We took it a year ago, not long after Levi met Seth and my baby brother’s face shone with so much joy, it almost hurt to look at. He and Seth were so in love and I was happy for Levi. He was cherished and supported by his adoring Seth and, with him by his side, Levi had blossomed into a strong, sure man. I was so proud of him.

  I’d taken Levi with me everywhere when we were kids, like Graham had done with me. I’d done everything in my power to keep him out of our house and away from my parents’ wrath.

  I looked at another picture. It was of my Cousin Emmett and his partner Alex. They were getting married in the spring and I had already confirmed my time off from work to attend the wedding.

  Next photo was my cousin Eli and his boyfriend, Oscar. What a mismatched pair they were. You would never have expected to see the two of them together. Eli was older than Oscar by more than fifteen years but that hadn’t stopped Oscar. He’d set his sights on Eli and had pursued him until Eli was happily wrapped around his finger.

  I flicked off the lights and strode down the hall to my bedroom. The last picture to catch my eye hung on the wall by the bathroom door. My cousin Bumper and his other half, Hale, stared out at me. Hale was a hoot. Not many people can talk more than me, but Hale could give me a run for my money. I smiled and padded into my room, closing the door behind me. After a long stretch to get out the kinks, I stripped down to my skivvies and crawled into bed.

  Twenty minutes later, I was still staring up at the ceiling. I couldn’t get to sleep because my mind wouldn’t shut down. I was too hepped up about seeing Avery. Dang, he was a cutie. Rolling over, I focused on emptying my mind and sleep finally got me in its clutches.

  *

  I pulled into the Organic Monkey’s parking lot a bit fast and winced at the squeal of my brakes. Cutting the engine, I spotted Avery’s jeep and I suddenly felt hot all over.

  Good grief, I’m going to look like a lobster when I meet him.

  I sat still and tried to calm down. When I was satisfied my skin wasn’t tomato red, I reminded myself I wasn’t a complete dork. I got out of the car and walked into the Monkey.

  The smell of roasted coffee and fresh pasties wafted to my nose. Rapture! I was in heaven. A coffeegasm rushed over me as I scanned the room for Avery and - bingo - there he was. And I wasn’t the only one who was checking him out. Three queer hipsters were tittering, two tables away from him. I rolled my eyes as one of them lasciviously licked the whipped cream off his coffee, trying way too hard to get Avery’s attention. A duo of woo girls sat along the wall eyeing Avery, crossing and uncrossing their legs, hair flipping epically. Not that I could blame them. Avery was looking mighty fine.

  He sat slouched in his chair, checking his phone. His hair had been pulled up high on his head in a messy bun and he absently plucked at his long beard as he flicked his finger over his phone. He wore a baggy, gray hoodie and cargo shorts, unlike yesterday, when he’d been wearing jeans. Today I was treated to a pair of pale legs covered with thick dark hair. I smirked. He had the knobbiest knees I’d ever seen. I gazed lower to his big feet that were encased in bright aqua Nikes.

  I’d grown tired of the patrons licking their lips at my date so I quickly wove my way through the tables toward him. He must have seen my approach because he looked up and a huge grin split his gorgeous face as he stood up.

  A true gentleman! Dang, I think my clothes just fell off.

  “Hello, Martin.” He stepped closer, invading my personal space. The smell of smoke and man hung in the air and I inhaled deeply wondering if there was any better smell in creation.

  “Hi, Avery. I smell smoke…” I said and sniffed again. “Or is it cherries?”

  “I smoke a pipe sometimes,” he replied with a grin. “Cherry tobacco is my favorite.”

  I hadn’t expected that. With all the no smoking ads rammed down our collective throats, it was odd to find such a young man who smoked, much less a pipe. My surprise must have shown on my face because he continued with a shrug of his shoulders.

  “My Pawpaw smoked pipes,” he explained. “Mawmaw gave me all his pipes after he died ‘cause I already smoked the occasional cigar. I tried the pipe and found I liked it better.” He pointed to the chair across from where he was sitting. “Have a seat. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have smoked before coming to meet you. Does it gross you out?”

  “No, not at all,” I assured him. “I like the smell.” I sat down and noted he waited to sit until I was settled in my chair.

  Another point to you, Mr. Myer.

  Our waitress came over, pen already in hand and flashed us a bright smile. “Hey there, boys. I’m Bebe. What can I get you two cutie pies?”

  I laughed at her turn of phrase. “I’ll have iced mocha, please.” Avery’s mouth quirked at my order but he didn’t say anything, although I got the distinct impression he wanted to.

  “Coffee, two sugars. Thank you,” he said, then added quickly. “The African Kono blend if you have it.”

  “Sure. Be back in a jiff.”

  “Hey,” I said to Bebe as she turned away. ”Where’s
Sharling? I haven’t seen her in ages.” Sharling was an icon at the Organic Monkey. Her hair color changed month to month and was the stuff of legends.

  “Girl, here’s the ‘T’,” Bebe replied, hands on her hips. “She met a GI a few months back and it was love at first sight. She got married two weeks ago and she’s on her honeymoon as we speak. When she comes back, she’ll only be here for two weeks ‘cause her husband is being shipped over to Germany. We’re gonna miss her turrble bad.”

  “Wow, I’ll have to stop by and see her before she leaves!” I definitely had to give her a huge hug hello and goodbye.

  Bebe bustled off to get our orders and silence descended once more as Avery stared at me from across the table. This was going south fast and I hate silences, so I took a deep breath.

  “Okay, I’ll start,” I said. “As you know, my name is Martin Gaither. I’m the fourth of six kids and the second of three boys. I’m twenty-seven, a Gemini who loves to cook but hates to shop. I adore coffee and love sweet tea. I also enjoy hiking, swimming and playing badminton.” Avery’s brow rose at the badminton, but then so does everybody’s.

  “I was raised a good ole boy in Tatesville, Georgia where some of my extended family still live. The Gaithers are over three hundred souls strong. I like action movies and documentaries. I used to be a trucker but now I work in the office at the trucking company. I share custody of Poppy with my ex-wife Jackie, who recently married a really nice guy named Matthew. I’m single, I drink socially and I’ve never smoked… well, I take that back… I smoked some weed in high school but didn’t care for it, and I adore my daughter, even when she’s being a pill.” I sucked in a quick breath. “I think that’s it… in a nutshell.”

  Avery sat still, very still. He blinked once and ran his hand over his face. “Whoooeee. That’s a whole bunch of information to digest all at once.”

  “Too much?” I said apologetically. “I can’t help myself. I talk too much. I can’t stand silences.”

  “I can tell.”

  “I know I just met you, but I should tell you that I have ADD and I’m on medication for it. But, when I get nervous or angry, I can rattle on like a madman. The only person, besides my siblings, whoever understood me and my verbal diarrhea is Jackie. We became friends in college, slept together, got pregnant, got married, got divorced, got joint custody, got—”

  “I got it.” Avery held up a hand to silence me so he could get a word in. “I’m the complete opposite of you, in that I don’t talk a lot. I’m the oldest out of three. I ride a Harley. I’m a butcher. I’m a widower… you know that already. And…” He leaned closer to me and a sly smile ghosted over his lips. “You look good enough to eat.”

  “Oh. Oh. Ohhhh.” The last was on a rush of breath as my tongue flopped uselessly in my mouth. I was at a loss for words and my skin had to be the same color as my hair, because the heat I gave off was epic. Luckily, Bebe chose that moment to bring us our coffees. Setting them down, she hurried to her next table. I opened my mouth and then closed it again.

  “Ain’t that a kick in the ass?” Avery said softly. “Pretty boy’s lost for words.” He lifted his cup, blew on it and took a long sip.

  “You think I’m pretty?” I mumbled.

  “Yup.”

  “Why pretty?” I frowned, it irked me. “Why not handsome?”

  “Well,” he replied, his gaze sliding over me. “Your lips are all pouty and pink, which makes me want to nibble on ‘em. Your skin’s like fresh milk and your freckles are cuter than shit. And you got these big, blue eyes with long lashes, not to mention the prettiest red hair I’ve ever seen.”

  “It’s strawberry blond, not red.” I pouted. I do not have red hair.

  “Call it what you like, it’s pretty.” He shrugged insolently.

  Smug bastard, or was he just hot? Dang him!

  “Thank you. I’ve never been called pretty before and by the way.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “I’d love to kiss you right now.”

  “I don’t know why you’re whisperin’.” He snorted. “I mean, when we first met we were both nekkid and you su—”

  “Lalalalala!” I turned my head to the left and then to the right. “Keep it down, we’ve got ears hangin’ on our every word.”

  “Really?” He scanned the room, obviously tickled at the thought.

  “Please,” I drawled. “You’ve had a room full of admirers salivatin’ all over you.”

  He slapped the table and hooted in laughter. “Never had an audience before. Kinda kinky.”

  “Good Lord and Butter! Still waters do run deep. You may be quiet, but I have a feelin’ you’re a-a—”

  “Dirty-assed, butt-lickin’, ass-poundin’ horn dog?” he purred and I almost dropped my coffee.

  “Great, the fairy hipsters heard that,” I grumbled. “I can hear their butt’s puckerin’ from here.” I so wanted to sail my cup at the head of little blond queer in the group. He was sitting, spread-eagled across from us, showing off. If we didn’t leave soon, I was going to punch him in the balls!

  “Yeah,” Avery snickered and grinned when I scowled at him. “Maybe we should go somewhere else,” he suggested. “Hey, why don’t we go over to 350 Degree’s Bakery? It’s just down the street from here and my brother works there as a cake decorator. More importantly, we can score some free food.” His fingers grazed my hand and goose bumps broke out on my skin at his touch.

  “Gladly!” I replied and we quickly paid the bill. As we left, Avery put his hand on my lower back. The signal that we were together was not lost on the queersters and all three of them glared at us as we walked out.

  Take that, bitches!

  The bakery was a short trek from The Organic Monkey and Avery walked close to my side, bumping me on occasion, as I chattered away. He, of course, gave me one or two word answers. He really wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t much of a talker.

  When we reached the bakery, Avery darted forward and opened the door. The smell hit me like a ton of bricks and I actually moaned in appreciation.

  Fresh bread, cookies and cakes, oh my!

  It made my nose twitch and I swear my ass got fatter just by walking in. The shop was busy. Customers milled about as employees hurriedly took their orders. A young man looked up from behind the counter and spotted us. His caramel skin and gigantic afro gave him a distinctive look. “Hey, Avery!”

  “Hey, Kamal. Is butthead in the back?”

  “Yeah! Go on through.” He waved us around the counter toward, I assumed, the bakery’s kitchen.

  “Thanks,” Avery said with a wave of his hand, then paused and put a hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Kamal, this is Martin Gaither. Martin, this here’s Kamal Ojebengo. He’s the money man here. Why are you workin’ the counter?”

  “Cece called in sick so I’m helpin’ out. Penny should be herein an hour to relieve me.”

  “Cool, thanks again, man.” Avery walked around the counter and motioned for me to follow him. I nodded at Kamal as I passed.

  “Nice to meet you, Kamal.”

  “Same here, Martin.”

  I hurried to catch up to Avery and found him waiting for me in a small corridor at the back of the store. From the decadent smells coming from behind the door ahead of us, I gathered we were near the kitchen. I stopped when I reached Avery and noted the way he chewed at his lower lip. Was he nervous? I was briefly wondering what was going on in his head when his finger hooked through my belt loop and he yanked me close, molding me to his body. Dipping his head, his lips brushed against mine - oh so softly. I was so startled that I forgot that I had been about to ask him what was wrong.

  Avery intensified the kiss and I opened my mouth beneath his. His tongue traced my upper lip and flicked at the corner of my mouth. Groaning, I eased myself closer, melting against him when he wrapped his free arm around my waist. His beard tickled my chin and his mustache prickled my nose. Drowning in sensation as he kissed my socks off, I wasn’t prepared for him stopping abruptly. He mus
t have seen the confusion on my face because he grinned at me and susurrated softly in explanation.

  “If we stay here much longer someone’s bound to come through the door.”

  I gave him a guilty smile. “Right, sorry.”

  Avery nipped at my lower lip, kissed away the sting of his teeth and tapped my nose with his. “Don’t be sorry.” His voice was low and husky. “I’m not.”

  ‘Neither am I.”

  I’d leant in for another kiss when a loud crash made us both jump. It’d sounded like frying pans hitting the floor and was followed by some loud and very distinctive cursing.

  Avery rolled his eyes heavenward and muttered apologetically, “I’m nothin’ like my triplet. I do curse, but Boone takes it to a new level.”

  “He’s certainly… imaginative,” I replied, scrunching up my nose at the tirade of words coming from the kitchen.

  “He’s a frickin’ artist.” Avery stared at the door and sighed. “Oh well, no time like the present.” He pushed open the door and we walked through it.

  “Fuckin’ monkey-nutted, klutzy-assed, butt-sniffin’ crease weasel. I can’t get a damned thing fuckin’ done with all this shittery-van-shitterette clutterin’ up my area—damn it! Can someone grab me a mop and towel or do I have to do everythin’ myself?”

  And that was how I met Avery’s brother, Boone.

  We stopped and stared at Boone as he screamed at the top of his lungs. He had blobs of white frosting all over his jeans and a huge shattered bowl at his feet. As we got closer, I got a better look at him. He was as tall as Avery with the same color hair and eyes, and they had the same mouth. They both had beards, but Boone’s was shorter that Avery’s with a curved bottom. Boone’s hairstyle was different, too. Avery had a man bun, but Boone’s hair was shaved short on the side with the top spiked.

  Physically they were the same build, however I noted Boone was leaner around the belly and had a few tattoos on his arms where they peeped out from under the sleeves of his T-shirt. Avery’s arms were bare because his ink was on all on his chest. He must have finally noticed us because he stopped yelling and as soon he saw Avery, mischief lit Boone’s eyes.