Julian held him close. “I know. And I know it will happen for you one day, because you, more than anyone, deserve to be loved by a wonderful man.”
With the heel of his hand, Zach rubbed his eyes dry and smiled at his best friend. “This night is about you and Nick, not me. I can’t tell you how happy I am for both of you.” Nick came up behind Julian and slipped his arms around him.
“Thanks, Zach. And thanks for coming early. We wanted to get family pictures before it got too crowded.” He glanced over Zach’s shoulder. “Ah, there’s the photographer.” After a brief smile and a kiss for Julian, Nick hurried off.
“Where’s your mom?” Julian drained his glass and set it down on the table they stood next to. “She’s coming, right?”
“Sam’s bringing her” said Zach, wishing Sam was with him now. “I thought it would be a nice way for the two of them to get better acquainted.”
The gleam in Julian’s eyes brightened, and he waved to Marcus from across the room. Marcus sauntered up. “What is it?”
“You introduced Sam to your mother?” He nudged Marcus. “Did you hear that? Zach introduced Sam to Cheryl.”
Marcus’s dark brows arched high. “You did? But you never told her you were gay, right?”
“You guys know my mom.” Warmth flooded through Zach at how easily his mother accepted his sexuality. From his work with runaway teens at the LGBTQ centers he volunteered at in the city, Zach knew firsthand it could’ve been so much worse. “She only wants me to be happy.”
That speculative gleam hadn’t disappeared from Julian’s eyes. “And is Sam making you happy?”
“I hope you’re using protection, dear,” teased Marcus.
“You two are as bad as the old ladies at the senior center. Don’t you have better things to do than obsess about my sex life?”
“Aha! You admit it.” Marcus crowed in triumph. “Our Zach is finally having sex.”
The man could exasperate a nun. “Excuse me. I haven’t said hello to Nick’s parents yet. I don’t want to be rude.” Turning his back on his two friends, he joined Nick, his parents, and a man he didn’t recognize, presumably the photographer given the expensive camera he had around his neck.
“Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher, congratulations.”
“Oh, Zach, thank you.” Nick and his mother shared the same kind smile. “And thank you for coming early to take pictures with us. We wanted to make sure all Nick’s and Julian’s closest friends were here to celebrate.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. My mom is coming later, in about an hour.”
To his shock, Nick’s mother leaned in and whispered to him, “I heard you met a nice man of your own. I’m very happy for you.”
Heat crept up his neck. “Um, yeah. Thank you.”
“Zach.” Katie hugged him. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
Taken by surprise, he froze, unused to such close personal contact by someone he considered a stranger. Katie drew back, and he fumbled an excuse.
“Sorry, you, um, took me by surprise.” Lame and pathetic, even to his own ears, but it was the best excuse he could come up with quickly. Apparently falling in love hadn’t solved all his problems; he was still the same awkwardly shy Zach he’d always been.
“It’s okay,” said Katie, flashing him a grin that held a wealth of understanding, and Zach remembered Katie worked as an ADA in the sex crimes division of the District Attorney’s Office. The verbal harassment, taunts, and humiliation he’d endured paled in comparison to what she saw on a daily basis.
“How do you do it?” he blurted out, then stopped, horrified that he asked such a question from a virtual stranger.
“Do what?” Her smooth brow furrowed; then she nodded, as if she understood. “Oh, my job?”
“Yes. Isn’t it hard to deal with so much violence every day? I can’t imagine the suffering you see from the victims.”
“It’s hard, but I look at it from the other direction.” Together they walked to a quieter corner of the loft. It amazed Zach how comfortable he felt with Katie; like she was an old friend or even the sister he’d never had. Julian was lucky to have a family like this.
They sat on the broad windowsill that overlooked Delancey Street. The sky was a midnight blue, the moon filtering out from between the clouds. So many people crowded on the street below; Zach remembered how desolate and run-down this area was when he was growing up and his parents took him to the Lower East Side to buy fresh pickles from Guss’ Pickles. He shook his head at the memory popping up in his mind.
“Not only do I get to put in prison people who hurt others who are weaker than they are, but I’m helping the victims.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and her colorful earring swung forward. “They can breathe easier knowing some lousy bastard who hurt them or their children won’t be able to anymore.”
If he thought too hard on it, he’d never have the courage to ask; plus, they were isolated enough, and Katie seemed as though she’d keep what he said confidential.
