“I’m not your handler,” the man says and then looks at me and Hugo. “Iamhis coach. Tavis Davenport. Nice to meet you.”
Hugo beams. “If you’re not his handler, why are you here?”
“Hugo,” Noah hisses.
Hugo flinches. “I don’t mean that rudely,” he adds hastily.
Tavis chuckles. “Ajo and I are friends and he invited me over to celebrate the new year.”
“He’s Max’s handler,” Deryke deadpans, giving me an amused smile.
Tavis sighs.
“And the ref is here too?” Hugo asks, staring at the man I was pretty confident was the ref.
“This is Fallon,” Ajo says. “They’re my… cousin.”
“Of sorts,” Fallon answers.
“Oh! This is the cousin of sorts. I didn’t know he was a ref,” Hugo comments.
“Cousin of sorts?” Max asks.
“Fallon is my brother’s wife’s sister’s cousin-in-law.” He looks at Fallon. “Right?”
“I think you forgot an uncle’s dog walker’s niece in there somewhere,” Fallon says.
Max snorts.
I’m relieved when the conversation moves away from me. I remain pressed to Hugo’s side, watching and listening. The night carries on and I can’t help but think about how fortunate I am. My life is filled with laughter and friendship. And Hugo. Every single day, I have Hugo.
As if he knows I’m thinking sappy things about him, Hugo leans back in the chair we’re sitting in and wraps his arm around my waist. I adjust on his lap, but something sharp keeps poking me in my thigh. Like I’m sitting on a small rock.
Getting up, I stare at his leg. “What do you have in your pocket?”
There are half a dozen snickers around me and my face heats. I know whatthatfeels like against my leg. This is something different.
“Nothing,” Hugo says. “I haven’t worn these pants in months. I forgot I had them.”
He stands and reaches into his pocket. A grin spreads across his face as he pulls his hand out and holds up a little duck between his thumb and pointer finger. Quiet laughter fills the yard.
“You haven’t found all those yet?” Egon asks.
Hugo snorts, shaking his head. “I doubt I’ve even found half of them.”
“I’ll throw it out,” Atty offers on his way by, holding out his hand.
Hugo shakes his head and stuffs it into his other pocket. “Nah. I like the color of this one. I’m going to keep it.”
I realize that his friends don’t know that he’s kept them all.
He sits again and pulls me back into his lap. There are still people looking this way so I flush. Naturally. Noah catches myattention. He’s watching me, sitting in Lix’s lap like I am Hugo’s. When I meet his eyes he smiles and then tucks himself into Lix’s arms.
He’s so pretty. He has his hair braided tonight and he’s wearing a dress with a delicate black collar around his neck. The dress is slim-fitting, hugging his lean figure. He’s simply… pretty.
I adjust in Hugo’s lap and lean into his arms. Noah shares another smile with me.
“Hey,” Max says. “Your team is tied for the most number of gay players on a team now.”
