“Sure. I’ll be right here.”
Makai put the number into his phone and took in a deep breath. Then he moved the laptop onto the coffee table and pressed Call.
“Hey, it’s Makai,” he started when the call was answered. “Yeah, I got your info from Alice.”
Emil listened to Makai’s side of the conversation and leaned back on his shoulder when Makai’s breath hitched.
“I missed you too, man. Sorry I was such a jackass.” Makai wiped a tear off his cheek and took hold of Emil’s hand for extra support.
They sat like that, Makai talking with Kaos, for a long time. Emil made sure the fish got fed to the cats, who were more than happy about his catch, and then went back to sit with Makai. Emil just listened, his own laptop forgotten beside him on the couch.
“Yeah, his name is Emil. He’s the sheriff’s son,” Makai said, then chuckled deeply. “Yeah, I thought so too. But he’s… he’s great. The greatest thing that ever happened to me. How about you, seeing anyone?”
The one-sided conversation flowed around Emil, and he reacted to it all with smiles or chuckles and the occasional squeeze of Makai’s hand when the subject was heavier.
“Oh?” Makai said, and the almost doze Emil was in evaporated at his tone. “I would have to ask Emil. Can you give me a minute? Okay.” Makai pressed the phone against his chest and looked at Emil. “Kaos needs a place for a while. Do you think he could couch surf here for a few days, at least until he finds something else?”
“Yeah, absolutely, he’s your brother, isn’t he?” Emil asked, and for a moment Makai looked stunned, but then he lowered his head, kissing Emil firmly on the lips.
“I love you,” he stated simply, then put the phone back to his ear. “Emil says yes. I can text you the address. Yeah, whenever you’re ready, head our way. Okay. Yeah, talk to you soon, man. Bye.”
“I love you too,” Emil told Makai after he’d texted the address to Kaos. “I know you don’t have much of a family, but what you have, it’s mine too, right? Just like mine is yours.”
Makai leaned in to kiss him again. “Yeah, exactly.” If his voice was a bit husky with emotion, neither of them commented on it.
EMIL’S MOTHER’Sbirthday party—just for the family—came before Kaos made it to Acker. Emil had made that calendar for her, and Makai decided to make her a cutting board. The end result was perfect for her kitchen, which Emil had sneakily measured for optimal size for the board one day, and he couldn’t wait to see her expression when they gave the presents to her.
There were other presents, of course, from her friends and a few people in town who liked her a lot, and she’d opened them earlier that day. There were also a lot of flowers in the house when they got to his parents’.
“I didn’t even know you had this many vases!” he said, kissing his mom on the cheek.
“I put some in mason jars, but don’t tell anyone!” She smiled and hugged him close. Then she turned her attention to Makai and hugged him too. “Don’t you look handsome!”
Makai did, indeed, look handsome in his neat new jeans and white button-down he’d rolled the sleeves of. The scars of the surgery had messed up some of his tattoos, but neither of them cared, because he could use the arm again.
“Thank you, Nora, you look lovely yourself. Happy Birthday.” Makai kissed her cheek, and she blushed lightly at the compliment. She did look nice in her summery dress, Emil admitted.
“Who is hitting on my wife?” Dad rumbled from the living room.
Emil rolled his eyes and called back, “Eww, Dad, you’re talking about my mother and my partner here.”
A pleasant chuckle drew them all into the living room where Dad sat in his armchair by a small end table Makai had made them just because he could. A vase sat on the table, placed carefully on top of a small table cloth, and it was filled with sunflowers, Mom’s favorites.
“I have to say, I don’t think you have anything to worry about, not after getting her those.” Makai smirked at Dad and went to sit on the couch.
Emil sighed, resigned to his fate, and held out the bag they had for Mom’s presents. “Here, before these two can say any more things that mildly disturb me, open your presents!” He sat next to Makai, and Mom took the other end.
“Two presents?” she asked, clearly delighted. She started with Emil’s present, the calendar of kitten photos and a blown-up framed one of Mouse and Spike sleeping on the couch together. “Oh, Emil, these arewonderful!” Her eyes teared, and he knew he’d done well. Even if the calendar was Dad’s idea, originally. He looked at Dad and grinned at him and got one back in response.
“The other one is from Makai,” Emil said when she got the heavier present out of the bag.
She opened it quickly, as if she couldn’t help herself, which made them all smile. When she pulled out the herringbone-patterned cutting board, she placed it on her lap, then lifted a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Makai, it’slovely!” she gasped. Then she promptly hugged him and reached past Emil to pull him into the awkward sitting hug too.
THEY HADdinner, and after dessert, Dad winked at Emil, who sneakily went outside to get his guitar from the truck while Makai helped Mom clear the table to keep her distracted.
When Mom and Makai came to the living room, Emil sat on the couch, with Dad nervously shuffling back and forth across the small space of their living room.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked, clearly surprised. “Are you playing again?” She looked so hopeful it broke Emil’s heart a little, but at least he could give her the good news.
