Morethis time, our mouths finding a rhythm, his tongue darting past my lips, deepening the kiss. My hands landed on the small of his back, and it was lucky the hill was so solid, because otherwise we might have tumbled into space. I had no idea what I was doing, but it must have been alright, because he was whimpering against my mouth, small sounds that latched on to the feeling I’d been carrying in my gut for weeks, petting it and soothing it and making it grow. And somehow it felt right, because this wasCole, and suddenly a thousand secret aches made sense.
A flurry of activity, and suddenly Cole was straddling my lap, my legs stretched out in front of me in the grass.
“Is this okay?” he whispered. “If it’s too much —”
“It’s not too much—” I murmured back, and pulled him close. “Wait —fuck—”
He sat back like he’d been stung. “What?”
“It’s just — I dunno, you just told me a whole bunch of heavy stuff. About your parents. I should have — but instead I just —”
He was laughing, winding his arms around my neck. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,shut up. Parents? What parents? This is so fucking worth it —”
And who was I to disagree with him? I surged upward, capturing his lips with mine. The rest of it could fall away, if we could have this.
***
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” Cole was lingering at the gate, one hand on the white picket fencing while he rested the other on my shoulder. “I know you didn’t eat, and Gram woulddefinitelymake you a sandwich or something.”
I groaned. “If I come in, I’m never going to leave.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” Cole glanced up at the porch, then took me gently by the elbow, leading me into the deep shadows beside the house. Then he leaned down, and I lifted myself on the balls of my feet to meet him, my hands resting on his hips as we kissed. One night, and I already knew that I wouldneverget tired of this.
“Mmm, I have to go home,” I mumbled. “Dad — if we’re doing this, I don’t want him to start looking tooclosely at what I’m up to.”
“Fine,I guess,” he teased. Then he reached up, tugging playfully at my knit hat. “First kiss, and with a guy. How do you feel?”
“Like I’m never going to fall asleep tonight,” I grinned.
“Well, if you do, dream of me, okay?”
“I will.” And that was one promise that I knew for sure I would be able to keep.
Seven
You’re Gorgeous
June 2025
“SO WHY DO WE NEED YOU GUYSto pick out our suits for us?” I turn toward the mirror, brushing a bit of lint off the shoulder of my tuxedo jacket. “We didn’t come with you to the bridal shop this morning.”
Cole laughs, leaning conspiratorially toward Sabrina, his arm snaking along the back of the couch. We’re in a luxury menswear shop in Soho that I wouldn’t even have the courage tolookat on a normal day, but when Sabrina and Seth drive all the way down from Boston to shop with us, I guess I’m going to do what they say. “Isn’t that cute? He thinks they can dothis unsupervised.”
Beside me, Seth puts his hand on my shoulder. “Face it, little brother — we’re outmatched. I don’t know about you, but I havenoidea what I’m doing, and I want to look good.”
“Turn around and look at me, both of you,” Sabrina commands, and we rotate on the spot. She tilts her head toward Cole. “What do you think, babe?”
“I mean, they look hot.” Cole drags his blue eyes all the way down my body, and I can feel my skin prickling in his wake. “But with all the variety and possibilities in men’s suiting — black tuxes, really? I think we can do better.”
The attendant clears his throat. I think he said his name was Jeremy? “Tuxedoes are a classic for a reason. They flatter everyone, and they fit every season.”
Cole fixes him with a withering stare, and Sabrina puts a hand on Cole’s knee. “Maybe Seth and I should look around the store a little?” she suggests. “We’ll pull a few more options.”
As she leads Seth away, Cole gets up off the couch, crossing the carpet to stand in front of me. He winks, leaning down to adjust my bowtie.
“You. Are. Drunk,” I murmur, tilting my chin up towards his face.
“I amnot,” Cole scoffs. “Okay, maybe a little tipsy. They had champagne at the bridal salon and I might have had a couple of glasses.”
