Then he turns to me. I shake his hand. Possibly a little harder than necessary. “Ryan.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m a fan.”
I narrow my eyes. “What are your intentions with our Tyler here?”
Tyler's eyes widen dramatically. His expression clearly says:Dude. Stop.
Nick laughs. “That's entirely up to him.”
I hold his gaze for a beat. Then I nod. “Good answer.”
The relief on Tyler's face is immediate. I grin and clap Nick on the shoulder. “We're heading to our table.”
Before Tyler can escape, I pull him into a hug. He makes a startled noise. “Break a leg, T-Bone.”
His arms wrap around me. “Thanks, Ryan. And thank you for all of this.”
When I let him go, Spence immediately pulls him into another hug. I lose a little more of my heart to the man when I hear him whisper, “I'm so fucking proud of you.”
Tyler goes completely still. My insides melt.
Tyler swipes at his eyes. “Okay. Nope. Not doing this. Go to your table.”
I laugh, grab Spence's hand again, and start hauling him toward our table.
Spence and I walk through the ballroom hand in hand. I can't stop smiling. Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by people I trust. Maybe it's because of the kind of event this is. Maybe it's because I'm not hiding myself anymore. Whatever the reason, I find myself walking a little taller.
This is the first time I've ever done this. The first time I've walked into a room holding another man's hand. And it feels... Fuck. It feels like breathing cleaner air. Like someone opened a window in a room I didn't realize I'd been trapped inside.
No one’s giving me funny looks for baring ass on the internet, either. Again, I’m in a safe space. I’m sure I’ll face more people like the grocery store hateful woman. And I’m sure I’ll meet more incredible people like the sweet old lady with the whipped cream. Point is, I feel like I can handle it all.
Especially with this man by my side. I can’t believe we met at the shelter. As soon as he told me, the memory resurfaced. Spencer Stark was the first boy I noticed. The first one I associated the word ‘beautiful’ with. And now he’s mine.
Holy shit! We were meant to be.
I squeeze Spence's hand, the thought making me giddy. When we reach the table I'd reserved for all of us, I guide him toward our seats near the front of the stage, tucked into the nook beside the catwalk. Close enough to see every detail of Tyler's work.
Spence pulls out my chair.
The entire table is silent. I look down, and everyone is staring at us with looks of anticipation:Well? What happened?
A slow grin spreads across my face. Before Spence can sit down, I turn, cup the back of his head, and pull him into a kiss.
The table erupts. Gasps. Cheers. Catcalls. When I finally pull back, Spence looks completely dazed and I laugh.
Then I remember I'm still wearing the chef’s coat. More importantly... I remember what I'm wearing underneath. I glance down at the chef's coat. Then back at Spence. His eyes narrow with suspicion.
“Ryan.”
I start unbuttoning the coat.
Very. Slowly.
“Ryan.”
I pump my eyebrows. The last button comes undone. I shrug out of the coat with a flourish.
Spence's eyes travel slowly over my outfit. The expression on his face is worth every second Tyler spent convincing me to wear it. The pants Tyler made for me are embellished with silver glitter across the top section that was hidden by the jacket. Barely covering my chest is a black mesh crop top.
