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Chapter 1
Spencer
“Thank you so much, Spencer.” Billy’s mom wrapped her arms protectively around her little boy. “It probably doesn’t seem like a huge deal to you, but I seriously panicked when I realized what he’d done.”
“Believe me, Jessica, this isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with a kid who stuck something someplace it didn’t belong. This was an easy one to fix, but I understand why you were worried.”
She’d brought him in because he’d put a small bead they were using for crafts in his ear, and it had gotten stuck in there pretty good. Luckily, after irrigating the ear and then using suction to dislodge the bead, Tonya Barrett, our nurse practitioner, was able to get it out.
“Maybe it wasn’t a first for you, but it was a first for us.” She placed a kiss on top of his curly hair and then shook her head. “And hopefully, it will be the last.”
I gave her the printed sheet that outlined the care her son had received and let out a sigh as she walked off. Because the closest hospital was over an hour away, we stayed busy enough, but River Gorge was a small town, so it wasn’t normally slammed. Thanks to flu season, this week had been more hectic than normal, and I was looking forward to having the weekend off to rest up.
When our shift ended, Tonya and I walked out to our cars together. “So, what plans do you have for the weekend?” she asked.
“Nothing really. Right now, I can’t think any further than a hot shower and maybe some mindless television.”
“You need to get out more.”
“You sound like my pops. He’s always telling me I need to go out and have fun.”
“Sounds like a smart man. You should listen to him. Now, this old woman is going to go home and sleep for days.”
A few minutes later, I pulled up behind Iverson’s Garage and parked my car in the spot that was reserved for me at the bottom of the stairs that led up to my door. It was already dark outside, but because the owner, Cody, had originally lived in this apartment, his husband, Eli, had made sure the back area was well-lit. I knew River Gorge was a small town and that the crime rate here was really low, but you didn’t spend almost a year living on the streets of a large city when you were a kid without developing a healthy wariness for dark places, so I was grateful for the lights. Just like I appreciated the heavy-duty locks that were on the door. There were benefits to renting from the local sheriff and his husband, for sure.
Once I was safely inside the apartment, I headed straight for the kitchen to grab some treats for my cat. Aristotle, or Ari for short, was quickly on his way to being spoiled rotten, but he’d been here all day by himself, and he hadn’t shredded my couch or torn down my curtains, so he deserved something special.
I gave him his treat and a little love and then turned on the oven to preheat while I took a hot shower and put on some comfy clothes. I’d just slid my frozen pizza into the oven and set the timer for eighteen minutes when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID, not at all surprised to see my dad’s name on the screen.
I considered not answering. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to him. Both my dads were the best. It was more that I was tired, so pretending everything here was perfect would take energy I didn’t have, and the last thing I wanted was for them to be worrying about me. Of course, if I didn’t answer, I would worry him even more. So, in the end, I pressed the button to accept the call.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, Spence, how are things?”
“Fine. Just got home from work a few minutes ago. How about you guys?”
“We’re good. Your pops volunteered us to watch the twins tomorrow while Nathan and Alex go to a hockey game, so I’m just enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasts.” My pop’s brother, Nathan, lived across the street from their house, and from the day he and his husband, Alex, brought the twins home from the hospital, my dad had been grumbling about how much time the twins spent at their house, but he wasn’t fooling anyone.
“Mathew, you love it, and you know it,” I heard my pops say in the background.
“He’s right, you love having them around,” I added.
“I do.” He chuckled. “We’re taking them to an indoor playground thing. They’re excited, and it’ll be fun. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you have weekend plans…” He paused, waiting for me to agree that I had a date. He worried non-stop about my single status, which made no sense to me since the two of them hadn’t gotten together until they were way older than I am now. I guess it was just a parent thing.
“Yeah, I just stopped by my apartment to feed Ari and get cleaned up before going out with some friends,” I lied. I didn’t make it a habit of lying to my dads, but I also didn’t want them worrying about me. Besides, if Shay hadn’t been working tonight, we probably would’ve had plans, so it was more of a fib than a lie. It wasn’t like I hadn’t made friends here in River Gorge. I had. I just wasn’t looking for a guy right now. It was impossible to find someone who was willing to respect my boundaries. I was tired of being disappointed when they said they would but didn’t, so being single was just easier, even if it sucked.
“Just friends? No special someone?”
“Dad, stop.
“Fine, fine.” He chuckled. “Friends are good. But honestly, I wasn’t calling to check up on you, believe it or not. I actually had a reason.”
“Really?” I asked, not even trying to hide the doubt in my voice.
“Yes, really. We’re planning an anniversary party for your grandparents, and your pops wanted to make sure you knew ahead of time so you could make sure you were off work.”
In the background, Pops, my other dad, called out, “But make sure he knows it’s a surprise party and not to say anything to them.”
