Page 61 of The Coyote's Veterinarian Omega

I crinkled my nose, and he glanced up at me. “Not anymore,” he added.

I nodded decisively. “Let’s never speak of it again.”

“Honestly, the only way to deal with it,” he laughed. “How do you feel aboutStar Wars?”

“StarTrek,” I countered.

He rolled his eyes, then took the remote from me. “All right,” he said, “I’ve got an idea.”

“I thought you said I could pick?”

He gave me a cheeky grin, and I felt my mouth curving up in response. “Trust me,” he said, then opened one of the apps.

We ended up watchingThe Lion King, which was far and away thebestchoice. I had loved that movie when I was a kid; so had he. It was the absolute perfect place to start sharing our favorite things with each other.

Wyatt fell asleep toward the tail end of the movie; we’d both seen it a million times, and I guessed he was tired. I turned off the tube, laid him out on the sofa, and covered him up with a blanket. I leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek, whispering, “See you in bed.”

That got a little grunt, and I grinned before retreating to the bedroom.

Wyatt appeared in the room before I was finished brushing my teeth. I lifted a brow, and he rubbed an eye. “I got cold,” he said, then glanced at the bed. “And the couch is probably a terrible idea.”

“Probably,” I agreed, although I’d tried to buy something relatively comfortable.

He joined me in the ensuite, brushed his teeth and his hair, and then we climbed into bed together.

I wasn’t sure which one of us started giggling first. It was so weird, to be sliding into this big bed, in this bedroom, with these crisp, fresh sheets, him beside me, and knowing that this was the rest of my life. Like we were … actual adults now or something.

“What are you laughing about?” I asked him through my own mirth.

He stared at the ceiling. “Just … how I didn’t think I’d ever be here.”

I tilted my head. Hazel eyes sought my gaze. “It’s so … domestic,” he said.

“Yeah. Guess it is.”

He smiled, bright and genuine. “And, you know, where I comefrom … that’s not really athing? Or at least, some people think it shouldn’t be a thing.” A frown marred his face.

“Nobody couples up?” I asked, aiming for levity.

It didn’t work; his expression stayed serious. “Not gay people,” he said solemnly.

The words seemed to hover on the air for a moment, before I burst out laughing. Wyatt turned to me, startled. “What? What?!”

“Gay people settle down all the time,” I told him. “Like this—yeah, exactly like this. I mean, look at Burt and Vern.”

Wyatt frowned. “They don’tlivetogether.”

“Only ’cause Vern works weird fucking hours and Burt likes to sleep. I remember—they totally tried it for a bit.” I did remember now, actually. Mom and Dad had never hidden it from us, so we knew Burt and Vern were basically married, but some of the kids in school …

Roommateswas a popular word. I frowned. “I bet gay people have been doing that for ages,” I said. “Living together.”

“Probably,” Wyatt agreed.

“Like—everyone goes on about their aunt and herfriend, you know, the one who never got married but her and this BFF or whatever share an apartment.” I gave him a look. “You know they’re banging.”

Wyatt blinked. “I never thought of that.”

“Yeah! It’s like … Sherlock Holmes and Watson. I bettheywere banging.”