Page 180 of Pretty ’n Peak

Austin threw away the coffee cup, the second one he’d ordered and only half drunk.

Teo had left Portland at six-thirty with a recommendation to Austin to grab some dinner and then call a car in an hour and a half.

There was no way that was going to happen.

Austin had sent his boyfriend off with a lingering kiss through the window of his truck door, then turned right around to grab a Lyft and come after him.

If his baby needed something, he wasn’t going to be stuck forty minutes away.

Instead, he was listening to pop-y Christmas music at a Starbucks somewhere in Woodburn, even though it was only the second week of November.

He checked the time again. Eight thirty-seven.

He wished he had a mantra or something to say right now, and almost thought about calling Taja.

He snorted, because he could already hear her voice in his head. He should let himself feel his feelings. And since there wasn’t anything else to do for half an hour, he pulled in a deep breath and tried.

There was a lot of fear there. He never, ever wanted to see Teo hurt.

But there was also a layer of hope that he barely trusted, the possibility that everything would work out and he’d be joining Teo’s family for Thanksgiving.

That was what Taja would want him to focus on instead of preparing for the worst.

Their work together had shifted over the past six months. Quitting his old job and going to work for Cuffd had lifted the heavy blanket of depression off his shoulders, and for that, he was grateful beyond words. Color had come back to his world, not just when Teo was around, but when he forgot he was humming while he took a Lyft to work each morning. Enjoying his colleagues and hanging out with them as friends was a freedom and sense of community he’d never expected.

But there was still a lot to unpack there—like realizing that his father was his role model for staying in a job he hated, and his mother’s emotional disconnect was probably what had landed him with partners like Aaron and Cam in the first place.

Not to mention how much Teo being in the closet threw him back to a similar situation with Aaron. Taja had pointed out how often he put himself in relationships where he felt trapped.

But she also agreed that his relationship with Teo was different. With Teo, he could share anything, and expect emotional honesty and support in return. Teo was also a thousand times more confident and self-aware than anyone he’d dated before, hurtling toward his own barriers of fear and coming out triumphant.

Teo was his light and his love. The person he most wanted to protect, but also his role model for living authentically and pursuing happiness.

Teo had claimed that he was looking for a Daddy to guide him, but he’d taught Austin so much more.

Austin was so damn proud of him right now.

And also terrified. Because it didn’t matter how confident Teo was in his identity if his family didn’t accept him.

Alright, eight forty-eight.

The map app told him it would only take five minutes to get to Teo’s house, but this was close enough. He could stand outside in the freezing drizzle for a while if he needed to.

When he pulled up to the curb, he asked the driver to confirm the address and point him the right way. He was halfway up the sidewalk, duffle bag over his shoulder and cane sweeping the sidewalk, when the front door opened and a burst of music and laughter erupted.

The doorway cast a yellow light around the dark blur of someone’s body. “Hello, uh… Oh! You’re Mateo’s friend, right? I remember you.” It was a woman’s voice with a Spanish accent, but that only narrowed it down to Teo’s mother, sisters, sisters-in-law, and any neighbor or friend who might have attended the same party last summer.

“Yes, uh, is he around?” What the hell was going on? Had Teo not mentioned anything yet?

The woman called Mateo’s name, followed by a rapid flow of unknown syllables and a few queries from different voices in return. Teo’s was only one of them.

The door closed, then opened again a moment later. Something was really strange.

He heard the thump of boots down the steps, a dark blob resolving into Teo in front of him. Movement followed, then Teo took one of his cold hands in his warm ones.

“Is everything okay?” Austin asked immediately. Now that he was here, his own fears were trivial. He just wanted to wrap Teo in blankets of support and give him everything he needed.

“Yes, um… My sister-in-law just told everyone she’s pregnant.”