Page 61 of Guys Like Him

Kieran looked at him with eyes as big as the moon, and Finley burst into laughter. “How could you even joke about that?”

“The same way you joke about jail,” Finley replied. “I’m taking away its power over me.” He unbuckled his seat belt and leaned toward Kieran. “And if you want a religious experience, I’ll give you one.” He didn’t wait for a reply. Finley got out of the truck and walked around to the back, where Kieran met him with an eagerness that made his heart leap with joy. After lowering the tailgate, Finley unzipped the sleeping bag until it lay flat, then the two of them spread it in the truck bed before climbing up and lying on their backs. “This will be even nicer this summer when its—”

Kieran cut him off with a kiss. It started out chaste but got dirty in a hurry. Kieran pulled back abruptly and looked up at the sky. He reached over and laced his fingers between Finley’s. “I don’t know who I am or what I want to do with my life. There’s so much I still need to figure out.” He turned his head and met Finley’s gaze. “I don’t know what I can give you except for my tomorrow and the tomorrow after that.”

So this was what love really felt like.

“I’ll take all your tomorrows,” Finley whispered.

“Everything okay?” Finley asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

Kieran squeezed his hand and smiled over at him. “Not going to lie. I’m more than a little nervous about meeting your mom.”

As much as he’d protested otherwise, it turned out that Kieran had wanted to take certain things slow, such as meeting the parents. Finley had been dodging and deflecting Hope’s attempts to orchestrate an introduction for over a month after Harry let the cat out of the bag.So much for her staying in her lane.The gesture was for Kieran’s benefit, and he worried it would create friction between Finley and his mom, which was the last thing he wanted, and not only because she kept them well lubed with a constant supply of Monkey Grease.Bless her heart.But what if she decided Kieran wasn’t good enough? She’d wanted Finley to date that Michael guy, who exuded confidence and success. That dude wouldn’t freak out about meeting anyone’s family. Kieran had nothing to offer Finley besides a drawing from his sketchbook.And my tomorrows.What mother in her right mind would want that kind of uncertainty for her son?

“Maybe we should’ve called first? This feels like an ambush,” Kieran said.

Finley hip-checked him on the sidewalk. “Knock it off. Hope is going to adore you. Stop making a big deal out of this. We’re just making a low-stakes swing by her shop to say hello.”

“And get more lube.”

Heat flooded Kieran’s cheeks, and Finley laughed. “And that too.” Finley stopped a few feet away and tugged on Kieran’s hand to halt his progress. “Don’t let her see you blush,” he cautioned in the same tone others used to saydon’t feed the wild animals.

Kieran snorted and shook his head. “Or what?”

Finley’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh no, I think you just challenged the universe to give you a Hope Newton performance.”

As usual, Finley knew the perfect thing to say to ease Kieran’s nerves. Their lives had become so beautifully entwined over the past four weeks. Finley’s photographs decorated Kieran’s cabin, and Kieran’s sketches joined Finley’s art collection in his office. Well, at least the drawings and photos that were made for public consumption. The racier images and drawings were kept for private viewings only. They worked and played together like a well-oiled machine, and even spent most of their nights in the small cabin. Kieran did have moments of overwhelm that Finley intuitively detected. On those nights, he’d kiss Kieran tenderly and head back to his bedroom at the old homestead without need for excuses or explanations. The first time it happened, Finley had been a little tentative the next morning, so Kieran had backed him into his office, shut the door, and demonstrated just how happy he was to see him. After that, Finley didn’t worry that the time away meant they were growing apart. Each day brought them closer together, and meeting the rest of Finley’s family felt like a natural next step.

Something cold and wet smacked against Kieran’s back. He stiffened and spun around and saw an ice cream cone on the sidewalk.

“Men shall not lay with other men,” said a man with white hair and a white beard. Hostility and something akin to madness shimmered in his pale eyes. “I will cast out all the sinners.”

Kieran was too stunned to speak, but Finley didn’t suffer from the same affliction. He stepped around Kieran and planted himself between Kieran and the threat.

“Your grammar is the sin. It’slie, notlay. The wordshallis a future tense auxiliary verb.” Finley took a few steps toward the man, who had the wisdom to ease back. “I assure you I shall lie with this man whenever and however I want to.”

The old man trembled as he pointed a finger at Finley. “You’re the witch’s son.”

Before Finley could answer, the door to his mother’s shop burst open and a young man with dark blond hair darted onto the sidewalk. He was dressed just like the man who’d accosted them and didn’t look like he was faring any better. He froze like a deer in headlights just as a woman burst through the door with a Super Soaker. He recognized Hope from Finley’s photos and watched in awe as she leveled her weapon of choice at her harasser.

“I warned you assholes,” she said before she pulled the trigger, hitting the man at center mass with a blast of water. His arms pinwheeled and he flailed about as people on the sidewalk darted to the left and right to avoid the woman’s wrath. Her victim staggered to one knee before scrambling to his feet and fleeing for safety. Hope cackled like a madwoman the entire time, her gray-and-white hair flowing behind her, and Kieran was pretty sure he fell in love with her a little just like he’d fallen for her son.

“Witch!” the white-haired man called out.

“Oh shit,” Finley said. “Now you’ve done it.”

Hope spun around and marched forward, Super Soaker locked and loaded. “It’s bitch, not witch. Get it right.” She unleashed a torrent of water at their white-haired accoster until he staggered off into the crowd that had gathered to witness the spectacle.

Finley looked over his shoulder at Kieran. “And the universe answered.”

The crowd cheered for Hope, and she grabbed the skirt of her flowing yellow dress and gave a little curtsy. Then she gave her full attention to her son. It was that moment when she realized Kieran was with him. Her eyes went wide and excitement danced in green eyes several shades darker than Finley’s. It was also at that time Hope realized her finger was still on the trigger because she pressed it in her excitement and blasted Kieran in the chest.

The cold stunned Kieran for a second, and he froze in shock. Finley, the valiant knight, jumped in front of him once more, taking the brunt of the blast.

“Let off the trigger, you madwoman,” Finley yelled while trying to use his arms as a shield to block the water.

Hope eased off and lowered the weapon, and the three of them howled with laughter.

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