Justin O'Dwyer is 19. Four days ago, his mother died of a drug overdose, and now Justin is back in Enterprise, Oregon, trying to figure out how to raise the younger siblings he's afraid of losing to the foster system. Justin is completely out of his depth. Harper is six, and hates him. Wyatt is four and doesn't remember him. And baby Scarlett, at fourteen months, has never even met her big brother before. When Scarlett gets sick and won't stop screaming, and when Harper runs off in the middle of the night, Justin is at the end of his tether. In desperation, he knocks on a neighbor's door begging for help.<br><br>Del Abbot is 38, and living in his grandparents' old place in Enterprise after his marriage broke down and he lost his restaurant in the divorce. He's a chef, even had his own show on cable for a while, but now he's looking for a new start, if he could just figure out what exactly that entails. When the O'Dwyer family barrels into his life one night, Del can't refuse to help. What begins as a trip to the hospital becomes a regular child-minding gig while Justin struggles to find his feet. And the more time Del spends with Justin, the more they both want more than friendship. But small town life comes with its own bigotry, and, in Justin's case, that bigotry has always been close to home.<br><br>When an act of violence threatens to destroy the small family they've built, both Justin and Del need to put aside their pasts and reach for their future together.

Family Recipe

Justin closed his eyes. “When I first met you, I had this dream about you.”


“Yeah.” Justin slid a hand up Del’s spine. “I dreamed you were behind me, and we were naked, and you told me you were going to give me just what I needed. And it was so hot, but then I woke up right before you touched my dick.”


Del’s body shook with sudden laughter.


“It wasn’t funny!” But Justin couldn’t stop from smiling either. “It was a tragedy, Del!”


“A tragedy,” Del echoed and pressed a kiss to the top of Justin’s head. “I’ll bet it was.”


Justin drew back and lifted his gaze. “Can I sleep with you in your bed tonight?”


“Yes,” Del said. “Is that all you’re asking for?”


Justin drew in a breath. “I want you. I want you to—” He didn’t know how to say it, but he pushed on regardless. “I want you inside me.”


“No,” Justin said. “But I want to. And I want it to be you.”


Chapter 46