When unlikely attraction blossoms between a twentysomething genderqueer tattoo artist and an older, small-town veterinarian, both are forced to face their pasts for a chance at a loving future. Four years ago Padraig Donovan lost his husband, the only man he’d ever been with. Now his life consists of the work he loves, a big empty house, and the possibility of a lonely future. Kaos’s experiments with makeup landed him in the hospital at the hands of his disapproving ex. With nowhere else to turn, he flees to Acker, Wisconsin ... and runs into a sexy widower and the kindest man he’s ever met. Padraig and Kaos know there’s something worth exploring between them, and as they raise a puppy and deal with the ups and downs of their respective jobs, they fit into each other’s lives in ways they never expected. Being with Kaos -- who is so different than the guys he’s always been attracted to -- opens up an exciting new world for Padraig. But can he convince Kaos to trust another man with his body ... let alone his heart?

Four

“Ten, eight, and six. They’re great. They don’t understand what their dad did or why, and they certainly haven’t forgiven him. I try not to meddle, just explain where I can. I won’t be the one he’ll point at when he wants to figure out who ‘poisoned their minds’ or some shit.” She snorted in a way that told Kaos she knew what she was talking about. Maybe she’d been a child of divorce, then.


“So there’s another female-run studio somewhere near, right?”


“Yeah, so that won’t work as a draw either. Those girls are good, and they’re in a bit bigger city, but it can’t be easy there either.”


“Oh yeah, I do websites and book covers as a side job. Good thing I learned to code and use Photoshop when the kids were little.”


“Smart of you,” Kaos agreed. He cleared his throat then and took a sip of coffee to calm his nerves. “There’s more that you should know about me. Not just the jail time.”


Chapter 20