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

“Okay.” Padraig smiled, feeling like he should’ve maybe skipped down the hall toward the stairs instead of walking like the middle-aged man he really was.


“You look happy,” Francis commented when he got to the kitchen.


Padraig went to get some treats for Hestia and thought about it for a while. When he finally sat at the breakfast nook chair and tried to show Hestia how to sit, he had some sort of an answer for Francis.


“I am feeling better. Less… less sad, maybe? More like I don’t have to cling to Marcus in my heart?”


“That’s progress. It’s fine to miss him, Paddy, but it’s been four years. We’ll always love him and miss him, but it can’t stop us from living.” Francis spoke to the bell peppers he was slicing, probably to roast them in the oven, if Padraig remembered anything about Francis’s favorite pasta sauce.


Something about how Francis said the words made Padraig frown in thought. Then it hit him, another sledgehammer to the chest. “You were in love with him too.”


Chapter 42