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.” Kaos looked at Padraig, then reached for his hand and stroked the back of it with his fingers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”


“It’s okay. It’s… I would like to say in the past, but….”


Hestia woke up then, and Kaos took her in the yard to do her business. Padraig felt drained. The conversations that had been happening in his house since Kaos moved in were life-altering for him.


Francis seemed to get his mood or maybe feel similarly, so Padraig waited until after dinner and few glasses of wine before asking him anything too serious.


Kaos obviously read the room and went upstairs, leaving Hestia with them for the time being.


Francis sat on the couch, curled up on one end as much as a full-grown man could, and accepted Hestia’s show of love greedily. He kept her close until she started to fall asleep on his lap.


Chapter 44