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

There were many things he could ignore in life, but animal abuse wasn’t one of them. It made him feel horrible to just have to wait. The boy hadn’t sounded familiar. There was no number. There were no clues. He hoped the boy wouldn’t get into trouble, at least. It couldn’t have been easy to make the call.


Padraig rubbed his face with one hand and decided he might as well go say good night to Francis and get to bed. Maybe Hestia would want to cuddle with him tonight instead of going to Kaos’s room.


Kaos fell asleep and dreamed of all of his friends dying around him, wasting away into nothing in hospital beds while people outside chanted that they deserved what they got.


He woke up disoriented and confused. Then he remembered the glimpse he’d gotten into the life of Francis, Padraig, and Marcus. If nothing else had quite hammered home the fact that Padraig was two decades older than him, last night had finally managed to do it.


Chapter 46