Coming home is not something Kayle Grimes ever envisioned for himself. He left this town of bigots behind without regrets and made a good life elsewhere. Now he’s back again, hiding in his parents’ old house and licking his wounds.<br><br>Asher Knox, the reason Kayle disappeared in the first place, is the last thing he needs. But the boy who broke his heart is now the mayor, and won’t take no for an answer.<br><br>Asher Knox has to find a way to get Kayle to forgive him and see he’s no longer a coward hiding in the closet. He’s out and proud, and ready to publicly claim Kayle as his own. It doesn’t help that the Kayle who has returned home is stubborn and prickly, and Asher knows he’s going to make a fool of himself, but it’s worth it, all the same.

Nowhere But Home

“Asher said you’re some kind of famous artist or something?” he asked.


I almost dropped the carton of eggs. “What?” I asked, voice cracking.


Hank grinned. “Yeah. He instituted this ‘prodigal sons and daughters’ kind of thing to recognize achievements of people born here, whether or not they ever return home. There’s a section in the library dedicated to it. You’ve been on there since you did that fantastic mural in Norway, commissioned by the government.”


Really? Huh. It was one of my finer moments, doing that mural, though it had been cold as fuck at the time. My balls almost literally turned blue. It had taken me two months to complete, and I’d gotten a lot of worldwide recognition and commissions that made my bank account very happy. I hadn’t foreseen any hard times ahead, but being flush never hurt.


Interesting that Asher had been keeping an eye on me. Or at least, my accomplishments. What did he think, I wondered? And why should it matter?


Chapter 7