Austin Inverness loves dogs and his wife, Erika. Erika was the only girlfriend Austin ever had who didn’t judge him for being bisexual, and dogs never judge, period. Unfortunately, Erika isn’t much of a dog person. Airman Neil Stafford has been deployed to Turkey for a six-month tour and he enrolls his schipper-poo, Bunny, in the Fosters for Fighters program that arranges fostering for soldiers' pets. There he meets Austin, who will foster Bunny while Neil is overseas. The two men keep in touch via Skype and Austin is delighted by how well they get along. Erika, on the other hand, is delighted by how little she has to do to take care of Bunny. That is, until Bunny needs an emergency trip to the vet. By the time Neil returns home, Austin has noticed key differences between his wife and the new friend he can’t stop thinking about. As for Neil, he knows for sure he wants Austin in his life, but not at the cost of his friend's marriage. When Austin realizes Erika questions his bisexuality, the cracks in their relationship quickly spread and Austin questions everything, including if he can make the right choice. Will Austin and Neil be able to overcome the bumps on the road to happiness?

Fostered Affections

Neil sighed. “Austin, I’ve kissed guys who are ‘just curious’ before. They either pucker up then let me do all the work, or they try to make it more passionate than it really is to see if they’re comfortable going all the way with a guy. You were doing the opposite of that. I could tell you were holding back. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”


“Yeah? About what? About how I should tell her? Or about how it made youfeel?”


“Yes, actually. I’m not telling you to leave her for me, but…I like you, Austin. You’ve been a good friend to me, and you’ve taken care of Bunny like she was your own pup. You make clever jokes and you look for the endless possibilities around you instead of taking everything at face value. And frankly you’re a good kisser.” Neil shook his head. “But you’ve got someone who loves you already. I don’t want to be a homewrecker. I wanted to know if you and I could still be friends, or if you’d rather I stay out of your life so I don’t interfere with your marriage.”


Chapter 33