Tristan used to be top salesman at his firm, but when his friends suffered a tragedy, he stepped in to support them. Their ordeal over, Tristan turned to partying to ease his new solitude. Now his job is at risk and he stands to lose his home. Rain spent years putting up with his husband Milo's bad behavior before moving out. Single again and insecure, Rain dreams of creating a marionette show to celebrate kids on the autism spectrum in honor of his son. When Rain meets his neighbor Tristan, he's drawn to Tristan's sex-appeal and protective nature. But Milo keeps pulling on Rain's strings and messing with his head. Tristan loves everything about Rain, including the strange sandwiches, mismatched socks, crazy marionettes, glitter makeup, and messy apartment. And Rain wants to give Tristan everything, but can he cut lose from Milo's hold?

A Touch of Rain

At Tristan’s door, he listened again. He was going to knock, but at the last moment, changed his mind and simply pushed the door open. Being as quiet as he could, he stepped into Tristan’s entrance and gently closed the door behind him, his pulse racing now.


Following Tristan’s voice, he walked down the hall, and stopped a few feet away from the kitchen doorway.


Bernie had lied. She hadn’t had a call for work. She was here, with Tristan—he could hear her whispering to him. Barely breathing, Rain was going to let his presence be known, but then he heard Tristan again and froze up.


“I can’t take that money,” Tristan was saying in a low voice full of emotion. “That money is for the girls. That’s what we agreed on when they were born.”


“But, Trist, they don’t need the money right now and you can always pay them back when you’re on your feet again. When you get another job.”


Rain’s heart beat harder and faster. So Tristan had been fired. Why hadn’t he called him?


Chapter 59