Grover “Shep” Shepherd is the only thing Felix Medrano loves more than being the current darling of Hollywood. He throws a star-studded surprise engagement party to declare their love to the world, and it’s a smash, save for one detail: Shep is a no-show. Felix knows Shep missed his flight home from New Orleans, but that was hours ago. What’s the hold up?<br><br>Shep’s still at the airport is what, watching flight after flight wing westward without him. Each time he sends Felix a progress report via text message, Felix replies with a romantic photo from their past, and Shep spends much of his airport odyssey Remembering When. It’s easy to see how these two fell in love, but can Shep possibly make it home in time to celebrate with Felix and their friends?

Say Cheese

Felix was his favorite server from the get-go. Partly, yes, because he was the handsomest man Shep expected he would live to see. Butterscotch skin no blemish would ever be so gauche as to mar, a belly sopancake-flat Shep wanted to lay him across the bar, pop the buttons on his black dress shirt, and lick butter and syrup off him til morning. He was all playful cowlick, laughing brown eyes, and smackable round ass. Cute as a bug’s ear, but totally unselfconscious about it, like maybe he’d never looked in a mirror. In a town—hell, in a restaurant—full of good-looking dudes who wanted to be thanked just for showing up and being handsome, Felix wore his looks like a comfy old sweatshirt. Shep imagined a casting agent discovering Felix at a soda fountain, crying out, That face! and Felix saying, This old thing?


Chapter 4