Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“Tell me about it. But I have no idea how to fix any of this. I know something happened between him and my brother. Some huge falling-out right before he died. Pierce won’t discuss it, and he won’t let it go. As a result, the mess has trickled down to cover me. I know I’ve done nothing to make his life easier, but I feel like I can’t move on. Not yet.”
“You sure he’s gay?”
“Yep, totally gay. That’s not the problem.”
“Shit. I’ve been no help at all.” I crammed the rest of the lemon square into my mouth and eyed the counter for another treat. I’d almost earned it at this point.
“No, honestly, you have. It was good to say the words out loud. I haven’t told Sebastian, Declan, or Rome because Pierce has been their good friend for longer. I’m the token little brother they keep out of pity and obligation. Things don’t need to be more awkward than they already are.”
“I don’t believe that. Rome cares about you. Not out of pity or obligation, but friendship. He’s so fucking proud of what you’ve accomplished, and I think he’s genuinely happy that you’re living here. Don’t sell yourself short.”
One corner of Simon’s mouth quirked. “You too.”
He was right. I was gonna grab Rome’s heart and keep it forever. And once I accomplished that, I was going to figure out a way to help my new friend defrost the heart of a certain asshole.
26
ROME ASHBRIDGE
Heading into work on Tuesday had never felt so dreary. It had been more than a week since I’d last talked to Liam. I’d gotten one very brief text stating that he was okay and that he would reach out soon to talk.
Soon? What the hell was soon? Tomorrow? A week from tomorrow? A month from now? If soon didn’t mean right now, then it was too far away.
And the “to talk” part didn’t feel reassuring at all. Why couldn’t it have been something like, I’m coming directly over to your place so we can fuck like rabbits?
Or, I’m standing at your door, and all I need in the world is for you to open it and kiss me?
Those all sounded like excellent ideas, but none of them were coming true, and that sucked.
The library was getting busier during the day because schools were taking their holiday break. We’d added a few extra story times and other events, so parents had something to do with their children during the day instead of leaving them in front of a screen.
Christmas and Hanukkah decorations were everywhere on the second floor. We had both store-bought and lots of construction paper decorations the children had made for us. Little lights twinkled and flashed everywhere, making the entire library cheery and bright.
This had always been my favorite time of year. I always went overboard buying gifts for my family and friends. And, of course, I dragged my friends around to do all the usual holiday traditions—tree lighting on Fountain Square, Festival of Lights, Krohn Conservatory, Scuba Santa at the Newport Aquarium, The Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park, and then finally The Nutcracker with the Cincinnati Ballet. The only thing was that I’d started envisioning all those things with Liam this year.
It wasn’t too late. Christmas was still a week and a half away. Plenty of time for them to cram in some fun holiday outings. Or if Liam wanted to stay in, eat candy canes, and watch old Christmas specials, I was happy to do that too. All that mattered was getting to spend time with Liam.
“Hey, Rome,” Ben greeted as I strolled into the children’s section of the library. Ben’s brown hair with the curls appeared extra poofy today. The friendly librarian with the wide grin said that his goal was to resemble a dandelion—the world’s most misunderstood flower—because they were full of wishes and hope, like him. “Ready for today’s story time? You’ve got quite a crowd.”
I nodded, my gaze straying to the short stacks. Despite being a library, quite a ruckus was brewing. There had to be at least twenty kids there today, most of them five years old or younger. I held up a picture book showing a bunch of kids playing in the snow.
“Nice,” Ben murmured with a nod. “Just as a heads-up. You’re actually reading two books today.”
“Huh?” I stared at him and then at the kids who were gathering in front of my seat for the reading. “You know there’s no way I can keep their attention through two books. They already look like they’ve been snorting Pixy Stix and mainlining sodas since they woke up.”
Ben chuckled. “Nah. Nah. It’ll be fine. Go read. I’ll bring the other book to you when you’re done. It’s really short. I promise.”
I frowned at my coworker. This seemed like a bad idea. I didn’t like reading aloud from a book I wasn’t familiar with. It might sound crazy, but I preferred to practice a book a couple of times so I could get the inflections and voices right. It wasn’t just about entertaining these kids but also about getting them interested in books. If they could form a love of books now, it would carry them on to great things and happiness for the rest of their lives.