Page 30 of Finding You

Frey burst into laughter. “Holy shit, it’s true.”

Dallas groaned and flopped back, covering his face. “So what’s a better meet-cute, then?”

“Well, first of all,” Adele said, pointing a finger at him, “don’t call it a meet-cute. That’s a dead giveaway. Secondly…I don’t know how people meet people these days.”

“TikTok,” Gage chimed in. “Or Snapchat.” He turned in his gaming chair, where Rex was curled up fast asleep beside him with his own non-connected controller. He gave Dallas an up-and-down look. “You’re not that old.”

“Thank you?” Dallas said.

“You use Snapchat, right?”

“I do not,” Dallas said. He wasn’t that old, but he was a caveman about social media. It made his anxiety impossible to manage.

“Well, his sister probably doesn’t know that about you. Just say y’all met online.” Gage spun back around.

“Kid’s got a point,” Adele said. “The last couple dates I bothered to go on were from apps.”

Dallas bit his lip. He and Kylen had come up with a vague outline of their relationship, but they hadn’t settled on anything. All of it felt so wrong. He checked his phone, but Kylen hadn’t texted him yet with the times he’d be available for a second meetup.

“Would it be weird if we told the story of how we actually met? I mean, that one at least has some truth to it.”

Lane made a soft noise in the back of his throat as he leaned forward. “Too close to home, maybe?”

Dallas flushed. He hadn’t told anyone else how he was feeling, and he trusted Lane not to sell him out. But he also hadn’t decided if what he was feeling for Kylen was actual attraction or just his brain coping with the fact that he was missing intimacy in all forms.

“I just think sticking to something truthful will make it easier to lie,” Dallas defended, then groaned. “I hate lying.”

“You’re such a Boy Scout,” Gage called.

“What’s a Babe Scout?” Briar asked from her spot under the table.

“Boy Scout,” Lane corrected. “Like Daisies. Or Brownies.”

“I want—ouch!” Briar cracked her head on the table as she attempted to get up too fast. She clambered into her dad’s lap. “I want brownies! Can we haff some?”

“I hate myself,” Lane said quietly as he kissed Briar’s cheek. “Maybe this weekend when Bowen gets home.”

For a moment, it looked like she wanted to throw a fit, but she calmed down and climbed back down to finish her coloring around their feet.

Lane sighed. “Anyway, you might be right. When do you see him next?”

“I don’t know. He’s—” Dallas’s phone buzzed, and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. It buzzed two more times.

He swiped open the screen and stared at the text message and two emails. He saw the name of the family law office he’d queried, but he set that aside in favor of Kylen’s text.

Kylen: Tomorrow after school. Will you be free?

Dallas: I have a couple errands to run. Can we meet after?

Kylen: My sister’s taking Flora to dance class and then dinner. Want to meet at my place?

Dallas’s heart began to beat a little too hard, and he took several calming breaths before he decided that it was the best possible option. He sent back a yes, then looked up at the guys, who were all staring at him, including Gage, who had paused his game once again.

Dallas cleared his throat. “Tomorrow after school.”

Lane hid his smile, and Adele’s sharp eyes caught it. He turned his gaze to Dallas, who just shook his head, and Adele deflated. Out of all the guys, he was closest to the firefighter, so he knew Adele’s feelings were probably hurt. But he’d explain later.

He couldn’t do it now.

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