Page 33 of Finding You

He wasn’t. Neither of them were in that moment. But Montez was kinder than most of Kylen’s clients, and he very much deserved to be happy. “I hope you find a man who likes flying in this jet,” Kylen said. “And one that really, really pisses off your family.”

Montez grinned at him and settled back in his seat. “So do I. And I plan to keep looking.”

Kylen groaned when his phone buzzed two hours after he got home and he saw his sister’s name. He debated about not answering, but he was afraid it was something about his gran. So he answered. “This had better be good.”

“Your boyfriend is on a date. Check your texts.”

Before Kylen could respond to his sister, the line went dead, and then his phone buzzed a second later. He opened the text and found a photo of Dallas at a restaurant, very clearly laughing, leaning into the space of a very attractive, larger man wearing a dark blue T-shirt bearing the symbol of the city’s fire department. He had his hand up, clearly in the middle of brushing Dallas’s hair back.

For a moment, Kylen felt panic. Had Dallas lied about everything?

Not that Dallas really owed Kylen anything, but the pain was still real and very sharp. He breathed through it, then decided to nip this in the bud because he needed to respond to his sister, but he didn’t want to go on the defense and have Dallas end things with him before they got started.

He was tired of looking like a fool.

He glanced over at Flora, who was engrossed in the documentary about penguins, and then he slipped out the back door and sat on the steps that led down to the grass. The air was breezy and smelled a little like the ocean, and he closed his eyes to bask before finally picking up his phone again and shooting off a text.

Kylen: Hey, are you free for a quick chat?

Dallas: I can be. I’m at dinner. Is it an emergency?

Kylen: I hate to say yes, but yes.

A beat passed, and then Kylen’s screen lit up with Dallas’s name. He waited a moment before answering, and he did his best to make sure his voice wasn’t trembling in his chest.

“Hey. I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just out with Adele.”

Adele. Was he going to try and pass the guy off as a woman to cover his ass?

“Oh?”

“Sorry, I forgot you don’t know the other guys. He’s the one who started the single dad group I’m in.” Dallas sounded calm and relaxed, which was very different from their pseudo-date, and Kylen’s heart stopped beating so rapidly when he heard Dallas start to explain. “I’ve been going through it lately, so he dragged me out. I’ve also had a couple drinks, so if I sound loopy, that’s why.”

Kylen couldn’t help a small laugh. “Ah. Well, I just want you to know my sister’s at the same restaurant, and she texted me a photo of my cheating boyfriend.”

“Oh my God! I would never cheat on you! Who would cheat on you?”

Kylen’s face burned at the utter sincerity in Dallas’s tone. “I’m sure some people might. Not you, obviously,” he joked.

Dallas took him seriously. “Never in my life. You’re so pretty, Ky.”

Ky? Fuck.

“I can be a little, you know, kind of, like, slow to catch on to some things? Does that make sense? Like there’s this big thing in front of me, and it’s been sitting there forever, and I don’t even see it? What’s that phrase? Can’t see the forest in all the moss?”

“Forest for the trees,” Kylen corrected absently, trying to follow what Dallas was saying.

“God. I’m drunk.”

“Yeah, honey. You are,” Kylen said with a laugh. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know that if you are on a date?—”

“No. It’s just Adele. I love him. I mean, everyone loves him. Of course I love him. But not like that. Not like—” He stopped abruptly, and Kylen wanted to beg him to continue. “Want me to break up with him?”

“Honey, you’re not dating either of us for real.”

Dallas was very quiet. “Oh. Yeah.”

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