Page 15 of Loving You

Kylen looked startled. “Where?”

In the time they’d been flying together, Monty hadn’t ever invited Kylen to come along. He just took off in his hired car. It was easier to keep his cards close to his chest. But something had shifted between them—a spark of friendship growing into a blaze. He wanted to share this with someone he cared about. Someone who cared about him.

“I’m going to visit my grandfather’s grave. It’s been a mostly good week, and I like to talk to him about it.”

“Are you sure you want me there?”

Monty smiled. “I’d like to introduce him to a friend.”

Instead of looking horrified or his face filling with pity, Kylen looked flattered. “That sounds nice. Lead the way.”

The drive to the cemetery wasn’t too long. The driver was quiet, which Monty appreciated, and Kylen spent the whole time staring out the window at the rolling hills of the country. His grandfather’s resting place overlooked a golfcourse—and as much as Monty would have wanted to be buried literally anywhere else, it was fitting for him.

Kylen laughed softly as they passed the gates and saw headstones on one side and a driving range on the other. “This is nice.”

“It’s very rich old white man,” Monty said.

With a snort, Kylen pressed his nose to the glass. “I know several members of my family who’d kill to spend their eternity here.”

Monty chuckled and glanced past him at the long stretch of green as they made their way past the driving range. “I think my grandfather would have agreed. It’s perfect for him. This was his favorite place.”

The driver pulled in just past the gates and dropped them off, and Monty promised to send him a text before they needed to head out. It felt strange not having flowers with him this time, but his plot was well tended to. From where he stood, he could see the Fire King lilies were growing, lush and full of bright orange blossoms and thick, green leaves.

“I want vines on mine,” Kylen mused as they began to walk the path. He had his hands in his pockets, and he kicked at gravel with the tip of his shoe. “Well, actually, I don’t want to be buried. I saw this video where they use mushrooms to basically turn bodies into mulch and then grow stuff from it. Which…maybe that’s creepy, but I don’t know. It sounds like a better way to contribute to the Earth than stick a chemical-laden coffin in the ground to rot.” He froze, then gave Monty a horrified look. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean?—”

“No, no.” Monty smiled at him, reaching a hand out to squeeze his shoulder. “I understand what you’re saying. I would choose that too. Something natural. Somethingkind.” He led Kylen down the short path to the massive headstone where his grandfather was laid to rest. “I think if he’d known about it, he might have chosen it too.”

Kylen kept a few feet back, likely trying to be respectful, and Monty wished he had a way to tell him that it wasn’t that deep. He wasn’t racked with sadness and overwhelmed by loss. He missed his grandfather every single day, but by the time he’d passed, he was old and in pain.

He’d stuck around just long enough to see that Monty was going to be okay, and then he let go.

It was the way it was supposed to be, and Monty couldn’t be angry about that.

He took a breath and turned toward the headstone. “Pépère,” he murmured, switching to French, “this is my friend Kylen. You would have liked him. He’s kind. He’s the one flying the plane. It’s been a good week this week, and he made it better. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to say that. The only thing that could make it better is if I could find someone I love to introduce you to. But this should be enough, right?”

A cardinal swept down and landed on the headstone. Monty didn’t much believe in signs, but he couldn’t help the way his heart swooped through his chest.

“Cardinals are good omens, right?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Monty confessed. He watched the little bird. They made eye contact, and then he fluffed his wings and took off. “Maybe it was him saying hello.”

Kylen stepped closer to him, hands still in his pockets, and he leaned close, brushing their elbows together. “You wanna come to dinner with me and Dallas tomorrow night?”

Monty turned to look at him. “As a third wheel?”

Kylen snorted. “No. As company for our third wheel.Dallas is bringing his brother. He’s been moping a little—freshly divorced, trying to adjust to being single. He never makes us feel bad when we act like a couple, but I thought it might be nice for him to have someone else to talk to. And Dallas misses you.”

“Oh. Does he?”

Kylen laughed like the question was absurd. “Yeah, he does. You need to come out with us more often. We like hanging out with our friends.”

Friends. Monty’s chest was warm as he nodded. “Okay.”

“Yeah? Good. Dallas is going to be thrilled.”

So maybe he had more than one friend. Maybe he had a few. And maybe there was room somewhere in the universe for him to have more than just this.

Chapter Five

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