Page 34 of The Beautiful Mess

Keegan was used to Kerry occupying his waking thoughts each morning, but he typically starred in carnal roles. Those lustful feels were still there, but they’d taken a back seat to Keegan’s concern about his well-being. He checked his phone to see if he’d slept through a text, but he hadn’t missed a notification. Kerry had said he wouldn’t call or text if the rescue ran late, but Keegan would’ve preferred interrupted sleep to wondering if Kerry was okay.

He’d never fretted like this before, at least not on a nauseating scale. Was it because he was on the cusp of achieving his impossible dream after months of pining, wishing, and hoping? Doubt, small but persistent, urged caution. Kerry’s swift attitude reversal could spin out of his favor just as quickly. Maybe a part of Keegan would always wait for someone to yank the rug out from under him, but that wasn’t how he wanted to live.

Instead, he focused on the sincere expression in those dark eyes and the blatant arousal Kerry had felt for him. An answering heat stirred low in his belly, but he would not fuck his fist if there was a chance he could have the real thing soon. Keegan debated on a reasonable time to text Kerry. He didn’t want to wake him up, but he didn’t want to come across as inattentive either. What was the correct level of eagerness and concern?

Groaning, Keegan threw back the covers and swung his legs out of bed. “Pull it together, Kee. You barely made it to first base with the guy, and you’re ready to rush over there and check him for cuts and bruises.” He snorted so hard it hurt. “Yeah, that’s the reason I want to wake Kerry up.” Keegan looked in the bathroom mirror and noted the smirk on his face. “Two things can be true at the same time,” he told his reflection.

If that fucker talked back to him, Keegan would check himself into the nearest hospital. His sanity might be in question, but the sentiment rang true. Keegan wanted to assure himself that Kerry was safe and wrap himself around the man like a second skin. He decided ten o’clock was a reasonable time to text Kerry and went about his morning routine. Keegan spent longer on his hair than he normally would, but he liked the result.

His gaze landed on a message he’d printed and taped on the wall next to his mirror. Keegan had found the unicorn-themed graphic in a queer support group on Facebook. The bright colors might’ve caught his attention, but it was the words that touched his soul.I am queer. I am worthy. I am beautiful. I am loved.These affirmations had been a game changer and a lifesaver, and he repeated them every morning. Keegan looked in the mirror, adjusted his posture, and said the words out loud before he left his bedroom.

Rory and Harry were sipping coffee and looking at something on a laptop when he entered the kitchen. The ingredients for an amazing breakfast were spread before them on the kitchen island. The smell of baking bread or pastry tickled Keegan’s nose and made his mouth water. He detected hints of berries and citrus, and that piqued his interest even more. Harry and Rory looked up at the same time and wore matching curious expressions. He’d mistakenly told a few of the guys that he was going on a date, which meant everyone on the ranch knew it. Harry and Rory looked especially bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when they noticed him.

Harry set her coffee cup down and rounded the island to reach for his arm. “Tell me. How’d it go?”

“The date was a complete disaster,” Keegan replied without preamble.

“Oh no,” Harry said with a frown. “I’m so sorry.”

Rory took another sip of coffee as he assessed him. “You don’t seem very upset about it.”

Keegan shrugged and said, “He’s not the one for me.”

Harry rubbed his arm. “That’s a great attitude to have, honey. The right guy will come along and scoop you right up.”

Rory set his cup down and narrowed his eyes. “Our sweet Keegan isn’t upset because he knows he’s already met his special guy.”

Keegan silently implored his body not to betray him and give away his thoughts, but it didn’t listen. The telltale heat started in his chest and spread up to his face. His kitchen cohorts noticed and responded with the standardoohs andaahs.“The night wasn’t a total bust, and that’s all I’m willing to say right now.”

Harry’s delicate features formed an angelic expression, but Keegan didn’t buy it. “I’m making the blueberry and lemon crumble muffin recipe you found.” Her right brow arched up slightly. “Maybe you’d like to be the first to try them.”

Keegan was a real tramp for anything with blueberries and lemon and would absolutely sing for his pastries. The words flew from his mouth so fast that Harry and Rory barely had time to process the horror of his date before he was gushing about Kerry’s heroics. He didn’t give them time to swoon over the sexiness before he had them laughing about Sven’s antics. But then he reached the part in the evening where he followed Kerry home, and his words came to an abrupt halt. Keegan reached up and touched his lips. His mouth hadn’t looked different in the mirror, but it felt changed. He hadn’t just shared simple kisses with Kerry. They were…they were…transformative. Was this how a butterfly felt after breaking free from its cocoon?

“Oh, honey,” Harry said, throwing her arms around Keegan. “I was only teasing you. I’d never force you to talk about anything before you were ready.”

Rory looked worried too, and Keegan wondered what he’d said to evoke these reactions. He sidled up and hugged Harry and Keegan, forming a small huddle in the kitchen. “If that Danny ever bothers you again, you won’t need to wait for Kerry to ride to your rescue. Ivan and I will fuck him up. Have you seen my man? He’s built like a Viking, and the littlest sneer renders a person useless.” Rory pulled back, and malice shimmered in his light blue eyes. “And then I will use my cyber skills to destroy Danny.”

“I know you will, Ro.” Keegan squeezed his arm and kissed Harry’s cheek. “Tell me what I can do to help with breakfast.”

That seemed to prod the two back into action. Harry ran the kitchen like a general who prepared for every eventuality. She put Keegan in charge of making the Denver scrambled eggs and assigned Rory the home fries and breakfast meats while she went to work on a crêpe batter. With the three of them working in tandem, breakfast came together quickly and without a hitch. Harry handed him a blueberry muffin from the pastry basket, and he didn’t bother with token resistance. He pulled the biggest crumble off the top and popped it into his mouth. Brown sugar, cinnamon, and a subtle hint of lemon made him do a happy dance right there in the kitchen. Harry giggled at his antics and encouraged him to take an actual bite. Keegan’s phone chimed with an incoming text just as he lifted the muffin to his eager mouth.

Harry waggled her brows. “Someone is eager to talk to you this morning.”

“Better not be Danny.” Rory crossed his arms over his chest and looked prepared to do battle.

Keegan hoped Kerry had texted him, but it seemed awfully early for that, unless he was just finishing the job. But that seemed doubtful. Keegan sighed and retrieved his phone instead of biting into his muffin. “It’s a text from Sven. What’s he doing up so early?” His friend was a night owl who wouldn’t see his first salon client until late morning. Sven should still be dreaming of all the beautiful men he hadn’t kissed yet.

“Only one way to find out,” Harry said, adding a gentle elbow nudge to go with the verbal one.

Keegan tapped on the message and frowned as he read,You better talk to your man about setting thirst traps.A video link popped up beneath the message. The caption read: Jaw-dropping heroics from a local hottie. Keegan’s stomach cramped, and he debated playing the video. The clip came from a social media page and not an affiliated news channel, though the cover image showed a reporter standing on a bridge with a semitruck partially dangling over the side of a bridge. The local hottie part rubbed Keegan the wrong way, but it was the jaw-dropping heroics part that gave him pause. He knew Kerry’s job was dangerous without watching video proof. He must’ve stared at his phone too long because his kitchen comrades moved closer to see what he was looking at.

“Are you going to watch the video?” Rory asked.

Keegan chewed on his bottom lip as he considered his options. Curiosity got the better of him, and he tapped the link to play the video.

“Thank goodness,” Harry whispered. “Saves me from finding it later.”

Rory and Keegan chuckled, but their merriment turned to gasps when the video zoomed in on the truck’s perilous position on the bridge. In the background, a reporter gave her viewers a summary of the timeline, starting with the accident and what she described as a major disagreement between law enforcement and the first rescue crew that responded. The camera panned to the right, and the reporter’s arm came into view as she pointed at the newest arrival.

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