Page 104 of The Mayor and the Mystery Man

“Congratulations!” I squealed back. I didn’t know much about jewelry, but I knew that diamond could be seen from space. Well done, Tim.

“Mitch.” Leo clapped his friend on the back.

“Ellie’s getting married.” Mitch’s usually stoic face couldn’t withstand the emotion. It crumbled into a giddy smile. “My girl’s getting married.”

“I remember when she learned how to ride a bike,” Leo said. “Do you remember that, Ellie? We were at that lake house we rented one summer.”

“I was so excited I couldn’t stop and almost biked into the lake. Thank goodness you were there to stop me.”

“Mayor McCaslin, looking out for all constituents at all times,” I said.

“That was pre-mayor,” he corrected with a smarmy half-smile that managed to make my stomach do a flip. “Come in, come in. I have a bottle of champagne we can crack open.”

Cal and Russ came a little bit later with the boys. Russ apologized for getting here on time rather than ten minutes early. He cut his eyes to Cal, who kissed away his frustration. They brought more sides. Josh and Quentin ran upstairs with the twins to play, their laughter and happy yelling filling the house with warmth.

Right before we were set to eat, fresh off a plane from Seattle, came the elusive fourth member of the Single Dad’s Club: Buzz, his boyfriend Shane, and their toddler Anne.

“Buzz! Shane! I finally get to meet you!” I pulled them into hugs. They smelled great. The most unique cologne I’d ever sniffed. “And baby Anne! You are cuter in person.” I bopped her on the nose.

“The famous Dusty.” Buzz was tall and lanky with floppy blonde hair and a boyish smile. He was the cheeriest-looking bigshot corporate guy I’d ever met.

“It’s so nice to learn you’re not actual floating heads.” All I’d seen of them were small FaceTime headshots.

Shane took off his coat, revealing a tight polo that showed off armfuls of tattoos. I did not see those on FaceTime.

“Shane—you’ve got ink!”

He glanced at his arms, amused. “That I do.”

A flicker of fire burned in Buzz’s eyes as he glimpsed his boyfriend’s muscled, inked arms while Shane flashed him an intimate smile back. It was good to see that a baby hadn’t depleted their heat for each other.

I took their coats and hung them up. Dang, Shane was more gorgeous in person. He was much younger, with close-cropped hair and a smolder that in some alternate universe would’ve made him a perfect model. They were an odd pairing, the businessman and the tattooed hottie, but their love shined through.

“How was the flight?”

“Good, for the most part,” Buzz said.

“We were doing great until somewhere over Cleveland, Anne had a little meltdown.” Shane cradled her in his arms and made an exaggerated face at her. “Yes, you did!”

“I don’t blame you, Anne,” I said. “Nobody likes Cleveland.”

I walked with them into the living room, where the rest of the Single Dad’s Club greeted them like they were the Beatles. They swallowed Buzz and Shane in huge embraces and passed Anne around for kisses and cuddles. The fireplace crackled in the background. I wanted to pinch myself at how I wound up here.

Last Christmas, I was alone, strolling down the beach, sidestepping homeless people and kids trying to sell me drugs. My ex-girlfriend, Audrey, had flown to Atlanta to shoot a movie over the holidays. On Christmas Day, I went to the movies, then ate a grocery store sandwich on the beach, silently wishing that next Christmas would be different.

A lot can happen in a year, I told myself.

I took my rightful place on the couch arm, facing Shane in the armchair with Anne wiggling to get off his lap. “So, Leo tells me you and Buzz met because you worked for him?”

“I was his manny.”

“For how long?”

“Three days.”

I leaned in closer. “Three days? Is that what you said?”

“Yeah.” Shane cracked a knowing smile. “We moved a little fast.”

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