Page 48 of After Midnight

Feldman:Count me in! FYI, I’ve been flirting with my ex and I think our act might impress him or better yet, maybe make him jealous.

Me:In that case, let’s bump up the heat a bit and see if he blows a gasket.

Feldman:I love you, have I told you that enough?

His last text made me laugh out loud. Obviously, Feldman only meant those three little words in a funny, friendly way, and I wondered if I’d eventually have that same sort of relationship with Dominic. Although, if he ever textedI love youas a joke, I might wither up and die on the spot. And now I was just being dramatic.

I rolled my eyes at myself as I walked back inside the house. Unsurprisingly, I was immediately confronted by my two very nosy, overly involved helicopter parents.

“Oh no, not the third degree,” I whined. “You promised to be cool about this.”

“Honey, we just want to know more about your relationship with Dominic. He sure seems like a nice kid,” Papa K said.

“I’ve already told you, we’re just friends.”

Dad cleared his throat. “That’s rubbish, and you know it. Who are you trying to fool?” he said, and Papa K burst into a hearty laugh before managing to control himself. Busted.

I bit the bullet and admitted the truth. “Okay, yes, I like him. He’s like, the perfect guy for me, but he’s going through some major family things right now, including fighting for custody of his siblings. His step-monster is making his life a living hell. So, if I push, he’ll drop me like a hot potato. Heck, I think he’s already done that twice, but I’ve been persistent.”

“Dear God, you are your dad’s son,” Papa K said dramatically while stuffing the leftover pastries into Ziploc bags.

Dad smirked as if triumphant. “You did get your persistence from me, and I never would’ve landed your papa without it. Once he became aware of his own gorgeousness in college, all the men started flirting with him. If I hadn’t been persistent, he’d have never stuck around.”

“You say that like I hadn’t been secretly in love with you since high school,” Papa K said, giving Dad a playful swat on the ass. They were on the verge of a sharing moment, which was sweet, but I wasn’t in the mood to vacate the kitchen so my dads could have an impromptu make out session. Been there, done that.

Still, I had to admit the love and affection that ran so strong between them even after all these years was downright swoony. “That’s one of my favorite stories.”

They’d still been just friends at the time, and Papa K was supposed to kiss some random guy as part of rush week. Dad was so jealous that he intervened, and he and Papa K ended up kissing in front of the entire fraternity. They’d been a couple ever since.

“I love you guys. Thanks for taking a chance on each other,” I said and rushed over to give them both a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Maybe I should thank the rando who never got to kiss Papa, too, since he played accidental matchmaker.”

Dad made a disgusted sound, and Papa K gave him a silly smile. Yeah, they weretotallygoing to make out as soon as I vacated the kitchen.

I was about to head upstairs to my bedroom when I remembered I needed to ask them something. “Are you two coming to the club tonight? I got confirmation Feldman can join me to perform our duo act.”

“Unfortunately, honey, I’ve got to work,” Papa K said. “I have a closing Monday, and the gala stuff is taking all of our extra time. Which reminds me, Allen, I need you to confirm with the caterer one last time. I don’t want them to forget the appetizers we ordered like they did last year.”

Their Valentine’s Day Gala seemed to grow more elaborate each year. For as stressful as the preparations sometimes got for them, I knew they both loved having a project to work on together. Something other than, you know, attempting to play matchmaker for their only child.

I thought about how my dads bravely stood up for their relationship and for one another, and continued to do so. I committed to doing that for Dominic. I didn’t know if he wasThe One, like Dad and Papa K were for each other, but I did know I liked him and wanted to see where that might lead. If nothing else, my dads taught me when you liked someone enough, you didn’t give up until you knew if you were right for each other.People are worth fighting for, that’s the moral of my dads’ love story.

Dominic was worth fighting for.

Chapter twenty-one

Dominic

Istarted work early just so I’d be able to take a break when Dillon went onstage. I’m glad I did because I doubt I’d have been able to pay attention to the customers anyway. Dillon’s routine with Feldman made me laugh harder than I had in ages, and the release felt good.

Afterward, Dillon pulled me aside and asked what I thought. “You’re both insane and funny as it gets,” I replied, still wiping my eyes.

He clearly liked my answer and almost kissed me before Feldman pulled him back. “Dude, you can’t act like I’m your lover, then go kiss someone else in full view of the crowd. Besides, Fred is watching.” I had no idea who Fred was. Did I want to know? Probably not, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Is he now?” Dillon said with a glint in his eye. “So, should I kiss you instead?” I could tell he was going to play this scene through to the end and had to stop myself from laughing. I also felt a spike of jealousy at the idea of him kissing Feldman, even as a joke, though I kept my mouth shut about that too.

Feldman looked over his shoulder. “Yes,” he replied before pulling Dillon into a deep, passionate-looking kiss. I’d have been shocked, except from my angle, I could tell both of their mouths were closed.

When they broke apart, a grinning Dillon glanced at me and shrugged. Feldman, meanwhile, waved at us both as he sauntered over to where a man?Fred, I assumed?sat shooting daggers at Dillon.

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