Page 20 of Breakfast Included

“Right here!” Reno waved. He gave Tate a quick kiss and then made his way through the crowd to the stage.

Reno hopped up and stood beside Clark, smiling, and Tate’s heart did a funny little swoop in his chest at the sight. Reno hadn’t put any product in his hair, so it hung loose over his forehead—the strands glittered red and blue and golden under the colorful festive lighting. The sparkle in his eyes was visible all the way across the room, and his smile . . . Talk about melting hearts with a smile. For all that Reno didn’t want fame, he looked right at home up there under the spotlight. Like a rock star.

“Reno Pierce, everyone,” Clark introduced him with a wave of his hand and passed the mic to Reno.

The crowd clapped while Clark left the stage, and Reno got himself settled behind the piano. He adjusted the microphone and after running a quick scale on the keys, asked the audience for requests. Without hesitation, Reno began to play, song after song, completely in his element, and Tate was mesmerized.

He’d been attracted to Reno back in the day, even though he’d never allowed himself to admit it—until that night at the party when he’d found Reno coming out of the bathroom and kissed him. It had been impulsive, reckless, but he didn’t regret it for a second. It was his actions after that he regretted.

Reno was cute then, but he’d grown into a stunning man and a beautiful human being. Tate kicked himself mentally for not being strong enough back then. Maybe they would have had all these years together if he’d accepted himself and come out.

But then, maybe they’d needed the time to grow on their own, so they’d be ready for each other to meet again someday. Like randomly at a speed-dating event in the mountains, where an avalanche trapped them together. He grinned and found Reno staring back at him with a grin of his own, as if Reno could hear his thoughts. Or maybe he was thinking the same thing.

People continued shouting out songs for Reno to play, and he obliged every request effortlessly. Some were popular songs, some were obscure, someone even requested a classical, and of course, there was a good dose of Christmas carols where the whole crowd sang along. But no matter what was thrown at him, Reno played it like a pro. Tate had always known his talent for music was well beyond the average kid’s abilities. Ricky had proudly stated that his brother was a prodigy to anyone who would listen. Tate didn’t know what it took to be a prodigy, but he did know Reno could play multiple instruments, could compose, teach, and had one of those ears that could hear something once and it would be locked in his magical mind forever. And he sang on top of all that . . . He was sheer brilliance, and Tate wanted nothing more than to bathe in his light for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to spend another day without Reno beside him.

His breath caught. Light bloomed in his chest and trickled out along the winding trails of his veins, and every nerve ending tingled and sparked. His head spun as his future flashed before his eyes—a future with Reno in it.

The realization hit him like an avalanche, and the rightness of it knocked him off-balance. He turned, pushed through the crowd, and hustled over to the bar. He crashed his chest up against the edge and panted like he’d just run a marathon.

Grady gave him a funny look. “What’s up, man?”

“I need something,” Tate said, breathless.

“To celebrate or forget?”

“Celebrate.” Tate frowned. “Hopefully.”

Grady smiled and slapped a hand on the bar surface. “I have just the thing.”

He turned to one of the small fridges behind the bar and pulled out a tray of red and white shots. He grabbed one, hesitated, and grabbed a second before returning the tray.

“Santa hat Jell-O shots.” Grady slid them across the bar to Tate. “Strawberry Jell-O spiked with vodka and topped with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry ‘hat.’”

“Wow,” Tate exclaimed. “Those look too good to drink. Or eat, I guess?”

“Bottoms up, my man,” Grady said with a lopsided grin.

Tate snorted and ate the half strawberry on top before he swallowed the first shot back in two gulps. “Oh my god. That is amazing. You’re brilliant, Grady.”

Grady puffed his chest out. “And don’t you be forgetting it.”

The music stopped, and Tate turned around to see if Reno was done, but he was still at the piano. Reno was taking a sip of a drink someone had sent over—another mistletoe martini, it looked like. He was watching Tate over the wide rim of the glass. He smiled, and Tate damn near melted to the floor right there. Tate wasn’t too embarrassed to admit he may have even simpered. He was done for. Totally and irrevocably gone on that man. He raised his second Santa hat shooter to Reno, wrapped his lips around the small glass, and shot it back.

Reno cleared his throat and into the microphone said, “I’d like to play a song now for someone special. Someone who meant a lot to me in my early life and still does.” Looking right at Tate, he said, “This one is for you, babe.”

Babe.

Reno began to play, his gaze steady on Tate as he caressed the keys. Tate’s knees weakened. It only took a couple of bars for him to recognize the catchy toe-tapping beat by Jason Mraz. It was playing at the party the first time they’d kissed.

And when Reno reached the chorus and sang, “I’m yours,” directly at Tate, he felt like the ground had fallen away and he was sailing down the mountainside on a cushion of powdered snow.

Reno played a couple more songs after that and then wished everyone a Merry Christmas before he excused himself. He grabbed a large glass that had been sitting on the top of the piano, now filled with bills. He stepped off the stage, slid through the crowd to reach Tate, and stood there looking at him for a second, unsure.

“Did you like it?” he asked with a note of vulnerability in his voice.

“You were amazing,” Tate whispered, his own voice raw with emotion. There weren’t enough words to describe how much he liked watching Reno play. “I loved it.”

Reno raised the tip jar. “Let’s find Bryan. I want him to donate this to the local LGBTQ center.”

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