Page 56 of Slow Ride

“When we wrap up here, maybe we’ll all go for a cruise together,” Quinn suggested.“Between the Hot Rods and us, we could have our own parade.”

“No joke.It looked like a classic car show as we came down the street.”Van glanced over his shoulder.“You guys know what the hell you’re doing.”

“Thanks.”Quinn beamed.“Now get off that so I can cover it up and protect it from the dust again.If we mess up Sally’s paintjob, she’ll be pissed.”

Kason was in the process of caressing the handlebars goodbye-for-now when the side door opened and Wren stepped out in her fireproof jumper and facemask.

He didn’t need to see any bit of her to know who it was.The way she carried herself was enough to shower him with sparks as intense as the ones she created when she was welding.

Wren flipped up her mask, squinting into the sunshine as she took in the sight of him astride the motorcycle.“Damn.It looks even better with you on it.I mean… Hey.”

She gave a weak wave before fanning her face with her gloves.

It was the perfect thing to say, as always.Kason laughed and felt at home despite what could have been an awkward reunion.He climbed off the motorcycle and went to her, giving her a hug that didn’t cross any boundaries between friend and lover.“Hi.”

And where Wren was, Jordan wasn’t far behind.He strolled outside and stopped dead when he saw Kason with his arms around her.Was he pissed?Kason couldn’t tell.

Quinn nodded to Kyra and Van.“Ollie’s inside trying to figure out how to put some furniture together.Want to see if he needs a hand?”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Van said with a grimace even as Kyra perked up.They disappeared inside the future restaurant, leaving Kason, Wren, and Jordan in relative peace.

He knew it wouldn’t last so he got right to the point.“I’m sorry I bailed on you guys.”

Jordan frowned as he stepped closer.“I don’t care about that.I just want to know if you’re okay.We were concerned.What the hell happened?”

“It’s complicated.”Kason dropped his arms from Wren and stood apart so he could face them both.“I have to be careful of public opinion.Not for myself, or not only, but because there are so many people who depend on me.My manager, Rick—”

“Was that the asshole yelling at you that night when we were on the phone?”Jordan asked.

Kason nodded.“Yeah.Well, he saw an article online speculating about my sexuality.I poked around some more after he showed it to me and it was even on one of those gossip sites with a poll.Almost half of the people responded that if I was gay they wouldn’t listen to my music anymore.My fan base…isn’t necessarily the most enlightened, you know?”

“Dumbasses who care enough to give feedback like that tend to be angry and hateful.I wouldn’t say they’re representative.Besides, you already told us you’re not gay.”Wren tipped her head, looking like she wanted to smack some intolerant skulls together.

“I know.But Wren, if people can’t even come to terms with something familiar and should-be ordinary, they’re not going to get the subtleties and nuances of whatever nontraditional life I would like to build if I could.”He shrugged.“I hate it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”

Jordan stepped forward and put his hand on Kason’s shoulder.He squeezed it as he said, “I understand.It’s hard.We support you, no matter what.”

Wren beamed at him, and for the first time, Kason felt a sliver of jealousy.Jordan got to live the life he wanted and have the woman of his dreams be proud of him.That was something Kason was never going to experience.Not as long as he was hiding, taking the coward’s way out.And he didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

Wren swallowed hard, then looked between them both.“You know this was the only thing in my life I really wanted to stick together and it fell apart on me.Twice.Too bad I can’t learn how to weld people.It’d be a hell of a lot easier than this.”

Jordan gathered her into his arms and kissed her forehead.“We’re going to make things work.I promise.It’s taken us a while, but we’re getting there.Why don’t we go inside and finish what we started here today?Take out some of our frustration with strenuous physical labor.You up for that, Kason?”

“Hell yes.If it involves smashing things, that’s even better.I’d like to do whatever I can to help Devra out and spend some more time with you all, if you don’t mind me being around.”He couldn’t meet their stares.

“We want you here.We always want you here,” Wren told him matter-of-factly.

“Okay then.”He smiled.

Jordan opened the door and held it for him and Wren.When he walked inside, Devra squealed and rushed over to him.“You’re here!Thank you so much for coming.I’ve been thinking a lot about you and hoping everything was okay.”

Kason found himself surrounded by plenty of people he’d met before and several new ones too.They tolerated his presence, and even made him feel welcome, though they had to know what had happened at Trevon’s party and probably also with the addiction issues he’d been discussing with Roman and Gavyn.

When an older yet still damn impressive man walked over with a woman who looked like a more mature version of Amber and Nola, Kason was on his best behavior.Wren had told him about Tom and Ms.Brown and how they were the foundation of this entire special clan.

They’d been at Trevon’s party, but Kason hadn’t had the chance to officially be introduced to them before things had blown up in his face.

He held out his hand, but Ms.Brown bypassed it and swooped in for a hug.She patted his back and whispered in his ear, “Everything’s going to be okay, Kason.You’re doing your best.Keep trying.”

---