Page 90 of Courageous Hearts

Bo covers their face with a hand, laughing.

“That’s me,” I say with a grin, just as Will appears, grabbing Cooper’s arm.

“C’mon, Coop,” Will says. “Give ’em a minute before you start in on the huggin’.” His laughing blue eyes turn to us next. “Hey, Bo. Jameson. Glad you could make it.”

“Heya, Will,” Bo responds with a chuckle.

Cooper grumbles something as Will hauls him away, and then a shorter, curly-haired brunette approaches with a big, beaming smile.

“Sorry about Cooper,” the brunette says. “He’s not house-trained yet.”

Bo huffs a laugh before reaching over and giving my hand a squeeze. “Jameson, this is Tru,” they say, confirming my suspicion that this is Cooper and Will’s boyfriend. “Tru, my boyfriend, Jameson.”

Tru’s eyes glimmer as they shift from Bo to me. “The boyfriend,” he says, clearly catching the new label. “Welcome, Jameson. I’m so glad you came.”

Somehow, I don’t think he’s alluding to only the bonfire.

“Happy to be here,” I tell him honestly.

“Well, come on,” Tru says cheerfully, curls bouncing as he turns toward the backyard. “Come meet everyone.”

Bo gives me a look as if to say See? I should’ve warned you.

Well, it’s a good thing I don’t scare easily.

Interlacing my fingers with Bo’s, I give a little tug, and the pair of us follow Tru over to the roaring bonfire, where a good number of people and one dog are congregated, their forms illuminated by the flames in the waning evening light. The smell of burnt wood permeates the air around us, and the fire hisses and snaps as Tru introduces me to what must be the entirety of Will’s family. Easton. Sadie. Clive. Christabell… I have no hope of remembering everyone’s names, but the greetings Bo gets warm my heart.

When Will reappears, offering Bo and me beers, we take seats surrounding the fire. The flames heat my toes as stories are passed and laughs are shared. At one point, Tru turns my way.

“So, Jameson,” he says breezily. “How’d you get into bartending?”

I huff a laugh, stretching my legs out in front of me. “By accident, I guess? I’d been bouncing around different majors and jobs, not really finding any one direction that spoke to me, when I got my first bartending gig. I don’t know…” I shrug a little. “There was something about working in that bar that I liked. The people. The energy of it. So I decided to take courses on mixing drinks, and I’ve been bartending ever since. It’s nothing special, but I enjoy it.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Tru says, a little smile on his face. “I hated my degree before I switched to culinary arts. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart.”

I chance a glance Bo’s way. Don’t I know it.

“You’re a vet?” I ask Cooper.

“I am,” he answers excitedly, rubbing behind the ears of the dog lying at his feet. “You wouldn’t believe how many cow vaginas I’ve stuck my arm up since we moved back here.”

“Coop,” Will groans, shaking his head, even though he’s smiling. “Too much information.”

“What? Psht.” Cooper looks my way. “This town has a lot of cattle.”

Bo laughs from beside me, their shoulder brushing my own.

“C’mon,” Cooper says, popping out of his seat. The dog startles, standing up and wagging its tail. “It’s time for a song.”

Cooper reaches Bo’s way, giving them a gimme gesture, and Bo groans.

“Really, Coop?” Bo asks.

“You know you want to,” Cooper taunts.

Bo shakes their head, but they stand up after a beat. And without an ounce of reservation, Cooper starts to belt the lyrics to “Small Town Girl.” A cheer goes up at the impromptu entertainment, and after a moment of laughing, Bo joins in, singing the classic with their brother in front of the bonfire.

I know Bo is upset about what happened with Diesel this week, but looking around at everyone gathered here today, including the same-sex couples, it’s easy to see there’s an army in this town. A whole bunch of wonderful LGBTQ+ members and allies who have Bo’s back.

---