Page 75 of Hearts of Fairlake

"Oh, hell no," Isaiah muttered as we made it to the clearing and found it absolutely jam-packed full of people circling the stage. It was well-lit, and the mayor stood at the center, beaming at the crowd as he spoke. "Damn, c'mon. He's already started."

"And as I can now see," the mayor continued, his voice rising excitedly, "our chosen speaker has decided to grace us with his presence!"

"Graceyouwith it, maybe," Isaiah shot back loudly. "I like everyone else here."

The joke, though I wasn't so sure it was a joke, was a hit, and laughter rippled through the crowd. If the Mayor took the jab for what I thought it was meant to be, he didn't show it as he shared a chuckle with everyone in the crowd. “Fairenough. Now, if everyone could part ways a little, then…there we are. As I was saying, this town has not only stood the test of time for the past century and a half to survive to this day, it has thrived and grown. And who better to speak on that very topic than the eldest son of one of the original founding families? So, let's give a brief round of applause and our complete attention to...Isaiah Ender!"

I followed closely behind Isaiah, trying to avoid staring at people as we got onto the stage, knowing it was impossible. The clapping was mostly polite, and though I couldn’t see, I was pretty sure the loud hooting was coming from Bennett somewhere in the crowd. That was quickly proven when Isaiah glanced toward the noise and rolled his eyes. "Never mind, I'll add Bennett to the same list as Fred. You're both in the doghouse."

That gathered more laughter, and I could see Isaiah loosening up as Bennett called back, “And you love me, don't lie."

"Fairlake's finest," Isaiah told the crowd. "But in all fairness, that's one of my best friends. He's a bit of a freak and a weirdo, but he's got a damn good heart, and he joined the police force here because he wanted not only to be a member of this community but a part you could look to when you needed help. It's exactly what you want in someone wearing a badge, along with the sense of honor and fair play he subscribes to. If there was anyone who encapsulates what Fairlake was supposed to be and what it's become, then look no further than the blond idiot who's grinning like a Jack O' Lantern as we speak."

He got another good chuckle from people, but they also listened to what he said. I honestly don't know what he’d been so worried about. He knew how to work a crowd with seemingly no effort and seemed to enjoy himself.

"In truth, that's the sort of thing we need to focus on. More than the past, more than where we started," he continued,looking out on the crowd. "We should remember where we came from and how hard others worked to get us to where we are now, but we should never be beholden to those things. We need to keep the spirit alive more than the law. I'm the last of my family in the town they once founded. Not because of death or disease or scandal, but simply because my family decided Fairlake was no longer important to them."

That raised a few eyebrows and caused some murmuring in the crowd. I nervously glanced over to see that the mayor still had a smile on his face, but it looked stiffer thanbefore.

"Yet I came back here because this was the place I remembered loving the most when I was a kid. And I’ve been proven right, and my faith has been put in the right place. This town isn't without its problems, but more important are the good things we've not only maintained but that we as a town have come to value above all else. Family. Community. Honor. Respect. Acceptance, and of course, love."

That last part was said while reaching back and taking hold of my hand to squeeze it. "It's only in a town like this that I could stand up here, holding my husband's hand, and see smiling faces peering back at me so readily. Where not only me but also my friends can live their lives comfortably and openly. A place where we accept newcomers as one of our own, and we take care of our own. My family has abandoned this town, but in its place, we have made our own family, and I love that family with all my heart. So please, celebrate what we've managed to build, and always keep an eye on the horizon, aiming for an even brighter future."

The crowd took up a more enthusiastic applause this time, and I could see several familiar faces were clapping the hardest. Not just our friends but people I saw at the grocery store, the store owner, people from Adam and Chase's shops, and even people I sometimes saw going about my business.While the visitors and tourists were giving polite, if rather nice, applause, the people he had been speaking to and about were really showing their appreciation as they cheered.

Pride swelled in my chest, and I reached out to take hold of Isaiah before he could descend the stairs and get out of the way of the crowd and the cameras I could see. His eyes widened, but he leaned into me as I kissed him. It was brief, mostly chaste, but I felt a fire light up inside me as our lips lingered for a second more and pulled away.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, ignoring the 'get a room!' that set the crowd laughing...and most definitely didn't come from Bennett. "Public speeches do it for you?"

"That was amazing. I'm proud of you," I told him, not just because he rarely heard something like that from someone who mattered to him but because it was the truth.

"You know what they say about flattery," he teased.

"That it'll get you in my bed?"

"Mmm, it would get me there anyway, but you're definitely getting cuddled so hard tonight."

"Well, it was worth kissing you in front of two towns worth of people.”

LUKE

Hazy warmth wrapped around my thoughts, and as I took a moment to consider that, I realized I was also pressed tightly against heat. My entire front was covered in a pleasant warmth that threatened to hold me in one place. Dimly, I realized it wasn't because the heat source was heavy, but in the metaphoric sense, it weighed more than anything I could hope to lift. Mostly because I didn't want to disturb the source of the weight and heat because that felt like some sort of cosmic crime I wasn't ready to commit yet.

Which also told me I was more than awake enough to know the source of my 'problem' was, in fact, my husband. My husband of around eight months, as a matter of fact, a thought that still sent a flutter through my chest whenever I thought about it. Of course, I didn't really think there was a case to be made about doing it 'too' much when the reality of my situation made me happier than I ever thought I'd be.

Of course, I hadn't thought I would ever be with another man, so I guess luck, fate, the universe, God, or whoever was in charge liked to throw wrenches in not just plans but the expectations of life. I mean, hell, I’d never once glanced at aman that way, and having a celebrity as a boss and best friend, one who wasn't exactly private about his sexual appetite, had given me plenty of opportunities to explore even the slightest whisper of a new aspect of my sexuality.

Seriously, there area lotof guys out there ready and willing to drag a star's personal assistant into the mix, especially when they found out I was straight. I never did understand the appeal of trying to 'turn' a straight guy because ninety-nine percent of the time, it was going to end in embarrassing failure.

No, it wasn't until I met Felix, staring down into his big green eyes, his mouth set in an angry thin line, nose and cheeks turning red from frustration, that I felt the first stirrings of desire for another man. He was the only man who could lay claim to 'turning' me, and the fact was, he hadn't tried. He’d been nothing but respectful and polite when he found out he should have technically never had a chance with me due to my sexuality.

It hadn't stopped the little bugger from warming up to the idea when he realized I was actually into it. Though his words probably helped. “You were and still are hot as fuck, and your dick is amazing." Honestly, he could be great with words and sound intelligent and poetic, but I had to give him some benefit of the doubt. I’d been teasing him that day, and his thinking power was...stunted by lack of blood flow to the right areas of the body.

Now, my thoughts were coming back conscious and coherent, and I was becoming more aware of how my body's blood flow had shifted. Not that it was a sign of being horny. Being hard in the morning had been the norm since puberty. The difference between morning wood and now, however, was that I had caught myself thinking about my husband, how sexy he was, and how much of a horn dog he could be...and look good doing it,thenbeing aware of my arousal.

I opened my eyes to find Felix had pushed himself back into me in his sleep. Either that or I had grabbed him and yanked him toward me, both of which were distinct possibilities. For all his complaining that I could overheat him with my 'furnace' body, he was just as bad when he was dead asleep and inevitably sought me out while he snored 'softly.'

Which, while sweet and endearing, usually meant he would slot himself against me in the way that made the most sense and coincidentally involved his ass shoved against my crotch. I could handle it if I were in a normal state of mind, even with the amazing ass he possessed. With the whole 'Wow, I think a guy's ass is sexy?' question long since settled, I found myself in a state where the presence of said ass was incredibly distracting.

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