Page 74 of In Step

Judah laughed. “Yep, been there. He’s pretty ripped for an old dude.”

“Foranydude,” I corrected, and Judah laughed. “And let’s just say it had been a while since I’d let myself look atanyone.”

He thought on that for a minute, still not taking his eyes off me. “Is it serious between you two? And before you say anything, I know it’s none of my business, so feel free to tell me to fuck off.”

“It’s fine. I mean, we’ve only known each other just over two weeks. How serious could it possibly be?”Don’t even go there.“Besides, his job is based overseas, whereas I have no fucking clue what I’m even doing with my life. So, no. I really like him, Judah, but that kind of talk is just looking for heartache. Christ, I’m not even fucking out.”

Judah snorted. “Yeah, well, good luck with that. Leroy has a nose like a bloodhound for my bullshit, as does Patrick, and I can’t lie to save myself. Morgan will know I’ve had this coffee just by the look on my face. And you were already going to tell Leroy, right? God knows how my mother kept it a secret, and I suppose that means Martha must know as well. Just how long do you think till it leaks to the grapevine in Painted Bay?”

I remembered the sizzling kiss Abe planted on me in full view of my father, and a smile crept over my face. “Well, I guess I’m out, then. But I’ll make sure to revisit the whole thing with Cora and Martha, so they know it’s not a secret anymore.”

Judah leaned across and held out his hand. “Congratulations.”

We shook and I suddenly needed to be out from under that shrewd gaze. “Another coffee?” I collected our mugs and walked them to the kitchen.

“Sure. Can I use your bathroom?”

“Go ahead.” I set the coffee machine going and stared at it like it held the answers to my problems. Talk about a bombshell morning.

Judah wandered out from the bathroom, crossed to the kitchen, and sent me a wary look. “You’re positive?”

Fuck.My gaze shot to his, a sudden chill sweeping through me.

He held up his hands. “I wasn’t snooping. Your meds were just sitting on the vanity. I lived with a couple of guys on the same stuff when I was dancing and recognised it straight away.”

It was clearly one of those days. “Jesus, Judah, were you missing when they were doling out discretion?”

He laughed. “What can I say? You’re growing on me, Kane.”

I huffed. “I was diagnosed in university. I did warn you my experiences were, let’s just say, not what you’d want for yourself. But my viral load is undetectable.”

He looked relieved. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing for you to be sorry for. And Abe knows.” I didn’t have to tell him, but Abe was Judah’s friend. I shoved his coffee toward him and we returned to our seats.

“Don’t leave.” His words caught me mid-swallow and I almost choked.

Our eyes met over our coffee cups and I saw all I needed to in Judah’s expression. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

And that was that.

We talked for another hour until Judah eventually had to respond to an increasingly urgent slew of texts from a worried Morgan. When I switched my own phone from silent, I met a similar number from Abe. I told Judah to get Morgan up to the bedsit while I got a surprised Abe on the phone and asked him to bring Leroy and Fox.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Judah reached over a hand to squeeze mine, and that rabbit hole took another dive.

“The sooner the better. Get it over with.”

“You realise that once the news hits Terry, the rest will be history? That hardware store is gossip central.”

“As I said, I’m all in.” The words came out a lot calmer than I felt.

“You don’t have to tell themeverything, you know that.” He didn’t need to explain.

But when I thought about the home they’d given me, the security, the job, and the friendship, I nodded. “It might be the CliffsNotes version, but yes, they deserve to know. And as for the HIV, I’d like Leroy to be aware in case I get injured again.”

Judah squeezed my hand once again, and then he lifted Tank back onto his lap. As we waited for the others to arrive, we chatted about all the animals and Judah’s excitement at his impending visit with a service dog who might meet his needs. He talked animatedly about how this meeting had the potential to change his life, and for the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel alone in this tight circle of men.

Instead, I felt the warm thread of belonging to something... more.

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