After filing his company for bankruptcy, Kyle's wife leaves him and his three-year-old son. Now a forty-two-year-old divorcee with no parenting skills or money, Kyle decides to move back to the small home town he grew up in.
He should have lost all...
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There was something about the next few days that made Kyle's shoulders feel light and his face beam with a permanent smile. The night at the pub had been unfortunate, but the resulting events had made him, and Chaska grow closer.
For one thing, Chaska was a lot more open about his past. He talked about his parents, and Kyle let him vent, listening to his heartbreaking past and the moments of brief joy that dotted it. Kyle spoke about himself too, filling the moments of silence Chaska would leave behind with tales of him and his parents, and the few friends he had when he was in school.
"Daddy! Look!" Kyle looked up, smiling at the sight of his son hopping in the inflatable pool he and Chaska had set up earlier that afternoon. It was a Saturday afternoon, and Chaska had arrived at about eight in the morning. Kyle and him and made plans for the night, so he was going to be here all day.
"Daddy, look!" The toddler repeated, squatting in the pool until his head was below the water. It didn't last long, and soon the child was standing up straight and squealing in delight. The toddler took the few steps needed to meet Chaska who was sitting down on the other end.
Kyle laughed. The pool was too small for Chaska, but he had managed to sit in it to make Otis stop crying when the two adults had told him he would be the only person going swimming.
"What are you laughing at?" Chaska asked when Kyle made his way over to them. He hadn't been able to join in on the fun since he'd brought over an engine to work on at home. He kept crawling out from the garage to see what his son and Chaska was up to from time to time.
"I'm just looking," the blond man said, tucking his hands in the pockets of his trousers as he watched his son blow bubbles where the water met his mouth.
Kyle's chest grew tight when he locked eyes with Chaska. The man's hair was wet and clumps of it stuck to his chiseled face.
Chaska rolled his eyes before looking away. "Help me," the man said, reaching his hand out. Kyle took it, and the taller man got up, carrying Otis with him. Water spilled, and Chaska winched, feeling the effect of sitting still in the pool for more than an hour.
"I'm going to clean up after both of us. We just need to get towel dried first," Chaska announced as he climbed up the stairs and makes his way into the house.
"It's okay darling," Kyle's mother said from inside and Kyle smiled before returning to check up on his progress in the garage.
As Kyle turned screws in and out and rearranged wires, he couldn't help feeling excited about the upcoming night. He and Chaska were driving out of town to a gay bar. They were going to watch a drag show and dance a little—maybe get tipsy and a little handsy. Remembering the enthusiasm on Chaska's face as he described going there for the first time was enough for Kyle to set high expectations for the trip.
