A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies - Christina Lee Page 0,81

a chance they were both taking. Emerson swallowed roughly as Rhys’s tone softened.

“And the only thing I can do is take my time. Maybe I’ll want to get back up there again, and maybe not. I’m tired of thinking about it.”

“I hear you. Not stressing about it is a good idea.”

“Says the worrier in the family.”

“Hey!” Emerson grabbed a decorative pillow and lightly scrunched it over his head.

“I’m not wrong, though.” Rhys’s voice was muffled under the material.

No, he absolutely wasn’t.

“What about the kids…actually, Sam,” Rhys said, pitching the pillow to the floor.

“What? You mean telling him about us? Maybe Audrey already did?”

“She hasn’t,” Rhys replied, and Emerson held his tongue. He could be on a need-to-know basis where their relationship was concerned. He trusted Rhys. Trusted him with his life.

Emerson pushed to a sitting position. “Let’s see how the weekend plays out.”

“Sounds like a plan. Here’s another one—I’ll shower here, and you shower upstairs.”

Emerson stood up and reached for his shorts, giving him a knowing look. “As long as you throw these sheets in the laundry straight after.”

He headed upstairs to shower and change, then started breakfast before the kids even stirred. They were apparently sleeping late this morning.

“French toast? Now I’m really hungry,” Rhys remarked, rounding the corner, freshly showered and smelling amazing. “Maybe you should stick to breakfast, and I can make…pretty much everything else.”

There was that spinny feeling inside him again. “Deal.”

Rhys sidled up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Nuzzling his ear, he watched him flip a couple of pieces of bread. Emerson angled his head and pressed their lips together in a long kiss.

“Oh Gawd, my eyes!” Audrey exclaimed as they quickly broke apart. Seriously?

“Warn somebody next time.” Emerson turned toward the frying pan, but not before noting how she was grinning ear to ear. He shook his head, his lips turning up at the corners.

He sighed. He could get used to this.

“What happened?” Sam asked in a sleepy voice, padding into the kitchen.

“I caught them kissing again,” Audrey replied. He heard a gasp and then silence as he turned to see her hand over her mouth, eyes wide, and Sam scrunching his nose.

“It’s okay,” Rhys said, throwing Emerson a now-is-probably-the-time look.

Emerson carefully placed the spatula down, trying to bolster his courage. “Sam, Rhys and I—”

Are together? Dating? Boyfriends?

Damn, that sounded good.

“Love each other,” Sam replied, waving his hand. “Duh, who wouldn’t know that?” He rolled his eyes for effect, then shuffled toward a stool. “I’m hungry. What’s for breakfast?”

Emerson, Rhys, and Audrey stood frozen in place.

“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be,” Emerson finally said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Then they got on with their day.

29

Rhys

“What’s this?” Emerson asked as Rhys slid a flyer toward him soon after he walked in the door from work. It was Thursday, and only the second time all week Rhys had been able to join them for dinner.

“The other elephant in the room,” he replied with a pointed look.

Emerson glanced at the header from the community college. “What?”

“Nursing school. Jill, from Flying High? She enrolled for the winter semester and gave me the information. You obviously can check it out yourself on the website.”

He pushed the flyer away with a frustrated sound. “I can’t—”

“Just think about it.” Rhys tempered his tone, knowing he’d have a fight on his hands if he leaned too hard. Emerson never considered his own future, but maybe now that Rhys was involved, he might soften a bit. “There’s a two-year program. You can always start there. Some classes are online, and before you say anything about the kids, I’m absolutely gonna help you.”

Audrey glanced away from her cell from her perch at the counter. “Em, you’d totally be awesome.”

“Yeah,” Sam added, over the top of his computer screen. “Look how well you took care of us—and Rhys.”

“You’re killing me,” Emerson grumbled, but Rhys noticed how his shoulders unwound a fraction. That was a victory all its own. “I’ll consider it.”

As soon as Emerson headed upstairs to change, Rhys high-fived the kids before turning back to the oven, where his pan of homemade mac-and-cheese was bubbling. It was one of the kids’ favorite recipes, and they could have leftovers too, which gave Emerson a break when Rhys had a later shift at Flying High.

After dinner, they’d be heading across the street to do a walk-through of the upstairs now that the work was done, and Rhys had promised to FaceTime his mom so she could be included.