13. Emery

13

EMERY

“Damn. Someone’s getting laid,” Kessler said, two seconds after walking into my house.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He raised his brows. “That hot piece of ass next door finally give in to your charms?”

“It’s not like that. There’s a dearth of gay men out in the Hill Country. Me fucking him is just a point of necessity,” I said as I led him to the back.

The kitchen and dining room had been overhauled before I bought the place, and the wall between the two had been taken down in lieu of a massive island with a cooktop and bar. I loved the way the white marble countertops brightened up the place, and I painted the island and cabinets a dark dusky blue to balance the cool marble. I also switched out the standard pulls and overhead lights with brass fittings to add a bit more warmth, and I was super proud of the result.

I thought I’d miss being connected to the living room like in my old house, but this setup made for great entertaining and family time. Or for Kess to give me shit.

Kessler snorted, shaking his head as he set two handles of Deep Eddy vodka on the counter. “Stopped by the distillery on the way out. I assumed you needed it.”

I sighed, firing up the sauté pan as I checked on the water that was finally beginning to bubble. I grabbed the tiny basket of cremini mushrooms I’d purchased at the local farmer’s market and began slicing them.

Kess remained quiet as I added the butter and cooked down the mushrooms.

“It’s really annoying how well you know me,” I finally said.

“Whatever. You love me.”

“Barely,” I muttered, adding pappardelle to the boiling water.

Kess tilted his head as he took me in.

“What?” I asked, unnerved by what he might see in me.

Having a world-class lawyer as a best friend and business partner was one helluva perk, but it also meant I couldn’t get away with jack shit.

“You like this guy, don’t you? The grumpy asshole.”

“Shut up.”

“Ha.” He tsked, giving me the once-over. “ Point of necessity , my ass.”

I waved him off with an irritated gesture, but he paid me no mind. Climbing on the barstool, he watched me go back to preparing the sauce. “Come on now. Tell Kessie everything.”

“I’m not telling you everything .”

“Fine. I can imagine the sexy stuff. Tell me everything else.”

I had the noodles and the sauce bubbling, so I pointed to the vodka. “What kind of drink are you making me?”

“A spiked peach tea spritzer—equal parts peach vodka, sweet tea vodka, and soda.”

Instead of grabbing for my usual tumblers, I brought out the pint glasses. Kess took over, filling the cups with ice and eyeballing the recipe from there. He pushed it across the counter to me and I took a sip, then shot a glance at my friend.

“This is fucking dangerous.”

“Which is why I suggested it.”

I took another long pull of the powerful cocktail and set down my glass.

“So, tell me about the office. How are things going?”

Kess pulled a face. “No. First, tell me what’s going on with the sexy, exotic-game rancher next door. By the way, I saw the antelopes with the twisty horns on my way in. They are fucking cool.”

“Yes, they are.” Kess drank as he gestured in a circle for me to keep going. “And . . . it’s the best sex I’ve ever had in my fucking life.”

He nearly choked on a laugh. “Why are you making that sound like the best sex you’ve ever had is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?”

“Because I told him he couldn’t fuck anyone else while we were fucking.”

He set down his drink. “That’s not how hooking up works.”

I glared at him. “I know.”

“So, if you aren’t hooking up...what the fuck are you doing?”

“Hooking up with a slight undercurrent of he’s mine and no one better fucking put their hands on him .”

Kess’s eyes widened, and he took another drink, as if he were giving himself time.

“Go ahead, Kess. Say whatever you’re gonna say.”

He grimaced, then went in, because that was what Kess did.

“Okay, well. Let’s forget about the fact that you’ve suddenly forgotten how to hook up. Let’s talk about the fact that I have never seen you this...I don’t even know what to call it. Possessive? Controlling?”

“Again with the things I already know.”

I couldn’t even look him in the eye.

“Ohhhhh. This is so bad,” he said, unable to contain his smile.

“Shut up.”

“I was agreeing with you.”

“While grinning at me like a jackass.”

“Well, I’m sorry for smiling because my best friend, who has never experienced genuine emotions with another man before, is in a bit of trouble with a lover.”

“Don’t call him that. This isn’t some Taylor Swift song,” I groused. Even if I’d been listening to that song on repeat for days now. “And I have experienced genuine emotions before, they just didn’t set well with me.”

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these emotions don’t seem to be settling well with you, either.”

“Shut up .”

“You did not invite me to your house for me to shut up. Come on, tell Kessie what’s going on in that big beautiful brain of yours.”

“I’d rather talk about the business.”

“The business is running just fine without you. Now tell me about this guy.”

“What do you mean, it’s running just fine without me? I’m a founder. I’m needed.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Not really. Our staff knows the vision, they execute, we’re great. I was actually coming out here to suggest that you step down as CEO, join the board, and reap the rewards, passive income–style. Maybe go off and create another multimillion-dollar company while you’re at it.”

“A board member?” I scoffed. “What am I, useless?”

“Yeah. Or so fucking good at your job that you hired all the right people, who can run it like a Swiss timepiece with or without your input.”

“What was I doing all those months, burning myself out?”

“Denying reality? I don’t know.”

“You are such a bastard.”

He popped his collar. “That’s why you love me.”

“True,” I said, rolling my eyes before going in on an old joke. “You are and have always been my one true love.”

“Uh, excuse me. I just came in to refill my water,” Rowdy said, entering the kitchen with his canteen and a glare.

“Oh, hey Rowdy. This is my buddy Kessler.”

Rowdy didn’t bother looking at Kessler because he was still giving me the stink eye.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“You can’t be fucking my cousin and telling another man that you love him. That’s really shitty of you.” He yanked open the fridge. “I thought you were better than that.”

“Uh, that’s not what this is, Rowd.”

Rowdy’s unimpressed look was loud as he topped off his canteen.

“So, you’re telling me I didn’t just hear you say that this man—whatever he calls himself—was your one true love ?”

“He calls himself Kessler,” my old buddy said with a grin. “Or Kess. Whatever floats your boat.”

“I don’t care if you call yourself the Dalai fucking Lama.”

I held up my hands. “The one true love is just a stupid thing we’ve been saying since high school. I mean, I do love Kessler, but like a brother. He’s my business partner.”

Kessler made heart hands at me, then said, “I love Emery to death, and I can promise you I never want to see that monster coming for me.” He helpfully pointed at my crotch to ensure Rowdy knew which monster he was talking about.

Fucking Kess.

Rowdy looked between the two of us, still suspicious. “I heard what I heard.”

“I’m not denying what you heard.” I let out a slow breath to tamp down my frustration. “I’m just saying that it’s not romantic love. I promise you, I could never and will never fall in love with Kessler.”

“You don’t have to be so insistent, Em,” Kessler said, crossing his arms. “You’d be lucky to fall for someone like me.”

I gestured to Rowdy’s disgruntled face. “Not helping the situation, Kess.”

He turned to Rowdy, brow raised. “You, on the other hand? You would be a good time. This guy over here? Far too bossy for me.”

A tiny smile cracked through Rowdy’s facade. “Yeah, I heard something to that effect.”

My mouth fell open. “Wait, wait, wait. Did Woody tell you about what we got up to?”

Rowdy shrugged not-so-innocently. “Maybe not the details, but he did tell me you asked for exclusivity, even though you’re in here looking awfully cozy with some guy I don’t know.”

I took a step away from my friend. “I’ve already told you. This is Kess and he’s my business partner.”

“Oh?” Rowdy asked, unmoved. “Is that what we’re calling our side pieces these days?”

Kessler took umbrage at that. “Excuse me! If I were anybody in this scenario, I would not be the side piece. Once I come into the picture, I remain the sole focus until I leave the picture.”

Rowdy took in Kess’s blond good looks, singularly unimpressed. “I’m sure your mouth leads the way, but that’s not the same as actually owning the space. On that, I can assure you I have you beat by every measure.”

“Just because you’re a sassy bottom doesn’t mean you’ve got the market cornered on attention.”

“Sassy bottom, bossy bottom, bottom you couldn’t handle in your wildest fucking dreams.”

“We’ll see about that,” Kessler said, giving Rowdy a world-class eye-fucking as he downed the rest of his drink.

Though I was enjoying the stare down, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Guys, could you please stop marking your territory? You’re both pretty. You both suck all the oxygen right out of the room the second you walk in. You don’t need to compete.”

Rowdy smiled. “Thank you for acknowledging that I don’t have any competition.” He sent Kess a judgy look, then patted my shoulder. “I believe you, but if you fuck over my cousin, I’ll make your life a living hell.”

“Would expect nothing less, Rowd.”

“Good. I’ve got to go, but I’m keeping an eye on you,” he said, pointing two fingers at his eyes, then mine before heading for the door. “By the way, I’m going with Woody to take Bandit for his final follow-up appointment. Let me know if you need anything while I’m out.”

“Tell that cousin of yours to respond to my fucking texts.”

Rowdy shook his head, his backward look pitying. “Do you think he ever does a damn thing he’s told?”

“I’m guessing not.”

Rowdy shifted his focus back to Kessler. “Pay attention as I walk away, hot stuff. It’d be a shame if you didn’t admire my ass in these Wranglers.”

Kess gave Rowdy’s ass an obvious once-over and let out a low whistle. “Oh, look. We agree on something.”

“Don’t get a big head about it,” Rowdy retorted, his voice echoing as he made his way into the living room. “I doubt we’ll agree on anything else.”

On that note, Rowdy could be heard opening and closing the front door, then bounding down the steps to his truck.

Kessler turned to me. “I like him. He’s fun.”

“How the fuck did you turn him around like that?”

“It’s a gift.” His grin turned sharp. “As is the offer for you to join the board.”

“You’re not going to leave this alone, are you?”

He gestured to himself. “I know we haven’t hung out in a while, but have you not met me?”

“Was I such a bad CEO that y’all just can’t find any place for me except for the board?”

He looked at me, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “No. I haven’t talked to the board at all. This is coming from me.”

“What the hell, dude?”

He spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “I just...I’m here thirty minutes, and I see why you had to move out here. You look so fucking happy. I haven’t even seen Stevie yet, and I can tell that this is exactly the place she needed. This feels like home for both of you. There’s no reason for you to come back to Austin.”

“I wasn’t gonna come back to Austin. I can handle most of it from here and then just commute in every once in a while.”

“And you would still get to do that on the board. But this is me talking as your friend. You’ve been going since you were, what? When did your dad die?”

“When I was seventeen.”

“Exactly. You have taken on responsibility after responsibility for your family since then. Hell, you decided to go with a surrogate in your mid-twenties, when most men are still just trying to get their dick sucked.”

“I still managed to get my dick sucked.”

“Yeah, but only if you managed to hire a babysitter for the night. You take on responsibilities like it’s a job.”

“That is literally the definition of a job.”

“Don’t get semantic with me, Em. You know exactly what I’m trying to say. You’re still in your thirties and you have done more work than most people twice your age. You don’t even need to work for the money.”

“You know it’s more than that.”

“I know it’s more than that. I’m just saying, maybe you can find a new way that doesn’t suck the life out of you. You don’t have to keep doing things this way.”

“But this way has seen us through three business cycles.”

“Yes, it’s been incredibly successful for both of us,” he said, placating me. “But it hasn’t been good for you as a human. You know how I know that?”

“How?”

“Just these few weeks away from the business, and you look nothing like the shambling corpse you’d become. There’s actual color in your face and you’re smiling.”

I ran my fingers over my lips and damn if he wasn’t right. This conversation was deeply uncomfortable, and yet he was right. I was...happy.

He winked at me. “That tells me everything I need to know.”

Kessler was my business partner because he was smart as fuck, had a nose for hidden shortcomings, and kept me from getting too serious, which I appreciated. All of which was to say that when he spoke, I paid attention.

“So, what happens if I do this? Who would take my place? You?”

Kessler scratched at a spot on the counter. “Seeing how well you’re doing makes me wonder if I need a similar break.”

I inspected my friend. When someone smiled as much as he did, it was harder to see the exhaustion, but now that he’d said something, I could see it in his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not fly to Bora Bora burnt out,” he said jokingly. “But while I was racking my brain, thinking about how to convince you to do things a different way, I sorta realized that I probably need to take my own advice.”

“So, what? You planning on moving out here too?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Not gonna lie. It crossed my mind.”

“Alright, you’re scaring me. What is this about?”

He took a sip of his drink, contemplating. When our eyes met again, I noticed his had gone a little shiny.

“Kess?”

“This probably sounds like something out of the blue, but...” He paused, taking another drink. “I might want a family.”

I could hear a record scratch in my mind. “You wanna be a dad?”

“Not on my own and not right away, but… eventually? Maybe? I mean, I know that’s not my ‘brand,’” he said, using air quotes. “But?—”

“It doesn’t have to be your brand,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m just gonna need a second because I’ve known you for twenty years and I’ve literally never heard you mention children. Like, ever.”

“Well, when your best friend makes it look so great...”

“So this is my fault?”

“A little bit.”

I laughed, then dragged him into a hug. “I think you’d make a great family man. You’re certainly a fantastic uncle to Stevie.”

“That’s true. I am the world’s best uncle,” he said, sniffling and wiping his eyes. “Speaking of, where is our girl?”

“She’s with Mom, but they’ll be joining us for dinner.”

“Great. Love your mom.”

“Who doesn’t?”

We laughed, and I went about refilling our drinks. Kessler had surprised me, not once, but twice this afternoon, both with the suggestion about stepping away and now this. I loved that he was always the friend who could make me laugh, but I also appreciated that he knew how to be serious. One thing was for certain: I had to rethink my whole concept of owning and creating a business.

He was right about another thing, though, and I was loath to admit it.

This thing with Woody...it was different. It was more . And it bothered the hell out of me that he was ignoring me.