20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Avery

M yles had agreed to meet his folks at a café on the outskirts of the city close to noon.

My skin buzzed as I got ready. He'd wanted me to join him, but I was nervous about meeting them again.

This morning, my masc clothes felt itchy on my skin, and I'd switched into a long skirt and form-fitting black top. While I wasn't strict about my pronouns, my body gave some pretty strong dysphoria responses if I didn't follow the cues when I was in femme or masc mode. I used to try to cater to everyone else—embracing my femme side in situations where it would be welcome and such, but the weight of it mentally hadn't been worth it.

Either people accepted me as I was, or they didn't need to be in my life.

My route sounded stark, maybe, but I'd reached that point after years of trying to fit into boxes that constrained, in friendships or relationships or even workplaces where my mental health suffered. Ultimately, I'd learned that when I'd moved past relationships where I wasn't accepted, it left room to find new ones where I was.

I toyed with the dangling earrings I wore, chewing on my lower lip. Myles's parents hadn't met me as femme yet. He'd introduced me to them but not as his partner. I wanted to believe they'd accept me into the fold, but people could surprise you—either in good or bad ways.

My parents and siblings did their best with me, even though they never quite understood me. But what unnerved me today was hope.

I didn't want to just be tolerated.

Seeing Myles's relationship with his parents, knowing I wanted him in my life for a damn long time, I craved their acceptance like the first sip of water after a marathon. I had parents and didn't need replacements, but I didn't have true parental acceptance. Nothing quite touched the deep ache inside me I'd spent life trying to heal.

The text from my dad this morning sat heavily in my gut.

Sorry we'll miss the wellness fair. Fishing morning.

He had no issue rearranging his social calendar for Zack's successes, his wins, but my "weird ones" always got left by the wayside. Guaranteed, he and Jamie would go fishing too. He hadn't invited me because he knew I had no interest, but realizing we had nothing to share…it stung.

I sucked in another shaky breath and pulled myself out of the eddying tug.

"You ready, beautiful?" Myles asked, stepping into the frame of my room. Which, "my room" was laughable since I'd spent most of the past week in Myles's bed, and I didn't see that changing. Maybe he'd let me turn this into an office so I could bring some of my belongings stored in my acupuncture office into my home.

Home.

Fuck, a heady rush swirled through me.

Far too fast, this place had seeped into my veins, just like Myles had. I hadn't realized how adrift I'd felt until I found somewhere to stay.

And someone to stay with.

His eyes were soft, incandescent, and his smile made my heart thump harder. His beard was groomed, his hair tousled, and his fresh hoodie and jeans combo highlighted his lanky frame in the best way. I wanted to climb him all over again.

"I am. How about you?" I grabbed my purse from my dresser and slid the strap over my shoulder. Even though that was a bit of a lie. I still brimmed with nerves.

He heaved a sigh. "Well, now that I've cycled through the intense panic of my folks finding out, I'm kind of in resignation point. Either they accept me, or they don't."

"Funny, I'm feeling the same." I raked my fingers through my hair, smoothing down strands again.

He stared at me point-blank. "Aves, my family was prepared to adopt you the second you met them."

The reminder seeped into me even further, flooding me with hope.

"Is there something else going on?" he asked, crossing the room to come and take my hand. I accepted the touch, loving the dose of instant comfort it brought.

"Just a message from my dad," I admitted. "No one from my family is coming to my wellness fair, which I've devoted ages to organizing, and I hate that it bothers me so much. I reached out, let them know this was important, asked if they'd come, and no one's made the time. Everything else, everyone else, just takes precedence."

Myles squeezed my hand. "That's why we find our own families. Sure, that doesn't fit the expectations we get crammed down our throats from an early age, but neither of us fit those anyway. And when you're different—well, sometimes the way that love looks, how acceptance looks is different too. I'm an only child, so the arrangement I have with my parents is all I've ever known. But I've carved my spaces at Randy's, with my other author friends, with people who keep me afloat. And the potential I see in us? I've never wanted anything more."

My throat tightened as my eyes burned. This relationship was everything I'd been fighting for all these years without realizing it, a home I'd been searching for, the simple acceptance of me as I was.

Whether his parents loved me or not, I had Myles Nelson, and that bolstered me beyond anything else.

We could build our own traditions together, form our own support systems, and find true happiness there.

I couldn't think of anything I wanted more.

"Fuck, I love you," I said, taking the first strides toward the door and tugging him along with me. "Now let's go face your family."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Myles groaned.

We clattered down the steps, hand in hand, and Myles unhooked his key from the rack. I stepped out first, and he locked up behind us. Within minutes, we settled into the car and zoomed down the road toward Sips Café.

"Ready to talk to your parents about the sexy, sexy erotica you write?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, that's mortifying. It's bad enough that you and Chloe read it now." Even though he joked, I didn't miss the way he clenched the steering wheel. This was a big hurdle for him, and I was proud he wanted me by his side through it.

"You can't stop me," I teased. "The stuff you write is so damn hot. And think of all the fun alien toys we could buy."

"Assuming I don't have them already." A ruddy flush colored his cheeks. His collection was extensive, and I couldn't wait to try each and every cock he owned.

"Want to take all your alien aggression out on my hole? Bend me over and fuck me with your girthy cock?"

"Mmf, stop," he murmured, his voice heated. "I know you're trying to distract me, and I love you for that, but now I'm horny."

I pressed down on my semi, which nudged up the flimsy fabric of my skirt. "Yeah, me too."

"Not the state I'd like to be in for a serious talk with my folks," Myles grumbled.

"Look, you're the one who's writing these hot books. And when do I get to read the latest?"

"When I'm finished editing it."

"What's even the point in being your partner if I don't get sneak peeks?" I flicked his leg. "Are we telling your parents we're dating?"

"Fuck yes," he said. "I need some good news to cling to in case they decide I'm an utter failure and they never want to see me again so I'm forced to move to remote Alaska."

"What about friends?" I brimmed at this point, excitement percolating in my veins. The itch to message Chloe hit hard and fast, and a giddy smile lifted my lips. Last night we'd been in a bubble, but now that we were out in the world together, the thrill was hitting me big-time. I wanted to tell everyone, wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

"You're assuming I have them," he muttered as he got off at the highway exit.

I snorted. "I know you do, so stop pretending. I'll fill Chloe in before she explodes."

Myles and I are dating.

I shot off the message and slipped my phone into my pocket. The vibrations started at once, but I ignored them, happy to torment Chloe a little more. I would miss the fuck out of her when she moved, but due to the more recent developments in my life, I felt better prepared to handle the shift.

The chrome and black sign for Sips Café came into view farther down on the road, and Myles slowed.

He pulled in and parked, then shut the ignition off and just sat. His shoulders sagged as he hunched forward, staring at the steering wheel.

"What if they hate me?"

The simple question was one I'd asked myself my whole life: the sense of displacement, of not having somewhere to belong. Always on the outside peering in through frosted glass and hoping someone would see me.

Except Myles had seen me at once—recognized me from across the room like our souls were destined to find each other—and I'd seen him in turn.

"Then we'll keep moving forward together."