Welcome Birthday Guest Posy Roberts!

Flare

Excerpt from Chapter 23: Halloween, Belated Birthdays, & a Personal Porn Star

by Posy Roberts

 

As he scanned his calendar, something kept bothering him. It took him several minutes and a really good look at the month to place what it was when he registered the date.

He’d missed Kevin’s birthday by over two weeks. He’d gotten so tangled up with his work, the kids, reconciling with Kevin, and helping Erin that he’d totally fucked up remembering his boyfriend’s birthday!

The whole family probably celebrated it that weekend while Hugo was off busy with the play. He hoped Kevin didn’t think the tickets to the play that night had been his gift. They’d been fucking comp tickets.

Similar shit had happened the year they met. Hugo’s dad died and Kevin had been dating Tricia. Hugo didn’t even know he’d missed it until months later.

How could this happen again?

He quickly ran to his favorite gift shop and looked for anything that seemed to say Kevin to him, but nothing would compare to Lulu or even the leather bracelet. There was no way to ever top the keychain Kevin had given him in high school, especially considering Hugo still wore the inscribed words around his neck every single day!

Tossing his mishmash of items on the counter to pay for them, he asked if they could be gift-wrapped and must’ve looked totally frazzled. He dropped his debit card on the counter.

“A card. I need a card,” he said to himself.

“Right over there,” Jackie, the owner, said with a point of her finger as she smirked and started ringing things up.

He found a simple card with crisp print that read, You’re the type of boy I’d make a sandwich for. It was blank on the inside so he could write his own message. It was totally dorky but perfect. As Jackie proceeded to wrap the gift, Hugo considered what to write in the card. He ended up doing the only thing he could think of.

I suck. I totally forgot your birthday until today. I now owe you two birthdays and a hell of a lot more gifts than this because these totally suck compared to what you’ve already given me. I love you. Happy Birthday!

Hugo

It was only after he’d licked the envelope and taped it to the gift that he realized the card really and truly implied he’d be willing to have a threesome with Kevin. And here he thought it was actually about food. He groaned.

“You just figured out what the card meant, didn’t you?” Jackie asked with a smirk. Hugo nodded and laughed. “You never know . . .”

“Believe me. With this one, I know.” Hugo chuckled as he left the store. At least Kevin would get a good laugh from this.

He made several more stops, and by the time he was done with the radiation run and then heading to pick Brooke and Finn up from school with Lulu in the backseat, he felt about ready for a nap, which he took once parked in the sun-warmed car before the school bell jolted him awake.

[. . .]

AFTER THE kids were scrubbed clean and in bed and Erin had excused herself for the night as well, Hugo dashed to the car and brought in his ridiculously thoughtless gift, then presented it to Kevin with a hangdog look.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Your horribly late birthday present. And yes, I just remembered today,” Hugo said and braved a look.

“What about the play?”

“Oh, Christ,” Hugo groaned. “You actually thought that was your gift, didn’t you? I was afraid of that.”

“It was a great play. You were phenomenal.”

Hugo couldn’t help his scoff.

“Come on. Things have been chaotic, so it’s okay. Don’t feel bad.”

“I do. I will. Because this is the second time. I’m sorry. I suck.”

Kevin laughed as he tore into his gift, starting with the card first. “Sandwich?” He looked at Hugo with skepticism.

“I was in a rush and bought it because I was thinking that I like making food for you. That’s all I thought it was until after I sealed the stupid envelope.”

“Seriously?” Kevin laughed. “Man, you really were out of sorts if you missed that obvious innuendo.”

“You’re telling me.”

Kevin leaned in for a kiss. “I think we’ve made enough sandwiches. I’m ready to have you all to myself. But I might need to put this card in a frame, just so I can laugh at you from time to time.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Mock indignation laced Hugo’s voice. “Now open it, and you can see how frazzled I was earlier today.”

Kevin read his words and smirked while shaking his head. “Wow. That’s a lot of self-loathing in a birthday greeting.”

“Shut up.” Hugo pouted.

“Stop it, and let me enjoy opening my present.”

With each thing revealed, Kevin’s smile grew and grew until he was laughing out loud at the silly fish keychain/coin holder. “This is amazing! It’s like you wrapped up all the years we’ve known each other into a few gifts. You realize you know me better than most people, right?”

“I do?” Hugo asked with skepticism.

“You’re one of the only people who knows how much of a sock freak I am in the winter, and these are really nice wool. The Zen garden is cool,” Kevin said, opening the box to play with the little rake. “But this is amazing. You gave me a tool to help me better understand my daughter. It’s perfect.” He opened the texting dictionary and scanned it.

Hugo scrunched his face together in disbelief, and Kevin noticed.

“Trust me! I got a purple tie from Erin’s parents. I look like I died when I wear purple. Thank you, Hugo. I don’t care that it’s late because you being here in my life is gift enough.”

“Goddamn romantic.”

Kevin gave a devilish smile.

 

Amazon

Hugo and Kevin were best friends and secret lovers in high school, but a chance meeting years later proves that the spark that drew them together before is still there. In Spark, Hugo and Kevin must try to put together a relationship while overcoming the obstacles of coming out, divorce and children. In Fusion, an unexpected illness may tear apart all they’ve been building. And in Flare, though they’ve finally settled together happily, outside forces are working hard to upset their family.

 

GIVEAWAY

Posy will be giving away  an ebook of my trilogy, North Star, so 3 novels in one. To enter comment below!