Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
By the time the technician was done with my legs, they were covered in bright red patches.
“They’re ready for the good part!” Dom said as he read me some of the comments on his livestream.
I’d get him back for this somehow. I wanted to take my time and plan something epic.
“Okay,” the technician said. “If you could just spread your legs and hold them up with your hands”
Dom turned the camera from my face to his. “She’s doing it! It’s taint waxing time, bitches!”
I closed my eyes, trying to find my Zen. Elle approached and touched my face, just letting me know she was there.
“Shit,” I ground out through clenched teeth as the strip was pulled off.
“You’re doing great,” Elle said encouragingly. “Almost done.”
“I’d rather be punched in the face twenty times in a row than do this again,” I muttered.
I couldn’t help jumping up and yelping as the wax was applied to my balls with a stick. I scrunched up my face and held my breath as the stripped was ripped off.
“Fuck. That felt awesome,” I said, sweating a little at how tense I was and how much it hurt.
The technician finished with several more equally painful strips, passing me a hand mirror when she was done and saying, “Want to have a look?”
“No, I’m good.”
“We need to get him a pole to work tonight,” Dom said into the camera.
He turned it to my face again. “Any last words for your fans, Ford?”
“Dominic Locke is an asshole,” I said. “That’s about it.”
Dom turned the camera back on himself holding his hand up to wave at the camera. “He loves me. Peace!”
I slowly stood up from the table and went behind the changing room curtain to put my clothes back on. Elle reached for my hand as soon as I walked out and I took it.
“Nicely done!” Colby called as we walked into the waiting room.
They’d all watched the livestream. I’d heard their cackles from inside the waxing room.
“Anybody up for dinner?” Beau asked. “My parents are babysitting and Shelby’s meeting me at Berardi’s.”
I looked at Elle and she nodded.
“We’re in,” I said. “You fuckers owe me so many drinks after that bullshit.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll buy your dinner and drinks,” Dom said.
Elle squeezed my hand, her expression happy. As we walked toward my car, headed out for an evening with my teammates, I knew we’d have a good time.
The hard part was behind us. And I’d never been so excited about the future.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Elle
Three months later
I jumped up from my seat the second Luke walked into the visiting room, running into his arms to give him the biggest hug.
“You look great,” I said through my tears.
“Thanks, sis. I missed you.”
His hair was longer now, so long it was tucked behind his ears. He was clean shaven and had lost some weight but added some muscle. From our phone calls, I knew he’d been hiking and rock climbing a lot, despite the cold.
“Luke.” Our dad hugged him next, fighting tears. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
In a family session, around sixty days into his treatment, Luke had told Dad and our grandparents that he’s gay. They had all told him his happiness was all that mattered and said they’d support him no matter what.
Luke didn’t just look physically lighter now; he also looked unburdened. More at peace than I’d ever seen him. When he hugged our grandparents, he thanked them for paying for his treatment.
“Ford,” he said, shaking my boyfriend’s hand.
Ford grinned and pulled him in for a hug. “Congratulations, man. Really proud of you.”
“I can’t believe you came,” Luke said.
“Of course I came. Wouldn’t miss it.”
“I hear you guys are having a hell of a season. We’re not allowed to watch TV here, so I haven’t seen any games.”
Ford nodded. “We’re looking forward to the playoffs.”
I was in the stands at every Coyotes home game these days. Though my feelings on hockey hadn’t changed, supporting Ford meant more. I sat with Shelby Fox, who had become a good friend. She’d introduced Sam and I to her best friend Marlowe, the host of Cliterally Speaking, and we fangirled hard over pizza and wine.
“So I’ll show you guys around,” Luke said. “There are indoor climbing facilities, where we learn to climb and practice different climbing techniques. Let’s start there.”
I was blown away. My brother had grown from never climbing in his life into a seasoned climber, securing harnesses on Ford and me and showing us how to scale the wall. We’d come today for his graduation, and I could hardly wait to have him back at my place full-time.
“This is just a fitness room,” he said as he walked past. “Oh, let’s go to the kitchen. If we had time, I’d whip up some linguine with clams.”
I gave him a confused look. “Who are you and what have you done with my grilled-cheese-and-Lucky-Charms-eating brother?”