Page 76 of Stick By Me
“Oh, I understand complicated, believe me.” Devin offered a sharp laugh. “I came from very Mormon parents and when they found out about me, well, it was a good thing I had the support of the band and Brandon.”
My gaze snapped to Devin. “You were Mormon?” I eyed him up and down. No way.
“Yeah. Not only did I have to come out as bisexual, I came out as nonbinary.” He shook his head. “They didn’t understand any of it. My dad wanted to kick my ass.” He gripped his soda tighter. “But my boyfriend, Brandon, didn’t let him.”
“How is your dad with it now?” Leo snuck his hand into mine and held it on the table.
Devin’s gaze dipped to our hands, then came back up. “He tolerates it. When he’s in town, I don’t dress like this.” He waved his hands up and down his sides, then leaned in toward Leo. “But Leo, your parents are cool with Axel. Why aren’t you out?”
With a wince, Leo said, “Because Axel is the gay son, and my dad wasn’t all the way accepting of Axel at first. Our father didn’t let Axel see that, though, but I did.”
“So, you’re afraid of what your dad will think?” Devin furrowed his brows, watching Leo.
“I’m afraid my dad’s reaction might cause a shit storm for my whole family.” Taking a deep breath, Leo glanced at me. “I’m going to come out to them all, eventually. I did tell Remy about us.”
“Well, I won’t say a word.” Devin patted Leo on the forearm. “It’s important you come out on your own terms. I didn’t have that luxury and it sucked.” He pressed his lips together, then smiled. “Hey, it looks like you’re done here. Want to come to the bakery and pick out some dessert? It’s on me.”
I tapped on my phone, resting on the table. I still had thirty minutes to get to my next class. “I have time. What do you think, Leo?” Devin seemed like a really nice guy.
Leo squeezed my hand. “Yes, let’s do that. I haven’t been in there yet and Axel raves about the place.”
“Let’s get the check and head over.” I flagged down our waiter.
We strolledto the bakery on Mill Avenue with Devin, chatting about the band’s show in Vegas and getting updates on everyone. The sun shone through fluffy clouds in the sky and students bustled all around us between their classes.
I looked up at a sign on an older, brick building, reading, Queer Confectionsin a rainbow of colors. “Here it is.” As we all stopped, I opened the door and let Leo and Devin step inside first, then I followed them in. There were gay couples and students seated on the colorful velvet couches strewn across the room and skateboard graffiti art on the walls. “What’s with the skater art?”
Devin led us up the center of the room, toward the glass bakery counter. “The owner is a skater. He used to work at a grocery store bakery, but then opened up this place after he methis partner, who became a multimillionaire after winning the lottery.”
“No shit?” My gaze cut to a man in white with a baker’s cap, standing behind the counter, his dirty blond, shoulder-length hair pulled into a ponytail.
“Yeah, this is Dana, one of the owners.” Devin stopped at the counter.
“Hi. And who do we have here?” Dana’s gaze roamed from me to Leo.
“This is Axel’s brother, Leo, and his um…” Devin scratched his head. “His friend Archer. Archer’s a hockey player for ASU.”
“Yeah? Cool, man. I love hockey.” Dana gave us a wide smile and nodded.
“I told them I’d give them something on me.” Devin hooked a brow.
“Oh, well…” Hopping on his toes, Dana held up his finger. “I have just the thing. Something new I’ve been working on. You like bourbon?”
Sneaking a glance at Leo, I lifted my brows. “Hell yes.” I grabbed for Leo’s hand, then pulled back. This guy obviously knows Axel.
“Be right back.” Dana bound though a doorway into a back room, then returned with two plates, each holding a puffy pastry looking similar to a danish. He sat them down on the counter. “Here. It has a bourbon filling with honey, orange and a hint of cherry. Sort of like an old fashioned.” He beamed at us.
“Sounds delicious, Dana.” Leo picked up a pastry and took a bite, then let out a deep moan. “Oh my God.”
Hot damn, he sounded like he did when we had sex. My dick perked up. I plucked my pastry off the plate and bit into it. An explosion of butter with a mixture of the bourbon and the fruits danced on my tastebuds. With a groan, I shut my eyes for a beat, savoring every second of it. “Damn, this is almost better than sex.” I shot a look at Leo, his pupils blown. Could Dana tell we were together?
Dana threw us a satisfied grin and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, these are gonna sell.”
“Everything you make sells.” Devin tagged Dana’s shoulder. “We’re thinking of starting a third bakery over on the west side and looking to start selling at some smaller coffee shops.”
“Wow, you all have done really well here.” Leo took another bite of his pastry. “I remember the first time Axel told me about this place.”
“Yeah, it was when he was hounding me to try out for the band.” With a small grin, Devin nodded. “So much has happened since then.”
