Page 59 of Knight
“Yeah, but they do a Happy Hour special. We can grab drinks and appetizers at half price.”
“Well, I do love a bargain,” I joked.
“Perfect. Let’s go.”
Emory drove, because his Audi best fit a larger group. I fired off a text to Knight on the way there so he’d know where I was. We probably wouldn’t stay long. One or two drinks, and I’d still be home for dinner.
When I saw the sign for Glitter Balls, I choked on a laugh. “Bailey, you and Flynn totally made me think there was no place for booty shorts in Riverton!”
“Yeah, pretty much anything goes here,” Shiloh said.
As I followed them inside, I saw he was right. There were someverypretty twinks waiting tables, most of them dressed in skimpy shorts and half-shirts that left little to the imagination. A logo on their shirts showed two glittery disco balls positioned to look like, well, a pair of balls. Tacky, but in a delightful, playful way.
“Why do I suddenly feel like I should hit the gym?” Shiloh said, pinching at his nonexistent fat. “I’ve let myself go since getting here.”
“Well, sure, having a sugar daddy will do that to you,” Emory said with a teasing grin.
“A sugar daddy?” I said. “Holden?”
The guys laughed at my expression.
“Not really,” Shiloh said. “Sort of an inside joke.”
“Oh.” I turned to scan the club, trying not to let the comment bother me. I wasn’t privy to inside jokes among this group because I wasn’t part of it. That was okay. Why would I be when they barely knew me?
The bar, made of glass and chrome with a strip of neon blue lighting, was at the back of the room. Two disco balls hung from the ceiling, much like the logo. Front and center, a black queen in an aquamarine wig and sparkly silver dress danced for tips on a stage.
Bailey led us toward a table that was far enough from the stage the drag queen wouldn’t taunt us, but close enough for a good view.
“We’ll tell you the whole story over drinks,” Emory said, nudging me. “You’re one of us now.”
“Am I?” I said out loud.
“Well, that’s up to you,” Shiloh said as we took our seats. “We can’t make you want to join us, but?—”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry, you guys. I just…I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never really had people, you know? I had a few friends in college, but med school is competitive. It wasn’t like you guys. You’re all so close. Like family.”
“Because we are,” Bailey said.
Emory nodded. “When I started dating Gray, his brothers were still single. They were all so close. I envied them.” His voice grew a little sad. “My brother died when we were children.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
He smiled. “I struggled with that a long time. I felt guilty. Still do. I guess it never goes away.”
I nodded. I could understand that all too well.
“But the brothers folded me into their family. Gray loved me, so they loved me. And that’s what we want for you too, Aiden. I know you’ve got some baggage when it comes to family. Maybe we all do in some fashion. It’s what drew us together.”
Shiloh raised his hand. “Disowned for being too gay.”
Bailey raised his hand. “Abandoned by my mother as a toddler.”
Slowly, I raised my hand. “Beaten by my father. Watched my brother kill him…for me. Watched him get sent away…for me.”
Shiloh leaned over, slipping an arm around my shoulders. “Welcome to our fucked-up little family, Aiden.”
I laughed a little, my chest loosening. Maybe I really wasn’t alone. Maybe I could learn how to let people in, when they were the right people.
