Kris still couldn’t believe it was all over. Remi’s captain had called him an hour ago to explain that when the police had arrived, PJ had cracked and confessed everything. Yes, he had run the bar into the ground with his appalling business practices. Kris had often wondered how much it had cost them to update the systems all the time and continuously switch suppliers, never mind how lousy he was at sorting the staff schedules and paychecks.

Apparently, he had started the bar with money from his dad and never really turned a profit. So his solution had been to cash out with the insurance claim and either start again or run off back to Houston. He’d used Kris’s door code after watching him enter it several times, wedged the back door open so he could get out again without re-entering the code, then set fire to the building.

With Kris inside.

He shivered in the warm Texas air just thinking what could have happened. Apparently, PJ was adamant he had never intended to endanger Kris’s life. He had intended for the blaze to be contained and insisted to the police he was going to call the fire department if no one else did in time. But the sociopath didn’t seem to understand how nearly it had all gone terribly wrong.

He was facing charges of attempted manslaughter as well as arson. Kris hoped they threw the book at him. Not only had he almost gotten Kris killed and framed him when that failed, but he had always been a lousy boss who never cared about the community he claimed to support.

“Are you all right?” Remi asked as they walked up the driveway to his parents’ house.

Kris blinked himself out of his reverie. “Oh, baby, I’m fine,” he said, trying to shake off the ‘what ifs’ that were swirling in his mind. He hadn’t died. He hadn’t been convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. And, best of all, the experience had brought him to the man of his dreams. In a way, he had PJ to thank for Remi. So maybe Kris could spare a good thought for him here and there.

Remi looked like he wanted to take Kris’s hand. But they were standing outside his folks’ porch and Remi was understandably nervous. Kris touched his shoulder briefly in place of the hug he wanted to give his boyfriend.

“Never mind about me, silly,” he said. “I’m just processing everything. I’ll be fine. How are you feeling? If you need to hold back on this for another week or two, I’ll support you, one hundred percent.”

Remi smiled, that slow, affectionate one that made desire curl in Kris’s belly. “No,” he said. “Because I desperately want to kiss you right now. So the sooner I come out, the sooner I can sweep you up in my arms and take you back home again to my bed.”

“Oh,” Kris squeaked. He fanned his T-shirt away from his chest. “Well, you know, I’m down with that plan. Is it getting hotter out here? I feel kind of hot.”

Remi chuckled and bit his lip, looking down at Kris through his eyelashes. Those looks always made Kris feel like he was about to be eaten up. “You look hot when you get all flustered like that, baby,” he said. “You’re going to make it hard to get through this dinner.”

“That’s not the only thing I’ll make hard,” Kris whispered, taking a step forward.

Then he jumped backward, his heart jumping in his chest as the front door swung open. Remi’s younger sister, Darcy, leaned out, raising her eyebrow at the two of them.

“What are y’all doing hanging around out here?” she asked suspiciously. “Come on, we’re all here already.”

And by all, she meant all. As Kris and Remi followed her out into the backyard, Kris realized it wasn’t just Remi’s family that had come together. “Mom?” he said as he stepped out onto the back patio. “Leon?” Ava was there, too, looking tired and enormous but very happy. She waved to Kris while his mom and brother came over to hug him.

“We were just so relieved to hear the good news,” his mom said. “Bettina invited us over to celebrate.”

“That news article almost gave me a heart attack, bro,” Leon admonished, ruffling Kris’s hair. “I’ve never known so many people pay attention to the damn Horn before.”

Kris smiled sheepishly. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s all fine now.”

“And we’re glad to hear it,” Remi’s mom said. She pressed a beer into Kris and Remi’s hands each. “We knew it couldn’t be true. Thank goodness it was all put right so fast.”

Kris didn’t want to be rude, so he vowed to at least hold the beer for a little while. Bettina obviously meant well and didn’t know about his disinterest in alcohol. But Remi took it from him.

“Actually, Mom,” he said cheerfully, handing one beer to Darcy and the other to his brother-in-law, Thom. “We don’t really drink anymore. Have you got any sodas?”

Bettina looked confused at them both, but then she nodded. “Sure,” she said. “Dr Pepper okay?”

Kris smiled gratefully at Remi. “That would be great, thank you.” He turned back to his own mom as they found seats. “I was lucky a witness came forward to help. It took a lot of guts from them to do that.”

“Why?” Remi’s older sister, Jamila, asked from where she was sitting playing with Kendra.

Kris shrugged, not wanting to go into it too much for the sake of Harrison’s privacy. “It’s complicated,” he said. “But they could have some trouble for sticking their neck out for me. I hope they won’t.”

He and Remi had dropped Harrison off at his home after leaving the fire station. He seemed okay about facing his parents, but Kris got the impression he was hoping it wouldn’t get back to them that he’d been at a gay bar. Kris wished him all the luck in dealing with that situation, however it went down.

“We?”

Kris looked over at Remi’s dad, who was, as usual, manning the barbecue. Remi’s mom handed them their sodas and also looked at him. “What’s that, hon?” she asked her husband.

Remi’s dad frowned and pointed his tongs at Remi. “You said ‘we’ don’t really drink anymore. Like, is this some new house rule?”

Remi licked his lips and glanced at Kris. Kris wanted to hold Remi’s hand so badly, but he had to allow Remi to do this himself, at his own pace. Remi looked around the whole group, sitting in his folks’ garden, and took a deep breath.

“It’s more of a ‘me and Kris’ thing,” he said directly to his dad. “We do a lot of things together now and, um, well, Kris doesn’t like drinking so I don’t really need to either.”

“You can if you want, though,” Kris said clearly.

Remi smiled at him. “I know,” he said. “But it’s not like I love it.”

Kris smiled back. It was feeling more and more like he and Remi were meant to be together. They were so in sync.

“Hang on a minute,” Leon said. He frowned and waved the neck of his beer between Remi and Kris. “Am I missing something here?”

“Yeah,” said Darcy slowly. “Are you trying to tell us something, Remi?”

Remi looked at his dad, as did Kris. Clive’s jaw was clenched. Kris’s heart skipped in apprehension for Remi.

But Remi just nodded. “Actually, yeah,” he said. “There is something I would like to say.” He took a deep breath. “I’m bi. Bisexual. I’ve known it for a long time, but I was too afraid to come out or try anything with a guy. But, um…”

“Holy fuck, you’re boning my brother,” Leon cried, jamming his hands into his hair.

“Leon!” Kris’s mom cried.

Darcy snorted. “Thank you for that mental image,” she snickered.

Remi leaned across and took Kris’s hand. Kris’s heart leaped in his chest as he turned and they shared a look of pride and happiness.

“We’re dating,” Remi said. “And I hope you’re all okay with that.”

“Wow,” said Ava, rubbing her swollen belly. “Congratulations, y’all, that’s awesome.”

Leon scowled and jabbed a finger at them both. “So long as neither of you breaks the other’s heart,” he grumbled, “I guess it’s okay.”

“I think it’s cool,” Darcy announced, nodding and looking around her family.

Unfortunately, their reactions weren’t quite as enthusiastic. Jamila and her husband looked stunned, to the point where she was staring at Remi in shock, unaware that little Kendra was tugging at her skirt to get her attention. Remi’s mom had her hand over her mouth, and his dad…

Well, his dad was just shaking his head. “You’re not gay, Remi,” he said, just like Remi predicted.

“No,” he said firmly. “I’m not. I’m bi. I like men and women. It’s not a phase. I’ve known this about myself for a long time. I’m dating Kris and I’m serious about him. We’re serious,” he added. He looked at Kris, as if seeking confirmation.

Kris was only too happy to help out. “Remi’s right,” he said sincerely. He purposefully toned down any excitement he felt so as to endear himself to Remi’s dad. “I’m so totally honored to be his boyfriend and I promise to take good care of him.”

“Oh,” said Remi’s mom. She nodded faintly and looked between them. “I…but, Remi, what if you want kids?”

“Mom!” he blurted out. “We’ve only been together a few days, for crying out loud!”

Kris laughed and thankfully, so did Darcy, Leon and Ava. Even Jamila managed a weak smile.

“That being said,” Kris assured Remi’s mom. “Same-sex couples do still have kids. It might take a little longer, but-”

“No,” said Remi’s dad firmly. He finally placed the tongs down and came out from behind the grill. “No, Remi, this is crazy. I get if you want to experiment, but you two have nothing in common. You’re not like him.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Kris’s mom asked, hurt clear in her voice. God bless her. She wasn’t the fiercest of women, but Kris always knew she had his back. Even if it meant standing up to her best friend’s husband. “Are you saying Kris isn’t good enough for Remi?”

“No,” Remi’s mom said loudly. “Clive isn’t saying that at all, are you, Clive?”

Remi’s dad looked between Remi and Kris, apparently lost for words. “I-” He waved his hand between the two. “I’m just saying, why ruin your life over something that won’t last, son?”

Kris had been expecting something like that, but it still stung. Remi’s hand tightened around his, though. “You’re being rude, Dad,” he growled.

Remi’s mom sniffed. “He’s also being a jerk,” she said hotly, crossing her arms over her ample chest and narrowing her eyes at her husband. “Where’s your memory?” she demanded. “Folks told us we shouldn’t date. Said a white boy and black girl had no business getting married, and if we did, it wouldn’t last.” She sniffed again and shook her head. “Not natural, they told us. Well, that was thirty years ago, and I’ll tell you what I told them back then. Love don’t know no color. So why should it give a good god damn about gender?” She stood up and leaned over Remi to give him a hug. “I can’t say you haven’t shocked your mama,” she told him. “But I’m happy for you. And so will your father be, once he gets his head out of his ass.”

Remi’s dad was wide-eyed and didn’t look entirely convinced. But Remi smiled at him and stood up. Kris joined him. “I know this is going to take some time to process,” he said calmly. Kris was proud of him for not flipping out. “We’ll give you some time. We’ve had a hell of a day and we need some time to ourselves. I’ll be back over soon, and if you have any questions at all, please ask.” He pointed at the grill. “And, Dad? Move that propane tank before you blow the whole yard up.”

“You don’t have to leave, do you?” Kris’s mom asked. Kris smiled and let Remi go to hug her.

“It’s fine, Mommy,” he said, kissing her cheek. “We’ve got a lot of things to sort out.” He turned to face Remi’s dad, who was sheepishly moving the propane like Remi had said. “I know this is a lot for you to take on, Mr. Washington,” he said. “But you don’t have to understand everything at once. You just need to respect your son and love him like you always have.” He smiled. “I know you can do that.”

Remi’s dad didn’t seem to know what to make of Kris’s words. But everyone else waved them goodbye and appeared to be okay with the turn of events. Remi seemed eager to leave the families to their thoughts and opinions for a while, so if he wanted to head home, Kris was more than willing to do so.

Back in the car, Remi looked a little shell-shocked. Kris rubbed his leg. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Remi blinked and turned toward him. “Yeah,” he said after a second’s thought. “I am. I think that was the best it could have gone.”

Kris leaned over and hugged him, tucking his face into the crook of his neck and inhaling his musk in deeply. “We’ve had a long, tough day,” he said, placing a gentle kiss on his warm skin. “Let’s head home.”

Remi turned and rested their foreheads together. “You’re my home,” he said.

Kris thought he did very well not to tear up at that. “I’m so lucky,” he told Remi. After all these years, it had been so worth it to be with Remi in the end, just like he’d dreamed.