The bathroom of the Kingsmen Club Banquet Hall belonged in a magazine. Vincent stepped through the door and onto the brown-stained cement flooring. The surface was sealed in a glossy coat and so carefully polished that Vincent almost believed he was the first person to step foot in the bathroom all day. The walls were made of reclaimed wooden pieces cut to the same thickness, but different lengths, stacked like bricks. Their colors varied from dark to light, artwork simply by virtue of their assembly and the uniqueness of their woodgrain. Bright overhead lights chased away the shadows, causing the metal fixtures on each of the sinks to gleam. Vincent blinked a few times in an attempt to adjust to the track lighting, then made his way to one of the partitioned urinals and prayed that he could tame his erection enough to relieve himself without making a huge mess.

No one else in the bathroom, which meant that he could take the time he needed to manage his erection and the urethral disruptions it would cause without suffering any of the embarrassment. He unzipped his fly, ducked his head, and did his best to aim.

It was worse than having morning wood.

While he struggled to keep his stream centered, his phone buzzed several times. Vincent frowned, finished up as quickly as he could, then stepped to the sink and washed his hands. There were small hand towels rolled and stacked neatly in a rack to the side of the sinks, and he selected one to dry off with.

Gwynn had really gone all out with the reception. Not only had the wedding ceremony been beautiful and tastefully short, but the venue for the reception was gorgeous. Aurora was a pretty place, and Vincent found himself excited to discover more of it.

When Vincent’s hands were dry, he took his phone from his pocket and checked on his messages. One was a tag from the Single Dads, but the notification that caught his eye wasn’t from his chat app—it was a text message from an unknown number. Vincent tapped it, eager to read it in full.

Hey, it’s Mal. Thought you should have my number, since you so generously gave me yours. It was fun meeting you. See you around

Vincent smiled and contemplated responding, but decided against it. If he came on too strong, he was going to make a fool of himself. The message didn’t demand an immediate response, so he’d let it sit. Once some time had passed, he’d reply. As badly as he wanted to know who Mal was, and why he’d been in a storage closet with a vibrator, playing it cool would work to his benefit. Hopefully, by the time he replied, Mal would be eager to hear back from him.

To occupy his mind in the meantime, he tabbed to his notifications and brought up the message waiting for him from the Single Dads.

KnotMyProblem: @xVerity, paging our fearless leader. Report in for duty near the front doors of the banquet hall immediately, or face an irl asskicking

TeenDad2: omg Knot you can’t just say you’re going to kick his ass. What if he leaves and never comes back?

KnotMyProblem: TD, he’s visiting all the way from another state just to see us. I don’t think you have anything to worry about

LoveHarley: You guys are cracking me up. I’m the only one standing by the front doors of the banquet hall rn so idk what you’re all going on about :P

Of course. Vincent grinned and was about to reply when he saw TeenDad2 was typing. He watched the conversation instead, interested to see how it unfolded.

TeenDad2: We lost Gwynn, though, guys, so until he responds to our messages, idk when we’re going to be able to snap the pic

KnotMyProblem: What do you mean, you ‘lost him’?

TeenDad2: like his limo went mia. Alex and Gwynn got their own private transport. There was a separate limo for the wedding party, and we were traveling together at first, then Gwynn’s limo went rogue, and no one knows what happened

KnotMyProblem: Gwynn, that hound. Can’t get enough of that boy

Vincent held back a snort.

xVerity: Children, behave.

LoveHarley: lol!

TeenDad2: Knot, eww, gross

KnotMyProblem: I’m just saying, when he does walk through that door, I guarantee the marriage will have been consummated

TeenDad2: I need to burn my eyes out, brb

LoveHarley: Well, come back soon TD because we need you at the door pronto! I think the limo is arriving!

TeenDad2: omg RUN GUYS RUN

KnotMyProblem: I’ll bring the hot irons, TD

TeenDad2: omg

LoveHarley: xV, you still with us? We need you here, too! We can’t take our first ever Single Dad group photo without you here!

xVerity: I’m on my way.

Vincent turned off the screen of his phone and tucked the device into his pocket. There was a small wicker bin by the side of the sink that he tossed his used hand towel into, then out the door he went. Gwynning was about to arrive, and he needed to be there for the big moment.

The fun was about to begin.

None other than LoveHarley waited by the front doors of the banquet hall, his hands tucked casually in the back pockets of his suit, his broad shoulders relaxed and proud. Short blond hair crowned his head, kissed pale by the Californian sun. The scruff along his bold jaw was a few shades darker, showing off impressive bone structure. Harley wasn’t a giant, but his build was intimidating—muscular in a sleek, powerful way—and there was an undercurrent to his presence, a no-nonsense alertness, that reinforced the idea that Harley wasn’t someone to be messed with.

But as Vincent approached and Harley turned his head to acknowledge his presence, what Vincent had believed was hostility melted away. On Harley’s face was the sunniest smile Vincent had ever seen. Vincent’s trepidation vanished. Harley’s smile overshadowed his other physical features, and Vincent found himself at ease as he approached. Vincent hadn’t managed to track Harley down before the ceremony began, but there was no doubt in his mind that was who he was looking at. The sunshiny quality of his online persona matched his smile.

“xV?” Harley asked good-naturedly as Vincent approached. His sunny smile grew, impossibly, even more dazzling—he was genuinely excited to match a face to a name. “That’s you, right?”

“It’s me,” Vincent confirmed, returning his smile. When he came close enough, Harley clapped him on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. A row of pearl-white teeth, orthodontically aligned, brightened his expression. “It’s so weird to see you in person. I thought you’d look…”

“Older?” Vincent asked flatly, one eyebrow raised.

Harley laughed. “Yeah. Maybe. I mean, you’re no TD, but I thought you’d be forty or something.”

“I’m thirty-five, if it makes you feel any better.” Vincent quirked one side of his lips, smirking. “It’s all in the genes.”

“Well, fuck! At least one of us has discovered the whole fountain of youth thing.” When Harley smiled, fine lines deepened around his eyes. Sun damage, Vincent guessed, rather than a sign of his age. He didn’t think Harley could be much older than forty. “Speaking of TD…”

“Guys!”

Vincent looked over his shoulder. TeenDad2, who was barely more than a teen and looked it, bounded toward the door and skidded to a stop. He braced his hands on his knees and took a second to regain his breath, then looked up at them with earnest blue eyes. In his haste, golden-brown hair had fallen out of place and across his forehead. He brushed it back with a hand before he spoke. “I haven’t missed it, have I?”

Vincent gestured at the closed doors of the banquet hall. “Nothing’s happened. You’re in the clear.”

“Great!” TeenDad2—TD for short—stood up straight and plucked at his suit jacket. It had been clinging a little too closely to his barely there baby bump. “If I missed this, I would die.”

“Fantastic! Then you’ll be standing closest to the door, TD, so you can get the best view,” a new voice decreed, joining their conversation. It had a sly, mischievous quality to it that Vincent automatically associated with one man, and one man alone—KnotMyProblem. The snark in everything Knot typed matched the ever-playful tone of his voice, but to Vincent, the similarities stopped there. Vincent wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting Knot to look like, but the man who approached the group wasn’t it.

Every step Knot took, he owned. The click of his shoes announced his presence like trumpeters, and with his shoulders back and his hands slipped into the back pockets of his slacks, he looked every bit as regal as he projected himself to be. His body was graceful but muscled. By no means was he as broad as Harley, but he wore his alpha status on his sleeve. Knot was not a man to be meddled with.

Powerful pride lifted his chin. Posture proper, suit seemingly sewn to his body from its exquisite fit, he exuded confidence and superiority. There was a sharklike look in his gray eyes, made docile by humor. If Vincent had seen him without prior knowledge of his personality, he would have assumed that Knot was from stuffy old money—the kind of man whose identity was tied to the number of zeroes in his bank account, and whose fixation on material gain drained him of his humanity. Knowing Knot like he did, Vincent knew that wasn’t true at all.

“I’m going to stand at the far end of the group photo,” Knot declared as he joined them. “As far away from your plague-scheme as possible.”

“I don’t mind,” TD replied. “Also, hi, Knot. It’s, um, it’s nice to meet you in person.”

“That’s what they all say.” Knot raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on TD for a prolonged moment before sweeping the group. “So I’m guessing this is everyone, huh? We’ve assembled. When do I find out my superpower?”

“After roll call,” Vincent said with a smirk.

Harley burst out laughing. Knot rolled his eyes. TD covered his face with his hands. Vincent was happy to observe. These were the men who’d helped him through some of the toughest times of his life, even though they didn’t know it. It was stunning to meet them all in person and see their personalities come out to play.

“God, xV, I knew we were going to get along great in real life.” Harley wiped a tear away from his eye, then nodded toward the wall. “Is everybody ready to get into position? Where’s our photographer?”

“Aaron’s right over there,” TD declared, pointing at a tall man with dark hair who stood a respectful distance back. He held hands with a preschooler in a tiny suit, blond haired and blue eyed—the spitting image of TD. Vincent assumed that the child was TD’s son, Bo.

In Aaron’s other hand, he held a camera.

“He’s ready,” TD said. “All we’re waiting on now is Gwynn and Alex. And Knot, knock it off, okay? Please?”

Vincent glanced at KnotMyProblem, who’d gone from sly to sour. When Vincent followed his gaze, he noticed he was looking at Aaron. The animosity appeared to be one-sided—Aaron seemed too focused on Gage to notice any ill-will directed toward himself.

Young love.

A grin crept onto Vincent’s face. TD, the martyr of the Single Dad chat, had found his happiness at last. After so long spent alone and longing for his long-distance lover, it was good to see them back together and committed to one another. The Single Dads weren’t so single anymore. If the trend continued, Vincent would be the only one left on his own.

“If we’re all ready,” Vincent said, directing the conversation, “then let’s get into positions. Everybody, remember to smile. We want this to be a happy memory.”

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Harley said with a chuckle. He slotted into position against the wall, followed by Knot, who made sure to stand as far away from the door as he could. “All these months spent plotting and organizing are finally going to pay off.”

“Next up: taking over the world.” Knot smirked.

“Or not,” TD protested. He stood closest to the door, then swept a hand through his hair one more time to smooth it back. “Besides, who has time for evil when you guys have to organize something for my wedding?”

Harley ribbed him gently. “We’ve got what, a year and six months? We’ll think of something.”

“And that something could definitely still be evil,” Knot added.

“Okay, okay!” TD laughed. “He’s coming! Hurry up! Let’s get ready.”

The last man standing out of place, Vincent slotted between TD and Harley and braced himself for Gwynning’s grand entrance. The group had gone over the plans extensively through a shared private message in order to keep the secret. Gwynn and Alex had no idea what was coming… or that a score was about to be settled.

“If anyone wants to chicken out, this is your last chance,” Harley said. “He’s going to be here in five, four, three…”

How was Harley able to know what was happening on the other side of the door? Vincent peeked in his direction from the corner of his eye and found Harley watching the screen of his phone. The sight was curious, but Vincent wasn’t able to give it much thought. Gwynn was on his way, and the excitement in the air had started to ramp up.

“Two…”

TD tensed as if holding back laughter.

“One…”

Four things happened at once at that moment—four things Vincent would never forget.

The doors opened, admitting Gwynning and his new groom, Alex, into the Kingsmen Club Banquet Hall.

Blue glitter exploded from a concealed place above the door, raining down upon the newlyweds and, to some extent, TD.

A camera flashed.

Silence descended upon the room, despite the fact that several hundred guests were gathered.

Then, as the moment passed, the silence was broken by a single, abundantly excited utterance from TD’s son, Bo. “Glitter!”

Laughter swept the room all at once, breaking the tension. Glitter continued to rain down from over the door like fine snow. Of all the people laughing, Gwynn and Alex were laughing hardest of them all.

Vincent had never smiled so hard in his life.

He’d been in Aurora for less than twenty-four hours, but the renewed sense of self and the enormous amount of love and friendship he’d experienced there already made him feel like he’d found where he belonged. Through the crowd, he caught sight of dark curls and light eyes, and the sentiment grew stronger.

Mal.

Aurora was going to be good for him—he could feel it already.