Welcome to the Chaos
Sammy: Yes.
Mike: Yes, what?
Sammy: Dinner.
Mike: Really? You sure?
Sammy: I can hear Lacie picking out outfits next door.
Mike: It’d be great to have you.
Sammy: What should I wear?
Mike: Kitten socks?
Sammy: Nothing else?
Mike: I wouldn’t argue.
“Where is my meat?”
“Who’s hiding Simon’s meat?” Jason shouted from the kitchen.
The house quieted for a split second before it erupted in laughter. Once upon a time, the gatherings had been small and intimate. As Firefly’s bear population grew, so did the attendance. From the moment I walked in, I’d been greeted by joyful chaos.
“Found it,” Simon yelled. “To the grill!”
In the living room, I sipped my cocktail, complete with a pink umbrella. Tyler and Charlie talked about the library while Seamus casually thumbed through Simon’s record collection. I checked my phone. The lack of messages brought a sigh of relief. He had yet to cancel.
I had already done the prep work. Simon prepared extra burgers, but more importantly, when Charlie overheard, I caught him mentioning to Nick to play it cool.
Nobody here would be less than themselves, but they laid out the boundaries for our visitor.
They’d give Sammy space. Every one of them had nodded and flashed a smile.
We knew the drill. At one point, we had been the new guy walking into a tight-knit family. I loved every one of them.
“It’s kick, then spin,” Jon said. He and Nick were running through the flash mob routine. As Jon spun, Nick bumped into the counter. I was most excited to see the fumbling attempts at the flash mob. I would need to record their valiant efforts.
Bobby and Chris prepped food in the kitchen for Simon. With this many burly men, I’d need to take a headcount. Though now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen the other host.
“Where’s Jason?” I asked.
“Dad duties,” Amanda chimed in. “Lucy should be here shortly.”
I still marveled at how Simon co-parented with his ex-wife. As if summoned, Lucas appeared in the doorway. I had met Simon’s kid numerous times at drag reading hour. Once Mabel finished, he’d spend the next hour talking about every superhero in his latest comic.
He wasted no time taking a seat between Tyler and me on the couch.
“What are you reading, kiddo?” asked Tyler, our resident librarian.
“Did you know Sentinel doesn’t need to breathe in space?”
Wedged between us, he kept his hands on his thighs as if he were trying to take up less space. I admired his ability to walk through the world unbothered by others. The boys were doing a fantastic job raising him.
“I hear he vacations in Firefly,” I whispered.
“Sentinel doesn’t go on vacation,” he shot back.
Tyler smirked, joining in. “I bet Chris knows him personally.”
Lucas’s head craned to the side, eyeing Tyler. I could almost hear the gears firing. Chris had played Sentinel in the Centurion movie. I was sure Lucas had already pumped Chris for every detail he could muster on the superhero.
“Where are your shoes?”
I lifted my feet. “Right there.”
“No. Your other ones. I like the way they sparkle.”
I remembered how Mabel’s head-to-toe sparkly dress had captivated him. When she removed her crown and fixed it on his head, the smile was instant. The memory turned bittersweet. With nothing but love in his heart, he offered a simple observation, sending a dagger to my heart.
“There you are,” Jason said as he stomped down the stairs. “I thought we were going to help Dad with the burgers.”
“He’s going to let me flip them,” Lucas said eagerly.
Jason held out a hand, and Lucas jumped up. He didn’t take Jason’s hand, but he followed him anyway. Jason had gone from club kid to dad. My heart swelled with pride for their family.
“The kids at the library are asking about you.”
“About Mabel,” I said with a bite.
Tyler meant well. It had been a blast helping him get kids excited about reading. I’d miss the way they squealed when I finished a story and let them loose in the library. We thought Firefly would push back on the idea, and like always, they embraced it and her with open arms.
He patted me on the leg. “Same thing.”
I had prepared myself for the Mabel conversation.
Jon would want to know when she’d start her reemergence tour.
I mapped out the overt discussions and prepared responses.
The quiet blows still landed. While I considered a wall between the two, Lucas and Tyler saw us as one and the same.
If that were true, they saw past the glitz and glam to the man underneath.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I didn’t have time to dwell. The house grew quiet, and all eyes turned in my direction as I rushed to my feet.
I finished my cocktail, and Jon quickly snatched the glass from my hand.
With a pat on the ass, he whispered, “I’m so excited.
” After finding his happily ever after, Jon’s passion for love stories had only grown.
I checked my shirt, looking for crumbs. With a deep breath, I headed for the front door.
Before my nerves took hold, I swung it open.
The smell of vanilla hit first, then I realized he had gone to the market for his newest shirt.
Dark brown, with a single dashed line leading to a firefly. I nearly swooned.
“Sorry, I’m late. The door handle fell off.”
I snorted. “Did it, Mr. Handyman?”
“Same thing happened to me,” Patrick shouted from the living room. “So weird, right?” I could almost hear Seamus’s scoff in reply.
“Invite the boy in already,” Chris called from the kitchen.
I moved to the side, gesturing for him to come in. He hesitated, a mere fraction of a second, but I saw his feet stutter at the threshold. With a soft exhale, he entered the house. Out of sight of prying eyes, I gave his hand a squeeze.
“If it gets to be too much…” I whispered.
He returned the squeeze. “Thank you.”
I guided him down the hall to the entrance of the living room. With the open floor plan, everybody stared for a split second before going back to their conversations. With a hand in the middle of his lower back, I could feel his nerves relax. Whatever he expected, the reality wasn’t as terrifying.
Charlie was the first to saunter over, hand extended. “Welcome to the chaos.”
“Sammy,” he said. “But I suspect you all know that.”
Charlie leaned in. “We will be discussing the naked trestle.”
It was me who tensed. “Charlie!”
“I hope you took photos,” Sammy said with a wink.
Charlie smirked and gave Sammy a pat on the chest. One quick exchange, and Charlie welcomed Sammy into our growing family.
He took over, guiding Sammy into the living room.
It was my turn to exhale. I should have expected the playful, warm welcome, but I couldn’t anticipate how Sammy would receive the boundary-pushing familiarity.
“Almost forgot, I brought bourbon.”
“Good man,” Seamus called. “He can stay.”
With that, Sammy secured himself a seat at the table.
“Jon and Jason?”
“He wishes!” Jon said loud enough the other picnic table could hear. “He had his chance at this.” He blew a kiss while Jason shoved potato salad in his mouth.
“Tyler?” I pointed at the librarian. Sammy tried sorting through the friendly dynamics of each attendee. With this many bears, it had become more complicated.
“I mean—” Tyler looked up from his plate. “Who am I to stand in the way of your forever love?”
Jon’s face soured. “I’d appreciate a little jealousy.”
“Hey, Jason.” Tyler stood up, thrusting a finger at the adjacent table. “Touch my man and I’ll take you behind the barn.”
“Better,” Jon said.
I bumped Sammy’s leg under the table. It was one thing to meet Rose in the house. If he felt like the odd man out, I wanted to remind him he had a lifeline.
“What about a foursome?” Amanda asked. “I can just imagine it now, everybody in the bed in a big puppy pile.”
“It’s a pain when you need to pee in the middle of the night.”
The whole table quieted at Charlie’s admission. Heads turned, waiting for the follow-up story. If he thought we’d let him get away with that tasty morsel of gossip, he had another thing coming.
I needed to know. “So, you’re saying—”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” he finished. His wink at me said otherwise.
At the other table, Lacie complained about the lack of Moxie.
She had shown up with a basket filled with Maine essentials.
She hadn’t just gone native, she wanted to be the poster child for conversion.
From city to farm girl, she nearly fainted when she found out Simon hadn’t cooked any red snapper hot dogs.
“So, Sammy,” Jon started. They gave him space while we waited for dinner, but the gloves were about to come off. “What brings you to Firefly?”
Innocent. My eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“I brought my company on a working retreat.”
“Interesting.” Jon shot me a smile. I knew exactly what was happening. The good ol’ fashioned Firefly ramp up. “Why Firefly?”
“My father tried to buy the mill.”
The audible gasp from Jon almost made me spit out a mouthful of fried chicken. With a single sentence, Sammy rewrote Firefly’s history. It’d only be a second—
“Did you come here to finish what he started?” Jon asked.
“Oh, a revenge story,” Amanda added.
“No. I came here—”
“You’re a rebel? Came to stick it to good ol’ pops?” The ramp up was in full swing as Jon answered for him. “I like you already.”
“So, you’re here to spite your dad,” Amanda continued the questioning. “How did the two of you meet?”
They had been warned, but it didn’t mean they wouldn’t poke and prod. There were no knowing winks, no sly grins. They stayed curious, but they avoided the subtle innuendo. I’m sure it was killing them on the inside.
“I threw him on the ground,” Sammy said before biting into his burger.
“He’s not lying,” I said. “Before that, the bistro was full, and Dorothy made us sit together.”
“Did she now?” Jon said. I shot him a stern expression. “What? Dorothy is determined to make everybody friends. I’m surprised she didn’t make him sit with the Quilting Guild.”
“Gloria would eat him alive,” Chris chimed in.