Winter Storm by April Kelley

Author:April Kelley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mm romance, gay contemporary romance, winter storms, lgbt couple, lgbt romacne
Publisher: April Kelley

Chapter Four

Josh stepped closer to the warmth radiating from the fireplace. The cold went all the way to his bones even after Max had given him dry, clean clothes to wear. The crackling and gentle roar of the fire brought home the fact that his little adventure took a lot of his energy as fatigue set in deep.

Max and Ari were in the kitchen. The murmur of their voices trailed to him, but he couldn’t make out distinct words. Since he knew Max wasn’t in the room to see him, Josh lifted his arm, bringing the sweater fabric to his nose. It smelled a little like Max’s cologne and the air coming off the lake in the summer. The borrowed clothing definitely came from Max’s closet.

The house smelled a little like the clothing and maybe some type of cleaning spray. He stood in the living room where a lighter-colored couch sat in the center of the room with a rug separating it from the fireplace, which stole the show.

The mantel was made of dark wood and had framed photos on its top. On the wall was an expensive-looking painting of the lake. Josh leaned in to try to see the name of the painter in the bottom corner. The painter was local to the area if their subject was the lake, so Josh wanted to see if he recognized the name, but the artist’s signature consisted of only two initials.

The photos captured his attention next. Most were of Ari, Max, and another man. One was especially cute because it showed Ari with sand all over his chubby, toddler body. A blue bucket sat upended beside him, and there was another man in swim trunks with his sandy hands around a castle tower, engineering it to not give in to gravity. The man smiled as if he knew someone was taking his picture, but he wasn’t going to pander to it by looking directly into the lens.

Another photo showed that same man lying in a hospital bed with blankets covering him from his torso down. He had a red scarf around his head. Even with the cover, Josh could tell he didn’t have hair. The chemicals, designed to kill his disease, had made it all fall out. His skin was ashy and gray. He looked as if he were in pain, but still, he smiled for the photo, looking directly at the camera.

“My husband, Lenn. He died three years ago.” Max stood with a mug in each hand. Steam floated around the top.

The faint smell of coffee met Josh’s nose. “I’m very sorry for your loss. That must have been difficult.”

Max smiled. “It was. Still is, sometimes.”

Max had changed, wearing much the same thing Josh did, only his pajama pants were a red plaid, not blue like Josh’s, and his sweater was all black.

He held out one of the mugs, and Josh took it.

“I didn’t know how you take your coffee, but I left room for sugar and creamer. I have the flavored stuff.

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