GENRE: Gay Erotic Romance
LENGTH: 74,342 words
RATING:

Successful lawyer Russell Bennett struggles with three issues -- he’s alone, having lost his immediate family to cancer; he’s also susceptible to the disease; and he’s infatuated with his doctor, who represents everything he could ever dream of in a partner.

Dr. Peter Wilson has realised his dream of providing a safe and caring medical space for the LGBTQ population. But he’s conflicted between his personal interest in Russell Bennet and the need for professional conduct. But when Russell’s test results come back, the results are sobering.

The two decide to confront Russell’s cancer treatments together. But it isn’t happy ever after yet. A well-meaning friend arranges a reunion between Russell and his estranged father. Soon after, they meet two young orphans who’ve had their own tragedies.

With the adoption process ongoing, they all have to adapt to their new family dynamics. Then they adopt another child whose paternal grandparents take legal action to gain custody. Will Russell and Peter be able to weather the storms as they struggle to build a real family?

EXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.

Cancer. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Just when he was about to get his handsome doctor ready for some serious loving, this shit had to come along. He wondered if he’d been bad in a previous life for all this to happen now. Russell was truly pissed off. It wasn’t fair. Once again, it became apparent to him that he had no one in his life to share this with. Being alone really did suck. He’d pulled into his parking spot at home when his phone rang. He smiled when he noticed the caller was Peter, from his personal phone.

“Hey, you left in a hurry. We have a dinner date, but we never got the chance to finalize the plan. I’ll pick you up at seven. Where would you like to eat?” He heard anxiety in his voice, or maybe it was pity. He sure didn’t want any fucking pity, not from Peter, or anyone else for that matter.

“Yeah, maybe another time, I guess. I have things to prepare for Mrs. Grady’s case. I’m sorry. I never thought to tell you when I left.” He heard the sigh over the phone. He didn’t want to argue, but he didn’t want to lead him along a journey that would lead to heartache.

“I don’t think so, Russell. We have a date and I intend to see it through. It was difficult to turn your file over to Trevor. It was the only way for us to date. So, seven sounds good to me, unless you’re hungry and want to eat earlier?”

“Another time, Peter, but thanks for the offer. It really was kind of you.” He ended the call, sat back in the seat, and closed his eyes. He wondered how long he had, and what the treatments would be like. Would he be able to complete the case for Mrs. Grady? He wondered how long he could work. So much was rolling through his head.

He had no idea how long he sat in his car with those thoughts circling like seagulls in a fast food restaurant’s parking lot. A tap on the window brought him abruptly back to the present. Peter stood outside, grinning as he held up a bag of Vietnamese take-out in one hand and a bottle of wine with the rose in the other. He shook his head as he got out of his car. Peter caught him completely off guard with a gentle kiss on his lips.

“I refuse to be stood up on a first date. Besides, this place has awesome food. If you don’t like it and your clothes don’t fall off after this meal, I’ll give up being a physician and go back to slinging drinks in a bar.”