“You’re such an ass.” There was no malice in Link’s reply.
“An incubator,” Fallyn said.
Was she having a different conversation than I was? Or multiple different conversations? “That’s how baby chickens are made.”
“That’s also how some baby apps are made.” Now Fallyn was sliding into a lecturer voice. “Think about it—you have this massive house that you ramble around in. What if you turned it into a game incubator?”
I could make a joke, but her idea was too tempting to let slip away. “That is good.” An incubator, in this case, was where ideas went to become more. Frequently, someone with money and extra room—me—provided a place for developers to stay, so they could develop their ideas into salable products, and not have to worry about things like rent in the process.
“Ooh, oh, oh!” Link waved his hand.
It was ridiculous. The whole mood in here was light and fun, and thank God.
“If you do that, what if…” Link paused and screwed up his face. “Fallyn said she was tired of seeing developers make the same mistakes over and over again.”
“I did, and I am.”
“And your videos, where you make the super powerful characters—Jarlett Scohansson—are some of your most popular,” Link said.
Where was he going with this?
“So what if Fallyn was part of the process early on, and instead of breaking those games, she showed the developers what to avoid, and then streamed the final product, including the ultimate character build-outs.”
Look at us, being all smart and idea-filled and stuff.
“That might be fun.” The way Fallyn said the words, it sounded like she believed anything but. “But even if Elliot opens the doors tomorrow, the first game is years off from being able to stream, and I doubt he wants me doing that.”
“Are you kidding?” Wow, I’d been such an ass. “You’re not just good at what you do, you’re incredible at it. Besides, you can do it for other games. Avoid AcesPlayed for a while, if it helps. Don’t demolish who you are, shift your focus. Instead of finding the cock-ups in games…”
Fallyn grinned. “I’m showing people how to get a bigger cock.”
“That sounds so wrong.” Link laughed. “I love it.”
The way Fallyn studied me made me nervous. “I could even tell my hatersfuck youby having ET Howard on the show occasionally.” It sounded like more of a question than a suggestion. “I mean, that would probably lead to telling people we were dating. Would you do that? Either and both?”
A sliver of hurt formed inside that she’d think otherwise, but I didn’t blame her. I still needed to prove myself. “I would. I don’t plan on keeping us a secret, and where am I going to get mybeing in the public eyefix, if not from your show? Unless you need to keep all of us being together a secret.”
“No. Fuck no.” Fallyn looked relieved. “I’m tired of secrets.”
“It’s about time.” Link tilted up her chin and kissed her hard.
I knew what both halves of that kiss felt like, tasted like, and I loved watching it. But I wanted one of my own, too. I tugged Fallyn’s hair, and stole her away for a kiss of my own. Even brushing my lips over hers was an experiment in the electric. “I tried to fight this, tried so hard to ignore it, but that was stupid of me. I love you Fallyn. Kittie. Mistress of all that’s unholy. Whatever you want me to call you. I love you intensely and deeply and completely.”
She giggled against my mouth, and kissed me back. “I love you too, ET Howard, first of your name, and saver of puppies and lost kitties.”
“You’re not lost.” Link kissed her on the top of the head.
She leaned into him, taking me with her. “Not anymore, I’m not,” she said.
And I wasn’t either. I’d spent so long keeping people out by building walls, all in the name of trying to protect myself. In doing so, I almost lost two of the best things that ever happened to me.
I was grateful I’d figured the truth out before it was too late. Grateful…
For all of it. I couldn’t imagine a better life than one with Fallyn and Link in it. This was perfection.
epilogue
sixteen months later