Of Museums and Men

By Pelaam

While taking his nephew to the museum, the last thing Tyler expected to find was he'd happily spend his day studying the gorgeous curator.

Acting on the mutual attraction, Tyler and Riley meet up that evening. Their relationship develops quickly, but Tyler is only on a short break and wonders whether a long distance romance will work for them.

His nephew harbours no such worries. He's quite sure his uncle and Riley are meant to be together. Even if it takes a little help from a special friend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Jun 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685502560

Pelaam

Living in clean, green New Zealand, Pelaam is a multi-published author of gay romance and erotic books. When not busy writing, she can be found indulging in her other passions of cookery and wine appreciation. Pelaam's books: Smoking Mirror, 2017 finalist in 2017 Rainbow Awards in Gay Futuristic/Sci-Fi; Stranded, Evernight Publishing Readers’ Choice winner 2016 for Sci-Fi; The Avian Emperor, runner up and Honourable Mention in 2016 Rainbow Awards Gay Futuristic/Sci-Fi.

Book preview

Chapter 1

After turning into the winding driveway, Tyler pulled up outside the villa. His brother’s sprawling property was such a contrast to the far more modest home he owned. But then, working in the oil and gas industry meant his brother’s pay was far greater. Not that Cooper had that much time to enjoy it. His bitch of wife reaped the benefits of Cooper’s hard work.

Tyler took a deep breath. Their relationship wasn’t really his business. Except he’d always loved and looked up to his older brother, and wanted him to be happy. At the beginning of their relationship Cooper and Barbara seemed an ideal couple. He’d stood proudly as best man at their wedding. Then his nephew Luke had come along.

As soon as she’d found she was pregnant, Barbara had insisted on becoming a housewife, except she then brought in a cleaner to do all the housework. Eight years later, Cooper still worked his ass off, doing shifts that entailed weeks at a time away from home, long hours, hard work, and a lot of time missing Luke. Barbara, in the meantime, seemed to have taken on the role of lady of the manor, rather than wife and mother.

He wondered if Barbara knew by now that this week’s holiday was Cooper’s make-or-break week for his marriage. He’d confessed to Tyler that he wanted to work off the rigs and spend time with his son. It was time for him to find out whether Barbara just wanted his money or Cooper himself. Tyler really hoped things worked out for his brother.

Tyler was looking forward to having Luke for a week. He’d chosen Wellington so he could take Luke to the museum there. Given Luke’s enduring interest of all things oceanic, but especially those squid-related, Te Papa was going to be a big hit with his nephew.

He mentally checked off what he’d put on the back seat. There were DVDs, a couple of bags of chips, and a cool bag that held cans of Coke. For an eight-year-old, Luke was very responsible, and on the five hour car journey down to Wellington, he would be good with his treats. Tyler also had a new book on deep sea creatures as an extra special gift for Luke.

Luke had been fascinated with sea creatures since he was five. He was especially interested in the giant squid, and so the highlight of the trip to Wellington was going to be their visits to Te Papa museum where they had a giant squid exhibition.

Luke had actually squealed with delight on hearing of the trip. Personally, Tyler couldn’t think of anything more boring. He rarely went to museums or art galleries. Boring. He could just picture the geeks who’d be there: pale-skinned, flabby, and peering through big, thick-lens glasses. He shuddered. He much preferred being on the beach, swimming and surfing. But this trip was about Luke, not him.

Thankfully, as they were staying with cousins, he’d get the chance to hit some of the bars in the evenings while Luke was safely tucked up in bed. He was more than happy to sacrifice his days going around boring museums for the sake of his nephew. The days were for Luke, the nights were for him.

He grinned happily, looking forward to the trip. All he hoped was that while Luke was away, Cooper got things at home sorted. He parked the car and headed to the house. He’d just raised a hand to ring the bell when the door opened.

I’m ready. Luke stood in the doorway, a small case and a backpack at his feet. Thanks for this, Uncle Tyler.

That’s okay, squirt. Tyler bent down to get a kiss from his nephew. "Get yourself comfortable. There are some new DVDs for you to watch, along