St. Paul, Minnesota
1954

Stephen Vincelli peaked in high school. Eight years later, he’s stuck at a dead-end job, living in a ramshackle boarding house, with a love life cobbled together from a handful of one-night stands. So for Winter Carnival, he’s turning a new leaf. No more hook-ups, no more bathhouses, and no more married men. 

Except that as soon as he declares his intentions to the boys at Kreuger’s bar, he runs into the one married man it’s taken him eight years to forget. 

Joe Milner has everything he’s ever wanted: a wife, a family, a house, and a steady job with a path to a promotion. So why is he so miserable? When Joe runs into Stephen again after eight years apart, he knows it’s too much to hope that they’ll pick up where they left off. But damn, it would be a relief to have someone he didn’t have to perform for.

As Joe and Stephen’s friendship reignites, Joe gets a firsthand look at what his life could have been if he’d been more honest with Stephen—and himself. As all his best-laid plans spiral out of control, Mr. Milner will have to decide what’s more important: fulfilling his duties, or facing up to his feelings.

Prequel to Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen.

Coming 2026!

Tropes

Friends to lovers, Second chance romance, Everyone thinks they’re dating, Slow burn, Queer-awakening, Hurt/comfort, Found family

Content Notices

Emotional cheating and adultery (depending on how you define it), on-page divorce, fractured family, period-typical homophobia and associated punitive risks, depression and associated passive parenting.