Page 36 of Addiction

“Hey, I never said that.”

I frown. “What’s wrong with us?”

“Nothing is wrong with you guys, but I want a night out for my birthday and everyone other than myself either has responsibilities or restrictions.”

“Such a hard life you have now, Ryan,” Wade responds, grinning.

“Care to elaborate?” I gesture.

“Grayson is now a parent; you are in recovery—no offence. I want to go out and get wasted and find a woman to go home with.”

“I thought you were dating Makenna?” For as long as I’ve assumed Ryan and Makenna have been a thing.

“Everyone thinks that,” Grayson adds. “And everyone thinks he should.”

Ryan rolls his eyes, placing his cell into his back pocket. “We are just friends. Always have been. You do know that you can be friends with a woman and not end up in a relationship with her?”

“Grayson didn’t get that memo,” Wade adds, causing us all to laugh.

“And for the addict over here, getting wasted is overrated. I wouldn’t advise it.” I chuckle.

“I’m sure we can sort something,” Grayson adds, looking at Ryan. “I can’t promise it will be on your actual birthday, though. I’ll need to arrange cover for the bar with us both out.”

“In the meantime, you can go on the prowl for women with Wade while you wait for us men to sort out our responsibilities,” I say.

Ryan scoffs. “He’d want to go to gay bars with him batting for the other team!”

My eyes dart to Wade. “You do?”

“I do.” He smiles.

Suddenly so many questions rule my mind.

When did he realize? How did he know? What did he tell people? Why is he not a fucking mess like me?

“I didn’t know that.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Asher.”

“Maybe that needs to change,” I find myself saying, yet unsure what I even mean or if I even want to know. This man already has the power to make me feel so many feelings just by being as close as he is. Getting to know him more has the potential to change everything for me, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.

But I don’t know if I’m strong enough to walk away either.

CHAPTER TEN

Wade

I slowly push myself up into the Adho Mukha Vrksasana—better known as the handstand pose in yoga—and breathe in the early morning air of Virginia as I finish off my session. I can’t recall how long I’ve been coming down to Oceanfront beach at sunrise, but I don’t sleep well, and this helps. There are a few people milling around, but it’s mostly quiet—the perfect time of day to enjoy a little tranquility before everyone wakes and invades the boardwalk like it’s a lifeline they need.

Virginia has been my home for several years now, Fairfax being my first location before I moved to Chesapeake just shy of two years ago. I moved closer to the Nelson’s after Pete died, and I’m glad I did because the loss of him hit us all hard.

Fiona especially.

Still positioned in a handstand, I keep myself steady and bend my knees, shifting my legs toward the back of my head and pushing my torso out so I’m in the scorpion position for several seconds before my feet touch the sand and I finish off my workout with the downward dog. I’d been practicing yoga long before I started studying to qualify as a physical therapist. It helps me relax and focus and it’s helped so many of my patients along the way too.

Grabbing my T-shirt, keys, and phone from the sand, I head down to the shore and dip my toes into the cool water, letting the soft ripples of the waves crash over my ankles as I walk toward the other end of the beach.

My brother had always loved the ocean. Growing up in Minnesota, we’d never had the opportunity to travel or go on vacation. I think that was why we’d both had this deep craving to travel the world. We’d wanted to see life outside of the one we had.