He wanted that future Cam had painted. The nice, hot guy, the kids and the dog. Life was short - the past year or so had proven that with gut-twisting clarity - and he’d spent half of his trapped like one of those insects in amber, waiting for a man who couldn’t lovehim.
It wasn’t that Drew hadn’t proven his love enough. It wasn’t that Drew hadn’t made enough effort or sacrificed enough of his life. It was that Bas… wasn’tgay.
He. Wasn’t.Gay.
One mind-blowing kiss in October didn’t change that, and neither would the passage of time or the power of Drew’slove.
He’d let their friendship expand to fill the empty places inside him, and had started toexpectthings subconsciously. Like that Bas would finally change his mind or fall in love with Drew? He wanted to deny the idea even to himself, but he couldn’t.God, what an idiot hewas.
But maybe… maybesomehow… he could find a way to change things for both ofthem.
“I’ll talk to him,” Drew said. “I’ll head down to his dungeon in a bit, and I’ll invite him to a meeting at my house where we can all get together and talk about this. Let’s say, Saturday morning.” Drew took out his phone to make a note. “Or we could do afternoon. Check with theguys.”
“Are you going to make pumpkinmuffins?”
Drew lifted his head in surprise. His eyes met Cam’s, which had lost their serious cast now that he was confident Drew would handle Bas, sparkling blue in the overhead light. “Pumpkin’s so last month. Double-chocolate says NewYear.”
“Martha Stewart McMann.” Cam stood to leave, a smirk on his face. “Who would’ve thought. How come you never made baked goods for me when we weredating?”
“My inner baker was still evolving,” Drew said drily. “All for the best really. You’d never have broken things off if you’d gotten a taste of the chocolate muffins, and then where would Cortlandbe?”
Cam grinned hugely and leaned over to ruffle Drew’s hair, completely unaffected by Drew’s single raised eyebrow. “I’ll tell Cort you were worried about him,” he said with a wink, then sobered. “And, hey. Good luck with Bas. His mind is a dark and wacky place, but whatever bullshit he’s spiraling about, remember he lovesyou.”
Drew raised his chin in acknowledgment, but he sat staring at his office door long after Cam had closed it behind him, thinking not about how to stop Sebastian’s fixations, but how to cure hisown.
He pressed the intercom button on his deskphone.
“Peter? Get me Mark’s email address. I think… I’d love to meet forcoffee.”
