Brody nodded, hissing at the pain from that slight movement. “When I started seeing Diego. I didn’t like some of the side effects.”
Aaron pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. “Okay. At least we’ve got a reason. That’s… that some bit of good news. I was worried that something else was wrong with you.”
“Nope.” Brody slumped in his bed. “I’m just a dumbass.” He closed his eyes.
In retrospect, it was possibly the stupidest mistake he ever made. Yes, it had been a while since his last seizure, but to put his health in jeopardy for the chance to fuck someone again? Because he wanted his cock hard again?
He couldn’t even blame Diego. They’d enjoyed their time together, but Diego never would have asked him to stop taking the medication. They could have had a happy, healthy sex life without his erections.
His pride—that’s why he was here, tonight, in the hospital.
What would this mean for the court case? Had he just given Aunt Kelly all the ammunition she needed to prove he was unfit to parent these boys? “I’m so sorry.”
“We’ll talk about it all tomorrow. Get some sleep while you can, and I’ll let the nurses know you’re awake.” Aaron reached out and squeezed Brody’s hand. “You scared us, man.”
Aaron stepped away and walked out of the room, and left Brody alone with his thoughts.I fucked up bad.
Chapter Twenty-six
“Three!Two!One!HappyNew Year!”
Troy’s voice boomed over the microphone as he counted down the end of this year. Confetti cannons exploded into the air as the sizeable crowd at Brewsters hollered in celebration. Georgia’s arms wrapped around Diego as she planted a loud smack on his cheek. Troy pulled his date onto the stage for a kiss. Even Javier and his wife found a babysitter so she could make it to tonight’s show and the two hugged tight to celebrate.
Out in the audience, Diego spotted his friends, Nolan and Noah, with their respective boyfriends. Chance and his boyfriend had left early once things got crowded, but Diego knew they were together now, ringing in the new year in each other’s arms.
It had been quite the year for his friends, all of them finding love.
If Diego were being honest with himself, hadn’t he also—
No. Diego pushed those painful thoughts out of his head. Brody had chosen correctly; those boys came first. He’d let Diego down as gently as he could, and Diego understood—really, he did.
Didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt about how it ended.
After a few minutes, the band gathered back on stage for one more set. They played their most popular songs and a few rowdy covers, and the crowd sang along. “We’re about ready to wind up now, but before we go, we want to play our latest song, written by our very own Diego Duarte!” The crowd whistled and clapped, and Diego's face flushed with the attention.
Then the crowd quieted as Diego changed guitars, pulling the strap of his acoustic guitar over his head. He adjusted it and strummed a few chords before his voice sang the first line of the song.
Thoughts of you have always lingered in my mind and in my heart
Memories of our love remain, though we've been worlds apart.
Then Georgia stepped next to him, her warm tones adding to his.
But fate brought us back together, and I can't help but feel the spark
I see you now and it's like we've never been apart
The whole band came in for the chorus.
Reuniting with my first love, it's like coming home
Our history is written, in every page and every tome
We pick up where we left off, like we've never said goodbye
Reuniting with my first love, it's like I'm finally alive
Diego didn’t remember singing the rest of the song. His thoughts filled with images of Brody—the two of them as teenagers and those sweet, awkward first kisses, the way Brody pursued him despite the danger. Then that perfect reunion, finding each other again, loving each other again. His fingers strummed out his emotions, and as he reached the end of the song, his voice dropped low for the last lines.
