Thad stared into the fire again. “You not knowing about Graham and me has been weighing on me a lot lately.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I didn’t like the lying and hiding.”
He winced, remembering there was one big thing Graham still didn’t know. Arguably, that had probably been weighing on him even more. “Hey. Uh, while we’re at it, can I ask you for something else?”
“What is it?”
Thad swallowed. “Can I tell Graham the truth? About what happened the summer of our draft.”
When Gavin didn’t answer, Thad glanced over to see him staring, open-mouthed.
“He doesn’t know that either?”
“No. It wasn’t my secret to tell,” Thad pointed out irritably.
Jesus, why did everyone keep acting like he was going to go around shouting Gavin’s personal business to the whole world?
“It was though,” Gavin said slowly, looking him in the eye. “It wasyourlife too. Not just mine.”
“I wastryingto protect you, you dipshit.” Thad reminded him.
“I know. And I appreciate that. But maybe you need to be a little more selfish for a while.”
Thad snorted quietly. “Bet you never thought you’d saythatto me.”
Gavin laughed, leaning forward and bracing his arms on his thighs. “No. I can’t say I did. But that’s on me. I’ve had you all wrong. I’ve had it all wrong for years, have I?”
“Yeah,” Thad admitted, knuckling at his eyes. If Gavin made him fucking cry again, he was going to stuff Gavin’s head in a bush. He couldn’t take much more of this shit.
“Can we work on that?” Gavin asked, still painfully earnest.
Thad dropped his hands to his lap with a sigh. “Yeah. Yeah, I think we should.”
Maybe Harlan could fit them in for some double sessions or something.
“I think after you tell Graham about that summer, I should also tell the guys the truth too,” Gavin mused.
“What guys?” Thad asked with a frown. “The team?”
“Yeah.” Gavin clasped his hands together, still staring into the fire. “I think they should know.”
“Butwhy?” Thad asked, baffled. It made no fucking sense. Thad wanting to tell the man he was in love with was one thing. He didn’t like having secrets from Graham. And if he was going to fix all the shit he was still struggling with, Graham needed to know what had caused it.
That was the kind of stuff a person talked to their partner about. But Gavin confessing to the team? That wasstupid.
Gavin shrugged, blowing out a heavy breath. “Reparations, for one.”
“Dude, I don’t need you to?—”
“I know.” Gavin turned his head, staring at him. “I know you don’t. But this is one thing I can do for you. You said you want respect and it’s because of me you don’t have that. I was the one who fucked up your life and?—”
“Oh, my God,” Thad said. “You are so fuckingridiculousabout this shit. Honestly, it’s not the team I’m worried about. The guysknowI went to prison, and they still seem to respect me for it. They’re not the problem. And I mean it. I don’t want your fucking self-flagellation, Gav.”
“I’d do it though,” Gavin said, so painfully earnest it made Thad want to punch him in the shoulder. “Hell, I’ll do a press conference if that would do it. Clear your name.”
“You’d lose your fucking job!” Thad protested.
