It was the same sigh Jace used on me that day he questioned me…and many times since.
“They can’t ever know about you and me. Beyond that we served together and were friends. I’m sorry. They can’t know about Elsa, either. Not the details, and not even her name. They know there was a woman in my past, and that I got a vasectomy because of her. They also know that I will not talk about her. They don’t know any of the dirty details, or anything about the colonel, or any of that. I’m really sorry. They know Eddie is one of the three from that day, and beyond that, now they know Eddie is dead.”
I nod. “No apologies necessary, Carter. I won’t reach out to them.”
“It’s not that simple.” He sits back. “Jace, you can come in now.”
I turn to look and in the living room doorway, there stands my guy, where he’d apparently been standing just around the corner. He’s fully dressed now and smirks where he leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
“You wouldn’t expect me tonotlisten in while you’re talking tomypet, would you, baby bro?” His territorial tone threatens to harden my cock.
Thank god I’m wearing PJ bottoms.
Carter smirks. “No, I wouldn’t expect any less from you, Jace.”
Jace pushes off from the doorway and saunters over. Automatically, I scoot to my right, to the next cushion, so he can take his usual spot.
“What’s not that simple, Carter?” he asks, taking over once he’s seated. His right hand captures my left and he laces fingers with me.
“Mom and Dad aren’t getting any younger. I want all of us to be able to have family dinners together during the holidays. I want my kids to know their uncles and family.”
Jace’s tone turns hard, cold. “What are you asking of me?”
“I want you to come out to everyone. We’ll plan it. I’ll stand there next to you and back you up. Both of you. We can tell everyone you met him through me. They never met him before. They won’t know he’s Eddie.”
Next to me, Jace tenses. That’s when I realize he’d expected Carter to say a lot of things, but not that. “Ifigured out who Eddie was,” Jace says. “I had copies of the pictures. What if one of the others does, too?”
“They won’t have a reason to look. You also had access to top secret intel to make comparisons with. Plus, you had all his personal data. And you were the only one anal enough to save everything from group chats like that.”
“Besides you,” Jace says.
He smirks again. “Yeah, well, I’mme. Anyway, we can still say he was in my unit and hurt that day. Stay as close to the truth as possible about…”
Jace answers. “Topper.”
Carter smiles. “Tell me his full name.”
“Thomas Peter Dorsey, now Wilson.”
Carter lets out a whistle. “So much for subtlety, bro.”
Jace shrugs. “If you can pick any name, pick one that means something.” Jace’s thumb strokes my hand, where he now has a death grip on me. “What about Park, Charlie, and Gene? You think they’ll accept this?”
“They don’t have a choice. They love you, and they love me. They’ll love Topper, here, too, if we present a united front.”
“Yeah, well you aren’t the one they’ll be wanting to run out of the family.”
“Yes, I will. Because I plan to tell them about Owen. Right after you tell them you’re gay and introduce them to your husband.”
Next to me, Jace goes still. “What?”
Carter grins. “Right? That’ll take the heat off of you, won’t it? I’ll swear them all to secrecy, of course. But I don’t want my kids growing up having to worry about keeping secrets from our family. Owen’s family knows. They have known about us. For a while. Well, his father and step-mother know, as do Owen’s siblings. Owen’s biological mother isn’t part of his life any longer.”
“You aren’t worried about people talking?” Jace asks.
Carter lifts an eyebrow. “Do youreallythink they’ll want to brag about the poly and the gay sons? No. Accepting us in private and advertising our business to the world are two different things.” He smiles. “And, trust me, you being gay and married will quickly get forgotten as they try to wrap their heads around me being bi and poly. A one-two knockout.”
“What about Susa?”
