Nick, Zach, and Sam all joined in, and Marcus sat back with a satisfied smile, watching Tyler easily accept all the accolades that were his due. He’d come so far from the defensive, secretive man Marcus had met months ago; gone was the dark, mistrustful glare and the refusal to accept help.
It was odd for him to be this close with another person, to have become intimate enough to see the changes time had brought to their personality. And yet, there could have been no other way; it was meant to be—fated, for lack of a better word, although Marcus would sooner slit his wrists than admit that to anyone out loud. From the first, Tyler had fascinated him, his body and his extraordinary looks being the catalyst for the attraction. But neither a beautiful face nor body had managed to hold his attention before. And as the old saying went, all cats are gray in the dark. For the Marcus he once was, one man was the same as all the others.
Not Tyler. After their first time together he’d become like a fever in Marcus’s blood, consuming him from within. Tyler’s willingness to give himself up completely, unafraid for Marcus to see his true self, was a revelation. Even now, Marcus wasn’t sure who he was inside—he’d spent many years perfecting a Teflon exterior where nothing stuck so that nothing could penetrate and hurt him.
But Marcus knew he’d changed. From Tyler he’d learned that love wasn’t a weakness of the mind or a loss of personal identity or control. He did what he did for Tyler and Lillie simply because their happiness made him happy. Unlike his mother, who craved the scraps of attention his father threw her way, never expecting and therefore never receiving anything in return, he knew his and Tyler’s relationship was one of equality, built on a foundation of trust, desire, and love.
Damn, he’d turned into Zach.
And as if he’d somehow been foolish enough to speak out loud, Zach nudged him on the other side. “I’m happy for you. Tyler seems like a wonderful guy.”
Still somewhat prickly and unwilling to share the depths of his and Tyler’s relationship, even with Zach, Marcus shrugged off Zach’s good wishes.
“It’s not like we’re running to get married or engaged or anything. I’ll leave that for you lovebirds.”
But Zach, who next to Tyler knew him best, wasn’t so easily put off.
“You can run from it, Marcus, but you can’t hide. Not from me at least. I’ve known you too long. There’s nothing wrong with admitting out loud how you feel about Tyler.”
Tyler had gone to the restroom, and Julian slipped into his vacated seat on the other side, trapping him in between.
“I know we’ve all kidded you about it, Marc, but the truth is I’m seeing what being in a relationship has done for you. For the first time since I’ve met you, you’re calm. Tyler’s given you peace within yourself, hasn’t he?”
“You two should get your own afternoon reality talk show,” Marcus grumbled but allowed himself a small grin.
“Give us a little something; come on,” said Julian, elbowing him in the side. “God knows we’ve waited long enough.”
He ignored them, preferring instead to watch Tyler walk back to their table with his unique, sinuous grace. Julian stood, but not before whispering in his ear.
“You don’t need to say anything. The look in your eyes says it all.”
Julian returned to his seat next to Nick, and Marcus had no typical sarcastic comeback—it was hard to argue with the truth. A heavy hand dropped on his shoulder, and a cold voice he’d hoped not to hear again in his lifetime returned to suck the joy from his afternoon.
“Marcus, I need to speak with you.”
Gazing up into his father’s cold gray eyes, Marcus called up the hardened exterior of years past and raised a brow.
“Well if it isn’t dear old dad. Sorry, but I’m busy here. Call my club and make an appointment, but I must warn you I’m booked up, so it may take several weeks to get back to you.”
Tyler craned his head to get a glimpse, then leaned over to murmur in his ear. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to him? He looks pretty upset.”
Glancing back over his shoulder, Marcus did think his father seemed off-kilter. Still perfectly dressed, yet blurry, as if someone smudged his sharp lines and edges. Not his problem.
“He’s upset that he’s forced to acknowledge his gay son in public.” Speaking to his father directly, he couldn’t keep the sneering disdain from his voice. “We have nothing to say; you can run back to whatever young girl you have waiting for you. And say hello to Mother, when and if you see her.”
He picked up his glass of champagne and drained it, then beckoned for the bottle. Now he needed to get drunk.
“Your mother’s in the hospital, Marcus.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
‡
“Stop pushing me.You don’t understand.”
Marcus stomped around the apartment, and Tyler sensed he was one step away from throwing something against the wall. Or at him. Tyler leaned against the kitchen counter and used his most reasonable voice in an attempt to soothe Marcus and coax him down from his anger. Thankfully, Lillie was on a playdate with Rebecca and Jacob and wouldn’t be home until dinnertime.
“You’re right. I don’t understand. Your father wanted to talk, and instead of agreeing, you lashed out at him and ignored him. Even when he told you your mother was sick.”
