“Yeah,” I repeat, softer now, because it’s true. My dad’s rough around the edges, too loud, too stubborn—but he’s always been there. Always tried.
Logan exhales and scrubs a hand over his face. “Youdon’t have to explain him. I get it.” There’s a pause. “That’s what makes it worse.”
I frown. “Worse?”
He flops back onto his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “He means well. But the way he talks—like there’s only one right kind of love, one right kind of man—” He stops himself and shakes his head. “I’m sure it’s hard as hell to face that and know that you aren’t that guy. And you flinch without even moving when he makes offhanded comments about grandkids and puck bunnies.”
The words hit hard. Not because they’re cruel. Because they’retrue.
I sink down beside him, close enough that our shoulders brush. “You saw that, huh?”
“Yeah.” His voice is rough. “You got quiet. As if you were trying to take up less space.”
My throat feels tight. “Old habit.”
Logan rolls his head toward me, eyes searching mine. “You told me you don’t want to hide anymore.”
“I did.”
“You meant it?”
I swallow hard. “Yeah. I did.”
He nods slowly, but the tension doesn’t leave him. “It’s just—if you can’t even tell him, the guy who raised you and clearly adores you…” He trails off, jaw tightening. “How are you supposed to tell anyone else?”
I roll to my side and stare down at his hands lying next to him, so close I could reach for him. He’s not talking about people like Daniel, who guess my secret, he’s talking about everyone else. “I don’t know.”
He blows out a breath, the kind that sounds like it hurts. “I’m not mad at you, Todd.”
“I know.”
“I just—” He hesitates, voice breaking slightly before he reins it back in. “I hate that you feel like you have to choose between being his son and being…you.”
That undoes me a little. Because he gets it, the real heart of the issue. What if my dad doesn’t love me anymore? That might sound like a stupid reason to hide parts of yourself from the world, but when my mom left us…he was all I had. Him and my sisters. It was us against the world. And losing that would be losing a part of myself, even if it would be freeing the other part.
I reach for his hand without thinking, threading my fingers through his. His palm is warm, steady. Familiar.
“I’ll get there,” I say quietly. “Maybe not soon. But I will.”
He nods once, eyes closing like he’s trying to believe it. Then he rolls to his side and shifts closer, resting his forehead against my temple. “You better. Because hiding you feels like hiding the best part of my life. I can’t hide the fact that I’m head over heels in love with you, and every part of me wants to love you out loud for the whole world to see.”
Something in my chest cracks wide open. I turn my head and press a kiss just below his jaw. “I’ll get there,” I whisper again. “And I am head over heels in love with you, too, Romeo.”
His forehead presses to mine for a long beat, our breaths falling into sync. Then, slowly, he shifts.
Logan moves first—arm curling around my waist, tugging me closer until there’s no space left between us. My head drops instinctively to his shoulder, nose brushing the soft cotton of his shirt, his scent grounding me in the way nothing else does.
His hand finds the small of my back, fingers splaying there like he needs to keep me close. Like letting go isn’t an option.
“I wasn’t expecting you to say it back,” he murmurs, voice low and warm against the crown of my head.
I smile, cheek pressed to his chest. “Guess I’m full of surprises.”
His chest rises under me with a quiet laugh. “You are. Every damn day.”
My fingers find the hem of his hoodie, holding on. “I’ve never said that to anyone before.”
“I know.”
