Matthew sucked in a noisy breath that almost turned into a sigh of relief. Jason, the ex from hell Matthew shared with Alex, wasn’t on his radar anymore. After everything he’d done, Matthew never wanted to see him again, but if Alex thought otherwise, Matthew wouldn’t say a word. It was easier to let him think something untrue than try to convince him to buy into a lie.
“Everyone deals with pain in different ways,” Alex said, more vulnerable than Matthew had ever known him to be. He scuffed the heel of his shoe in the sand. “Some people take longer to heal than others. One day you’re going to find someone who loves and respects you the way Vincent loves and respects Mal. Don’t let this get under your skin.”
“I won’t.”
“I know we have the whole ‘don’t talk about your dad’ rule, but screw it. I’m going to talk about your dad for a second.” Alex picked his head up and looked Matthew in the eyes. “When we met, I wasn’t in a good place. I wasn’t looking for something serious, and…” Alex tried to mask his smile, but it crept into his eyes. “Well, look how it turned out. Love will find you. It sounds like the cheesiest Hallmark card ever, but all you have to do is believe.” Alex winced and stuck out his tongue in disgust. “I can’t believe I actually said that. Ugh. But you get what I mean, right?”
Matthew nodded. He didn’t trust himself not to say something stupid, so he settled on a single-word response. “Yeah.”
“So… don’t let it get to you, okay?” Alex offered him a sympathetic smile. “You’re still young. Once you start college, new doors are gonna open. Soon enough you’ll look back on what you’re feeling now and laugh.”
Another nod. There was no way he was going to blow his cover by speaking.
“So keep your chin up, okay?” Alex winked. “Just saying, college boys are horny asfuck.”
“Oh my god.” Matthew buried his face in his hands. On a long list of things he’d wished his stepfather had never, ever said to him, that comment gunned for spot number five.
“What?” Alex asked, exasperated. “It’sfactual.”
“I’m a single dad,” Matthew shot back. Now that the conversation had moved into safe territory, the mental block that had threatened to expose all his dirty secrets crumbled. “Between school and caring for Emily, I’m not going to have time to hook up with anyone.”
“You say that now, but just wait.” Alex smirked. He nodded back toward where the reception was taking place, and they began the slow walk back. “There will come a time when you’ll catch the eye ofthatguy, and he’s going to drink you up like a tall glass of ice water on a hot summer’s day. When that happens, it’s not going to matter if you’re a single dad or not.”
The thought of a future like that felt too bleak to linger on—hollow, shallow, and incomplete. Matthew said nothing. Horny college boys couldn’t offer him what he needed. They could be passionate, sure, but Matthew’s life operated on a different field. In the same way he hadn’t been able to connect with Shep, he wouldn’t be able to connect with any of them. Matthew didn’t need a boy—he needed a man.
He needed Damien.
While Alex continued to spout off about heartbreak and true love, back on the beach, the wedding party had scattered. Most of the Single Dads were gathered by the docks where something seemed to be going on. Curious, Matthew lifted his chin in time to see Damien cut through the crowd at a mad dash, his suitcase wheeling behind him.
16
Damien
The wheels of Damien’s rolling suitcase stuck in the patch of soft sand at the base of the docks. Scowling, he tugged it forward only for it to careen to the side.
“Do you need help?” Aaron the Asshat asked.
Damien shook his head. “I’ve got it, thanks.”
The Single Dads and their significant others had gathered on the beach by the docks, some of them worried, others confused, but all of them some degree of disappointed. Damien didn’t blame them. They had every right to be. When he’d reached out to Nadja about booking an emergency flight back home, he’d imagined that the earliest she’d be able to squeeze him in would be the next morning—he hadn’t anticipated landing a seat on a flight departing in five hours’ time.
“Are you sure you can’t stay? Even for an hour?” Glit did his best not to look concerned, but failed. “It’s Fiji. There’s a glitter war to wage. These are the end of times for Gwynn.”
“He wishes,” Gwynn muttered.
Glit shot him an exasperated look. “What I’m saying is, are you sure you have to go right now? Your flight isn’t for another five hours. You could party with us for an hour before heading to the airport.”
With his suitcase now righted, Damien hefted it up from the sand and carried it across the beach. The group followed him as he went. “I wish I could, but if I don’t catch this next ferry, I’ll be shit out of luck. It takes an hour to get to Viti Levu, and the next one isn’t for another three hours. When you add in the time it’ll take for me to make it to the airport and clear security, there’s no way I can make it work.”
“And there’s no way you can do your work from here?”
“Nope.”
The handle of the suitcase dug into Damien’s palm. Wincing, he switched it to his other hand, but before he could get a good grip, Harley took it from him. He secured it under his arm like a laundry basket and flashed Damien a smile, then nodded toward the walkway. “I’ve got you, Knot. Let’s go.”
“You want me to go back and check your cabin to make sure you didn’t forget anything?” TD asked. He rocked on the balls of his feet, casting a tentative glance toward the bures.
“And I’ll go get xV. I know he’d kick himself if he wasn’t able to say goodbye.” It was the most serious Gwynn had sounded since they’d arrived in Fiji. While he spoke, he took off toward the docks. “You guys start walking. We’ll catch up.”
