“Eddie might not agree with you.”
Dad grunted. “Do you honestly believe that if Eddie tried to fire you, the others would stay with him? Or would they find a new manager?”
“A new manager, I hope.” Benji blew out a long, slow breath. “Did I overreact by walking out?”
“No. You needed space to process this away from the others, even Joshua. You aren’t an impulsive person, so you withdrew in order to figure out how to react to the situation.”
“The beer isn’t hurting.” Benji sipped from his longneck again. “Bobby knows about us seeing Van.”
Dad’s eyebrows rose. “You told him?”
“No. He, uh, kind of saw me kissing Van in the parking lot.” He ducked his head. “I haven’t seen him in person in weeks.”
“You don’t have to explain to me, son.” Dad clapped a hand on Benji’s shoulder and squeezed. “When your mother was overseas for two years, I was very, very lonely.”
“Okay, TMI. No details needed. Got it.”
Dad chuckled. “All I’m saying is I understand how hard a long-distance relationship can be. How did Bobby react?”
“Honestly? He seemed pissed, but I think it was maybe because he thought I was stepping out on Joshua. I haven’t told the band about the threesome.”
“At this point, that conversation seems inevitable, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to do it at the anniversary party, though, you know? I didn’t want the drama there.”
“How can you be sure there will be drama? When we get back to the senior center, ask to speak to them outside. In private.”
He makes it sound so simple.
Except, it wasn’t all that difficult. Benji was making more out of it than was necessary. All he had to do was tell them, and then let them see him, Joshua, and Van together. The way they acted as a trio, the obvious affection that existed between them. It should be enough to—Van.
“Shit.” Benji nearly knocked his beer over. “I shouldn’t have left.”
“Why not?”
“Dominic gave a speech to his parents, and something about it upset Van. He was adopted, too, like Dom, but his parents were jerks, and he left home as soon as he turned eighteen. Van rushed out of the auditorium right after Dom finished speaking. Joshua and I were discussing whether or not to follow him when Bobby started harassing me about having a second boyfriend, and it all kind of spiraled from there.”
Dad tilted his bottle back to drain the last of his beer. “Then let’s get back so you can make sure Van’s all right.” He plunked cash on the bar.
Benji shoved his beer away, not caring to finish it. He had multiple relationships to fix, and he needed a clear head when he did.
Van wouldn’t admit that he was hiding in one of the men’s room stalls. Nope. Not even a little bit. He was merely using the enclosure as a safe space to quietly pull himself back together. He’d agreed to come to the anniversary party knowing full well he’d be affected by the love showered upon the Boundses, but Dominic’s speech had ripped Van’s heart out, stomped it to bloody pieces, and then laughed at the mess it had made.
Looking at the four siblings on stage, happy and healthy and so grateful to their parents, had stirred so much jealousy and hate he almost couldn’t see straight. He’d banged his shin on the bathroom door going in, and then his knee on the toilet after entering the stall. Emotional outbursts were rare, and not his favorite thing, so he kept it between himself, the throne, and three metal stall walls.
The door opened and closed multiple times, and he constantly braced for Joshua or Benji’s concerned voices. They didn’t come, though, which kind of surprised him. He adored them both even more for giving him space.
Space he used to calm down and redirect his emotions. Dominic and Company didn’t deserve his anger. They’d won the million-dollar jackpot in terms of adoptive parents, while Van had suffered through eighteen years of loveless upbringing by cold, unemotional people more interested in keeping the farmafloat than in raising healthy, productive children. His bad luck wasn’t Dominic’s fault.
“Van?” Emmett’s soft, clear voice bounced around the small bathroom. Someone had sent the least threatening person imaginable to coax him out of hiding.
Van unlocked the stall door and stepped out, shoulders hunched. “Yeah, hey.”
“Joshua said you seemed upset earlier. I volunteered to see if you were okay.”
“You did?”
“Sure.” Emmett’s tentative smile eased a lot of Van’s tension. “You helped me through a small crisis once. And if it helps, Dominic’s speech made me sad, too. I miss my family so much right now.”
