“Sorry I’m having such a hard time adjusting to all this,” I said, pressing my forehead to his.
“It’s been like three days, Kent,” he said softly, his hand on the back of my neck. “It took me almost three years to come out and then another handful to truly be comfortable with who I was. I’m not expecting you to be out by Christmas.”
“Christmas? That’s only a couple months away.”
“Exactly.” He grinned. “That’s what I’m saying. You don’t have to have everything figured out right now. The fact that you stood up for me at all is... it’s more than I ever expected from you.”
The weight of his words settled over me. He was right. A month ago, I would’ve been the one making those jokes. Hell, I had made those jokes, for years. The fact that I’d gotten angry enough to storm out was progress, even if it felt like I’d just set my professional life on fire.
“Derek’s probably going to want to talk about it,” I said, voicing the worry that had been gnawing at me during the walk home. “He’s my boss. He’s going to ask why I freaked out.”
“What are you going to tell him?”
“I don’t know.” I leaned back against the couch, suddenly exhausted. “I can’t exactly tell him the truth.”
“Why not?”
I looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “Because the truth is that I’m sleeping with my stepbrother. That’s not exactly water cooler conversation.”
“No, I mean about being...” He hesitated, like he wasn’t sure which word to use. “About questioning your sexuality. You don’t have to mention me at all. You could just say you’ve been doing some soul searching or something.”
“I don’t know how he’d react to that,” I admitted. “He seems like a good guy, but it’s construction. People aren’t exactly known for being accepting.”
“Well, that’s your call,” James nodded, squeezing my shoulders. “But whatever you choose, I’ll be here to support you, okay? You can count on that.”
I stared at him for a long moment. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve you,” I said at last. “But thanks.”
He kissed me again. “Of course, Kent. You’re not alone in this.”
And I actually believed him. It was strange realizing how alone I’d been feeling for years without really knowing what was wrong. But now that I was with James, it was like all the pieces had finally slid into place.
If I’d known life could be this good, I’d have done something about it years ago.
Chapter 18
James
“We should get to bed,” I said, giving Kent’s shoulder one last squeeze. “We’ve both got work in the morning.”
“Yeah,” Kent nodded, his face a mixture of emotions that I couldn’t really read. “You’re right.”
He reluctantly pulled away from me and headed for the couch. I was just about to follow suit when a knock at the door stopped me.
I looked to Kent, brows furrowed. “Who could that be?”
He shrugged. “No idea.”
I headed for the door, checking the peephole first out of habit. My stomach dropped when I saw who was standing in the hallway.
Trevor.
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
“Who is it?” Kent asked from behind me, and I could hear the edge of tension in his voice.
“It’s Trevor.”
Kent went still. I could feel his eyes boring into my back, but I didn’t turn around. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what the hell Trevor was doing here at almost eleven o’clock on a Thursday night.
