Dean sighed and sat on the floor. He rested his back against the bed. Even though Bella couldn’t see his face, she could feel his anguish.
“Have you told them yet?” he asked.
“Dean, we’ve been divorced for five years. Why is it so important to you that they know?”
Dean scratched his scalp and blew out a frustrated breath. “Because I still consider them family, Bella. They deserve the truth. I agreed to let you handle things your way, but I don’t think you’ll ever tell them the truth. Are you that ashamed of me?”
The sadness in Dean’s voice made Bella feel like shit. She slid down on the floor and crawled over to him. Bella placed her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I couldneverbe ashamed of you. Other than my dad, you’re the most honest and courageous man that I know. I’m just afraid of how my parents will react.” Bella placed her hand over his. “I couldn’t bear to see you lose another set of parents.”
Dean was gay. Bella didn’t know that when they were married, and she wasn’t sure that Dean knew it either. He had been in denial, fighting his impulses since he was a teenager. He really thought that he could overcome his attraction to men and live a normal life. When he realized that he couldn’t pray away his gay, he immediately confessed his urges to Bella. Although she was devastated, she appreciated his honesty.
“Bella, it’s taken me a long time to get to the point in my life where I can love and accept who I am. If your parents can’t continue to love me once they find out who I am, I’ll have to live with that. I will be sad, but I’ll survive.”
“I know, Bella,” acknowledged in a sad tone. “I just don’t want to see you go through what you went through when you came out to your parents.”
Bella knew that Dean still felt the pain of his parents disowning him. She remembered the rage that she’d felt toward them when they told their only son that he was dead to them.
Dean wrapped his arm around Bella and pulled her head to his chest. “Don’t worry so much, Bell. I can deal with anything as long as I have you,” Dean assured.
Bella held him tight. “You’ll always have me,” she promised. “I love you, friend.”
Dean kissed Bella’s forehead. “And I love you, Bella doll.”
