She giggled, grateful for the reprieve from the heavier shit. “So, what? We go to bed after all that?”
“Only if you want to, angel.”
Eden was game, even after all that. But first? Wrapping her arm around him and cuddling up to the man who was slowly opening his heart up to her.
Chapter 10
Benson
The view of the lacrosse field reminded Benson of his high school days. Like many of the men roaming the halls of the country club and drinking wine in the dining room, Benson had attended a prep school that focused on networking and getting him into the Ivy League. Lacrosse had been his sport, and it was nostalgic watching men of all ages enjoy a pickup game in the large, back field of Sunfall, one of the smallest country clubs in the area. What had once been a secret society for men directing the winds of political change in New England was now an open secret in the queer community. For while any man of certain means could join, the focus was on those whoenjoyedeach other’s company.
Which was why it wouldn’t look weird if Liam joined him on one of the balconies overlooking the field.
“You dragged me all the way out here,” Liam said, plopping into the other chair next to Benson, “just to talk. We could have met up anywhere, Ben.”
“Yeah, well…” Benson leaned back, root beer in hand, as he enjoyed one of the first truly warm days of the year. The sun kissed his cheeks and arms, which were clad in short sleeves for the first time all year. His coat was left at the main entrance. “I had the urge to get out of town for a day. Besides, I thought you liked this place.”
“I haven’t been here in years. Surprised I was still on the roll.”
Liam shielded his eyes to catch a glimpse of one team overtaking the other on the field. He must have come straight here, where Benson texted him he would be, and didn’t even bother to drop off his jacket or order a drink.Why not? You get one free drink per day.That membership had to pay for something besides the Turkish bathhouse and lunch buffet.In that order.Members knew their priorities.
“Why here?”
Benson crossed one leg over the other while drinking the spring air. “Neutral territory.”
“The hell it is. I saw two guys making out on my way in here.”
“Only two?”
“It’s not La Mariposa, Ben. Guys keep it in their pants until they’re in the sauna.”
“You would know about that.” Lest Liam assume that was why his ex invited him here, Benson asked, “How was LA?”
“Ugh. It was hot, dry, and everyone was insufferably good-looking in the fakest ways possible. So, it was LA.”
“I mostly meant your business meeting.”
“We’re investing in a tech startup. What else is new?”
Benson detected some annoyance on Liam’s part, but it wasn’t enough to change course. “Eden and I had a heart-to-heart thisweekend while you were going. It started because I asked her to move in with me when her lease is up this summer.”
Liam glared at him the moment a breeze picked up, ruffling his hair and making the zipper on his jacket rustle in the air. Although Liam said nothing, Benson understood every word.“Oh, fuck you, dude.”
“She was upset that I hadn’t asked you about it first.”
“Well, yeah. Dick move, Ben. She’s my girlfriend, too.”
Benson slowly unraveled what he and Eden had discussed Saturday night, leaving out a few details about Eden’s personal life before going to La Mariposa. That wasn’t the meat of the discussion, anyway. What Benson wanted to reveal was his own revelations about what he wanted from life. Not just with Eden, but… maybe someone else, too.
But it was a delicate discussion. Liam would immediately be on the defensive, and to be fair, he would assume the same about Benson.Nobody knows me better than him.That was difficult enough to admit.
“There’s a part of this whole situation that seems to imply you think I’m going to disappear,” Liam said. “Like, either I’ll get tired of it, or Eden will pick you. But that’s not how this is going to work. I’m in this for the long haul. You can’t get rid of me so easily again.”
Benson swallowed, despite having nothing in his throat. The root beer glass grew slick with condensation. “The way I ended things with you. Back then. That was... cowardly."
Liam didn't move. He stared out at the field, at the men running and shouting, before laughter broke out after a play.
"I was scared," Benson continued, the words scraping his throat. "Not just of… us. Of a man. In my world, with my clients, the old money… it’s still a boys' club, but a specific kind. A very straight kind. Having a third was one thing. But you? That swung the balance of what I could get away with."
