“If it’s about you and Becs, no.”
“It’s not.” Slade could feel Evan’s eyes boring into him. “It’s about someone else.”
“I didn’t realize there was someone else.”
“There’s not.”
“So itisabout Becs?”
Slade groaned. He didn’t want to tell Evan this, but he knew if he didn’t, the guy would continue to hound him about Becs. Knowing Evan, he would use Slade as an excuse for not seeing where things went with her. Slade had known for a while now that Evan was attracted to her. That was the only explanation for the way he tried to keep ten feet between them at all times.
“I don’t have the hots for your girl.”
“She’s not—”
“I’ve got the hots for … for … Atticus,” he blurted.
That shut Evan up quickly.
Slade could feel those all-seeing eyes drilling through him, and he couldn’t bear to meet the man’s gaze.
“I didn’t realize…”
“What? That I’m gay?”
“Well … yeah.”
“I’m not.” He took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaled before looking at Evan. “Well, I am, but I’m not. I like women, too. Just not always as much as I—Jesus fuck. I can’t believe I’m tellin’ you this.”
“You’re bisexual?”
“Yes. No. Maybe. It’s more of a…” Slade wasn’t even sure how to describe it. “A situational attraction.”
Evan chuckled. “So you’re confused?”
“More than you know, man. More than you know.”
Evan nodded his head as he stared at Slade.
“Don’t act like it makes sense because it doesn’t,” Slade told him. “It wasn’t until the other night at Moonshiners when I saw Atticus talkin’ to Spencer that I realized this thing … it’s become an obsession.” Slade met Evan’s gaze. “Shit. You don’t want to hear about this.”
“Of course I do. That’s what friends do, right? They spill their guts.”
“Don’t mock me,” he said without heat.
“I’m not.” Evan sat up straight. “Honest to God. I want to know.”
“Please don’t say anything. It’ll pass. I know it will.”
“Do you want it to?”
Slade answered honestly. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because the last thing I want is to find myself in over my head the way I was with my ex-wife. Once in my lifetime is more than enough for me.”
“So when you were with Jennifer…”
