Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“Okay. And thank you for trying. It means more than I could ever say. You really are the best brother in the world.”
Griffin looked over at me and winked. “I know.”
We steered clear of dangerous conversations after that. I prepared for Annabella, Ava, and Buck Jr. to come in. I’d combined their class today, considering there wasn’t really a class and it was only them. It burned a hole through my chest thinking about it. What would happen if I didn’t recover from this? If I lost my business?
I shook those thoughts from my head, unwilling to let myself think about them right then.
Buck Jr. wasn’t there with Bridget, and I didn’t have it in me to ask her about it.
It surprised me that Griff left when my class started. I worked with Ava and Annabella. They were sweet as ever, and while teaching them, I could almost forget everything that had gone down. But the moment class ended, it all came roaring back to me, this loud, painful scream in my head.
Tracey picked Annabella up first. She hugged me and thanked me and said she was sorry I was going through what I was. It reminded me that she knew about intimate moments between Chase and me. That like everyone else in town, she’d seen photos of us together, that our moment had been taken from us. White-hot anger spiked inside me again.
“Can I go to the bathroom before we go?” Ava asked Bridget when she arrived.
“Of course, sweetheart,” Bridget replied. As soon as she walked away, Bridget was hugging me. “I’m sorry, Kellan. No one deserves this. Is there anything I can do?”
“Thanks, and no. It’ll blow over.” God, please let it blow over. What would I do if it didn’t blow over?
“I… You don’t think…Buck?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.
“I would feel terrible. I mean, I already do, but—”
“Hey, even if it was him, it wouldn’t be your fault.”
“He’s been so different, so angry since the separation, and then with his feelings on the class…”
“Still wouldn’t be your fault. We’ll get it figured out.”
Ava came out of the bathroom then, and I said a silent thank-you. It was getting harder and harder to hold my feelings back.
The second they left, Josh was there, locking the door behind him, and then I was hugging him. He held me tight, and I let the tears flow. “It’s so fucked up, Josh. Everything is so fucked up.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, babe.” He ran his hand up and down my back, hugging me and letting me get my emotions out. I’d been trying to hold it in for hours.
“Griff knows, of course. He’s the one who told us. He brought the photos over. He’s angry and hurt, and Chase has to take on all the responsibility for it, because that’s how he is. Everyone canceled their classes except for two people, and I just… What if I finally have Chase and lose everything else?”
“Hey, you’re not going to lose everything else, okay? I promise.”
“You can’t make promises like that.”
“I just did. We’ll figure it out. How is Chase dealing with all this?”
“He told Griffin he’s in love with me. He’s not running or backing off, if that’s what you think. I don’t know if his friendship with Griff will ever be the same.” That was the hardest part of all this. I didn’t want to come between Chase and Griff, but I already had, hadn’t I?
“None of that is your fault or your responsibility. You love Chase. You hooked up with Chase, which you had every right to do. Maybe you wouldn’t have kept it from Griff if he weren’t so uptight when it comes to you, and now Chase is in love with you too. Griff wants you happy. He’ll find a way to come around, and if he doesn’t, that’s on him.”
“Whether it’s on him or not doesn’t change the fact that it’ll hurt Chase and it’ll hurt Griff too.”
“Then I guess Griff better pull his head out of his ass, huh?”
Josh was always so logical about shit like that, but it wasn’t that easy for everyone. “Thanks for coming.”
“Where else would I be?” We hugged again, and I saw Chase at the door. He looked…fuck, he looked like it had been a really long day for him too. Those intense brown eyes of his were dimmed, and his body almost sagged.
“Chase is here,” I told Josh as I pulled away, then went to the door to unlock it. Chase slipped inside. “Hey, how did it go? Did you hear anything?”
He shook his head. “They put me on a paid leave until things get figured out.”
Bile rose in my throat. “Shit, Chase. I’m so sorry.”
“Homophobic, much?” Josh asked. “They can’t do that.”
“They can, and they did. Apparently, it has nothing to do with my sexual orientation and Kellan being a man. And I mean, I get it. I’m a police officer, and sexual photos of me are all over town, but I just…fuck, it makes me so angry.” Chase sighed, and then his eyes snagged on mine. “But enough about me. I’m more concerned about you. How did it go today?”