Chapter 18
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Charlie and I duck out of the party early.
I suspect Chuck will start kicking people out soon anyway, so they can enjoy their anniversary alone.
Not that he told me that, since he’s not talking to me.
Every time he needed to tell me something, which wasn’t often, he sent the message through Minni.
Or Charlie. Because he’s still talking to Charlie.
I regret hurting my friend. But it’s the only thing I regret. Charlie loves me. It’s hard to believe I get to have this sweet, gorgeous man in my life.
And in my arms. We made it as far as my truck. For some reason, I can’t stop kissing him.
“Brad,” he whispers against my lips. “I need you. Naked. Now.”
“Do we really want to give the town a show?” I ask stupidly. But to be fair, my brain is struggling to work properly without oxygen.
Charlie laughs. “I don’t mean here.”
“Right.” And then my brain decides to engage. “Oh. Harper is staying with friends tonight so we can have make-up sex.”
Charlie groans. “Please tell me she didn’t use those words.”
“No. What she said was much worse.” I brush Charlie’s hair away from his face, and he puts his hand over mine.
“Let’s go to my place,” Charlie says, kissing my hand. “I have a surprise for you.”
We make it to Charlie’s place in record time. Once we’re inside, I stop and stare at his organized kitchen. Charlie giggles and pulls me through the small apartment. There’s not a box in sight.
“Wow, Charlie. You unpacked.”
“Figured I’d stay for a while.”
I pull him into my arms. “You’re competent. And smart. And beautiful. And I’m sorry I made you feel like you were anything less.” When he starts to speak, I cup his face. “I shouldn’t have gone along with their requests, or at the very least, I should have told you.”
“Thank you.” He rests his head against mine. “I might have overreacted.”
I don’t say anything to that as I tip his chin. “I love you, Charlie.”
He grins at me. “So you’ve said. How about backing those words up with action?”
“What did you have in mind?” I trace the scar above his brow with my fingers and then my lips.
“More of that,” he says, slipping a hand between us. “And much, much more of this.” He squeezes me through my pants, and I groan. My cock has been half-hard since we left the party, and now it’s fully on board. I kiss him hungrily, but then cut it short. “Lead the way, boss.”
There are no boxes surrounding Charlie’s bed. It hits me then. Charlie unpacked before he knew if we’d work out.
He’s no longer running.
I want to tell him how proud I am of him. How much it means to me that he’s giving us a chance. But talking can wait. It’s been too long since I’ve had this man naked in my arms. My body against mine. My cock in his ass.
We strip each other, too needy to take it slow. And then Charlie shows me with his hand and his mouth how much he loves and cherishes me.
And I show him how much fun adulting can be.
Saturday, March 22nd
A little over a month later, Minni invites me to their house to watch college basketball. March Madness started last weekend with Selection Sunday, but it’s been difficult to follow along. Charlie isn’t a basketball fan, and he’s very good at distracting me.
Charlie was not invited for some reason. And I have a sneaking suspicion why. I’m proven correct when Minni answers the door wearing her coat. “Come in, Brad. Sorry. I’ve got to run. A meeting just popped up.”
I hover near the door after she leaves. Did Charlie and Minni set this up? Doesn’t matter. If Chuck doesn’t want me here—
“Might as well come in,” Chuck yells from his recliner. “We both know they won’t give up.”
The sounds of the game fill the room. The squeak of shoes. The noise from the crowd. The announcers dissecting every play. I’m not even sure which teams are playing. Chuck sits in his chair, his eyes glued to the screen, while I take my usual spot on the couch.
“Beer?” he asks.
“Sure. Thanks.”
This awkwardness is almost worse than Chuck not talking to me. But he’s making an effort. Or just being polite. Not sure which yet.
He goes to the kitchen and returns with two beers. He hands me one and motions to the snacks on the coffee table. “Help yourself.”
I grab a handful of pretzels—just for something to do—and take a sip of my beer. We watch the game without our usual banter. But I can’t focus. All I can see is the look of betrayal on my best friend’s face when I announced I was in love with his son.
“Come on, defense! Put your hands up. Cover him.” Chuck has a love-hate relationship with Duke. Each complaint gets louder until the other team—Montana—scores. Chuck lets out a sound of disgust.
“The problem with Duke,” Chuck says, and it sounds so familiar that I feel a pang in my chest, “is they pick these big-name players who leave after one season.”
“One and done. You’re not wrong.” Some of the tension leaves my body. He’s not ignoring me. “You’d think the coaches would get their heads out of their asses.”
He snorts. “Scheyer’s four years in. He’d better figure it out.”
“Agreed.” I take a swig of my beer. And it feels almost normal. When the commercial comes on, I take the plunge. “We should talk.”
“Probably.” He stands, and I worry he’s going to walk out. Hang out in the kitchen until the game is back on. Instead, he goes to the mantel and picks up the picture of Charlie’s graduation. “I love this photo. Charlie was so full of hope.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and stand. He’s never going to forgive me, but I still have to try. “I’m sorry, Chuck.”
His gaze shifts to me. “It was Charlie, wasn’t it?” He returns the picture to its spot on the mantel. “The guy you were telling me about. The one you really like.”
“Yes.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t believe I told you to—” His hands tighten and untighten.
But he doesn’t need to say the words. “Just sleep with the guy already.”
“I love him. And you know me.” I rush on before he can challenge those words. “I’ve never been a relationship guy. Turns out, there’s a good reason for that. I’ve never been in love before.”
He folds his arms across his chest. The game is back on, but neither of us is paying attention to it. “Why now? You’ve known Charlie his entire life.”
That’s not an easy question to answer. “I’ve always thought of Charlie as a kid. Hell, most of the time I’ve known him, he was a kid. But working on this project with him, I got to know adult Charlie. He’s a good man, Chuck.”
He nods and clears his throat. “And if I asked you to end things with him for the sake of our friendship, would you?”
My chest tightens and breathing becomes difficult. I consider his words and push away my fears. Chuck is my best friend. “I wouldn’t give Charlie up for anything. But I also know you’d never ask me to do that.”
A flash of a smile crosses his face, but it’s gone so fast that I might have imagined it. “What makes you so sure?”
“Several things. Minni would have your balls. And you’d never do anything to hurt Charlie.
” This last one is a stretch, but I say it anyway.
“Plus, you know me. When I care about someone, I do everything in my power to make them happy.” I watch his face, but he’s not giving anything away.
“And you don’t want Charlie to end up with some asshole like that guy from Kansas City. ”
He spits out the name. “Syd.”
“Syd, huh. Charlie told me about his ex, but wouldn’t give me any identifying information.”
“Oh, trust me. I’ve got all the deets for you.”
I shake my head. “Never say those words again.”
And then we’re laughing. After we calm down, Chuck nods. “If I hadn’t seen the change in you myself, Brad, we’d be having a very different conversation. So yeah, I can get used to you and my son dating. Eventually. Not like I have a choice.”
The words he doesn’t say hurt. “What about us? Did I mess up our friendship?”
He downs the rest of his beer. “You kept this from me. And maybe I can understand why and even forgive you or whatever, but trusting you is another thing. It might take a while.”
“That’s fair.” I don’t have to like it. But I respect it. And I’m willing to work on our friendship. The words I said before include everyone I care about.
“Glad that’s settled. I’ll grab us another beer.”
Once we’re watching the game, cold beer in our hands, Chuck snorts. “Notice how quiet it is? I think it might take a few more of these to work out our differences.”
“I think you’re right, Chuck.” I take a swig of my beer. “At least until after April sixth.” The NCAA Championship game.
Chuck smiles and raises his beer. “Exactly what I was thinking.”