Happily Never After

Prologue

PROLOGUE

AARON

FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE

“ O ur first week of freedom! Can you believe we finally made it?”

I turned to look at Shane Lofton, my childhood bestie, and shook my head. We were complete opposites in personality and looks, but we shared an obsession for video games and finding ways to escape from our respective fathers.

“No.” I shook my head. “I still think my dad’s going to bang on the door and yell at me.”

“Don’t even think about him. And the only banging that’s happening from here on out is the fun kind; hot college hookups.” Shane smiled. “Speaking of which, I got invited to a party tonight. Get dressed and come with me.”

I wasn’t the most sociable guy around since I always preferred the company of a book over people.

“I don’t think so—” I started.

“Come on, Aaron. Enjoy the college experience while you have it. Do what you want, say what you want, before all the family obligations kick in. You’re not staying in your room alone, reading, on a Friday night. Come with me. You’ll meet people, make new friends. Trust me. It’s gonna be a blast.”

Big crowds weren’t my thing, and I didn’t want to go out, but Shane insisted, and once he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him. Unlike my BFF, who was outgoing and popular, I was a geeky, introverted nerd. It didn’t matter that I came from one of the wealthiest families in Washington State and had been raised to socialize since I could walk. I was always awkward, stuck in my own head. Much to my father’s constant disappointment. My mom’s too, before she passed in a car accident when I thirteen.

Growing up, I spent more time with a nanny than with my actual parents. And then it was just me and my father. Not that we had any relationship except for the occasional polite, stilted exchange at the breakfast table. He was consumed with the family business. Well, the business part. Me, not so much. I could only imagine his reaction when he found out I was gay. That wasn’t happening anytime soon. I hadn’t told anyone, not even Shane, even though I figured it out when I was fifteen. Would my bestie care if I was into guys? Or would I lose the only true friend I had? I couldn’t risk it, so I kept silent. I had a lot of practice doing just that.

“Fine, but I’m leaving after an hour,” I grumbled as I slid off my bed.

Glancing at the mirror above my dresser, I noticed that half my hair was sticking up on end, my glasses were crooked, and my shirt was wrinkled.

“I’m a mess,” I announced. “I’ll be ready in five.”

“I’ll wait in the hallway,” he replied.

Shane left and I headed for the bathroom. I removed my glasses, wet my hands, and attempted to calm the unruly waves of my brown hair. After a minute, I looked moderately better. I’d shaved this morning, but the stubble was already growing in fast. But I was still pale, too thin, and had pimples littering my face. Just what every hot gay dude on campus wanted. Not.

I yanked off my wrinkled white t-shirt and reached for the clean black one hanging on the back of the door. The t-shirt was massive and made me look even scrawnier. Like a six-foot scarecrow. Ugh. Whatever. I could hide in the corner of the room, where I usually ended up. After I shoved my glasses back on, I slathered deodorant on my pits and headed back out to grab my jean jacket and my phone. I had no idea how introverts like me survived before cell phones. The very idea of not having a distraction was scary as fuck.

I wandered out into the hallway to find Shane leaning against one wall, chatting up someone. Typical. He’d already made tons of friends during welcome week. Everyone was drawn to him. He was destined to follow his father, a former district attorney in Seattle and now the state’s governor, into politics.

When I closed and locked the door, Shane glanced over and motioned for me to join him. The other guy took off down the hallway.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Not even close. I was so nervous I was sweating through my deodorant and probably my jacket too. We wandered out of the dorm, and across campus, where a whole slew of students was heading south.

“Where’s this party taking place?” I asked.

“At a house a few blocks off campus. The guys renting it are so cool. There’s a pool, a firepit, and a trampoline in the backyard.”

“I probably should’ve rented my own place instead of living in residence,” I muttered.

“The dorm’s perfect for freshman year,” Shane countered. “I’ve already met tons of people. And you can too if you make the effort.”

“I’m okay being the quiet one,” I countered. “It’s normal you know. Half the population in the world are introverts.”

“You can still be that, and make friends, and have fun.”

For the millionth time, I wondered why Shane was my friend. He was so together. And I wasn’t sure where I fit in, if anywhere. Maybe here at college? Maybe in time. I was a four-hour drive from home and that’s all I wanted. A few years of freedom. Delaney U had an active LGBTQIA+ club on campus, and I was tempted to reach out to them, but I hesitated. I wasn’t out and I was stuck with all my worries, unable to decide. It didn’t bode well for my future, work or personal. My father was determined that I would take over from him as CEO of Taylor-Ladner, a company founded by my great-grandfather. Me, as CEO? I had a good head for math and numbers, but communication and leadership? Not so much.

I had four years to figure shit out. Would it be enough?

Shane and I arrived at the massive mansion party, located at the end of a cul-de-sac. The music was blasting and there were a fuckton of students on the front porch, and hanging around the driveway, smoking and drinking. Shane nodded at several guys, and they pointed to the pathway that snaked around the yard.

The backyard was just as Shane described, packed with people everywhere. It wasn’t cold tonight but not exactly summer weather either. It didn’t seem to matter. People were in the pool, around the pool, drinking, and dancing. Small groups I could handle, but it looked like over two hundred people and that shit was not my scene. I swallowed hard as I looked around. Man, I needed a drink, and I needed one now.

“Yo, Shane!” someone called out.

I turned to find a beefy dude in shorts and nothing else, waving us over. He was surrounded by several guys and girls, all hot as hell. My self-doubt kicked into high gear, and I nearly gave in to the urge to get the hell out of here.

Until Shane grabbed my arm and hauled me over to the edge of the pool.

“You made it!” the stranger announced. “Grab a drink and join us.”

“This is my friend Aaron Taylor,” Shane announced. “Aaron, Weston Grange. He’s in my poli-sci class.”

Technically I was a Taylor-Ladner. But I left off the Ladner part at school. After growing up in the spotlight, I craved anonymity. Weston eyed me up but didn’t offer his hand, just a nod of his head. I could tell by his expression that he wasn’t impressed with what he saw. Nothing unusual about that.

“Hey,” he grumbled.

“Nice to meet you,” I replied and nervously licked my lips.

“Drinks are by the back door. Help yourself,” Weston added.

“Shane?” I asked.

“Go grab us a couple of beers?” he suggested and started chatting up Weston.

I took off into the crowd and spotted several coolers near the rear door. Once I’d pulled out four beer bottles, I started making my way back through the maze of students until I got bumped in the side. Or, did I bump into someone?

“Watch it.”

“Sorry,” I muttered and glanced around.

Arctic blue eyes stared back at me, and I nearly swallowed my tongue. There were lots of beautiful guys on campus, but this guy was next level hot. Jet black hair, broad shoulders, and dimples. Kill me now.

“And you are?” Mr. Wet Dream asked.

“A-Aaron,” I fumbled, my voice suddenly hoarse. “Aaron Tay?—”

“Watch where you’re going,” he replied.

“I didn’t mean to?—”

“Who invited you?” he demanded.

I flushed so fast my cheeks were on fire. “I came with Shane. Weston invited him.”

“Cool.” He nodded. “See you around.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

I stared at the guy’s ass as he walked away, wishing I could follow him. Hugging the chilled beer bottles to my chest, I was unable to move. Until someone jostled me. Before I dropped the bottles, I made my way back to Shane and we downed our beers. Even though Shane was doing most of the talking, I started to relax. Then Weston suggested we all jump in the pool. One by one, the guys and girls in our group stripped down to their underwear and slipped into the water.

“Ah—” I hesitated.

Shane, of course, threw off his jacket, shirt, and jeans, and followed them. His splash hit anyone who was left standing near the pool, including me. Great, there was nothing like standing in wet jeans on a cool night.

“Come on Aaron! Just do it!” Shane yelled out.

People were starting to stare at me. I guzzled down the rest of my beer, set the bottle aside, put my glasses in my pocket, and quickly took off my clothes. I jumped in, screaming loudly when I hit the surprisingly freezing cold water.

“Fuck!” I shouted.

But it wasn’t just the water temperature that freaked me out. My briefs had slipped off. Shit. I reached out in the water, but I couldn’t find them. And without my glasses, everything was blurry. I dunked my head under the water, but I couldn’t see a damn thing except the vague shapes of other people’s bodies nearby.

I popped up out of the water again, moving my hands underwater.

“Shane?” I yelled.

“Up here, bud,” he replied.

He’d gotten out of the pool already?

“I’m going inside to warm up with Chelsea. See you there!” he called out and walked away.

“No! Wait!”

Oh my God. How was I going to get out of this pool without totally embarrassing myself?

I wasn’t.

I swam over to the edge and put my hand out to reach for my clothing, but it was nowhere to be found. Fuck.

Just do it. Get out quick and no one will notice. Most of them are lit anyway.

Pulling myself out of the pool, the rush of autumn air hit me, and I shivered as I crawled over to find my clothes. At least, I hoped they were my clothes. I didn’t really care at this point, I just needed to cover up.

Too late. Suddenly, all I heard was laughter around me. And then a flash. Wait, did someone take a pic of me like this? I started to shake from cold and humiliation.

“Leave your briefs on, man! Water ain’t your dick’s friend,” someone called out.

I recognized that voice. It was the guy I’d bumped into. The hot-as-hell one. That fucking bastard…

People clapped and whistled at his comment, and there was more laughter and jeers. I fumbled around, blinking furiously, fighting the sudden urge to cry, and also frantically trying to find my fucking clothes. When I finally located my jeans and my denim jacket, I was trembling so hard I could barely breathe. Shoving on my glasses, I noticed that most of the people in the backyard had surrounded me, still laughing, some pointing. I managed to get dressed, red-faced, wet, and so upset I was going to crawl back to my dorm and never leave.

I did just that, leaving the party without telling Shane and all but running back to my room.

I was never going to leave.

*

The next morning, I realized that someone had taken a photo of me and posted it online, along with a tagline that barely covered my dick. What did it say? “Water ain’t his friend.” I was a campus joke, but I found nothing funny about it. Shane came knocking on my door, but I refused to let him in.

“Come on, Aaron! Open the door!”

“No!” I yelled back.

“It’s just college fun. We all get caught naked at some point. It’s not a big deal.”

“Easy for you to say! It’s not your shriveled dick going viral.”

Shane laughed hard on the other side of the door.

“You fucker!” I shouted.

“Come on, Aaron. You know it’s funny. Lighten up! And let me in.”

I finally relented and opened the door to my friend. He kept telling me to be cool about it, and I tried to play it off like I was over it, but I wasn’t. Why? Because by the end of that day, students on campus began to recognize me and I was a laughingstock. Of course, the person who posted the photo hid behind an anonymous username. Asshole. It had to be that guy I bumped into at the party. I prayed for karma, and I wasn’t even religious.

For a while I was teased relentlessly, and I ignored social events. I focused on my studies and hit the gym, working out my frustration. Eventually, the joke grew old and was forgotten, but the humiliation inside me never faded.

By my sophomore year, I was still an introverted nerd, but with twenty-five pounds more muscle. I ditched the glasses for contacts, grew a beard, and grew into my confidence. And I had sex for the first time with a hot guy I met at the gym. Life was turning in my favor, and I was ready for it.

One day, I’d be the head of my family’s business empire. Successful, powerful, and the joke would be on everybody else. Especially that asshole with the arctic blue eyes.

Whoever he was.