Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Remi
My head snaps up at the sound of someone knocking on my front door. What the hell? Who could possibly be here? It’s after nine, and I’m about to go to bed.
Padding across the floor, I check the peephole, my nerves on high alert. My shoulders relax when I see a familiar face standing on my porch, and I unlock the door, pulling it open.
“Ever heard of callin’?” I drawl and step aside as Hollis strolls past me.
“Why would I need to call?” he asks, arching a brow as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Worried I might…catch you in the middle of somethin’?”
“What?” I snort. “No. You should’ve called because it’s late, and I could’ve been sleepin’.”
“Mmhmm, right. Sleep.”
My eyebrows pinch together in confusion, and I cross my arms over my chest. “Uh, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine, best friend?”
I can’t help but chuckle. Why is being so weird? “Maybe because you’re kinda actin’ sketchy?”
Hollis saunters into the kitchen, grabbing himself a glass out of the cabinet and filling it with water.
He rests his ass against the edge of the counter as he gulps it down, his eyes trained on me.
A shiver rolls down my spine at the weight of his stare.
I don’t think he’s pissed off or in a bad mood.
If anything, it seems like he’s in a more teasing, humorous mood…
But that still doesn’t answer why he showed up here unannounced this late at night.
Out of the two of us, he’s always been more of an early bird than me.
It’s the rancher in him. He should be asleep, not chugging tap water in my kitchen.
“Where’s Lukas?” he asks.
“Sleepin’,” I reply slowly. “It’s a school night. Shouldn’t you be in bed already?”
“Couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind.”
I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. “Care to share with the class?”
“Would you?” he counters, biting back a smile. “As your best friend, I’m here if you need to…talk about anythin’. All ears, buddy.”
“You’re talkin’ in fuckin’ riddles, Hollis. What the hell is goin’ on?”
He shrugs. “I would just hate for there to be secrets between us.”
“Uh, there are no secrets.”
A quiet thread of unease pulls tight in my chest at where he could be going with this. Hollis hasn’t said much—hasn’t accused me of anything—but the way he’s looking at me makes the skin on the back of my neck prickle. It feels like I’m taking a test I didn’t study for.
“Are you sure?”
My heart stutters.
Does he know about Gentry and I? That’s definitely a secret, but surely, he can’t be referring to that. We’ve been so careful. My brain immediately starts cataloging every word I’ve said to him, every expression I’ve made, trying to find a moment where I could’ve slipped up.
When I don’t say anything, Hollis sucks on his teeth and rolls his eyes. “Man, come on. I know you’ve been fuckin’ my dad.”
Ope. There goes my stomach falling out of my asshole.
I choke on my own spit at Hollis’s words, smacking my chest and coughing as I try to recover. “What the fuck?” I mutter between deep breaths. “Why’d you say it like that?”
“Why didn’t you say anythin’?”
“You mean like you were so upfront at first about fuckin’ my boss?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He holds up his hands, breathing out a small chuckle. “Apples and oranges, my friend. And don’t change the subject. This ain’t about me and Ford right now. It’s about you and my fuckin’ dad. Dude. Really? My dad? I thought you would’ve outgrown that crush by now.”
My face heats. I can feel the flush from my cheeks down to my neck, and I’m sure it’s just as visible.
“Oh my god, Remi. Say somethin’!”
“I don’t—” I clear my throat, my heart pounding incessantly. “I don’t know what to say. How did you find out?”
“My dad told me and my brother at dinner earlier.”
This time, my heart stops beating altogether. “Huh?” There’s no way I’m hearing him right.
“Dude, knock it off. I didn’t stutter.”
“Gentry…told you,” I repeat slowly, none of this making a lick of sense. “He told you…about us?”
“Yes.” He huffs a breath. “After he told us he was gay.”
What?! What is happening? I swallow thickly, my mind going in a million directions.
Gentry came out to his kids…
Then told them about us.
Now Hollis is here…
“Are you mad?” I blurt out. “Because I genuinely can’t tell.”
He opens his mouth to respond, but slams it shut before anything comes out.
My pulse roars in my ears, and I know if I were to check, my hands would be shaking.
This is not how I wanted Hollis to find out.
In my head, I always kind of assumed that I would, oh, I don’t know, be part of the conversation.
Or hell, at the very least, know it was coming.
Why would Gentry drop this bomb without so much as a heads-up?
“I don’t know,” he finally murmurs, his brow furrowed like he’s just as confused as I am.
“That’s fair.”
“My dad, Remi? Out of everyone, it had to be my dad?”
My throat tightens. “It’s not like you get to pick who you love.”
“Love?” he balks. “Hold the fuck up. You’re in love with my dad?”
I would officially like to crawl into the nearest hole and pass away.
But first, I’d like to drive over to Gentry’s house and let him have it for dropping all of this and not bothering to let me know.
Exhaling sharply, I run my fingers through my hair, trying to find the right words.
I didn’t mean to say “love” but it’s not exactly a lie either.
“Yeah, Hollis. I’m in love with your dad.” Saying it out loud makes it feel so real.
“Wow,” is all he gives back.
“I should’ve told you before anythin’ happened. I know that. Should’ve been honest and upfront. You have every right to be mad, or hurt, or feel any way that you do. I need you to know that I didn’t plan for this to happen.”
“You’ve had a thing for him for years,” he says.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I had any plans to actually act on it. And to be honest, I never thought I had a chance with him.”
He’s quiet for a moment.
“How long has this been goin’ on?”
My chest clenches, and I wince. “A few months.”
It’s crazy to think it’s only been that long. It feels like we’ve been doing this for so much longer, with how connected I feel to Gentry.
Heaving a sigh, Hollis scrubs a hand down his face. “This is just…mind blowin’,” he says. “But like I told my dad, if he makes you happy and treats you right, that’s all I care about. Everything else I can get over with time.”
Relief floods my system as I let go of the breath I’d been holding. “Really?”
“Yes, really. You’re my best friend, man. We’ve been through so much together.”
The backs of my eyes sting, and my throat aches. “Damn. You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that.”
“I better not hear a single thing about your sex life, though,” he adds, making me chuckle.
“You won’t.” Then, remembering what he said before, I say, “So, he came out to y’all, huh? That’s huge.”
“I know. Definitely took me by surprise. I mean, Finn and I already figured as much, but havin’ him tell us was nice. Makes me happy he’s choosin’ to finally live his truth.”
I’m so proud of him.
Still kind of want to wring his neck, but I’m also so fucking proud.
It’s quiet for a moment, neither of us saying anything. It’s awkward, but at the same time, I’m relieved everything’s out in the open now.
“I’m sorry again,’ I murmur. “For keepin’ this from you, and for not bein’ the one to tell you.”
“It’s all good, man.” He waves me off. “Trust me, I get it. It’s not like I was very forthcoming with you when it came to Ford.”
I chuckle. “You’re not wrong.”
“Well, I’ll be hurtin’ in the mornin’ if I don’t get some sleep soon. I’m gonna head out.”
“Okay. But…we’re good?”
He nods. “Yeah, man. We’re good. Just maybe no more secrets.”
“Deal.”
We hug it out, and for the first time since Hollis walked in, I let myself breathe deeply. We’re good.
As soon as Hollis leaves, I pull out my phone, a goofy-ass grin on my face as I send a text to Gentry.
Me: So… You told your kids about us, huh?
I thought for sure he’d be asleep by now, but the message shows it’s read immediately.
Daddy Moore: I didn’t go into the conversation expecting to. It just kind of…came out.
Me: It wasn’t the only thing that came out… I’m so proud of you!
Daddy Moore: Are you mad?
My chest aches, thinking about Gentry being worried that I’ll be mad at him. How could I be? Not only did he tell his kids the secret he’s been holding in his whole life, but he also told them about us. About me.
Me: A heads-up would’ve been nice. LOL. But I’m not mad, daddy. Not even a little bit.
Me: Lukas is spending the night with my mom again tomorrow. I’m coming over after I drop him off at dinnertime to show you just how not mad I am.
Text bubbles pop up, then disappear. This goes on for a minute, and I chuckle, imagining him trying to come up with a response. I laugh even more when he finally sends one.
Daddy Moore: Okay. Like the sound of that.
He thought what we have is important enough to share with his kids.
That’s fucking huge.