Page 12 of Resisting You

Frey wasn’t sure his tender, fragile heart would be able to handle Rex telling him anything like that. But Adele assured him the phase didn’t last forever, and it hadn’t taken long for Gage to go back into the sweet, caring kid he’d been—which had eventually morphed into one of the coolest teens Frey had ever met.

But he could sense Rex starting to test his boundaries, which was only slightly terrifying.

He stood up and turned away, but Rex grabbed his arm and yanked on it. Frey turned back. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Are you going to find a groom?’

Frey fought back a groan. ‘Not tonight.’

Rex looked thoroughly irritated. Frey hadn’t minded the whole wedding planner obsession, but now that Rex was starting to turn his attention onto Frey, and starting to wonder why Frey had no immediate plans to be married, things were getting complicated.

Rex had questions Frey couldn’t really answer without delving into topics his son just wasn’t mature enough to get. Luckily, he’d hidden all of his old wedding photos in his attic, so Rex didn’t know Frey had been through the marriage thing before.

The last thing he wanted was for Rex to ask who that man was—and why they weren’t together. He didn’t know a kid-friendly way to say he was supposed to be your dad, but he fucked off because I wasn’t willing to risk your life for his comfort, so he stuck his dick in someone else, then left me with a note pinned to the fridge.

Yeah, no, thanks.

He knew Rex would eventually ask where his other parent was, but he was hoping for more time to come up with a way to explain it all.

“Why do you look like you’re going to throw up?”

Frey glanced to the right and saw Lane standing there with his arms folded. He hadn’t even realized that Rex had run off, and he rubbed at his eyes. “He wants to know if I’m going out husband hunting.”

“Awkward,” Lane said.

Frey snorted a laugh. “Yeah. God help me when he’s old enough to start asking me about his other dad.”

“Does he know about the woman who gave birth to him?” Lane asked.

Frey nodded. “Yeah. My therapist and I came up with a clever little story about how she was a person who helps people like me have the babies they were always meant to have. We have a photo of her, but he never really associated her with mom, so it never got complicated. But he’s starting to notice some of the other kids at his school have more than one parent at home. So it’s just a waiting game.”

Lane grimaced and shook his head. “I feel your pain. At some point, Briar is going to ask me about Sana, and I don’t know how to tell her that her mom is a narcissistic sociopath who abandoned her when she was a few months old.”

Frey groaned and rubbed his temples. “Why is life complicated.”

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind a refund.”

He laughed, reaching into his pocket for his keys, then glanced at the wall clock. If he left right now, he’d make it to the theater in time for popcorn before the previews started. “Well, I don’t want to be late.”

Lane tugged him into a hug. “Go. Have fun, wear a condom. And you’ve taken your PrEP, right?”

“Yes, Dad, thank you, Dad,” Frey said, shoving him back. He was taking his meds, and he actually did have condoms on him because he was a man who lived by the motto of never-say-never, so if the opportunity presented itself, he might not turn it down. He just couldn’t imagine ever sticking his dick anywhere that wasn’t his own hand or a nice, slick toy.

Lane gave him a wink, and once again, he felt the urge to confess, but it was easier to walk out the door and get in the car. He put on his Broadway playlist, then belted out a few of his favorites as he flew down the freeway.

The theater he liked best was a thirty-minute drive, which allowed him to run down the clock and make his lie seem a bit more credible. Guilt was eating at him now, but pretty soon, he’d be full of popcorn with a bag full of new books, so he’d comfort himself that way.

Pulling into the parking lot, he let out a small sigh of relief when he saw it was almost completely empty. Then he felt a small pang because it had been like that for the last several months, and businesses that couldn’t fill a parking lot on a Thursday night tended not to last very long.

This was one of his biggest comforts. In the summer, they offered older kids movies for three bucks a ticket, and the staff always kept the lights up a little so he could interpret for Rex. They’d been doing that since he was three, and he hated the thought of losing it.

But the last thing he wanted right now was to slip into another melancholy spiral. He had a good life. He had a decent job, a great kid, and friends that were more like family. It was hard to ask for more—even if he wouldn’t mind a little reprieve at work from Dr. Dipshit.

Gathering his keys and phone, he headed inside and offered his screen out for the annoyed-faced teen to scan his ticket. She waved him off to the side, and he checked the time. The previews had probably already started, but popcorn was more important.

“One large with extra butter and a Cherry Coke,” he said.

The kid slow blinked at him. “Did you say nachos?”

---