Page 1 of Broken Trust

Chapter One

“You two, shoo.” Monica Havis waved her hands like she was trying to get rid of some foul odor that suddenly floated through her pristine kitchen. “There’s too much to do right now, and you boys are in the way.”

Atlas watched as his sister entered the kitchen, appearing frazzled. Jennifer had always been the golden child of their family, but Atlas didn’t resent her. He adored his older sister, even though her larger-than-life personality could be overwhelming at times.

Atlas’s best friend nudged his shoulder, urging him to leave, but before Atlas could escape, his mother snagged his wrist and flashed him her most endearing grin. That was never a good sign. “Have you found a date for the wedding yet?”

Braylon rolled his eyes behind her back. His best friend knew exactly what she was asking. Atlas knew, as well. “No, Mom. Not yet.”

The thought of asking a guy to be his date for the wedding held no appeal. Especially after his devastating breakup with Glen, someone he thought he was in love with—until he’d caught his boyfriend grinding on a stranger at Fearless Fox. Glen had had the guy pressed up against the wall in a dark corner near the pool tables, with his face buried in the man’s neck and his hand groping the stranger’s crotch.

At that moment, Atlas had felt his heart shatter. When he’d visited his mom the next day and couldn’t hold back his tears, she’d consoled him by saying that if he had been in a relationship with a girl, things wouldn’t have turned out the same way.

Because apparently heterosexual couples never cheated.

What his mom was currently asking was if he’d found a female to bring to the wedding. She couldn’t accept that her son was gay and refused to acknowledge it. She’d even gone so far as to tell their relatives that Atlas was dating various girls, though he wasn’t ready to settle down yet.

His mom acted as if being gay was something shameful that needed to be hidden.

His father? The best dad ever. Jacob Havis didn’t care that Atlas was gay. Not that he ever wanted to talk about the problems Atlas had with his dating life.

It wasn’t because his dad was uncomfortable talking about gay relationships. He was uncomfortable talking about anything having do with sex. When Atlas was fourteen—before they’d known he was gay—his dad had sat him down to talk about the birds and the bees, only because his wife had nagged him to death about doing it.

The only thing his father had said was, “Use condoms, son. A guy’s gotta protect his manhood.” That was it. Their sex talk had been over in five seconds flat. Thank god. They’d spent the rest of the time talking about his dad’s passion for muscle cars, a subject Atlas was clueless about, but he loved seeing his dad’s eyes light up when he talked about them.

“You only have two weeks,” she reminded Atlas. “You can’t show up solo at your sister’s wedding. Craig tells me he has a single cousin. He could set up a date for you.”

“Is Craig’s cousin a guy?” Atlas asked.

“Out of the kitchen so we can get this done.” She released his wrist and turned her gaze toward the table. It was filled with an array of wedding centerpiece materials, scattered haphazardly as if a whirlwind had blown through, leaving behind its chaotic aftermath. There were delicate bundles of flowers waiting to be arranged, glass vases in various shapes and sizes, and colorful ribbons begging to be tied around them. The task of assembling it all seemed daunting, and he was thankful she hadn’t asked him to help.

Not that his mom would. She thought that was “woman’s work.”

With a firm grip, Braylon pulled Atlas out of the room. “You need to stop trying to drive home the point that you’re gay,” he said. “She’s never going to accept it, Atlas.”

They stepped onto the porch, and Atlas slumped into a chair, drained from dealing with his mom. “I’m not going to change who I am just because she refuses to accept that her son is gay.”

Braylon sat next to him, giving Atlas’s arm a reassuring pat as if he was on the verge of breaking down, which he wasn’t. “Then you know what you should do?”

With one brow raised, Atlas looked at Braylon. “Why do I have a feeling you’re going to suggest something to totally freak her out?”

“Because you know me so well.” Braylon smiled widely, a wicked gleam in his eye. “You should find the most inappropriate date.”

“And ruin my sister’s wedding?” As much as it pissed him off that his mom couldn’t accept him for who he was, Atlas wasn’t an asshole. This was Jennifer and Craig’s big day.

Even though his sister had no issue whatsoever with Atlas dating men, Craig kind of did. He was one of those macho men who couldn’t wrap his head around two men being attracted to each other. He always came up with an excuse to leave the room whenever Jennifer asked how Atlas’s love life was going.

“I’m serious,” Braylon said. “Find someone with mountains of muscles and tattoos, rough around the edges. It’s not your mom’s wedding. It’s Jennifer’s, and she wouldn’t care if your date was a guy.”

“I need a drink.” Atlas pushed from his chair. Unfortunately, there was only one bar in town. It had been hard to return to Fearless Fox after what Glen had done, but Atlas was managing. He still couldn’t bring himself to enter the pool room, though.

“Drinks are on me.” Braylon headed down the porch steps. “I’ll even buy you some wings and fries.”

Atlas had skipped breakfast and lunch, so he was starving. “I forgot my keys in the kitchen. I’ll meet you there.”

With a nod, Braylon headed to his car while Atlas went back inside the house. As he strolled into the kitchen and grabbed his keys off the counter by the coffee pot, he caught his mom’s eye, and she gave him a pointed look. Atlas knew that look. It meant he was being a disappointment yet again.

What else was new?

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