Page 74 of Five Days

“Oh fuck,” I whispered, my past crashing down atop me and making my heart pound in my ears.

“There’s speculation about us being together,” Callum whispered as though he strained beneath the weight of my so-called mistakes, as Father had called them. “They’ve yet to identify Zack.”

My voracious need of dick has been caught on camera again.

“I’m so sorry, Lan—I shouldn’t have booked that vacation. Should have protected you rather than?—”

“It’s not your fault.” I cut Callum off with barely any tone to my voice as my chest caved inward, and every ounce of energy in my body faded.

“But had I not?—”

“No, Callum.” I shook my head adamantly, refusing to let him take the blame for the firestorm sure to resoil the reputation I’d attempted to tidy up by hiding away from society.

My cell rang, and I didn’t need to look at the flashing screen to know Father called me. But, I didn’t give him a chance to light into me about more bad choices.

Not that I saw being with two men as such.

I swiped to answer but didn’t offer Father a chance to speak. “Did you give Zack money then kick him out?”

“What?”

“That night when you thought he’d attacked me.”

“Landon—”

“Answer me!” My voice hovered on the edge of hysterical.

Callum sat beside me, gathering my free hand in his, and I clutched at him with a death grip, barely able to exhale with how harshly my heart pounded.

“Yes,” Father replied without a hint of regret in his voice. “I asked that boy to go rather than stirring up a mess that would have tainted my abilities to be reelected.”

A muscle in my jaw ticked along with my thundering pulse.

“All this time, I thought Zack abandoned me, and I’ve lived with underlying fear believing I would do something to make Callum leave me too! Because of what you did, I’ve had issues with love and acceptance. Both were conditional in my mind, thanks to you.” I spewed the truth of my sorry existence. I’d been a selfish brat, and Father’s hope to keep our family name as clean as possible had only worsened the consequences.

“About Callum, Landon,” Father stated sternly, “the picture running rampant on social media shows you’re more than friends as you’ve led us to believe and that there’s another man in the equation.” Clear disappointment coated his voice, making me right in assuming why he’d called in the first place. It’d been months since I’d spoken to either of my parents. While he’d never been a physically mean bastard, his silent, judgmental looks and well-barbed words of negativity wounded as deeply as any fists thrown could.

I’d tried for years to gain his affection after the mistakes I’d made during my cum dump days, but now?

Fuck that.

I had the love of one of the best men I knew, and he gave me more than my parents ever had. “Callum and I are together now, and yes, we enjoyed vacationing with another man who also happened to share our bed.”

“Landon.” Disapproval lay heavy in his tone.

“I’ve feared letting you down again, but I’m done hiding behind closed doors as though my heart’s desires are something to be ashamed of. I’m going to live my truth aloud.”

“You’re aware of how this will affect my run for local government. My reputation has only begun to be seen in a better light since your regrettable decision that ended up smearing our family’s name.”

As if I’d had a choice in the making of a video taken behind my back—literally—without my knowledge.

“Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn,” I snipped, my heart still racing. “It’s my life I need to focus on. And my happiness! Call me selfish, disown me, I don’t care. I love Callum and Zack, and nothing and no one is going to make me feel as though these emotions are wrong.”

Father didn’t speak for a moment as I attempted to regulate my breathing, and I could imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose. Sure enough, an exasperated sigh came through clearly over the line. “That third man was him? Zackary Briggs?”

“Yes.”

“It’s been fifteen years. How—never mind. I’d rather not know. Perhaps we can work this in my favor to draw in the LGBTQ community though.”

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