Page 16 of The Princess

“You can ask things, you know.”

Taylor pretended to scowl. “Don’t do that. It’s creepy.”

“Then don’t wear your thoughts on your face like that.” Damon stole the macaroni away from Taylor and took a bite.

“How is Nash seriously okay with his boyfriend being on a date with some other guy?” Taylor asked.

Damon arched an eyebrow at Taylor. “Probably the same way that you’re okay with being on a date with a guy who has a boyfriend. You were told ahead of time and given the opportunity to make an informed decision.”

Taylor gaped at Damon before conceding, “That makes sense.”

“And for the sake of transparency, I hope it’s okay if I tell Nash about our date.”

“Of course. I don’t want there to be secrets between us.” Except for the little one that Taylor would keep to himself. His crush on Nash didn’t need to be talked about.

“Neither do I.”

“How did you and Nash end up together anyway?”

“Proximity, at first,” Damon answered easily. A fond smile tugged at his lips as he recalled the story. “We’d carpool to fire night and then not see each other until the next fire night. Or sometimes I’d run into him at the diner. A bit before Jonah and Spencer started seeing each other, we just… I don’t know.” Damon’s eyebrows knit together. “We kind of started hooking up. It was one of those things where you reach for someone and you tell yourself it’s because they were convenient, but it was because they’re safe.”

Damon exhaled and took a drink. “Sorry. Wow, that was a bit much, I think.”

“Nash is safe.” Taylor wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, but the next thing out of his mouth was definitely a question. “Why are you two sneaking around?”

Damon laughed. “It started because we weren’t sure what we were doing. And why risk invoking the wrath of the Bennett brothers if we didn’t have to. If things went sideways, we didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to choose sides. And then I think we kept it up because it’s fun to feel like you have this secret that no one knows.” Damon stopped, but Taylor could tell from the way he furrowed his brow that he wasn’t done.

“Plus,” Damon continued. “With us being open to the idea of a poly relationship, I think it made it easier to entertain the possibility of seeing other people if there was less to explain to everyone else.”

Taylor could not imagine Nash and Damon casually discussing men they might like to bring into their relationship like they were talking about the weather or what they had for dinner. Instead, he said, “I thought maybe it had to do with your family.”

Taylor didn’t have all the details, but he knew Damon wasn’t close to his family.

Damon shrugged. “I stopped letting them be a factor in my life a few years ago.”

“What happened?” Taylor asked, greedy to know more about Damon.

“Grandpa was this old-school Hollywood heartthrob. No, you haven’t seen anything he’s in. He did a few movies before he met my Gran and she convinced him Hollywood was full of sinners. They did the long-distance thing for a while, but then Gran got pregnant. Grandpa married her and left his movie career behind. Grandpa died not long after my dad was born. So then it was just my gran and my dad. Gran married a pastor of a little church. Dad worships the ground his mom walks on, but she and I don’t see eye to eye.”

“Because you’re bisexual?”

Damon snorted. “Bisexual she can take, as long as I only date women. And the fact that I’m an atheist is just one more thing for her to natter at Dad about. And you know the saying—shit trickles downhill. I made a decision a few years ago to have less to do with my family. We’re basically no contact. They are who they are, and I am who I am. They’re not willing to change and neither am I.”

“Good. Because I happen to like you exactly as you are.”

Damon ducked his head. “Thanks. Eat your macaroni.” He shoved the dish back to Taylor.

It felt intimate in a fun kind of way to share food the way they were. It wasn’t anything Taylor had done before and it helped make the night feel even more special.

“So, are you going to join Milo on stage sometime?” Damon asked as Taylor was taking a drink and he almost choked.

“No. Tempting, but I’ll pass. The limelight is not for me. I will forever be in his debt for all he’s shown me, and I will gladly cheer from the sidelines, but I don’t see myself getting on stage anytime soon. Or ever.”

“Your new look suits you. I’m sorry if I didn’t say so sooner. I was trying to not let everyone see how hot I thought you were, and I think I was a bit of a bastard actually.”

Taylor waved his comment off. “I get it. Trust me. If there’s anything I understand, it’s not wanting people to take one look at you and guess your secrets.” Taylor leaned over the table. “In case you’re wondering, that means you’re forgiven.”

Damon’s smile was dazzling. Taylor had always thought so, but rarely had he been the sole focus of it. It made his head spin with giddy joy.

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