Page 69 of The Princess

“Nash and Damon asked me to move in with them.”

Colby stiffened and Taylor felt him take a deep breath. “Okay, that’s great.” He didn’t sound exactly sincere, but it was a good effort so Taylor didn’t call him on it.

“I said no.”

“When do you move—you said no?” Colby was flabbergasted.

“I’m still moving out of the basement, but I’m going to rent my own space for a while. I’d like some time on my own. Living in the basement wasn’t supposed to be permanent, but I got comfortable.”

“When you say you want time on your own…are you still with Damon and Nash?”

“Yeah.” Taylor couldn’t hold back his smile. “We’re all crazy about each other.”

“And they’re okay with you not living with them?”

“Yeah. They’re really great about it. I want room to grow up a bit, you know? I want to come home late or not at all. I want to go on dates and shit without people looking over my shoulder all the time. Or feeling like they are.”

Colby winced. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You were the best big brother a kid could’ve had. But I don’t need a protector anymore. I need a friend.”

Colby gave Taylor a squeeze. “I can do that. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“How long have Damon and Nash been a thing?”

Taylor laughed and gave Colby a shove. “No fair asking for secrets. Maybe if you go make nice with your bestie, he’ll tell you himself. I have it on good authority that his boyfriends are busy tonight, so if you showed up at the apartment at, say, six-thirty, he’ll be alone and you can go and smooth things over with him.”

“My bestie and I made nice already, but he still won’t tell me shit. I’m glad you’re not mad at me anymore.”

“None of us were ever mad, Colby. Just…hurt, I guess. That you’d think the worst of us. That you’d dive off the deep end and not let anyone explain.”

Colby dropped his face into his hands and let out a bone-deep sigh. “I’m an asshole and I’m sorry. I promise to do my absolute best to keep my nose out of your business.”

Taylor leaned his weight into Colby’s side. “It’s appreciated.”

“I can’t believe my baby brother is all grown up with two boyfriends,” Colby said after a short silence.

“You’d better get used to it, because Saturday we’re all going to Dad’s for fire night and then Sunday they’re coming to the diner for family breakfast.”

Colby playfully shoved Taylor off him and got up. “You’re a bossy little shit.”

Unfazed, Taylor looked up at him and blinked. “Yes, but you love me.”

“I tolerate you,” Colby lied, but Taylor didn’t protest it. They’d shared enough feelings for one day.

Taylor shoved himself to his feet and clapped Colby on the shoulder. “I’ll get out of your hair and let you get back to work. See you Saturday.”

“Taylor,” Colby called to him just as he left the room, so he paused to duck his head back in.

“Yeah?”

“See you Saturday.”

Taylor nodded and left the gym feeling fifteen pounds lighter than when he’d gone in. The conversation about their mom had taken a bit of an emotional toll on him and all he wanted to do was climb into bed, but he also wanted to go and spend some time with Nash while Damon was at work. Nash usually wrote during the day, but he’d taken this week off to finalize the paperwork for the apartment he bought so Taylor was going to take full advantage.

He let himself in, because while he said no to cohabitating, he said yes to having a set of keys. He found Nash on the couch in the living room with his laptop open.

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