Page 74 of Beautifully Devoted

“Well, I’d like to be pissed that you didn’t tell me before you go making out in public and getting caught on camera, but that seems minor compared to being blackmailed.”

“We made out in public before we decided to date, so you’re really the first to know. Or the first person we’ve told, anyway,” Jagger says.

“I’m honored.” My dad sounds sort of bored. “Back to the blackmail thing. If you’re not in the closet, why is he trying to use that against you?”

“He thinks we were playing a game and planned to spin it to look like a scandal, but Jagger told him to post it since we’re not hiding anything and that’s when he said we should take some time to think about it. I’m pretty sure he’s not planning to leave us alone. I think we need to know what he’s been up to so we can plan for what comes next.”

Jagger squeezes my hand a little tighter as my dad takes a deep breath. “It started out small, petty theft that carried a misdemeanor charge, but then he started running scams. Bilking people out of their savings, mostly by catfishing them online. He did some time. I’ve left a message with a friend in law enforcement to see if he can look into Jeremy’s recent activity and shed any light on what he might want. My guess is he’s either hoping Jagger can bail him out of a hole he’s dug himself in or be a cash cow if he can manipulate him into doing his bidding.”

Jagger’s throat bobs as he swallows, but his green eyes remain focused on me, processing this as best he can.

“What will he do now that his first plan to extort money didn’t work?” I ask.

“I suppose that depends upon how desperate he is. If he’s only looking to get ahead, I’d expect him to make a similar threat again. If he owes money, he’ll probably try to up the ante. I doubt he’d physically hurt Jagger, but he might threaten to, hoping he’ll choose a long-term career and pay up over a potential injury.”

“How do we protect ourselves?” Jagger asks.

“I’ve already notified the authorities and your coach that he’s in town,” my dad says, “but since he’s made contact maybe we could get a restraining order.”

“Will that really stop him?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I’ll ask your coach if it’s possible to get extra security at the field or around campus. And I’d try not to go anywhere alone. Not that you two are ever apart, but try to stick together.”

“We will,” I tell him.

“And Jagger, I’d suggest calling your mother to tell her about your dad and your new boyfriend. I’m sure she’d rather hear it from you than me.”

“Yes, sir.” I watch his face turn crimson, which doesn’t happen all that often. While confident is a sexy look on him, I’m finding chagrined pretty cute.

We disconnect, and I immediately give Jagger’s shoulder a shove. “I can’t believe you implied I made a sex tape to my dad.”

“I had to say something after you told him we were getting blackmailed and then froze. Did he even know you’re bi or did you spring that on him too?”

“It never came up,” I mumble.

“He didn’t seem upset. Or surprised.” Jagger leans against the backrest. “He’s probably suspected you had a thing for dicks ever since he caught you looking at mine when we were eleven.”

My eyes roll so far back in my head I’m surprised they can snap back into place. “You woke up with your first boner and thought it was broken. You were freaking out asking what was wrong with it.”

“You didn’t have to inspect it so closely.”

“I’d never seen a hard one before, either. It sort of freaked me out until my dad explained it was normal.”

Jagger keeps talking like I never said anything. “Are you sure that bus job handy is what made you realize you like dicks? Maybe it was mine all along.”

“Of course you want to take credit,” I chuckle, sobering a bit when his words fully register. “Fuck, I think we’re gonna get a lot of that.”

“A lot of what?” Jagger twists his head to the side to see me.

“A lot of people who saw this coming before we did.”

“That’s what they’ll claim, but only because of hindsight. And so what if they do? It’s not like we didn’t see ourselves spending the rest of our lives together. That was always the plan, now it just includes sex.”

“Exactly, that’s my point. They’ll say we should’ve been fucking all along. Or claim they knew we were, even when we weren’t.”

“Again, so what?” Now Jagger rolls his eyes, and when they focus back on me, I notice the sunlight gives them an almost iridescent quality, more mint than emerald, and I can’t look away, not even when his lips start moving. “I admit it makes me feel a little stupid that I didn’t see it earlier, but that doesn’t make it any less real now.”

“I should’ve told you I was bi. Maybe we wouldn’t have wasted so many years to get to this point.”

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