Page 25 of Finding You

Kylen put the cup to his lips, and in spite of the burn, he moaned in pleasure. The coffee was thick and black and rich without being burnt or bitter. “What is this?”

“My fiancé gets it shipped to him. He’s from Italy, and he hates American coffee with a passion,” Frey answered with a smile.

Kylen’s gaze flickered down to the ring on Frey’s finger, then back up to his face. “He sounds like a dream.”

“Oh, he’s not. He’s an absolute asshole to almost everyone we meet. But he’s great with my kid, and once he realized he liked me, it was game over.”

A small wave of jealousy crashed over him because he wanted that. He wanted someone who made his face look like that every time he talked about them. But fuck only knew when he’d get the time, considering how chaotic it all was.

“I saw your sister heading out,” Frey said after a beat.

Kylen hummed as he took another swallow of coffee. “Was she mean to you?”

Frey shook his head. “Nah. She just gave me a look and walked off.”

“I’m sorry she’s still around,” Kylen said. He’d been apologizing for his family most of his life, and it was getting a little tiring. “We have a family reunion thing coming up, and she’ll be gone after that.”

Frey stared at him over the rim of his paper cup. “I heard.” he eventually said. “You’re taking your new boyfriend.”

Kylen stared down at his toes. At least Frey didn’t beat around the bush. “About that…”

“I’m not here to judge you,” Frey interrupted. “Dallas explained it, and if anyone can play an amazing fake boyfriend, it’s him. Well…we have one other friend who’d be good at it, but Dallas has a real skill for making people eat their words.”

Kylen’s lip twitched. “Yeah?”

“He helped out one of our other friends when his ex-wife was giving him a hard time,” Frey said with a shrug. He leaned back and set his coffee on the counter before folding his arms behind his head. “You like him though. Don’t you?”

Denial danced at the tip of his tongue. It would be so easy to play it off as harmless flirting with a stranger, but for some reason, he didn’t want to lie. He felt like he was carrying a hundred burdens, and most of them weren’t his own.

“Sorry if I’m overstepping,” Frey said into the silence that settled between them.

Kylen shook his head. “No, I…yeah. I mean, I don’t really know him, so I can’t say I like him. But he’s attractive, and I was definitely hitting on him during the flight. Until I realized he was straight.”

Frey licked his lips like he was holding something back. Had Kylen been wrong? Was Dallas not? He didn’t want to get his hopes up. And hadn’t Dallas said he was? Fuck, everything felt so muddled.

“You seem like a really good guy,” Frey eventually said.

Kylen couldn’t help a laugh. “Let me guess…you don’t want to see me get hurt?”

Frey pressed his lips together in a thin line, then sighed. “You’ve heard that a lot, I’m guessing?”

“I’m always the nice guy who shouldn’t get hurt. And I’m not trying to throw myself a pity party or anything. I know I’m a good guy, and I’d make a great boyfriend, but I’m gay, and I have a kid. That makes dating…uncomfortable for most people.”

There were so many layers to it. Being cautious because he didn’t want his kid to be a target of some perv who lied to get access to someone vulnerable. Being cautious because there were assholes out there who preyed on single parents, thinking they were more vulnerable and easy to abuse.

And then there was the assumption that he couldn’t be a good partner and a good dad at the same time.

The pool of men who wanted a ready-made family was very, very small. And their town didn’t exactly have the population of LA or New York. The pickings were slim.

“Trust me, I get it,” Frey said, and Kylen figured that was the truth. “After my ex ditched us, I didn’t think I’d find anyone.”

Kylen wrapped his arms around his middle. “But you did.”

“I did. After a lot of anger and tears. After being resigned to moving into my kid’s basement like some weird hermit while he lives his life. And there’s still this tiny, insecure part of me that’s terrified I’m going to come home one day and find the house empty.”

“Is that what happened the first time?” Kylen couldn’t help but ask.

Frey laughed softly. “Well. He left a note. It was for the best. I mean, guys like me always say that, right? When their ex up and leaves? But it’s true. My kid is Deaf, and my ex didn’t want a disabled child.”

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