Page 10 of Loving You

She licked her lips, and he knew what was coming. “Do you think he loves me?”

“I’m not the person to ask.” He did wish he could give her a better answer, but he didn’t have one. He didn’t want to lie to her, even if it would make her life easier, but he couldn’t say no. Not with any certainty.

Poppy said nothing for a long while, and Monty appreciated the quiet as her car ate up the miles between his home and his father’s. And the silence lasted until she was pulling onto his street. “I’ll ask him to back off on the whole mom thing, okay?”

Monty’s gaze was fixed on his front door, the need to be inside and away from all this mess consuming him. He reached for the door handle before she was at a complete stop, but he paused and looked over at her as she put the car in park.

“Don’t lose sleep over it. My father and I have butted heads over worse things. But I’d like you to know I’m not putting up a fight because I don’t like you. I’m sure if you ever become a mother one day, you’ll be an amazing one.”

“That’s kind.”

“I mean it,” Monty told her. “But you can’t parent me.”

She let out a soft laugh. “You’re sweet. And kind, which I’m not sure I deserve, but I promise I’ll do my best to fix it.”

He didn’t bother arguing with her again. They both knew damn well how stubborn Rod was, and if Poppy wanted to waste her time fighting a losing battle, that was on her. “Take care,” he said, opening the door, “and thank you for the ride.”

She looked like she wanted more from him—more validation, maybe, or a little more reassurance. He couldn’t give that to her. He was too damn tired.

He headed into his house and kicked his shoes off as the door was closing. He stripped down to boxers and a T-shirt before flopping onto his sofa and grabbing the blanket thrown over the top.

It wasn’t as heavy as he liked. He wanted to be wrapped up and weighted down. Maybe kissed a little. He didn’t even need love that came with that sort of thing. He wantedit, but he wasn’t willing to compromise on his fear of becoming like this father. So he’d settle for having a warm body from time to time—someone who helped him feel alive.

But right now, he had no one. He’d struck out date after date on the apps, and he was starting to think that maybe the planets and stars were sending him a message. Cruel, perhaps, but not everyone was meant for any version of happily ever after.

Hell, not everyone was even meant for a happily for now.

He could accept it.

Even if it killed him a little to do so.

Chapter Three

BRONX

“So Frey was tellingme he has this friend?—”

“No.” Bronx’s voice was sharp. He didn’t mean to sound mean. Not really. But he’d been waiting for someone to start in with the “So I know a guy” bullshit. Dallas looked hurt, and Bronx had always folded whenever he saw that look on his little brother’s face, but he was sticking to his guns this time.

“Babe, your brother’s not trying to be a dick,” Kylen cut in, smiling at Bronx over the rim of his wineglass. “He literally just got back from seeing his ex. Now’s not the time to get back into the dating pool. He needs time to get over it all.”

“Isn’t the best way to get over someone to get under someone else?” Dallas asked.

Kylen made a choking noise. “I love you, but no. Stop.”

“Fine, fine.” Dallas put his hands up. “It’s probably better that the ace guy doesn’t give sex advice.”

“You give fine advice,” Bronx told him. “But you know better than anyone how much it sucks to try and date right after your life falls apart.”

Dallas bowed his head. “Yeah, no. I guess I thought my problem was me being…different or whatever.”

Bronx felt a wave of sympathy for his brother, knowing what he’d gone through recently. It ended the best possible way a big come-out could end. Being madly in love with a really amazing man who understood him in ways no one ever had.

But Bronx also knew Dallas was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he was on the asexual spectrum.Andthat after all these years of thinking he knew what he liked and who he wanted, he’d fallen in love with a man.

Bronx felt a little bad because he couldn’t really relate. He knew early on who and what he liked. His come-out had been quiet and without a lot of fanfare. The only problem was, in the past, he’d been attracted to men like Jules, and he was absolutely and completely done with that nonsense.

It was the newest item on his “get my shit together” list: no more douchebags. Jules had been the worst of the worst, but there were too many men out there like him, and Bronx needed to make sure he was in the right headspace to see all the red flags.

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