Page 242 of Vegas Heat

“Scared?” he guesses.

“Well, yeah.”

“Of what?”

I’m quiet a beat while I try to put it into words. “I spent the majority of my life thinking he didn’t want me thanks to what my mother told me. What if he doesn’t want me after he finds out I’ve been sneaking around with Cooper for the last six months?”

“Oh, honey,” he says softly. “He’s your father. He willalwayswant you.”

“And so will your parents.”

“You don’t know Dean and Laura Larson the way I do,” he says. “They’re very conservative, and I hear the things they say when they think I’m not listening. I know they love me, but they willneverunderstand me.”

“That’s only true if you don’t give them the chance to understand,” I point out.

“We’re a couple of hot messes, aren’t we?” He chuckles, but the truth is that none of this is very funny at all.

“I think we’re both well within our rights to be scared about telling the truth, however different those truths may be.” I brakefor a red light, and my heart breaks a little for my friend as I try to push what just happened with Mia out of my mind.

“They’re not that different. Neither of us thinks our parents will approve of the man we’ve fallen in love with. The root of that might be different, and the results, and the reasons and reactions…but the fact remains that we can’t choose who we’ve fallen for.”

“Love?” I shriek. “You love Brian?”

“Dude, have you been paying any attention at all? We’ve been together almost as long as you and Cooper have!”

I can’t help but feel a little shocked at that, but I guess it’s true. “I haven’t been a very good friend lately,” I say. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so caught up in my own problems and work and school that I haven’t really looked around me much lately.” Is that true of my relationship with Mia, too? I don’t think so. I think I am genuinely upset with the way she chose Dylan over me just now. On the other side of the coin, Justin has been nothing but supportive.

“You’re happy, babe. That’s all I care about. And I’m happy, too. And if I have to keep that happiness a secret anywhere from a little while until forever…then so be it.” His voice carries some dejection to it.

“It won’t be forever…for either of us. You’ll tell them when your timing is right, and so will I. I can’t sit here and tell you everything will be okay for you and not believe it for myself, too.” And it’s the first time I really try to believe in those words.

I’ve spent my entire life trying to be perfect, and it still wasn’t good enough for my mother.

But my father isn’t the man she painted him to be my entire life.

So now I just need to get past those fears—not of just admitting to him that Cooper and I are in love but admitting that we’ve been lying to him for six months now.

It’ll be okay.

It has to be.

Because I’m not ready to face losing either of the two most important men in my life, and I’m also not willing to make a choice between them.

I just hope I’m not forced to.

CHAPTER 22: COOPER

She’s on her way over when my phone rings, and I see that it’s Troy calling.

Maybe I can tell him to come here, too, and we can just get this over with already.

“Hey man, what’s going on?” I answer.

“I have some news. Are you sitting down?” he asks.

Oh, shit. What the hell is going on now? “I am, in fact, sitting.”

“Are you free tonight and tomorrow evening for best man duties?” he asks.

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