Page 7 of Leave

And he hadn’t seemed grossed out or disgusted when I’d very, very slightly tipped my hand after he’d asked about a “creepy uncle.” I’d lied and said no one knew; the truth was, I’d told a handful of people outside my family, and they’d never taken it well. I was a liar. I was a pussy. I was a spineless little bitch.

Riley had seemed horrified by it, but I hadn’t gotten the impression he was grossed out by me or thought less of me.

Because he doesn’t know the whole story. Tell him the details, Nolan. Tell him everything.Thensee how long he sticks around.

I shuddered, squirming on the couch. Velcro lifted his head and chirped at me. I petted him, which got him kneading and purring, which in turn soothed me a little.

At least my cats won’t ever judge me.

Well, except if I’m late to feeding them.

I managed a laugh at that thought, but it didn’t help much. I was still deep in this funk, queasy from showing even the edge of that card to Riley and still dreading going home in April. I’d managed to avoid that for most of my career. It had been especially easy for the past four years—two when I was stationed on Iwakuni, and two that I’d been here. Living on an island five thousand miles from home made it easy to stay away. All I had to do was make a few excuses about not being able to take leave or get on a military flight, and nobody back home asked any questions. I still had two more years here before I’d go someplace else, and if I was lucky, it would be some other remote overseas assignment.

The more miles between me and home, the better.

But there were things that made going home unavoidable. A few months before I’d transferred to Iwakuni, I’d gone back for my grandmother’s funeral. Two years before that, while I’d been in Florida, there’d been my grandfather’s funeral.

I wasn’t even lying sometimes when I said the military was the reason I couldn’t go. Three months after my older brother announced his wedding date, I’d found out I was heading to Afghanistan. The Marine Corps wasn’t at all interested in whether a combat deployment clashed with something personal, so that had given me an easy pass out of going home for that. Thank fuck.

Now Matt was getting married. And I adored my little brother and his fiancée, who I’d known since we were all in high school. I couldn’t miss their wedding. Especially not when he wanted me to be his best man.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I’d make it work. I’d get through it, just like I got through my other sparse visits. I’d weather the guilt from my family because my niece and nephews didn’t even recognize me, and everyone would tell me all the things I’d missed out on. I’d laugh and shrug it off, saying I did the best I could, but duty called. And besides, they posted everything to social media, so it was almost like being there.

A door opened and closed at the end of the hall, nudging me out of my thoughts. ShiShi jumped down from where she’d apparently been perched on the windowsill, and she trotted up the hall, chirping like she often did when she saw Riley.

“Hey, you.” His footsteps paused. He’d probably stopped to pet her. A moment later, he resumed walking, and he appeared in the living room with the black-and-white cat on his heels.

I thought he might go into the kitchen or something, but he dropped onto the couch and locked eyes with me. “Question.”

I raised an eyebrow, my insides twisting because oh, God, he was going to ask about my past, wasn’t he? I hazarded a non-committal, “Yeah?”

He barely seemed to register ShiShi hopping into his lap, though he did pet her. Still focused on me with those disarming dark eyes, he asked, “Are you out to your family?”

I blinked. “I… Yeah. I’ve been out since I was fourteen. Why?”

“Because I have a proposition.” He twisted toward me, pulling his knee up onto the couch between us.

“Okay?”

“Feel free to tell me if this won’t work.” He showed his palms. “Or if it’s just a no-go for whatever reason. But hear me out.” Lowering his hands, he said, “What if I went with you? To your brother’s wedding?” He paused. “Like, as your”—he made air quotes—“‘boyfriend?”

I sat up a little. “Sorry,what?”

“You’re nervous about going because somebody there did…” He waved his hand. “The specifics are none of my business, but what I’m gathering is that there’s somebody there you understandably don’t want to be around.” An upward flick of his eyebrows asked,Right?

I nodded uneasily.

“Right,” he said. “So maybe it would be easier for you if you didn’t have to bealonearound them. And if everyone thinks I’m your boyfriend, then no one will question why we’re joined at the hip.”

It took me several seconds to process what he was suggesting. “You’re… You’re willing to travel all the way back to the States and go to all my family bullshit…” I inclined my head. “Just to keep me away from…”

“Would you feel safer that way?” he asked pointedly. “If you had someone with you instead of going it alone?”

I chewed my lip as I absently scratched behind Velcro’s ears. Honestly? Yeah, Iwouldfeel safer with someone there with me. And he was right that if I went with a partner, everyone would expect us to be together. Plus that would give us an excuse to not stay at my parents’ house; my old bedroom was fine for me, but it wouldn’t accommodate a couple. Which meant I would beless accessible tootherpeople who would be in and out of that house. Especially when I was sleeping. That alone gave this some serious appeal.

I studied Riley. “What’s in it for you, though?”

“Well, that’s where the other side of my proposition comes in.”

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