Page 38 of 10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love

Yet my feet carry me forward anyway, and my knees hit the bed. It feels almost unbearably intimate as I lie down opposite Brad, his piercing green eyes inches in front of me. He doesn’t appear to have any reservations because he inches forward immediately, going low so his head fits tucked neatly underneath my chin. He wiggles his arm beneath my own so he can loop it around my back, his fingers settling near my nape as he lets out a happy hum. I feel like I can’t take a big enough breath, my lungs refusing to cooperate, each hint of sea salt air I get off Brad making it harder to inhale fully.

He’s everywhere. In my lungs, my arms, my head.

“Are you close with your mom?” Brad asks, his fingers stroking the back of my neck.

I hum roughly. “Yeah, she’s great. My biggest worry in coming here was having to move away from her. But we talk all the time, and she was really supportive of me getting to know my relatives.”

He nods against my chest. “Was your dad homophobic?”

It surprises me that he picked up on that. Although I’m not sure why, considering Brad has shown himself to be a good listener.

“He was,” I say, rubbing Brad’s back in slow strokes. It feels nice. Too nice. “He could tell I was gay before I came out, and he started trying toman me up, you know? But my mom wasn’t having that. I was ten, eleven? They began arguing a lot, and, eventually, my mom filed for divorce and full custody. My dad never fought it. He packed up and moved back here.”

Brad’s fingers tighten against the back of my neck before loosening. “I like her already.”

I huff a small laugh, the implication of thatalreadypinging around in my mind, as if Brad is certain he’ll meet my mother at some point.

I don’t argue it.

“But the rest of your family is supportive,” he says, connecting more dots.

“Yeah. My aunts and uncles and cousins, they’ve all been great. My Uncle Johnny made it very clear they didn’t share my dad’s beliefs when he offered me a job. I’m not…gladmy dad died, of course. But Iamglad to have the opportunity to know this side of my family.”

“I get that,” Brad says softly. “Sometimes I wonder about my parents. But they didn’t want me. And they didn’t want me to know them. So I haven’t gone looking. I imagine, if things were different, I’d be happy to meet them, too.”

Ah, God.

“Bub…”

“No, don’t,” he says, giving my neck a firmer squeeze. “I’m fine. My grandfather and me were never close, but he stepped up and raised me when there was no one else. And I’m grateful for that. Plus, I had Jason.”

“Your Birdie.”

I can hear the smile in his voice when he says, “Yeah. The Birdie to my Bee. You’ll meet him at some point. He’s kinda quiet, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you. It just means he’s thinking. Family isn’t always given, you know? Sometimes it’s earned. And I think that makes it all the more important. Choosing to love? I don’t think there’s anything greater than that.”

I don’t speak for the longest time. I can’t.

“Jason’s lucky to have you,” I finally manage.

He lets out a small laugh. “He’s a good dude. Not much of a cuddler, though. So this is nice. Thanks for being here, Joey-roo. I’m lucky, too.”

I ease out a breath, realizing, at some point while we were talking, that we shifted positions. Brad is lying on top of me now, wrapped around me like a koala.

“Told you,” he nearly whispers. “Got you on your back, didn’t I?”

My chuckle shakes Brad, and he laughs with me. “You’re good,” I concede. “This, uh…this is what you wanted?”

He deflates with a happy sigh, even though he was already perfectly relaxed to begin with. “Yeah. This is perfect. Pretty sure I could fall asleep just like this.”

Yeah. Pretty sure I could, too.

I never thought I’d fall into bed with a straight guy.

I can’t seem to locate my regret.

Chapter 11

Brad

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