Page 111 of Beautifully Conflicted

Part of me wants to hug him, but I hold back, figuring that’s a gesture for the day he can tell me his homophobia is a thing of the past. “Thank you.” I shake his hand, holding his grip a little longer than is customary, just so he knows I have hope. With a final nod, he turns and lets himself out the door.

“You know.” Damien steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder without giving me his full weight to support. “All those times you kept insisting your dad was a really great guy, I didn’t believe you. But I do now.”

“How come?”

“That took some serious guts, not just admitting that he’s wrong but that he’s still got work to do. I respect it.”

“Not many people would give him a second chance.” I rest my hand on top of Damien’s arm, gently stroking the soft hairs on his warm skin.

“Not everyone deserves one. But he does.”

“You’re good at that, you know. I’m not sure I deserved one either after how I pushed you away in the beginning.”

“Lucy.” Damien nuzzles my ear. “I would’ve given you an infinite chances.”

“Why?”

“Because you were always meant to be mine.”

Epilogue

DAMIEN – SIX MONTHS LATER

“Babe,” Bennet whines from where he’s reclined on his bed in nothing but a pair of boxers. “Come play with my dick.”

“You play with it, I have shit to do.” Normally, I’d be on his junk like white on rice—I’m just as obsessed with it as I’ve always been—but I’m trying to pack for our first Thanksgiving at his parent’s, and it’s low-key freaking me out.

True to his word, Bennet’s dad has been making an effort to purge his homophobic upbringing from his mind, and while he’s made great progress, he still struggles with watching us be affectionate, even though that doesn’t amount to more than a quick kiss or holding hands.

Seeing as how Bennet isn’t the biggest fan of PDA, I’m thinking that might be more of an Armstrong family trait than a flaw in his dad’s thinking. Although, John’s aversion to loving gestures can be traced back to his ingrained belief that sex is for procreation, rather than any type of social protocol.

And while he’s admitted he doesn’t have sex solely for procreation, he gets stuck on the fact that two mencan’t. That’s where the wholesin thing comes in, I think. We don’t spend too much time dissecting that since it creeps Bennet out to talk about his parents having sex.

“It likes your hand better than mine.Please?”Bennet gestures to his hard cock.

“Have you always been this needy?”

“It’s your fault. You jerk it so good it gets all excited around you. And I think it knows we won’t be able to have sex for the next three days.”

We’ve got a rare break from football for the holiday, a short one, and my body is ready for the time off. I’ve been pushing myself to my limits to get ready for the combine and, hopefully, the draft. And with Bennet’s knee at close to ninety percent he’s been working just as hard.

He still isn’t playing—he’s sitting this season out to save a year of eligibility—but it’s unlikely he’ll use it. He’ll graduate in the spring, and he plans to go wherever I get picked up. He might go out for the practice squad, which I’m secretly hoping for since we only got to play together for a few brief months, and Ilovedthat. Even if we weren’t pitted against each other during those practices, just being on the same field got my motor going, and I want more of that.

But since being with him is all I ever wanted, I’m happy, regardless of whether we ever play together again or not.

“Please?” Bennet pleads, reminding me that he wants my attention, which I’ll obviously give him. After a little fun.

“Will your uncle and his partner be there?” I ask.

“You know they will,” he grunts.

“Then I better pack my Stallions t-shirt since he’s such a fan.”

Bennet pumps his cock irritably. “You don’t need brownie points with him. You’re the one who got him and my dad talking again.”

“Tomato, tomahto.” I smirk, knowing my boyfriend hates that argument, even though he’s right about the brownie points.

John’s been trying to repair his relationship with his brother ever since I suggested the two of them talk as a means for him to understand Bennet even better, and while they’ve got a lot of shit to work through, they’ve at least reached the point where they’re willing to see each other face-to-face.

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