Page 21 of Broken Player

Chuckling, I grabbed the platter on the counter piled high with breakfast meat and scrambled eggs. “Lead the way.”

I followed Quinn to the kitchen table where my parents sat, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous. My hands shook as I leaned over the table and placed the platter down with a thud. Quinn glanced at me out of the corner of his eye but schooled his expression into his typical calm facade. He slid out the chair next to him, and I plopped down into it, balancing right on the edge and keeping my back stiff and straight. I shook my leg with nervous energy.

My mom studied me carefully. “What’s going on with you this morning, sweetheart?”

I exhaled a shaky breath and nervously tucked my hair behind my ear. My mom’s eyes followed the movement, widening almost comically. “What is that?” she squeaked, pointing to my hand. Quinn grabbed it and pulled it under the table, squeezing my fingers.

“I’m engaged-”

My mom’s squeal made me wince. “Oh, my god! I knew it! Alex, didn’t I tell you? I knew they’d figure it out.” She jumped out of her seat and rushed around to me, wrapping her arms around Quinn and me.

“I’m so happy for you two. I knew it was only a matter of time. I’ve been telling your dad for years this would happen.”

I glanced helplessly at Quinn, who looked decidedly uncomfortable. My dad cleared his throat. “Shannon, let the kids breathe for Christ’s sake.”

My mom sniffled and finally loosened the death grip she had on us, and I took a deep breath. I hadnotseen that reaction coming, and by the look in Quinn’s face, I bet he felt the same way. Being gay wasn’t something you just grew out of, and I thought my parents understood that. There’d been a few times I caught Quinn looking at me with interest, his eyes dark. There were times where he got possessive whenever other guys showed interest when we’d go out together. But he was just a good friend. There’d never been anything there with Quinn, not when I wasn’t exactly his type.

Plus, as long as I’d been interested in boys, only one had ever held my heart.

Maddox.

“You guys, Quinn and I aren’t engaged. Sorry to disappoint,” I started.

“What do you mean? Who else could you possibly be engaged to?” my mom asked incredulously.

“I’m getting to that,” I said, glancing at Quinn to see the muscle in his jaw tense up and I rubbed my thumb across the back of his hand and watched him relax slightly.

“I’ve been seeing someone for a few months. His name is Yates, and we met on a dating app.” I thought I’d go with the most straightforward explanation I’d been able to think up. My parents were hopeless when it came to smartphones and apps.

“Where does he live?” my dad asked.

“He lives in Dallas. Yesterday, we had a date, and he proposed at dinner,” I explained.

“Why have we never met him, Ryan? I’ve got to say I’m shocked by this. I figured any guy you ended up with we’d know well by the time you got married,” my mom said, her eyes a little misty still.

“He works in finance for his family’s business, and he doesn’t get a lot of time off. That’s why we met online, he didn’t have time to date traditionally. He proposed because we’re tired of being apart.” I cringed at that last part. I wasn’t sure if my parents were buying it.

My dad sighed. “I’m not sure how to feel right now, kiddo. But I do know that if you decided he’s the one for you, your mom and I wouldn’t stand in your way.”

“Thanks, dad.” I sniffed as my eyes stung with unshed tears. Now it was Quinn’s turn to comfort me as he squeezed my hand again. I tried to tell them as much of the truth as I possibly could. Still, I hadn’t come up with a good reason to explain Yates buying the ranch without it sounding like a business transaction, so I decided that’d be a problem for a different day.

“So,” my mom said, a small smile on her face. “When’s the big day?”

My stomach dropped as I glanced at Quinn out of the corner of my eye. “Um, in a month,” I mumbled.

“What was that sweetheart?” my mom asked.

“In a month,” I repeated, and Quinn inhaled sharply. I knew we weren’t done talking about this by a long shot, but I’d never felt so shitty about anything in my entire life. I had to keep reminding myself I was doing all this for a good cause. But if that were true, why did it feel so bad?

“Where the fuck is the coffee?” I grumbled out loud, slamming the cupboards closed. I was lucky yesterday. My old man hadn’t come home, and I spent the afternoon going over all the financials I could get my hands on. The more I read, the more my new plan solidified in my mind.

But today was a new day, and I woke up hungry and in desperate need of a caffeine fix. Being in this place set every last nerve ending on edge. I fucking hated it here. I wanted to burn this whole fucking place to the ground like it deserved.

Instead, I decided to play the long game. Setting this ranch on fire would be satisfying, and I could move on more quickly, but Russell deserved worse. He deserved to know exactly how little he meant to me.

With my tentative plans swirling in my mind, I jumped in the shower and threw on my uniform black jeans, black t-shirt, and black boots. Not practical in the Texas heat, but signature style usually wasn’t a practical thing. This was small-town Texas, but that didn’t mean fans or paparazzi weren’t lurking around the corner with a phone pointed in my direction. No matter what was going on in my life, I had an image to maintain. One I’d worked too goddamn hard to shape to have it threatened by anything.

I sighed heavily before tossing a black baseball hat on my head and shoving a pair of aviators on my face. I couldn’tremember the last time I went to a grocery store on my own. I had people who did that mundane shit for me now. And in this small of a town, people gossiped and stopped you as you walked around because no one could mind their own goddamn business. I figured it’d be too much to hope I could get in and out without talking to anyone.

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