Page 99 of Broken Player

"So you did." I spun in his arms and lifted up to kiss his lips before moving away. I stepped into the living room where Quinn and Griffin were both intently staring at the giant TV mounted to the wall watching last night's events unfold in all their glory.

I pulled on my cowboy boots while I waited for them to finish their video. It was too fresh for me. I didn't care to watch it yet. Maybe someday I would, but my memories were vivid enough, and I was ready to move forward from the nightmare.

"Quinny, did you make breakfast this morning?" I asked, my stomach growling so loudly I wondered if everyone could hear it. I hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday.

He nodded. "Biscuits and gravy. There's plenty of leftovers."

"Griff, can you text mom and ask her to meet us next door?" Maddox asked his brother, and I was struck by how relaxed and comfortable he sounded. He accepted his family back into his life a lot more quickly than I expected.

"Yup," his brother agreed, pulling out his phone.

"I'm out the door. You guys can take your time, but I need food," I declared, moving quickly through the house and flinging open the door. The hot sun beat down on me, but it didn't matter. I had one singular focus: food.

Quinn jogged to catch up with me, slowing down so we could walk at the same pace. "I need to talk to you about something, Ry."

I stopped, glancing over my shoulder at the guys still a long way behind us before locking eyes with my best friend. "What's up?"

He sighed, running his fingers through his tousled hair. "I'm not really sure where to start."

"That's easy. Start at the beginning," I teased, flashing him a smile.

When he didn't laugh, my heart sped up a little. I could count the times I saw Quinn be nervous about anything on one hand and have fingers left over. "You remember when I came out in high school?"

Nodding, I turned and started slowly walking again. The guys behind us were starting to gain ground, and I could tell Quinn wanted to talk just the two of us.

"I didn't know back then that things aren't always so black and white," he said cryptically.

"I'm not really sure what that means, Quinny."

"It means that I don't just love you, Ryan. I'minlove with you," he rushed out, the words stumbling over each other as my breath caught.

I stopped in my tracks, turning to face him. "Quinn-"

His eyes were soft and full of regret. "I should have told you sooner, but I wanted to be sure it wasn't just some phase. You're my best friend, and you're beautiful and incredible. We'll never lose what we have, Lancelot. That's a fucking promise. But you're with Maddox, and really, even when it was just the two of us, he was there in the middle in spirit. I know that, and I'm not telling you this because I'm asking for anything. I don't want you to change your mind or be with me. I'm telling you because I needed to admit it out loud to myself. I needed my best friend, even if you are the one I love. I want to broaden my horizons, and this is how I begin."

I pulled him into my arms, tears stinging my eyes at how incredibly brave Quinn was to confide this in me. "I love you so much, Quinny. And truth?"

He pulled away, grinning down at me. "Always."

"If you'd told me this a year ago, I'd have totally had my way with you."

He laughed, the tension dissipating. "Seriously?"

"You have no idea how many times I wished you weren't gay," I confirmed, and he groaned.

"Well, shit."

"Sorry," I shrugged, patting him on the back as he slung his arm across my shoulders. "Thank you for telling me. I'm really proud of you."

"I'm just relieved you don't hate me," he admitted, twisting one of my curls around his finger as we walked.

"I could never hate you, Quinn. You're my other half. Where you go, I go. That's for life right there."

The boys trudged along slowly behind us, laughing and joking around about the video and last night with Yates. We hurried ahead, though. I had needs, and Quinn's biscuits and gravy were nothing short of heavenly.

Jogging up the front steps, I pulled open the screen and then the front door, the familiar creak of the hinges welcoming. I let it slam after Quinn stepped inside. My mom would kill me if I let all the cool air out. That shit was expensive, and I'd been trained well.

I didn't stop to look for my mom or dad, just beelined for the kitchen, pulling open the fridge as the front door opened again, and the three men moved inside. My dad rolled into the kitchen as I stuck my breakfast in the microwave. "Hey, kiddo," he greeted with a warm smile.

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