Page 45 of At His Wife's Behest

Time to decide what it is he wanted.

Time that he barely got.

A week later, Kellan’s cell rang. He lifted the screen and cringed when he saw the name. Clicking it, he lifted the phone to his ear. “Yeah, Dad?”

“I need you in my office ASAP.”

“I’mnothelping with the campaign.”

“This is about your trip to Italy.”

Kellan’s blood went cold.

“I’m working from home today. ASAP, Kellan.”

The line went dead. Kellan froze, unable to move. His stomach turned, and he was sure he’d retch, but when he finally ran to the bathroom, nothing came out. After wiping the sweat beading on his brow, he departed for his parents’ house. He barely remembered the drive over, the different scenarios whispering through his mind taking center stage. His parent’s housekeeper let him in, and he strode toward his father’s office.

He lifted his hand to knock but chickened out.

“Come in, Kellan.”

After a cleansing breath, he entered. Approaching the desk, he noted his father’s look of disapproval was sharper that morning. “What about Italy?”

His father tossed a handful of papers across the desk. Drawing one from the pile, he viewed an image of Connor and him holding hands down the market district in Bellagio. Another had them kissing on the ferry to Como. He fanned the pages out and stared at the dozens of others detailing their trip and all the public embracing that had happened.

His knees weakened, his stomach in knots… but then he noticed something.

When he looked at his face, he sawhappiness.

He lifted one image of Connor starring at him while his head was turned. The look of adoration on the man’s face made it harder to breathe.

A look that whispered… love.

Love? We barely know one another.

His chest tightened and the truth slammed into him.

In the span of a week, he’d fallen in love with Connor.

If he was honest with himself, he’d fallen a long time before, over all those mornings bringing his daughter into Connor’s classroom. Class visits. Parent-teacher conferences. The Winter Play where Connor had acted like a complete fool for his kids, who loved him dearly. The evenings where Abby would chatter about her day, telling him all the wonderful things Mr. Q had done. He was a kind, caring teacher.

He was a kind, caringman.

“Are youtryingto ruin me, Kellan?”

Seeing that look on Connor’s face gave him strength.This is what I’m giving up… for what?“What I do in my own time hasnothingto do with you.”

“It haseverythingto do with me,” his father roared. “Do you know what those left-wing radicals are going to do if they find out you’re a fag?” He snarled. “We need that man to sign an NDA.”

“He already has,” Kellan murmured.

“I’d congratulate you for having the good sense to do that if you hadn’t ruined it by galivanting around Italy kissing another man.” His father’s eyes closed briefly. “I don’t even want to imagine what you did behind closed doors.”

Kellan stared at the strewn photos, wishing he was back there with Connor. Away from the mess of reality. “How did you get these? Do you have someone following me?”

“Don’t be paranoid. I don’t have someone following you.”

“Thenhow?”

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