Page 144 of Affair
When he focused on Tommy, there was nothing there. When he looked at Ethan, there was that kick to his chest, or butterflies. Then, he’d get incredibly warm, and he’d want to do nothing more than be with the man.
Seeing Tommy…
It was cold and dead.
Now, he realized, he had always felt cold and dead. He’d just been hoping to survive.
Life was about living.
Not waiting to die.
“You really have to stop,” he said. “Tommy, you’re going to get hurt.”
He stood up and moved toward him.
Immediately, he put space between them.
Still, Tommy didn’t give up. There was hope. Maybe it was Stockholm Syndrome, and if he got the man out of there, he could fix him.
Right?
“Baby,” he said. “Please come home. We’ll work it out. You were right. I’ll leave this city. We can go anywhere you want. You choose. Just come back to me. I love you.”
The whole time the man was talking, Elizabeth said nothing.
This had to be Gene’s call.
He had to decide what he wanted, and they would have to live with the fallout.
Did she think he’d leave Ethan?
She wasn’t sure.
Why?
He left once before and Ethan never expected it. The only thing that they had going for them was hope. They let him into their lives.
No.
She let him in.
If he chose to walk away, Ethan wouldNEVERget over this, or forgive her. She’d promised to protect him, and letting him get his heart ripped out was anything but protection.
Gene didn’t mince words.
“I can’t do that,” Gene said. “I don’t want to do that, Tommy. What we had was nice. It was sweet. Only, it wasn’t meant to be. You were a bridge back to where I wanted to go,and I’m here now. Please just let me have this. I’m so happy. I’ve moved on.”
Tommy’s heart hurt.
He couldn’t believe it.
So, he kept trying.
He’d given up everything for this man, and the only reason he wasn’t with him was because of Ethan Blackhawk.
“I haven’t moved on,” he said. “I thought we’d fight about it, but we’d meet in the middle. I thought we had something.”
He sighed.
