Page 76 of Absolutely Pucked
I nodded. “I know.” I didn’t tell him that he wasn’t going to have to. That I was going to make the choice for us because healing from a single heartbreak would be so much easier than losing the entire family he’d worked so hard to create.
He probably knew it too.
Wrapping tightly around me, his trembling breath began to even out, and once again, I was drawn into sleep. It was deeper this time. Better.
Easier.
But it also wasn’t going to last.
“…shut the fuck up. You’re going to wake him!”
“I’m sorry, you want me to care about that? Ford, what the fuck were you thinking? I mean, I knew you were hiding something, and Hugo told me about the shit he saw on your phone, but this?—”
“You don’t understand! It’s not what you think.”
“So finding you two in bed touching naked dicks was what? An accident? You tripped and fell and got stuck together?”
“Uhg. No, but?—”
Sitting up, I shattered the whisper-argument happening a few feet away from me. I was still naked, covered by a sheet, and Ford was in a robe with his arms crossed, glowering at Boden, who was leaning in the doorway on his crutches.
I managed a grimace, which was supposed to be a smile, but I didn’t think he would have accepted anything genuine from me in that moment.
“How much do you want to know?” I asked.
He eyed me for a long, long beat. “When did it start?”
Ford groaned. “That’s none of your?—”
“A few months ago,” I said. “But it was only once back then. He didn’t know who I was.”
“Butyouknew who he was?”
“Not exactly,” I confessed. I spun around and grabbed my sweats. “I had an idea who?—”
“I can’t hear you. Turn the fuck around and face me when you’re speaking.”
I blinked in surprise, but the moment I had my pants on, I did as he asked, and only then did I realize he was wearing hearing aids. ‘Sorry,’ I signed.
His eyes widened. “I…you know ASL?”
“It seemed like a smart language to take in college. When I passed the bar, I wanted to be able to take Deaf clients and make sure they never felt left out,” I confessed. “Would you prefer it?”
“No.” His jaw ticked. His eyes darted to Ford, then back to me. “Repeat yourself.”
“I—oh. Right. Uh, so we met at a club one night. I figured out he knew Tucker after we, you know…”
“Started touching naked dicks,” Ford snarked. He was clearly trying to pick a fight.
Boden ignored him. “And?”
“And I didn’t see him again until I came back into town.” I shrugged helplessly. “I wanted to come speak to Tucker.”
“And instead, you decided to fuck Ford for…however long this has been going on?” Boden demanded. “At least since we were in Montreal.” He turned narrowed eyes on Ford. “I’m going to assume you knew exactly who he was the whole time, considering he’s Tucker’s fucking twin brother.”
Ford flushed brightly. “He…looked different when we first met. He had a beard, his hair was all…” He made a weak gesture around the top of his head. “But when he showed up again, yeah. I knew.”
Boden swallowed heavily. “Tell me you were just distracted by Ford’s dick, and I might be able to overlook the rampant bullshit and lies that have been going on for a while.”
