Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
It was Seth. For the ninth time.
He had blown off their dinner date, didn’t even text either of them, but he just couldn’t. He was upset, he was devastated, and he just didn’t know what to do. He had no problem coming out now that he’d committed to it. Yes, he was scared, but damn it, he wanted to do it in his own fucking time! On his terms. This was so far out of his control that he couldn’t even fathom his next move. And he definitely couldn’t talk to his brothers right now.
Damn it.
When his phone started to ring again—this time, Laurence—he bit his lip. He was a bastard for blowing them off and not answering. He never did this, and fuck, they were going to worry. Reaching for the phone, he answered in a gruff voice, “Hey.”
“Dude, where are you? We’ve been waiting.”
He groaned. “Shit, I’m sorry. I fell asleep. I feel like shit. I think I got food poisoning or some shit.”
“Well, that sucks. I guess, call me tomorrow. Maybe we can get together.”
“Yeah, for sure,” he said in a rush. “I’m going to puke. Bye.”
Hanging up, he fell back on the bed as he let out a heavy breath. Covering his face, he rubbed his eyes as he went over what he could do. He was still considering suing the fucker, but he really didn’t want the photos coming out. If his family knew, that was one thing, but he didn’t want the whole world to know, judging him like he knew they would. It didn’t matter how much Wells said things had changed. He was a hockey player, and it wasn’t normal. Hockey players were rough, tough, and fucking puck bunnies left and right.
But Matty wasn’t.
He never did.
Shit.
When his phone vibrated in his hand with a text, he picked it up to see that it was Wells.
Wells: How’s it going? Have you told them yet?
Matty: No.
He didn’t want to tell him why, he didn’t even want to tell him anything, but he knew Wells would ask.
Wells: Why? You guys have been there for hours. Waiting till you get home?
Matty: I didn’t go.
Within seconds, the phone was ringing. “What the hell do you mean, you didn’t go?
Wells’s voice was so rough, and it felt so much like home. It calmed Matty, made him feel good, but then he remembered someone was trying to extort him out of six million dollars, and his shitty feelings rushed back. “Some shit came up, and I canceled.”
“What the hell came up?”
Matty understood Wells’s frustration. It looked like Matty wasn’t trying to move forward, but that wasn’t the case. The problem was he didn’t know how to tell Wells about the photos. “Don’t be pissy—”
“Don’t be pissy? Matty, you promised you were going to tell them. You promised me you were taking the steps to get to your parents so that we can be together the way we were on the beach!”
“I know! Fuck, dude, some shit went down—”
“What? What went down?” Wells yelled, his voice full of aggravation. “Please tell me what is more important than telling your brothers you are with me.”
Matty exhaled loudly, annoyance running rampant through his veins. He hated when Wells got angry with him, even when it was expected. It didn’t happen often, especially with how calm he was most of the time. “Brendan called me when I landed.”
“Okay?” he snapped, and Matty bit back his retort that included a lot of f-words.
Sitting up, he closed his eyes as he relayed to Wells what happened. What they were doing in the photos, how both of their faces were showing, and how the photographer wanted a lot of money. “I can’t let my family find out like this.”
“I understand that, I do. So tell them before this guy lets it out. Wait, can’t you sue him?”
“Yes, but then the photos come out, and I don’t want people to find out like that.”
“Why does it matter? As long as your family knows ahead of time, why does it matter?”
“Because it’s our business! I don’t want it out for everyone to see. It’s already going to be a fucking field day for my dad when he finds out I’m gay, but if he finds out and then this happens, shit will be even worse. I can promise you that.”
He listened as Wells grumbled into the phone. Matty couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he could tell Wells was upset. “So you’re going to pay this guy? How much?”
Matty didn’t want to answer him. He wanted to hide under a rock, but he knew he couldn’t do that. “Six million.”
Wells laughed. “What the fuck? That is insane.”
“I know,” he agreed, shaking his head. “I can get a loan, but I really don’t want to. Asking my dad is out of the question ’cause he’ll want to know why. Yeah, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”