Page 125 of Game Night: Truth or Dare

Evan’s eyebrows shoot up, then they furrow. “Guy? Are you… Dad, are you gay? Were you married to mom to cover it up? Is that why you guys are divorced?”

“No,” I rush to say, sitting beside him. “No. I’m bi. Your mom has always known that. I loved your mother; still do, in fact, but we fell out of love. She’s my best friend. I was deeply in love with her and her with me when we got married, I promise. We got divorced to give each other freedom to find someone that was in love with us.”

He lets out a long breath. “Okay, that’s great. I was afraid… after twenty years, ya know?”

I nod. “I understand. But it was never a secret from your mom. I was always loyal to her. We had no secrets.”

Evan bumps my shoulder. “A new guy, huh? Tell me about him.”

What feels like a boulder drops into my stomach. I’m not sure what I can say that will suffice without saying a name. I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to keep it all a secret.

Leaning back, I tell him about Derek in a roundabout way. “He’s nice. Sweet. Younger than me, but still an adult.” Evan laughs and waves for me to continue. “We haven’t really said we’re taking things further than friendship, but I like him. It’s been a week, but he gives me butterflies.”

I didn’t mean to say that last part aloud, but it’s true. Every time I see Derek, I get a fluttering in my belly that I didn’t get, even when I was with Sheila. It’s a foreign feeling, but I like it.

My son slaps my leg, another big smile on his face. “That’s great, Dad. I’m glad to hear that you’re moving on and you’ve found someone.”

I hold my hand up. “I didn’t say all that. I said I like him. I’m pretty sure he just wants to be friends.”

Evan scoffs. “He’s an idiot if he doesn’t see what a catch you are. When will I meet him?”

I squirm in the seat. “There’s nothing going on yet. If things get serious, I’ll let you know.”

We sit and visit for another hour or so, talking and building on our relationship. Evan and I never had a bad relationship, but I wasn’t there as much as I should have been, and I know I need to remedy that. If I want to take things further with Derek, will that stop?

I have to have hope that it won’t. I don’t want to lose my son, but I want to explore what could be with Derek.

That’s a dilemma I’ll get to when it comes. No need to borrow trouble.

Evan doesn’t stay the night. He says he has an early morning of tutoring and goes about his day, promising to come back in a few days when he’s free.

Almost as soon as he steps out of the front door, I have my phone in my hand, asking Derek if he’d like to come over to help with the last few boxes.

Five minutes later, there’s a soft knock at my door. I hurry to it and throw it open, smiling when I see the pretty face of Derek staring back at me. He has on a pair of sweatpants that do nothing to hide the outline of his cock, a tank top that hugs his lean muscles, and his hair is pushed back from his face. He’s a vision.

He grins at me. “Gonna let me in, or do I need a password?”

Rolling my eyes with a chuckle, I step aside and let him in. “Sorry about that.”

“You’re forgiven. Just don’t let it happen again.” He sends me a wink and the fluttering in my belly gets stronger. He takes his shoes off and looks at me with bright, innocent eyes.

He surprises me by walking over and wrapping his arms around me, giving me a tight hug. I return it, bending to smell the skin of his neck. Normally, Derek will give me a quick, one shoulder hug—this is new and not at all unwelcome.

“I’m glad you asked me to come over,” he mutters in my chest. “I’ve gotten used to our unpacking dates.”

Barking a laugh, I let him go and gesture to the bedroom. “We’re almost finished. A few more boxes. I might have to just start ordering shit so you can come over and help me unpack.” I’m half-joking, but I do want him to keep coming over. I like his company.

“You can just invite me over, Keith. We’re friends now, right?”

That deflates me a little. Yes, I figured Derek was no longer interested after what was supposed to be a one-off thing, but it hurts actually hearing it. I look down at my belly, wondering if my weight is the reason he just wants to be friends.

I’ve always been a bigger guy. Since my doctors have always told me I was healthy and all my levels were good, I didn’t see a reason to shed the weight.

The boxes we have to unpack are at the foot of the bed, but Derek makes no moves to look through them. He plops on the bed and scoots back, sitting at the head of the bed. “Come on,” he says, patting the space beside him. “Let’s talk for a bit before we get to unpacking. Those boxes won’t take long at all.”

Liking that he wants to spend some time with me, I do as he says, lying on the bed beside him. He turns to his side, tucking a hand under his pillow and pulling his legs up. I mirror his pose.

Derek smiles, eyeing my position. “Comfortable?”

---