Page 167 of The Blame Game

“Shit,” he whispered.

Shea looked agonized. “I wanted to tell you I knew about it but I—you were already going through so much and you didn’t remember anything from that night and I—I chickened out.”

“Hey, no,” Dom said, reaching out to settle a hand on Shea’s waist. “It’s okay. I know why you didn’t push it.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I’m an emotionally repressed oyster, right?”

“Maybe,” Shea said with sigh, shifting closer and wrapping his arm around Dom, his head on his shoulder. “But maybe I kinda like that about you. Not that you’re closed off, but that not everyone gets to see the precious thing inside.”

He settled a hand over Dom’s heart.

Dom turned his head and kissed Shea’s forehead, too overcome to manage words. God, what the hell had he done in his life to deserve someone like Shea?

Finally, when the tightness in his throat eased, Dom whispered, “So what do I do? Should I answer him?”

“I think,” Shea said slowly, “that only you know that answer. When my parents and I were estranged, I hated it, but I also think there are reasons why cutting someone off and keeping them out of your life makes sense.”

“Like Charlie,” Dom said. He’d told Shea about Charlie’s history after the baby shower.

Shea nodded. “Yeah, exactly. Like Charlie. But your dad—he fucked up. Maybe he’s a jerk. I don’t know. I don’t know what your relationship with him was like before that. I don’t know what he’s like. I don’t know if this cheating thing was a one-time thing or a habit. But I think that not having those answers will probably nag at you. It would me, anyway.”

“Before, I might have ignored it and shoved it away and refused to look at it.”

Shea smoothed a hand over his chest. “I know.”

“And it’s tempting to do.”

“I bet.”

Dom drummed his fingers on his up drawn knee. “But now I’m not sure I can.”

Besides, Ronnie would kill him if he did that. He was convinced Dom’s closed-off nature was impacting his play. And, well, he might have a point.

“Okay.”

“I don’t know what to say to my father though,” Dom admitted. “How to reply to this text.”

“Yeah? Would you like some help?”

Dom nodded.

Shea typed and deleted and typed and deleted before he passed the phone back to Dom. “What about that?”

Dom read it. I’m willing to hear you out. Tell me what you have in mind. Did you want to talk on the phone or meet?

“Yeah, that’s good,” he said thoughtfully.

“Hey, don’t sound so surprised.” Shea nudged him in the ribs.

“I’m not,” Dom said. “I know how brilliant you are.”

“Well, I’m with you, aren’t I?” Shea said teasingly.

Dom smiled.

For a fake relationship, it was feeling less and less like one by the day. And whatever the fuck happened with his dad, he knew Shea was in his corner.

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