Page 100 of The Boyfriend Gamble

Taryn had plans with her family.

Wally had plans with his family.

FP was busy.

Orlando and Knight were in Costa Rica.

Thanks to all the time Jasper spent with me, he didn’t have any other friends.

I sat in Kade’s kitchen, late on the twenty-fourth, as we wrapped presents.

June had been particularly fussy last night. Tanner had taken baby duty, and by seven o’clock this evening, he was completely wiped.

Kade kissed him and ordered him to bed.

The baby was quiet.

So my best friend and I were drinking rum eggnog.

“Do you think anyone will notice if these presents aren’t wrapped properly?” I frowned. “Because I’m a little buzzed.”

He snorted. “Mom will think it’s adorable. I’m not certain being hungover Christmas morning is a good idea, though.”

I frowned. “We won’t be hungover.”

Kade tapped the rum bottle—which was suspiciously less full.

Truthfully, we weren’t drinkers. Kade’s problem with alcohol had, in our third year of university, culminated in an incident with campus police. From then on, he stuck to one or two drinks. Even the night he’d hit on Tanner—who’d beenveryreceptive to his forever crush finally noticing him—Kade hadn’t been drunk.

Same for his bachelor party. And his wedding.

Tonight seemed to be a different story.

Kade glared at me. “Okay, what the fuck is up with you, man? Last week you were sappy happy. I thought you might’ve met someone, except you were all quiet. Which is sort of you, except I honestly thoughthey, maybe there’s a new person in his life and he just doesn’t want to subject them to his massive family.”

“That’s a lot of thinking.”

The glare didn’t lessen. “And now you're as miserable as ditch water and fucking getting on my nerves. What happened, you get dumped?”

I blinked. I adored Kade, but he’d never seemed…overly attuned to me. But then, I was a pretty even-keeled guy. I didn’t have a lot of highs and lows. High when I got into dental school. Lower when I had to move my dad to the retirement community. Happy when my dad settled in so well. Upset when a young patient of mine with cancer died. In my personal life? Never someone who moved the needle.

Until now.

“Uh…I sort of did the dumping. Well, it’s a very long story.” Because I hadn’treallydumped Jasper. Just hidden him in the closet along with the fact I was—without an iota of a doubt—bisexual. I shouldn’t have been hiding either Jasper or my newly discovered status…but I was.

“So what was her name? We can drink and curse it. Curse you for letting her get away. I mean, unless she wasn’t theone.Like, you know, Tanner’s myone. We’re even talking about getting a dog and, in a couple of years, adopting another kid. June…she’s our everything.”

I did know. I’d never seen my best friend so happy. Same with Tanner. And, with their love, the baby flourished and blossomed. “Uh…well, fuck.Hisname was…is…Jasper.”

Kade blinked.

And blinked again.

And rubbed his face.

“I’m way drunker than I thought because…did you just say the person you sort of but didn’t really dump is a guy?”

“Yes. And I know I fucked up. I tried it and I got scared and I don't fucking know what's going on in my head and you will hate me and Tanner will hate me more and I hate myself.”

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