Page 24 of Cedarwood Manny

He followed Farin through the store to the back. He’d been in the private space exactly twice, but had never noticed the overabundance of family photos tucked in among the books. Seeing Farin with Steve and Genie struck Adrien as odd—his friend had always been so carefree and impossibly single. He’d never struck Adrien as a family man, but the proof was everywhere.

“What’s on your mind?” Farin asked. “If you want relationship advice, I say go for it. I’ve seen your manny. He’s hot. If he’s good with Kyle and polite, then snap that boy up. You’re lucky if he likes you, too. Go for a ride. You deserve it.”

He held up both hands. “I’m not riding anyone.” Not that he hadn’t given the idea some careful thought—but still.

“Why not?”

“Because he works for me.” And he wasn’t ready for the whole world to know they were together.

“So?”

“It’s not proper.” Plus, it went against his desire to move slowly.

“What’s proper?” Farin asked. “If you’re attracted to each other, then do something about it.”

“Farin.”

“Is there attraction? More than just being horny bastards?”

“Are you serious?” Adrien asked. “Maybe.”

“See?”

“I came here to ask about the Coalition—not romance.” He had plenty of problems with both, but he trusted Farin’s judgment with the anti-gay group.

Farin opened his mouth, then shut it. He sagged in his seat. “Shit.”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me you’re being proactive and there’s no threat,” Farin said. “Right?”

“I wish.”

“Well, fuck.” Farin folded his arms. “What happened?”

“They contacted Nathan and wanted him to join the group. They gave him information and seemed to find my house specifically,” Adrien said. “It’s messed up.”

“Agreed.”

“But he told them the truth—we’re both gay.” Great since his connection with Nathan was strong, but bad because the group would use the information against them. “I don’t care that they know I’m gay. Fuck ’em. What I do care about is them possibly going after Kyle. He’s four years old. An innocent.”

“Slow down,” Farin said. “You don’t have proof they’re going to make waves or say anything to him. But if they do they’ve overstepped. You have the control here.”

“I do? I want to hide them both and protect them behind thick walls. I feel like my life is spiraling out of my control.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. Your life is good. You have a great kid and what seems like a great manny. Yes, there is danger, but the crap from the Coalition hasn’t increased. You need to be the bigger man. You’re not alone. Besides Nathan, you’ve got us. Colin and Jordan, Colt, Ash…all of us—we’re stronger together. Ashley will keep an eye on Kyle at school and Jordan keeps his ear to the ground for rumors. Hate won’t win.”

Adrien nodded. Farin made a lot of sense. The threat was real, but thin. He’d overblown it. He had more friends than he realized. “Okay.”

“My best advice is this. Don’t quit on yourself and Kyle. You have a good start with Nathan. You need love and laughter in your life, especially with Kyle and Nathan. You being you is more important and enough to aggravate the Coalition. Be you.” Farin winked. “We’ll all have more fun that way.”

“True.”

“Go home and spend the evening with the guys. Kyle will love it and you might realize there’s more with Nathan than you thought,” Farin said. “I bet there’s a lot more.”

“Thanks.” He knew what he needed to do. He had a sexy man in his home and desire sizzling between them. Besides, he and Nathan needed to be a unified front when dealing with Kyle and the Coalition.

“Feel better?” Farin asked. He walked Adrien to the office door. “At least a little relaxed?”

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