Page 36 of Sliding into Love
“Phew,” he says. “Good to know. I really thought this was going to be a depressing moment for me."
The joke makes Grizzly snort, and he promptly covers his mouth with his hand.
"Don't make me laugh about things like that, it's not funny." He grumbles as Tollide and I crack up.
A nurse comes in and freezes when she sees us all there. "Well then, this is quite a sight. Several handsome men all in one room."
Tollide clears his throat. "They're both gay," he says.
The nurse snaps her fingers. “Shoot. And you are a long way away from healthy, but I know you're just as handsome underneath all that bruising.”
She comes over and pats his cheek gently.
He beams up at her. “I sure am, ma'am, but I got to focus on getting better. Maybe I'll come back around and see you after that, huh?"
He winks.
She laughs, checking his vitals before she leaves again.
"You're really just going to tell people our business like that?" I say. "What if I wanted to get with her? I could be bi, you don't know."
Tollide snorts much in the way Grizzly did. "Everyone knows all of your business, Kenny. You don't date women. You're seen with them, but you don't date them."
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, well, my parents want the image. I do what I can when I can, but I'm not doing that."
I don't have to say what that is for them to understand. I mean, marrying a woman and popping out all those children just to make my parents happy. I've done a lot of things in my life that I'm not proud of, but trapping a woman in a marriage that's loveless and meant to be for social standing is not a line I'm willing to cross.
Grizzly shrugs. “I don't really mind if people know. It's not a big deal. It's not like I'm going to start dating anyone right now anyway. My life is too busy with work. All these players keep me going.”
The way he says it, though, makes me hesitate.
Grizzly has always been very busy. He does have a lengthy list of clients, and he does often travel to scout out new players.
But there's sadness in his tone.
Almost as if he wishes he could have someone.
I wonder if he's got a crush on someone too, like I do. Maybe there's some sort of unrequited love in his life. Or maybe he's just lonely.
That's a good enough reason for someone to complain about not having a partner or to pretend like they don't have time.
Whatever the reason, I hope that he finds what he's looking for. Hell, I hope I find what I'm looking for.
I scoff at my own thinking.
I know exactly what I want. ExactlywhoI want.
I just can't have them.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ROYCE
The holidays popup out of nowhere. It's like one minute we're talking about how the season's gonna look and getting started with all the prep work and then bam, Thanksgiving is here and gone.
The lead-up to Christmas is hectic. I still need to get several gifts, which is why I'm out with my dear sister because she also has a few things to get.
Baby Lee has changed his mind on what he wants multiple times this year, which means that Carmen and her husband, my saint of a brother-in-law, Austin, have purchased and returned several gifts.
