by Marie Sexton
“A quick trip back to Texas, but mostly, I’ll be here.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You’re coming back next year, right?”
“Yep. Still need sixteen more credits.”
“Me too. Do you want…?” I could tell how hard it was for him to push the words out, but I was okay letting him struggle. “Well. I could really use a roommate for next year.”
“No boyfriends right now you want to live with?”
He shook his head and tore up another handful of grass. “I’m not doing that anymore.”
Funny, that he and Cole had come to the same conclusion, almost using the exact same words even. “Not doing what, exactly?” Although I thought I knew.
It took him a minute to answer, and when he did, his voice was quiet with embarrassment. This wasn’t the kind of talk we were used to having. “I realized I’ve been trying too hard to replace him. I think I need to quit for now, you know? Just wait until something feels as right as that once did.” He sighed. “If it ever does.”
Cole had predicted Bryan would need me. He’d made me promise I’d be there for him, if I could.
“I know things have been weird between us,” he said, “but… what do you say? We’re still friends, right? How about we finish this the way we began?”
I smiled, shaking my head, marveling at how Cole always managed to be right. If forced to choose between them, I’d choose Cole every time. But Cole didn’t want me to choose. In some strange way, I was his parting gift to Bryan, the way the furniture was his parting gift to me.
I turned to Bryan, smiling, suddenly feeling the rightness of his request. The importance of this simple moment.
Some things really are meant to be.
“Sure,” I said. “I’m in.”
More from Marie Sexton
Part of the Coda Series
Zach Mitchell is stuck in a rut. His college boyfriend left him ten years ago, but Zach still lives in the same apartment, drives the same car, and feeds his ex-boyfriend’s ungrateful cat. His Denver business, A to Z Video Rental, is struggling. He has annoying customers, eccentric neighbors, and an unfulfilling romance with his landlord, Tom.
A combat boot-wearing punk with an attitude, Angelo Green was raised in foster homes and has been on his own since he was sixteen; he has never learned to trust or to love. He doesn’t do relationships, so when Angelo takes a job at A to Z Video, he decides Zach is strictly off-limits.
Despite their differences, Zach and Angelo quickly become friends, and when Zach’s break-up with Tom puts his business on the line, it’s Angelo who comes up with a solution. Together with Jared and Matt, their friends from Coda, Colorado, Zach and Angelo will find a way to save A to Z, but will they be able to save each other too?
Sequel to A to Z
Part of the Coda Series
Zach and Angelo have settled into their new lives in Coda, Colorado, finding their place in the community with the help of their good friends Matt and Jared. Zach and Angelo are also working out the particulars of their relationship, but when they make a decision Jared disagrees with, Angelo finds himself at odds with his partner’s best friend. And his best friend’s partner.
When the four decide on a quick trip to Vegas, Angelo thinks he and Jared may be back on the right track. But a chance encounter with Zach’s ex-boyfriend will make Angelo question everything about himself and his relationship with Zach. Matt and Jared have always been there when Zach and Angelo needed help. But when it comes to sorting out their relationship, their friends may do more harm than good.
Part of the Coda Series
When Jonathan Kechter agrees to a blind date with Cole Fenton, he expects nothing more than dinner and a one-night stand… but he gets more than he bargained for in Cole. Cole is arrogant, flamboyant, and definitely not Jon’s type. Still, when Cole suggests an arrangement of getting together for casual sex whenever they’re both in town, Jon readily agrees.
Their arrangement may be casual, but Jonathan soon learns that when it comes to Cole Fenton, nothing is easy. Between Cole’s fear of intimacy and his wandering lifestyle, Jonathan wonders if their relationship may be doomed from the start—but the more Cole pushes him away, the more determined Jon is to make it work.
Sequel to The Letter Z
Part of the Coda Series
Zach Mitchell and his lover Angelo Green are headed to Paris (along with their Coda friends Matt and Jared) to attend Jon and Cole’s wedding. Matt will have to face Jared’s former lover, and Angelo will have to spend an entire week with Zach’s ex-boyfriend. Between Matt’s jealousy and Angelo’s temper, Zach thinks they’ll be lucky to get through the week without one of the grooms being punched. But Zach soon realizes he should worry less about Angelo and more about himself. Facing the bittersweet memories of his past and his own guilt over breaking Jon’s heart is harder than expected, but Zach will have to find a way to leave his past behind if he’s to have any hope of the future he wants with Angelo.
Sequel to Strawberries for Dessert
Part of the Coda Series
Families should grow, not shrink. It’s been on Jon Kechter’s mind since before he tied the knot with his millionaire lover, Cole Fenton. Now hoping to adopt, Jon and Cole search for a mother-to-be willing to let them love her baby, but the interminable wait is wearing on them both.
Jon is close to his father, George, but until Cole, he didn’t have anyone else. Now George is pushing Cole to reconcile with his estranged mother. When the three of them spend Christmas with her in Munich, the results are disastrous. Jon and Cole resolve to stay positive, but no hope exists without a tinge of fear. Jon and Cole can’t help but wonder if their dream of being parents just wasn’t meant to be.
Readers love the Coda Series by Marie Sexton
A to Z
“The end result is a warm comfort read with strong romance and a lasting happy ending.”
—Gay Book Reviews
The Letter Z
“I loved it! The Letter Z is an awesome addition to Zach and Angelo’s story.”
—Exina’s Readings
Strawberries for Dessert
“Do yourself a favor and read this book. It’ll surprise you.”
—Boys in Our Books
Paris A to Z
“It takes a true genius to write this many disparate personalities and in ways that make you empathize and feel with them.”
—Rainbow Book Reviews
Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding
“I will admit to shedding some tears at the end as we finally see them get their full happily ever after. Just wonderful and highly recommended.”
—Joyfully Jay
Shotgun
“Sexton did a great job of writing these younger characters. She could definitely write some New Adult M/M romances if she wants to—she certainly has the voice for it.”
—Under the Covers
MARIE SEXTON is the author of over thirty published works. She’s written contemporary romance, science fiction, fantasy, dystopian fiction, historical short stories, and a few odd genre mash-ups. The one thing they all have in common? They all feature men falling in love with other men. Her first novel, Promises, was published in January 2010 and is considered a classic in the gay romance genre.
Marie is the recipient of multiple Rainbow Awards, as well as the CRW Award of Excellence in 2012. She was also a finalist for the Lambda Award in 2017. Her books have been translated into seven languages.
Marie lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.
Marie also writes dark dystopian fantasy under the name A.M. Sexton. You can find her at mariesexton.net, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mariesexton.author
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarieSexton.author
Twitter: @MarieSexton
By Marie Sexton
With Heidi Cullinan: Family Man
Lost Along the Way
Tales of the Curious Cookbook
CODA
Promises • Putting out Fires
A to Z • The Letter Z • Paris A to Z
Strawberries for Dessert • Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding
Shotgun
The Letter Z & Paris A to Z Anthology
TUCKER SPRINGS
By L.A. Witt: Where Nerves End
With Heidi Cullinan: Second Hand
By Heidi Cullinan: Dirty Laundry
WRENCH WARS
By L.A. Witt: Last Mechanic Standing
Normal Enough
By L.A. Witt: Wrenches, Regrets, and Reality Checks
Making Waves
With L.A. Witt: Wrench Wars Anthology
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Promises
© 2019 Marie Sexton.
Cover Art
© 2019 Tiferet Design.
http://www.tiferetdesign.com/
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-403-1
Mass Market Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-184-9
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64405-404-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018966300
Digital published May 2019
v. 2.0
First Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2010.
Printed in the United States of America