by Toni Aleo
Running his hand over his mouth, he turned, leaning against the beautiful doorway that was the size of three and led to the living room. “When we were in Cancun, someone took pictures of the two of us on the beach.”
“What? How?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t either.”
“It was a private beach!”
“Apparently, not private enough, and so the dude is blackmailing Matty.”
She made a face. “So, sue him.”
“Can’t without the pictures surfacing. Matty wants his family to find out from him, and he wants to keep his life private.”
“Okay, so this guy gets paid off, and now he’s gonna make it his life’s purpose to follow y’all and get pictures since he knows he’ll get paid.”
Wells hadn’t thought of that, but it didn’t matter. This was an isolated incident, surely.
“No,” Wells said, coming off the wall. “It won’t matter after Matty tells his family.”
“Okay, so he doesn’t have time to tell them before the pictures are supposed to surface?”
He paused. “I guess he does, but he doesn’t want it done that way.”
“So then, he should be the one to get the money, not you.”
Frustrated, Wells shrugged. “It’s my money, my boyfriend. Why does it matter?”
She was getting upset too, standing up and holding out her hands. “Because he doesn’t want anyone to know. Don’t you get it, Wells? He’s still trying to hide you two. If he wanted to truly come out, this wouldn’t matter. You’re basically helping him keep this ruse going.”
Making a face, he shook his head violently. “No, I’m not. He is coming out. He just wants to do it his way. He wants his family to know first, and then everything else will fall into place.”
“And that could have happened with these pictures surfacing and suing the fuck out of this dude. Instead, he’s getting a payday, and you’re stuffed in the closet until Matty is ready to let you out.”
“That’s not true!” he yelled, shaking his head. “We are good. Fine. Things are great.”
“No, it’s a fucking lie,” she yelled, and soon he heard the footsteps of his friends. “He hid you in Cancun, Wells!”
“What the fuck, Wren? I thought you liked him!”
“I did until I found out that he’s still trying to fucking hide you. That’s bullshit! You don’t deserve that.”
“It’s not like that,” he said just as Jensen stopped beside him, Vaughn on the other side.
“What the hell is going on?” Jensen asked. “You guys shouldn’t be yelling like this. It’s not good for my kid or your blood pressure.”
Jensen was fucking around, Wells knew that, but still, he spat off, “My fucking blood pressure is fine, and your wife is accusing my boyfriend of trying to hide me. Not really coming out.”
“Why would you say that?” Vaughn asked Wren, and she blew out a breath as she looked over at him. “He was cool in Cancun. They were all in love and shit.”
“Yes,” she said, pointing to Wells. “On the beach. I think there was only one time I saw him touch Wells in public, and now, he’s having Wells pay six million to some dick who has pictures of them together because he doesn’t want them coming out.”
“What?” Jensen roared as Vaughn made a face.
“What the hell? Six million? No dick is worth that. Hell, pussy isn’t even worth that.”
“Mine is,” Brie said, appearing beside him with boxes of pizza. “Right?”
Vaughn nodded very quickly. “Of course. I totally meant to add that.”
Rolling his eyes, Wells let out an aggravated breath. “It’s not like that. The dude is blackmailing him, and he and his agent don’t think it’s smart to sue him when the pictures will surface anyway. Matty wants to tell his family first, not have them find out like this.”
No one said anything, all of their faces twisted in confusion. Except Wren’s, hers was set in anger. Brie crossed the kitchen to the table, setting the pizza down, and Wells wanted to laugh when she opened the box and started eating. That girl was always eating at the wrong times.
“Did he have a time frame? Usually, there’s a time frame with this kind of stuff,” Jensen asked, and Wells let out a breath.
He didn’t want to answer, but he knew he had no choice. They’d bother him until he answered. “Yes, at the end of the week.”
“Then why couldn’t he tell his family before that, and then sue the fuck out this guy?”
“Because he’s private! He doesn’t want it coming out like this. You guys are forgetting who his dad is. This isn’t going to be some walk in the park. You said that yourself, Wren.”
But before she could answer, Vaughn added, “But what’s going to stop this dude from doing this again?”
“That’s what I said!” Wren exclaimed, holding her hands out to him. “I said Wells is basically funding staying in the closet with this guy.”
Wells went to yell, but Jensen very calmly said, “I don’t think Matty is doing that. He’s different. I don’t know, he’s gotta control shit, right? This is the way he stays in control.”
Wells nodded, sighing. “Exactly.”
“But that doesn’t make it okay,” he added then, and Wells glared.
“Thanks, no thanks.”
Jensen shot him a look. “You need to tell him this is a one-time thing.”
“He didn’t want to do it anyway.”
“Well, that’s good,” Vaughn added, shaking his head. “But it still doesn’t make it okay. He should have come out—because, come on, it’s fucking time—and then tell that dude to suck it. You shouldn’t have offered. That would have been the push he needed.”
“Yeah,” Wren and Jensen agreed, and there went Wells’s composure.
Throwing his hands up, he yelled, “You guys are the biggest fucking hypocrites! Instead of making Wren own up to her mistakes when she got knocked up by someone else, you were quick to jump in to help her. How is this not just like that?”
“Because it’s six million dollars,” Vaughn laughed. “That’s a lot of money.”
“And that was marriage!”
Jensen shrugged as Wren shook with anger. “But I loved her, so it was fine.”
“And I love him!” Wells yelled, and Jensen shook his head.
“That’s fine, and we support that. We just want you to be mindful of what you’re doing, what you’re getting into. The same way you went after Wren when we decided to get married and I claimed this baby as mine,” Jensen reminded him.
That made Wells snap his mouth shut. He had been a dick when he’d found out Wren had asked Jensen to marry her and pose as her baby’s father after the shittastic baby daddy didn’t want anything to do with Wren or her baby. Wells was awful to her and not that great to Jensen. Mostly because he was afraid that one of them, or both of them, would get hurt
Just like they were probably worried he would get hurt.
He looked down at the ground. “I know what I’m doing. I appreciate everyone worrying about me, but I promise, the moment I feel I’m being kept in the closet, I’m out.”
He saw Wren’s feet in his gaze before he felt her hands on his face, tipping his head back. Her eyes were dark, full of worry, as she gazed into his. “That’s all I want because I love you, just like you love me. I refuse to let you hurt like you did before when he wouldn’t come out.”
Wells nodded as he swallowed. “I know.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Kissing his jaw, she slapped her hands together. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
Everyone agreed, smacking Wells on the back as they passed, going to the boxes Brie had opened since she was already eating.
“It’s really good,” Brie commented as she went for a third piece, not that Wells was counting.
He was too busy feeling like he may have made a huge mistake.
Twenty-One
Matty should have felt better. He had
forwarded the money to Brendan and sat on pins and needles as they waited until the date the money was due. Brendan didn’t want to pay the guy until he knew for sure he would sign an NDA and overnight the pictures, along with the SD card. He knew the asshole could have kept them on his computer, but Brendan was positive it was all taken care of and finished when everything arrived Friday. Matty had been beyond nervous, but getting the confirmation from the asshole that morning seemed to alleviate some of the nervousness. Along with Wells, he was confident and wasn’t the least bit worried.
Which was good, he guessed. At least one of them was sane.
As Matty sat with his brothers at Seth’s upscale apartment, he picked at his nails as Laurence went on and on about the new client he had just picked up in Canada for the agency he and Seth had together. People always gave Matty shit for not switching and signing with his brothers, but Brendan had been there for him when he needed him. Seth and Laurence had only been in business a year. Yeah, it was booming, mostly because of the Haverbrooke name, but Matty was happy where he was. Thankfully, they understood that, but like always, talk went to shop.
“He’s the best.”
“You say that about all the clients you find,” Seth laughed, and Laurence beamed.
“Dude, great hands, quick on his feet, and I swear the kid is fast as all hell. Almost as fast as Matty here,” he said with a wink Matty didn’t even really acknowledge. He was too busy thinking about how distant Wells sounded on the phone earlier when he was on his way over to Seth’s. Matty had asked countless times if everything was okay, but Wells only gave him short answers. Something he didn’t normally do. And the more Matty thought about it, the more he realized that Wells had been like that all week. It was killing him, and he felt like it was because of the money.
He never should have taken it.
“He’s good.”
“Dude! He’s the best, and you know it.”
“God, you’re cocky.”
“Because I’m the one who gets the best for us while you sit back and let me do the work.”
“I’m the brains, you’re the muscle. We knew this going in, man,” Seth said, but his brother just rolled his eyes while Matty nursed his beer. He didn’t want it, but he didn’t have anything else to do or anything to contribute to the conversation. “You should see him, Matty, he’s great.”
“I can’t wait. Is he going to the NHL Combine? I assume so since all the rookies go for training.”
“He is,” Seth said with a nod. “Laurence may have done well here.”
Laurence smiled smugly as Matty chuckled. “He was always the best of us three.”
“But the laziest,” Seth added, and Laurence shrugged.
“Personality flaw. I don’t like skating for so long, I just want to shoot.”
“Which is why I’m in the NHL, and you guys are pushing papers.” He laughed along with them, but there was no humor in his laugh. Not when he was worried about Wells.
Laurence leaned forward and placed his beer on the table, laughing when Seth groaned and put a coaster under the bottle. “What? It’s expensive!”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re acting gay! It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not, asshole,” Seth spat back, rolling his eyes as he leaned back. “Be respectful of my stuff.”
“Okay,” Laurence said, shaking his head. “Anyway, I’m thinking of bringing Jodi with me to dinner when Avery comes up.”
Seth clucked his tongue. “Woo-wee, must be serious if you’re subjecting her to our family shitshow.”
Laurence laughed. “Right? It’s gonna be awesome or horrible. I think Mom will like her, though, and Dad will be nice enough.”
“Does he even talk to Jace?” Matty asked, and that had all three of them pausing.
“I think Dad asked him to pass the ketchup when we were down there last time,” Seth commented, and soon all three of them were laughing. “We should just accept that Dad will never like anyone we bring home.”
Matty was not naïve to that.
Laurence made a face. “Didn’t he like Amber, that girl you brought home a couple years ago?”
Seth paused. “Shit, he did, but I didn’t.”
Laurence laughed while Matty bit his lip. “Wait, they liked what’s her name who you were dating, Matty. Martha? Miranda? Missy?”
“Madison, wasn’t it?”
“Marie,” Matty supplied dryly. “And yes, they liked her since they set me up with her, but that was over before it started.”
“Oh, not your type?” Laurence asked, taking a swig of his beer.
“To say the least,” he answered, and he knew it was the perfect opening, the reason he had come. Yet, he didn’t say anything as Seth laughed.
“I’d do her.”
“You’d do anyone,” Laurence teased back, but Seth just shrugged.
“Probably. I’m not looking to settle down. I have a lot of prowling left to do.”
“That makes you sound like a sleaze,” Matty said, and Seth shrugged.
“I mean, if the shoe fits, eh?”
Rolling his eyes, Matty took a long pull of his beer as Seth stood. “Wanna play some NHL on the Xbox? Or are you tired, Matty? You look out of it.”
Matty nodded. “No, I’m down. I just have a lot on my mind.”
Laurence looked at Seth before looking back at Matty. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Does it have to do with Avery?”
“No, we’re good,” he answered, swallowing quickly. “Real good.”
“That’s awesome, I must say,” Seth said, moving to the TV where the gaming system was. “I mean, we’ve gone years with tension. It’s awesome to be a family again.”
But for how long? Once everyone found out, wouldn’t the tension come right back? Wouldn’t Matty be the outcast once more? Fuck, this was hard.
“Even if we’re fucked up as hell,” Laurence added with a nod. “But we’re family.”
“True that,” Seth added as he handed them the controllers. “And we aren’t that fucked up. It’s just Dad is a douche.”
“He’s a powerful man, what do you expect?”
“To treat his kids like equals, maybe?” Seth suggested, and Laurence rolled his eyes.
“We are his kids, not his employees. He’s our dad, we should respect him.”
“You gotta give respect to earn it,” Seth said, and Matty couldn’t agree more. Seth’s issues with their father burned deep. Their dad had always told Seth he’d never make it in the NHL long term because he was lazy. When he wanted to start his agency earlier, their father wouldn’t help fund it, saying he’d fail at that too. But Seth didn’t. He worked in all sorts of agencies for a while, and then when he got his trust, he used that money to go in with Laurence on his dream. Now he was doing great, a stacked clientele, and their father didn’t like that at all. He didn’t think that Seth deserved it. That he didn’t work that hard, but even Matty knew he did.
As the game started and his older brothers went back and forth about their father, Matty’s phone dinged with a message. Reaching into his pocket, he brought it out to see that it was Wells, answering his text from earlier.
Wells: I miss you too. I’m ready to see you again.
With a smile, he texted back quickly.
Matty: Me too.
Wells: Are you there?
Matty: I am. We’re hanging out.
Wells: Call me after?
Matty: Yeah.
When Wells didn’t type anything back, not even a heart emoji or a smiley face, Matty’s heart jumped up into his throat.
Matty: Are we good?
Wells: Why wouldn’t we be?
Matty: You’ve been acting weird this week.
Wells: Have I?
Matty: Yeah, ever since the night after you transferred the money. I swear I’ll pay you back.
The little type bubble popped up and stayed up, and he knew Wells was typing a story. When it came, Matty held his breath
as he read it.
Wells: Wren gave me shit that night for it, and then Vaughn and Jensen did the same. I got it worked out with them. But the thing is, I did rush into it and just came to the rescue like I tend to do when it comes to someone I care for. I love you, and because of that, they think it’s clouding my judgment. But I swear it’s all taken care of, and we can talk more about it later. Enjoy your brothers. I’m sorry if I’m being distant. I’m annoyed with my family, and I fucking miss you.
Matty read it twice before he could wrap his head around it.
Matty: They think I’m taking advantage of you?
Matty: Not that I care what the hell they think, only what you think.
Wells: No, not at all. It’s fine, I promise. We’re good. I promise.
Matty: Then why did they say that?
Wells didn’t answer for a moment, and then the bubble popped up.
Wells: They think you’re trying to keep me in the closet.
Matty held his breath.
Matty: Do you feel that way?
Again, it was a moment before Wells answered back.
Wells: I don’t think you’re doing it intentionally.
Matty: Wow.
Wells: Don’t be upset. It’s fine. We’re fine.
Matty: Whatever.
When his phone started to ring, it was Wells, but Matty declined the call, sliding his phone into his pocket as he shook his head. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t even hurt because, in a way, he knew Wells’s family was right. The irrational part of him wanted to tell them all to fuck off. But the rational part, the part he had learned from Wells, knew he didn’t have the best track record, and it probably did look that way. As Matty had said, he only cared what Wells thought. But the fact that Wells felt even a little like Matty might be trying to hide him in the closet didn’t sit well with him. Matty wouldn’t have his lover, his boyfriend, feeling that way.
Taking a deep breath, he looked up just as Seth said, “He doesn’t believe in us. Hell, Avery is a successful songwriter and a great mom. Have you ever heard him give her praise? No. How about Matty? He’s a great player, but does Dad care? Nope. He irritates me.”
Matty’s mouth went dry as he nodded. “If Dad would pay attention, he’d notice that his kids are adults deserving of respect.”