Breaking Free (The Den Boys Book 3)
Page 23
“Any reason for that?” Zander asked.
“I offered to drive him home, and he freaked out.” I shrugged and looked at my friends and co-workers. “Weird.”
“What happened to him?” Blaze asked, tapping his wedding ring against the bar top.
That was something he did often, usually when he was thinking.
Blaze, Cody, and Zander were three of my closest friends. We all worked at the bar together, along with Tristan, who was my best friend, Layla, our night manager, and Evan, the owner. We were as close as family, and other than my niece, they were the only family I cared about.
“He had a seizure in front of me. I walked out the door, took a few steps and down he went.” I shook my head. “When he came to, he said he was fine, but I offered to help him clean up.”
“And the signing?”
“He’s at least partially deaf.” I shrugged. “I figured it would be easier for him if I signed.”
“But how do you know how to sign?” Cody asked.
Layla and Tristan were the only two people at the bar who knew about Violet. I didn’t like to talk about my family to anyone, but it was especially hard to talk about what had happened to my sister, and after, to Violet.
As I looked between my friends, I shook my head slightly. I wasn’t ready to tell them the whole story but could tell them the basics.
“My niece, Violet, was born deaf. I learned to sign so I could talk to her.”
They must have realized that I wasn’t ready to tell them anymore and didn’t ask any follow-up questions.
“Hey, what’s up?”
I jumped, completely surprised by the voice at my side.
“Holy shit, Kai. Did you grease your shoes or something?” I glanced over at Zander’s boyfriend, trying to get my heart to stop pounding.
“It’s the dancer in me. Makes me stealthy.” He grinned and stepped around me to give Zander a quick kiss.
Zander and Kai had officially started dating about a month ago, but they’d been together for a bit longer. I was happy for them, especially since I’d almost fucked things up by revealing Kai’s secret job as a webcam model to Zander before Kai had come clean about it.
Thankfully, they’d worked past it, and after a terrifying encounter with a deranged man who had been stalking Kai, they’d become one of the most in-sync and loving couples I’d ever seen. With Kai’s help, Zander had finally come to terms with his past, and he was happier than I’d ever seen him.
“Well, wear a bell or something. You’ll give someone a heart attack.”
Kai laughed as Zander tucked him up against his side and gave me an innocent smile. “Who? Me? It’s not my fault all those muscles create a sound barrier, and you can’t hear me walk up. No one else was surprised.”
I rolled my eyes as Blaze and Cody laughed.
“He’s right. We all saw him coming.” Cody wagged his eyebrows at me.
“Yeah, well, shut up.”
Cody was another who had blossomed when he’d found love with not only one, but two men. Jonah and Isaac were his perfect compliments, and they’d helped Cody overcome a childhood filled with neglect and sexual abuse.
“I think he was a little preoccupied thinking about a certain someone,” Blaze said knowingly. “Caleb, was it?”
Blaze and his husband Galen were also one of those sickeningly perfect couples. They were as different as could be on the outside, but when they were together, you could almost feel the love between them. I was happy for Blaze. He deserved the world, and Galen was the perfect man to show him that his time on the streets didn’t need to define who he could be in the future.
“All y’all can shut it.” I rolled my eyes and raised my hands in mock surrender. “I’m out.”
I waved over my shoulder as I headed out the door again, ignoring the teasing jabs the guys tossed my way as I retreated.
It was true that I was happy for my friends, and I played like I loved living the bachelor life, but truthfully, I was getting tired of it.
I’d spent so long holding back and hiding who I was that when I had come out, I’d fully embraced every part of being gay and had dived right into the hook-up culture. It had been fun, but at almost thirty, I was beginning to think that maybe I wanted more.
I pulled my keys out of my pocket and hurried to my car. It didn’t matter what I wanted. My life had never been about me or my wants, why would that change now?
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading book two of my series, and I hope you enjoyed learning about the men who make up my Den Boys.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review to let others know what you think.
If you’re interested in keeping up with my news and releases, you can connect with me on my Facebook author page, join my Facebook reader group (Amanda’s Den Dwellers) where I post teasers, giveaways, and lots of photos of all things m/m, or sign up for my newsletter. You can also check out my website.
All the best,
A.T. Brennan
About The Author
A.T. Brennan, a native of Ottawa, Canada, enjoys picking up and moving every few years. A former member of the Canadian Armed Forces and current entrepreneur and author, she enjoys spending her days working on her many projects and her nights writing and not getting enough sleep. She currently lives on Canada’s East Coast with her family, enjoys collecting books and exploring the different aspects of romance in her works. She’s made the leap from m/f romance to m/m, and also publishes erotica under the name Mandie Mills.
Dedication
& Acknowledgements
To E.L for your friendship.
To C.C. and M.K. for the inspiration.
THIS BOOK WOULD NOT have been possible without my awesome beta readers; Kyleen, Vicki, Jill, Kaity, Nora, and Jessica.
Thank you to my editor, Megan, for another awesome job, and to Teresa Connor for the incredible cover for not only this book, but the entire series.
I can never forget my BFF and partner in crime, Tiffany, and my sisters from other misters: Jen and Erica.
Coming Soon/Now Available
Seasons
~ A four-part novella series~
Now Available
Book 1 ~ Spring Passion (m/f)
Book 2 ~ Summer Heat (m/f)
Book 3 ~ Autumn Lust (m/f)
Book 4 ~ Winter Connection (m/f)
*Also available as a collected anthology
Wrong Place, Right Time (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book One
Now Available
The Way We Were (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Two
Winter 2017
The Long Road Home (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Three
Late Summer 2017
Taking Chances (m/f)
Robson Brothers Book One
Now Available
Letting Go (m/f)
Robson Brothers Book Two
Now Available
Only You (m/m)
Robson Brothers Book Three
Summer 2017
All In (m/m)
The Den Boys Book One
Now Available
Healing Him (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Two
Now Available
Sweet Surrender (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Four
Now Available
Falling Together (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Three
Winter 2018