by A. D. Ellis
“Adam, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m sorry I gave you any trouble out front; I didn’t realize you were a friend of Sawyer’s. I shouldn’t have insisted that you make an appointment.” Katie held her hand out. Sawyer knew it was killing her, but she was ever the professional.
Holding his hand out as if he expected her to kiss it, Adam rolled his eyes when Sawyer cleared his throat and shook his head. Moving his hand so that he could shake Katie’s hand instead, Adam sniffed, “Well, you could have just believed me when I said Sawyer would be happy to see me. But, apology accepted.” Pulling her into a hug, Adam squealed, “Now, you’ve got to tell me where you got that nail polish. It is to die for.”
With Adam and Katie getting along, Decker headed back to his office with a promise they would all meet up for drinks later.
“Adam, it was so nice meeting you, but I really do need to head back to my office to get some work done. I’ll see you for drinks tonight.” Kissing his cheek, then pulling Sawyer into a hug, Katie winked. “Have fun you two.”
Leaning in to whisper to Sawyer, she giggled, “Torey Hope isn’t going to know what hit them.”
Sawyer threw his head back and laughed. But, he knew she was right. Torey Hope hadn’t ever seen the likes of Adam.
“Well, sugar, Adam is here. Take me out on the town, show me around, let’s spill some T.”
“Spill some T? Seriously, Ad? Can’t you just say ‘talk’?” Sawyer shook his head. “Did you purposely wear your loudest outfit so you could make a grand entrance?” He took in the vibrant hues of his friend’s clothing.
“Well, I couldn’t come to town looking like everyone else. You know how I like to stand out. Speaking of out, are you? Out?” Hooking his arm through Sawyer’s, Adam began leading him toward the door. As they walked past the gym, Adam slowed to a crawl and barely contained his drool.
Sawyer glanced past Kendrick and Zach, but his own heart sped up and he worked to control his breathing when he saw Luke was there with them.
“Day-um, Adam likes. Remind me to say hello to Kendrick, Zach, and friend when we return. Please tell me they’ll be joining us for drinks.” Adam turned large eyes toward Sawyer and batted his lashes.
“I’ll ask them. Kendrick and Zach probably will. I don’t know about Luke.” Sawyer tried not to show any emotion when he spoke the other man’s name. It had been a week since he’d shown up unexpectedly at Luke’s door, and things had definitely been tense between them as of late.
“Oh, Luke is it? And just what does Adam need to know about this Luke? Is he your baby, your lover, your butt-buddy? Do you want to marry him with rainbows and unicorn decorations? Mmmm, Sawyer is blushing, Adam must have hit the nail on the head. Tell me, Sawyer, do you want to nail Luke or do naughty things to his head?”
When Sawyer shifted uncomfortably and rolled his eyes, Adam clapped and bounced up and down. “Ohhhh, you so want him. This visit just got totally delish. Let’s go grab lattes and dish, sugar.”
Following Adam to his car, Sawyer could only shake his head.
***********
Sawyer and Adam settled into their seats with steaming hot lattes. Sawyer had chosen the little coffee shop in town knowing it would be less crowded than the larger one a few miles away.
“So, you big, sexy man. Tell Adam all about what’s been going on.” Adam munched daintily on his shortbread cookie.
“Well, one thing that hasn’t changed is you talking about yourself in 3rd person.” Sawyer took a sip of his latte and smirked at his friend. “So, I came out to Decker and my cousins fairly soon after coming home from school. I just recently told the rest of my family. It’s been a bit rough with some of them, but overall, I totally lucked out and have their support.”
“Really? How did you do it? A big dramatic announcement? Text or email?” Adam, always ready for juicy stories, barely contained himself in his seat.
“Well, I didn't come in on a pride parade float wearing a mankini and dancing to Lady Gaga…” Sawyer deadpanned.
“Hey! I only did that once. It was hilarious and you know it.” Clapping his hands again, Adam laughed at the memory Sawyer had brought up.
“Yeah, well, I did it with less show. Took Decker camping and told him. Invited the other guys up and told them too. We had a good evening. They were very supportive and curious.” Sawyer smiled as he recalled the camping trip and conversation. “I told my parents pretty much right after. They were upset, but supportive. They weren’t shocked like I expected them to be; they said they’d had suspicions for several years.”
Sawyer still felt like he’d dodged the proverbial bullet when it came to his parents’ support. So many friends had been less than lucky when it came to telling their parents.
“One of my grandmas, an uncle, and my grandpa took a bit to come around. My grandpa was the worst. Some really hurtful things were said, but we recently took a day to go fishing and talk, and things seem much better. The beauty of it all is that I can see myself overcoming it eventually. Friends and family are accepting me. I think everything is going to be alright.” Sawyer offered a genuine smile.
“Okay, that’s great. I’m happy for you. Yay!” Adam nodded his head enthusiastically. “Now, skip to the good stuff. Who are you kissing, blowing, fucking, and loving?” He smiled coyly and raised his eyebrows in anticipation.
Sawyer’s cheeks pinked and he immediately took to studying his latte.
“Oh. My. God. You are totally doing all of those things, aren’t you!? Tell Adam who the lucky guy is.” His eyes were wide with anticipation.
“Well, I guess it would depend on which guy you want to hear about…”
Sawyer ducked his head and grimaced at Adam’s shrill “Whaaat?!?”
“Shhh, keep it down. Finish your latte and we’ll leave. I’m not talking about this with you in the coffee shop. We need an open place where you can squeal and bounce around until your little heart is content.” Downing his drink, Sawyer stood and walked to the trashcan.
Turning around he almost knocked over an elderly lady. She stood her ground, hands on her hips, giving him an evil glare.
Shaking her finger in his face, she spoke lowly, “I told her. I told her this would happen. Well, not this exactly, I surely wasn’t expecting this, but I told her.” The old woman gave him the stink eye once more then turned around to the counter. “I’d like a hot tea. To go, please. I’ve got somewhere to be.” She cast a final threatening glance over her shoulder in Sawyer’s direction.
“Sugar, I don’t know what you did to make that granny angry, but we better leave. If she had a cane, I think she’d be beating you with it by now.” Adam hooked his arm with Sawyer’s and snuggled against him. “Let’s go, you’ve got some explainin’ to do.”
With a confused look back at the lady, racking his brain as to why the she seemed so angry with him, Sawyer let Adam lead him out of the coffee shop.
Arriving at the park, they walked to the duck pond. Sawyer laughed as his friend paid a quarter for duck feed and spent the next fifteen minutes calling, “Here ducky, ducky, ducky. Come see Adam you little quackers, I’ve got food for you.”
“You don’t get out much, do you?” Sawyer rolled his eyes as Adam threw the last of the feed to the ducks.
“I get out plenty, I just don’t visit many towns this small. Let me enjoy being quaint for a bit.” Rubbing his hands together, Adam settled cross-legged onto a rock and indicated Sawyer should sit on the adjacent bench. “Now, let’s start at the beginning. Who are you kissing?”
“Um, I’ve recently been kissing Hayden and Luke.” Sawyer admitted.
Adam raised his eyebrows in question, but continued.
“And blowing?”
“Hayden.”
“Fucking?”
“Hayden.”
“Loving?”
Sawyer turned away. “I don’t know that I love him. But I know he doesn’t love me.”
“Who? Hayden? He must be an idiot.” Adam pursed
his lips together.
“No, I don’t love Hayden. He probably believes he loves me.” Running his hands through his hair, Sawyer sighed. “Uhhhh, I’m not being fair to him, I know it.”
“Okay, now you’ve got to give Adam a bit of time to figure this out.” Taking a deep breath and blowing it out slowly, he continued. “You kiss Hayden and Luke, right?”
Sawyer nodded.
“Hayden may love you? He blows you and vice versa? And you’ve fucked him? And him you?” Adam lists the points on his fingers.
Sawyer again nodded.
“So, what’s the problem? Is he mean? Ugly? Bad in bed?” Adam questioned as if Sawyer had lost his mind.
“It’s just not there, that spark. We are friends, and we’ve enjoyed each other’s company, but I just don’t feel it.” Sawyer gazed out across the pond. “He’s not…”
“Ahhhh, Adam gets it now, it’s all becoming clearer. Hayden isn’t Luke. Your eyes don’t go all dreamy when you talk about Hayden, but you start breathing funny when you mention Luke. Does Hayden know he’s competing against Luke?” Adam was smug.
“There’s no competition, Ad. There was nothing between Hayden and me even before I met Luke. Believe me, I wanted there to be something. Hayden is perfect, attractive, established, steady, ready for commitment. But I feel like I’d be settling if I took things further with him.”
Closing his eyes, Sawyer thought back to the night before when Hayden had stopped by. Sawyer should have just been honest with him, right then and there, but he’d let Hayden stay. He’d allowed a kiss. He hadn’t stopped Hayden’s roaming hands. Why? Because he was thinking of Luke the entire time.
When Hayden had inquired if Sawyer was feeling alright, he’d quickly grasped onto the excuse and run with it. “Just tired is all. Probably just need a good night’s sleep. How about we catch up later?”
Sawyer had seen the shadow of doubt flicker across Hayden’s face when he showed him to the door. Closing the door behind him, Sawyer leaned against it. Cut him loose, Morgan. He’s got a lot to offer. Don’t keep him hanging. It’s not fair to keep him around until you’re sure this thing with Luke is or isn’t going to work out. Hayden deserves better than that.
“So, when are you going to give Hayden the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech? Sugar, you can’t just keep him in your back pocket as a backup. First, because he’ll find out, and how do you think that will make him feel? Second, Sawyer Morgan doesn’t string guys along. Cut the man loose.” Adam imparted his sage advice with a knowing nod of his head.
“Now, what about Luke? There’s been kissing?” Adam was hopeful.
“Yes, there’s been kissing.” Sawyer touched his lips absentmindedly as he recalled their sensual kisses.
“There’s been more than kissing?” Adam’s hopeful anticipation made Sawyer smile ruefully.
“No, there’s been nothing more than a few kisses. And I don’t think there ever will be. Luke had a really rough past, lost his mother to cancer, mistreated terribly by his father and brothers. He admits to being attracted to men, but swears he can never act upon that attraction due to a promise to his mother. Something about not letting his dad and brothers win.”
Sawyer’s forehead crinkled in concern. “I’m pretty sure he’s been hurt, badly. He likes me; he wants me, but he’s scared and not willing to break a promise he made. I haven’t been able to get him to tell me all about it, yet, but I’m working on it.”
“Mmmm, well, I saw the man, so I understand the desire to have him around, but if he’s not giving it up do you really want to put a lot of effort into a relationship that has a very low chance of yielding any results?” Sawyer got the feeling Adam was purposely goading him.
“It’s not just about ‘yielding results,’ Ad. I like the guy; he’s my friend, and I enjoy spending time around him. I’m not just going to give that up because he doesn’t want to sleep with me.” Sawyer was irritated, both at Adam and the situation with Luke.
“Good answer, sugar. Let me tell you what Adam thinks you should do. First, be his friend. Sounds like he’s got a lot of baggage that he needs to sort through before anything else can happen. But, with you by his side, maybe he’ll be able to sort quicker. Second, say good-bye to kissing, blowing, and fucking Hayden; it’s just not right and you know it. You may have to endure a dry spell for a while, but you seem to think this Luke is worth it, so suck it up and get used to spending late nights with your right hand. Third, invite everyone out for drinks tonight. I want to spend time with the guys before I leave, and I bet Katie is a great dancer. Hayden and Luke should come too, since they are your friends. Invite them.” When he started to protest, Adam held a finger to Sawyer’s lips, “Shhhh, just let Adam plan everything and it will all work out just fine.”
After Sawyer popped into the restroom and Adam fed the ducks one last time, they started to head out of the park.
Sawyer’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Smiling at Katie’s picture on the screen, he slid the button and answered, “Hey, girl, what’s up?”
“Sawyer, where are you right now?” Katie sounded flustered.
“Adam and I are at the park, why?”
“Stay there. Decker and I need to see you.”
“Katie, is everything okay?”
“It will be, just give us a minute to get there.”
Sawyer and Adam walked to the front of the park to meet Decker and Katie. Instead of Decker’s sleek black car, they pulled up in a retro station wagon. Sawyer and Adam exchanged questioning looks.
Before Sawyer could understand what was going on, the back door opened and Adam gasped. “Look out, sugar! It’s the angry granny!” He jumped behind Sawyer and used him as a shield.
“Gee, Ad, why don’t you just throw me right to her?” Shaking his head at his friend’s antics, Sawyer watched the trio approach. He simultaneously recognized the older woman as Katie’s grandmother and realized what had made her so angry in the coffee shop.
“Hello, Grandma, I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you in the coffee shop. How are you today?” Sawyer spoke politely, but everyone could hear the smile in his voice.
The elderly woman jutted her chin out and just glanced back and forth between Decker and Sawyer. Katie raised her eyebrows at her grandmother and jerked her head toward Sawyer in a speak to him manner.
The older woman crossed her arms and huffed.
Uncomfortable with the silence, Adam piped up, “She doesn’t look nearly as scary when she’s not yelling and pointing fingers.”
“Grandma! You yelled? In the coffee shop?” Taking a deep breath and trying to calm herself, Katie spoke evenly. “You owe Sawyer an apology.”
Understanding dawned on Adam and he snickered, “Let me guess, she didn’t know you had a twin?” He smiled at Decker and looked sympathetically toward Grandma.
“Pishaw! I knew he had a twin, I just didn’t realize how exactly alike they look when they aren’t in the same room together. When I see them standing next to each other, I can see the difference, but I may have mistaken Sawyer for Decker earlier.” Trying to keep her dignity while still admitting her mistake wasn’t working out very well for the older woman.
“Grandma…” Katie began.
“Hush, girl.” Turning to Sawyer she lifted her chin proudly. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I jumped to conclusions and thought you were Decker cheating on my Katie with a man. I hope you can accept my apology.”
Adam continued to giggle. Sawyer shot him a be quiet look.
“Apology accepted, Grandma. Decker and I have fooled some of the best, our parents included, so don’t feel too bad.” He leaned down and whispered dramatically in her ear for all to hear. “Plus, I may be gay, but does he really look like my type?”
Everyone laughed, and Adam propped a hand on his hip. “Sugar, you just wish Adam was your type.”
“Well, I’ll let you take me home now. Again, so sorry for the display and confusion.” As Grandma turned toward the car, they
heard her mumble, “That other boy should be in the dictionary under the word flamboyant. Darn bright colors, makes me want to wear sunglasses.”
Katie rolled her eyes, and the men laughed.
“And I’d put you in the dictionary under ‘spitfire see also character, spunky.’” Adam called out to Grandma good naturedly.
Waving him off with a blush and a wink, Grandma settled into the backseat of her old car.
Katie and Decker waved, calling out, “See you at 7:00.”
Katie added, “Oh, Adam, I took care of that thing you wanted me to do. It’s all set.”
As they drove off, Sawyer looked at Adam suspiciously. “What did you do? And when did you have time to do it?”
“Ahh, sugar, these fingers are magic in more ways than one. It only took that one restroom break by the pond for me to fire a message off to Katie from your phone. She’s a good girl, she understands that Adam knows best.” Patting Sawyer’s cheek, he said, “Now, let’s get you home and fancied up before our date.”
Heading to the car, Sawyer protested, “I don’t need to be fancied up, and it’s not a date.”
His words fell on deaf ears.
Chapter 13
“Turner, table for 8? We’ve got you all set up, follow me.” The hostess snaked through the crowded restaurant.
“One day, you’ll be putting our reservations under Morgan.” Growling in her ear, Decker wrapped his arms around Katie and pulled her body close to his as they reached the table.
As she giggled, Kendrick patted him on the back. “Dude, keep it in your pants. This is a family establishment.”
Sawyer eyed the eight chairs. “Who else is coming?”
Zach and Zoey sauntered in filling the table with six people.
When no one answered him, Sawyer eyed both Katie and Adam. Before he could ask again, they both busied themselves with their menus, and Sawyer felt a presence behind him.
“Luke, Hayden, glad you guys could make it. Have a seat.” Katie smiled at the two men and skillfully avoided Sawyer’s glare.