The Half of Us (Family 4)

“From the way you looked at him during the meeting and the fact you knew his first name when nobody had said it.” She tapped her head. “I’m not just a pretty face.”

“I know. You’re gorgeous.”

“I’ve had two kids.”

“And you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

She patted his shoulder and stretched her legs forward. “You have to say that. You love me.”

“I do. No matter what I did, I hope you know I always loved you. I just—”

“I know. I’ve always loved you the same way. But I think I’m ready for a different kind of love.” She glanced at him. “How about you?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

They sat quietly and watched their son run across the field. He was good, better than Jason remembered. Of course, he usually got to the soccer games so late he only saw Donny play for a few minutes.

“I think I should spend more time with the kids.”

“They’re your kids. We have shared custody. Nobody’s stopping you.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for them to know I’m seeing someone,” he admitted. “Don’t tell them.”

“Oh, Jason,” she said sadly. “You’re not doing anything wrong.”

He shrugged. “They’re my kids.”

“Yes. They’re your kids. They love you. And they know you’re gay.”

They knew because Angela had insisted on telling them, saying she wouldn’t allow deceit in their family. Their family. Even after he broke it apart. He was too thankful for the sentiment to be angry.

“Knowing and seeing aren’t the same, so don’t tell them about Abe, okay?”

“They won’t care that you’re dating someone or that the someone is a man.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Kristen already adores him,” Angela pointed out.

The whistle blew and the kids started running toward the sidelines.

“Saved by the bell,” Jason said.

“We’re not done with this conversation.”

Of that he had no doubt. He might even be grateful.

Chapter 8

“HI, JASE,” Abe said as he answered his phone. “How was work?”

“It was work.” Jason sighed, and Abe could imagine him rubbing his palm over his eye. “Anyway, I’m done now and I’m on my way over.”

“About that.” Abe cleared his throat and lowered his voice. Though his bedroom door was closed, the apartment walls were pretty thin. “Cindy’s here.”

“Cindy?”

“My roommate.”

“Oh.” There was a pause. “Why is she there?”

“Well, technically it’s her apartment, and she had a fight with her boyfriend. She wants a ring and he hasn’t stepped up, so she moved back in.”

“I don’t blame her,” Jason said. “What’s he waiting for? She’s been essentially living with the guy since before I met you and that was, what? Almost seven months ago. They’ve been together plenty long enough for him to get to know her. She’s not getting any younger, and if she wants a family, she can’t waste her time with someone who isn’t serious about her.”

When Abe first met Jason in September, all he’d hoped for was one night of fun. A couple of months later when he saw him again, he knew the sex would be good and anything else nonexistent. More than two months passed before he saw Jason again, but by the time they went to bed the third time, Abe was confident both of them wanted to get to know each other better. That was in early January, and as they neared the end of March, he felt more emotionally connected to Jason than he ever had to anyone else.

With Jason, he could be a simple guy from Utah who taught school and liked sitting at home reading books or playing Sudoku puzzles instead of going out to bars and never once be called boring. He could crack up at commercials of animals wearing clothes or driving cars and glance up to see Jason looking at him like he was something special instead of rolling his eyes at his sense of humor. And he could spend an evening on his knees worshiping Jason’s cock, or on his back with his legs in the air begging to be fucked, get coated in cum, and then meet a gaze that was adoring with not an ounce of derision. With Jason, Abe flourished, including the parts of himself he usually kept locked down and hidden away, and for the first time in his life, he felt whole.

The idea of losing that, of losing Jason, was like a hard kick to the gut, making Abe’s stomach roll and his lungs seize. And yet Abe knew better than to push Jason about what he saw in their future or even how he defined their present. Because despite being with Abe seemingly every moment he wasn’t working or with his kids, despite sharing stories about his childhood and anecdotes about his job, despite spending hours taking Abe to the heights of pleasure, and despite wrapping himself around Abe at night and holding him close until morning, Jason hadn’t introduced Abe to anyone in his life, hadn’t invited Abe to his home, and hadn’t spoken of a future with Abe in it.