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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
AXEL
“You look like holy hell.”
My pastor brother sounds like a divine dick.
“No, shit. He looks like shit. Likeroyalshit.”
And Nash has to triple down on everything.
“Are we grilling burgers tonight or me?”
Sitting on the patio beside Nash’s pool, I sip chilled vodka in the September heat, but it’s nothing compared to my sweltering misery.
“Quit giving him shit, y’all.” Jace reclines in the Adirondack chair beside me. “All he’s eaten for a month is his heart out.”
“They’re justfriends,” Nick stresses it for the umpteenth time but I don’t give a fuck. “It’s just a show for the press. To keep them distracted until we make our big announcement.”
“And yet…” Grant grimaces for me. “It’s a big fucking knife in his heart. Face it. Colton Hawke is the NFL’s finest, and he creams panties. Delphine sure is a big fan.”
I wince, groaning, “Fuck off. All of you.”
“Colton Hawke loves Beau Bronson and BlairMonroe.” Nick sits up, pointing his beer bottle at me. “They’re a loyal throuple, and Ruby’s just helping them. I’ve fucking told you this a million times. She’s Colton’s beard, or whatever the fuck you want to call it, until we all come out together and?—”
“Damn,” Nash huffs. “It’s brilliant. You have to admit it. A group of NFL players are forming a movement and coming out together so that one won’t be targeted? Fuck yeah, leave it to our queens to come up with that middle-finger to homophobic Americans.”
Am I proud of Ruby for helping the closeted NFL players who’ve decided to come out together before the Super Bowl? With half of them being bribed by that irate, piece-of-shit rental owner, Halstead?
Yes. I’m so damn proud of her it hurts.
Everything about her hurts.
Does she still love me? Yes.
Does she sleep with me and let me hold her and want to fuck me sometimes, too? Thank fucking god, yes.
Do all the kings and queens know about her now? They’ve started a Ruby fan club.
But is there a distance between us?
Yes. It aches, maddening and silent, and I don’t know how to fix it.
Like the strong woman who captivated me at first sight, Ruby’s proud. She said she wants to put it behind us. That it’s for Alena to reveal the secret and for us to move on.
But I know Ruby thinks about it every day, and it’s haunting our future.
I won’t propose to her like this. I won’t make her my queen officially. It feels wrong, and I’m desperate to make it right.
I asked Ruby what I could do, and she said to let her run this mission. This one with Nick, Zar, and Vale, Nash’s queen.
Because of course, put strong women together and they’ll figure out a way to help others and fuck over the assholes.
Assholes like the homophobic and biphobic fans and press keeping NFL players closeted. Players like Beau Bronson and Colton Hawke, who, yes, are in a loving throuple with Vale’s twin, Blair.
Vale and Ruby formed an alliance and a plan, and got my mother on board.
Did my mother jump at the opportunity to help her son, Nick, a closeted NFL player, and anyone else being shamed?