Page 15

15

DEX

Pulling into the driveway behind Asa’s car, I put the car in park and turned off the engine.

It was just after five on Saturday, and instead of relaxing after a long week, I’d spent most of the afternoon aimlessly puttering around my apartment, trying to keep busy and think about anything other than my stepbrother.

That hadn’t worked, and after driving myself crazy for hours, I made the snap decision to help Asa babysit.

I told myself it was because I wanted to see my siblings and avoid my dad and Miranda, but that wasn’t the whole truth.

As much as I tried to deny it, I wanted to spend time with Asa away from the apartment and off camera to try to figure out what the hell was going on with me and why I was so preoccupied with him.

I hadn’t told him I was coming over, and I had no idea how he was going to react to me just showing up like this, but whatever. I could leave after the kids went to bed if he was pissed or didn’t want me around.

Resolutely, I threw open my car door and climbed out. I really did want to see my little siblings, and this would be my first chance to hang out with them without our parents around.

I couldn’t see any movement in any of the windows as I made my way up the front walkway, and I wasn’t surprised to find the door locked. Instead of using my key, I pressed the doorbell. Something told me just walking in wouldn’t be the best way to announce myself.

Voices rang out from behind the closed door, and a moment later, it flew open.

“Dex!” Chloe shouted excitedly, standing in the open doorway with a big smile on her face.

“Dex?” Tanner came racing around the corner and skidded to a stop beside her. “Dex!” Eagerly, he stepped onto the porch and grabbed my hand.

“Chloe,” Asa said, coming around the same corner with Ruby on his hip. His confused gaze met mine, then dropped to our little sister. “How many times have I told you not to open the door unless an adult is with you?”

She looked up at him sheepishly. “Lots.”

“It’s okay,” Tanner said to Asa, tugging on my hand in an attempt to drag me inside. “It’s just Dex. He’s not a stranger.”

“No, he isn’t. But you didn’t know that when you opened the door.” He stepped back so I could come in.

“Are you here to babysit us too?” Chloe asked when Tanner let go of my hand so he could wrap himself around my legs in a tight hug.

“I am.” I glanced at Asa.

Something I couldn’t read flashed in his eyes as all three kids cheered.

Carefully, I peeled Tanner off my legs and knelt so I could give him and Chloe a real hug.

Asa put Ruby down, then stepped around us to close the door as she squished between her older siblings to get in on our group hug.

“Hey,” I said to Asa when they’d finally let go and I was standing again.

“Hey.” He took Ruby’s outstretched hand in his. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“Neither did I,” I admitted. “Not until about five minutes before I got in my car. Is it okay that I’m here?”

He shrugged. “It’s your house too. I was just about to feed these gremlins some dinner. Have you eaten?”

I shook my head.

“We’re having spaghetti!” Tanner shouted excitedly and grabbed my hand again. “Can you sit next to me?”

“I want to sit next to him,” Chloe said, her lip coming out in a pout.

“I called it,” Tanner shot her a triumphant grin. “He’s sitting next to me.”

“No fair.” Chloe’s expression crumpled and her face went pink, the telltale sign she was about to explode in an epic tantrum.

“You can both sit next to Dex,” Asa cut in, his voice calm and measured. “He has two sides, right?”

Chloe blinked, her anger fading in an instant. “Yeah.” She beamed a big smile at him.

“How about you, Tanner, and Dex finish setting the table, and we’ll have dinner?”

“Okay.” She grabbed my other hand. “Come on.”

I snuck a quick look at Asa as Chloe and Tanner frog-marched me toward the kitchen.

Was he pissed I was here? He seemed fine with it, but Asa was a master at hiding his emotions, and it was entirely possible he was covering up his anger in front of the kids.

Setting the table was way harder than it should have been with Chloe and Tanner “helping” me, but we managed to get it done just as Asa announced that the food was ready.

“Do you need some help?” I asked as he helped Ruby get into her chair.

“I’ve got it.” He flicked his gaze to Chloe and Tanner, who were already seated and staring up at me expectantly. “It’s probably best if you sit too.”

“Roger that.”

I felt like a giant knob sitting there while Asa brought out the food, but he was right; it was best to hedge off any future arguments between the older kids and just sit between them.

Once the pot of noodles and a plate of garlic bread were on the table, Asa brought out a small bowl of salad with chopped vegetables and put it in front of me.

I shot him a curious look.

He picked up a pair of tongs and piled noodles into a bowl. “For balance, that way you’re not just eating carbs.”

I stared, dumbfounded, as he served the kids their spaghetti. Had he made this just for me?

“Do you want some?” I asked as he passed out slices of garlic bread to the kids. “We can split it.”

“I’m okay.” He shot me a small smile. “I had one at lunch. I’ve had my balance for the day. You’re rubbing off on me.”

My neck heated uncomfortably as an image of us frotting together popped into my head, followed by one of Asa laying on my bed and covered with my release.

Asa smirked, obviously guessing where my thoughts had gone.

Ruby made an impatient sound, pulling Asa’s attention from me. She pointed to her bowl. “Fix, please.”

Asa set to cutting her spaghetti up for her.

Still reeling a bit at Asa’s comment and how it had affected me, I piled spaghetti into my bowl. The kids dug into their food, but I waited until Asa had served himself and was sitting before picking up my fork.

I took my first bite, expecting the bland sauce and overcooked noodles that had been a dinnertime staple when I lived at home. Instead, a burst of flavor exploded on my tongue that was somehow sweet and savory with the perfect blend of spicy.

“Holy shit, I mean, shoot,” I corrected too late.

Chloe and Ruby dissolved into giggles as Tanner looked right at Asa. “Dex said shit,” he announced.

“He did.” Asa shot me a smirky smile that did things to my insides, then fixed a stern look on our brother. “But is that an excuse for you to say it?”

“No,” he grumbled. “Am I going to lose a star?”

“Not this time. But you only get one warning, deal?”

“Deal.” Tanner took a big bite of his garlic bread.

“Stars?” I asked.

“Asa gives us stars when he babysits,” Chloe said around a mouthful of food before swallowing. “Every time we break a rule, we lose a star. Every time we do something good, we get one.”

“Manners,” Asa reminded her. “We don’t talk with our mouths full.”

“Sorry.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing sauce on her sleeve. “Oops.” She picked up her napkin and swiped it across her now clean lips. “I fixed it,” she stated proudly.

“Good job.” He smiled affectionately at her.

“What happens with the stars?” I asked. “Do they mean anything?”

“Whoever has the most at bedtime gets to pick the book he reads to us,” Chloe said.

“How many do you have now?”

“Three.”

“I have two,” Tanner cut in.

“One!” Ruby held up her pointer finger.

“Does Dex get a star for coming to help?” Chloe asked Asa.

“I think that deserves one.” He shot me a smile.

My stomach did a weird flip-flop as he held my gaze for a few beats. That smile was soft and full of affection and so unlike any he’d ever directed my way.

“This is really good,” I said, needing to break the silence that had fallen over us before I started giving him moon eyes or something equally ridiculous.

“Asa made it,” Tanner told me.

“He makes the best sauce. Soooo much better than Mommy’s,” Chloe added.

“You made the sauce?” I asked Asa.

He nodded, his cheeks coloring slightly. “It’s about the only thing I can make.”

“It’s really good,” I repeated.

“Thanks.”

The rest of the meal was filled with idle chatter from the kids as they told me about things that happened at school, dropping so many names I could barely keep up with them all.

“Can you take them to the TV room while I give Ruby her bath?” Asa asked when we’d finished cleaning up.

“Yeah, sure. Do you need me to do anything else?”

“Nope, just keep them occupied while I fight with little Miss. She hates baths.” He clicked his tongue stud against his teeth. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a battle tonight.”

“I can do that.”

“Come on, Ruby. It’s bath time,” Asa said, raising his voice so she could hear him from across the room.

“No bath.” She shook her head emphatically.

“Yes bath.”

“No.” She put her hands on her hips and shot him a look that was way too sassy for a three-year-old.

“Yes.” He held out his hand.

“I don’t wanna.”

“I know, but the sooner we get it done, the more time you’ll have to play before bed.”

She shot him a glare that was both cute and weirdly reminiscent of Asa’s own angry face.

Jesus, they looked like. They could be mistaken for full siblings, or even father and daughter, considering their age gap.

“That doesn’t work on me,” he said calmly. “It’s bath time.”

Her glare melted into a pout. “Fine.” She stomped toward him dramatically.

“Ruby has to take a ba-ath,” Tanner sing-songed at her, drawing out the word just to be extra obnoxious.

“I wouldn’t tease her if I were you,” Asa said as Ruby stopped in front of him and raised her arms for uppies. “It’s your turn next.”

His gleeful expression dropped, and he stared at Asa like he’d just told him he had to sleep outside tonight. “What?”

“You know the routine.” Asa picked Ruby up and settled her on his hip. “Ruby first, then you, then Chloe.”

“But Dex is here,” Tanner said, like that somehow absolved him of needing to bathe.

“He is, but that doesn’t change that it’s bath night.”

Tanner looked like he was about to argue, but he just turned back to the iPad Chloe was holding.

“Chloe,” Asa said. “Can you show Dex your safe channels?”

“Yup.” She didn’t look up from the screen.

“Safe channels?” I asked, feeling more than a little inept.

“Channels that are safe for them to watch,” he explained. “Just make sure they don’t look at any videos from other channels, even if it seems like the content is safe. It’s crazy how many inappropriate videos slip by the censors or whatever bots they use, even with all the kid settings and parental controls on. They get twenty minutes of screen time, then they have to do something else for at least ten minutes before they can get back on it. I usually get them to alternate choices, that way it cuts down on the fighting.”

I glanced at where Chloe and Tanner were curled up on the couch together in a rare moment of calm.

Asa flicked his gaze to me. “You good if we go?”

“Yeah,” I said with way more confidence than I felt. “I’ve got this.”

Asa gave me a little nod and headed out of the room, leaving me with Tanner and Chloe.

It took exactly six minutes to realize that I’d seriously underestimated how much work it was to keep them occupied and not at each other’s throats, and I was more than a little overwhelmed when Asa and Ruby came back almost forty minutes later with her in a fresh pair of pajamas and her long hair still damp.

“Your turn,” Asa said to Tanner.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.” He got up from the couch and stomped over to Asa even more dramatically than Ruby had.

“You good?” Asa asked, his half-smile telling me I probably looked as ruffled as I felt.

I nodded. “Yeah. All good.”

He smirked. “It’s a lot easier when it’s just them,” he said quietly, nodding at Chloe and Ruby, who were curled up on the couch and looking at something on the iPad. “Just be sure to monitor what they watch. Ruby can’t handle anything scary or sad right before bed. Chloe’s good about sticking to the preschool channels, but those videos can sometimes take a dark turn with no warning.”

“I’ll be careful,” I promised.

Things were easier when it was just Chloe and Ruby, and I had a chance to decompress as we watched some videos together. I made sure to keep to Asa’s twenty minutes on, ten minutes off rule, and surprisingly, the kids didn’t fight or argue when I told them it was time for a break.

It took another hour to get Chloe and Tanner bathed, and Ruby was asleep on my lap when it was time to put them to bed.

I was in awe of Asa by the time he closed the door to Chloe’s room. In the span of an hour, he’d gotten Ruby down and finished getting the older two ready for bed. Then he read several chapters of the book Chloe picked out to them, keeping them engaged by doing silly voices and really playing up the narration while still keeping things low-key enough that they let us tuck them in with almost no fuss.

I “helped,” which basically meant I tagged along and shadowed him while he did all the work. He’d done his best to include me in their bedtime routine, but it was clear he’d spent a lot of time stepping in and taking care of them over the years.

“Is that it?” I asked, glancing at Tanner’s door as we stood in the quiet hallway.

“Should be.” He raked a hand through his hair and blew out a long sigh. “If they stay asleep for the next half hour, then they’re down for the night.”

“And if they wake up?”

“Then we get to start the cycle all over again.” He shot me a wry smile.

“How often does that happen?”

“Not too often. They had an exciting night with you here, so I think they’re down for the count.”

“Here’s hoping.” I fell into step beside him as he headed toward the stairs.

“So what do you think of babysitting?”

“I think you’re a superhero. I only spent a few hours with them, and I feel like I was put through the wringer trying to play referee and keep the peace. You’ve been here all day, and you’re fresh as a daisy.”

He tossed a grin over his shoulder as he started down the stairs. “They were extra crazy tonight because you were here.”

“I don’t know if you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” I said honestly.

“It’s good.” He stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “They missed you while you were away.”

“I missed them too.” I paused, feeling awkward all of a sudden. “But I might need a few more trial runs before I’m ready to do that solo.”

He smirked. “That’s probably a good idea. Hopefully you can recover before your show.”

“Show?”

“It’s Saturday,” he reminded me.

“Oh, right.” I pulled my ball cap off and raked my hand through my hair, pushing the curls back, then slipped it back on. “I’m not going online tonight.”

“You’re not?” he asked in that carefully neutral voice that used to drive me nuts but I now realized was a coping mechanism from years of having to deal with his emotionally volatile mother.

I shook my head.

He studied me for a few beats. “Do you have somewhere else you need to be?”

“Not tonight.” I licked my suddenly dry lips.

Asa’s eyes tracked the move, and a flutter of nerves exploded in my stomach.

“Do you want to stick around for a bit?” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “Maybe hang out or whatever?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He looked up at me in surprise, but it was gone a moment later. “Let’s go to the bonus room. It’s pretty much the only part of the house that’s even remotely comfortable.”

“Isn’t that the truth.” I fell into step with him as we headed to the back of the house. “Was your mom like this before?”

“Like what?” He tossed me a confused look.

“Obsessed with decor and making the house look like a mausoleum.”

He let out a little chuckle. “No. That’s a new thing. We used to live in an apartment.”

“Really?” How had I not known Asa had grown up in an apartment?

He nodded as we cut through the kitchen. “My dad didn’t make a lot of money back then. Definitely not enough to redecorate every other year and follow whatever trends the nouveau riche celebs she’s obsessed with are doing.” He sat on the chaise part of the couch in the back of the bonus room and put his feet up. “Was your dad always like this?”

“Like what? Into redecorating?” I sat on the other side of the couch.

“That too, but I meant completely whipped and willing to let your mom do whatever the hell she wants.”

Now it was my turn to chuckle. “Not at all. My mom is very different from yours.”

“How so?”

“She’s a trad wife.”

“Really?” He looked surprised.

I nodded. “She really buys into that whole ‘the man is the head of the household’ thing and was perfectly happy to let Dad do whatever he wanted as long as she got to stay home and do her thing.” I shot him a wry grin. “Bet she didn’t think his thing would be your mom.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Probably not.”

“Were your parents happy? Before the affair?” I asked quietly.

He shook his head. “I don’t think they were ever happy.”

I waited to see if he’d say more, not wanting to push in case it made him shut down.

“Your dad wasn’t the first time my mom cheated on my dad,” he continued, his eyes fixed on the wall across from him. “He’s just the one that stuck around.”

“Does your dad know about the others?”

He shook his head.

“But you know about them?”

“I caught her with his best friend a few years before she started working for your dad. She made me promise not to tell anyone. She said it was a mistake, that it only happened that one time, and it would never happen again.” He shifted his gaze to mine. “I know of two other men before your dad. Who knows how many there actually were.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“What about your parents? Were they happy?”

“Not really.” I crossed my arms and leaned back against the couch. “They didn’t fight or anything, they were just really…detached from each other. Like Mom had her thing and Dad had his, and they didn’t really talk or do stuff together. The only time I really saw them act like a married couple was when she’d go with Dad to work things and play the dutiful wife.”

“Do you think your dad messed around before he met my mom?”

“Probably. I don’t know for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised, considering he was never home and was always off on work trips or working late.”

Asa snickered, but there was no humor behind it. “My mom worked late a lot too, especially after she started working for your dad.” He paused. “What happened with your mom?”

“What do you mean?”

“I just noticed that she hasn’t really been part of your life for the last few years, not since you went away to college. You used to spend a lot of time with her and now you never see her.”

My throat tightened. I should have realized he’d notice the rift between us. Sadly, he was the only person who had.

“You know she got remarried, right?”

He nodded.

“Did you know I have two half siblings?”

His eyes widened comically.

“Twins. They’re three.”

“How did I not know that?”

“I don’t even think my dad knows.” I pulled off my ball cap and spun it around in my hand a few times. “It’s not like they talk or have any sort of contact with each other now that I’m an adult.”

“Is that why you don’t see her? Because she has a new family?” Something in Asa’s voice was off, like there was a heaviness in it that said he knew exactly what that felt like.

I nodded and slipped my hat back on. “It started when she got engaged. I’d just turned eighteen, so I guess she figured that meant I didn’t need her anymore and she should dedicate all of her time to her future husband. She really started to pull away after they got married, but she didn’t cut me off until she found out she was pregnant.”

“She cut you off?”

“Yup. I went to see her because she said she had something important to talk to me about. I hadn’t seen her in almost a year at that point, and that’s when she told me she was pregnant. I was happy for her and excited to have a new sibling, or siblings, in this case. But that wasn’t all she wanted to talk to me about.” I let out a bitter laugh. “She basically said that Brendan, her husband, wanted to move closer to his family, and that she needed to put her focus on the twins now that I was grown and didn’t need her like they would. That was the last time I saw her. I’ve talked to her on the phone a few times, and she sends me emails with updates about their lives and pictures of the twins, but I’ve never met them.”

“Where did they move?”

“Boston.”

“Boston? You haven’t seen her in years because she moved across the country? I know that’s a long plane ride, but it’s not like she moved to New Zealand or somewhere crazy far.”

“Brendan doesn’t like being reminded that my mom had a life before him, and his family refuses to acknowledge that I even exist. It’s not about distance.”

He nodded, another understanding look crossing his features.

“You know what that feels like?” I asked.

I’d never talked to anyone about what happened with my mom. After all these years, it felt good to get that off my chest.

He studied me for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. “Yeah. My stepmother did the same thing with my dad. He was never a good dad, not to me at least, but he really started to pull away after they got serious. He cut me off when I turned eighteen.” He toyed with his tongue stud. “He has no problem playing dad to her kids and putting all his time and energy into them but couldn’t even let me crash on his couch when I told him I was about to be homeless. Didn’t even offer to float me some cash or anything. Just said it wasn’t a good time and I needed to figure it out on my own. He literally doesn’t care what happens to me as long as I don’t stress his new family out by reminding them I exist.”

I’d wondered about that back when he’d asked if he could stay with me. Even with everything that had gone down with my mom, I had no doubt she would have done whatever she could to help me if I’d gone to her in Asa’s position.

He huffed out a sound that could have been a laugh but was devoid of humor. “The only reason he had any visitation time at all was because he was forced to. He didn’t want any custody, and my mom only wanted half. The judge decided mom should get me most of the time because she had more money and lived closer to school.”

One of the few reasons Asa and I hadn’t killed each other when we were teens was because of our custody schedules. I did one week on, one week off with my parents, while he only saw his dad every other weekend. That limited our time together, especially when we were forced to share a room my senior year.

My parents had agreed on half custody, and the only fighting they did in court was over assets and support payments. I couldn’t imagine what knowing my parents fought because they didn’t want me to live with them would have done to me.

No wonder Asa acted the way he did. My mom might have abandoned me as an adult, but she’d been a good mom to me growing up. It sounded like he hadn’t had that with either parent.

He wrinkled his brow, like he was doing some mental math. “Wait, you said your siblings are three. That means you talked to her four years ago…”

“Yup.” I waited to see if he’d put the final pieces together.

Asa was nothing if not observant, and his pattern recognition skills were insane. He was that guy who could figure out the entire plot of a movie from the first ten minutes and see plot twists from the first moment of foreshadowing. It was as annoying as it was impressive.

“You went to see her when you were home for Christmas, right before we…”

“Ding ding ding.”

“So your mom cut you off, and you were so pissed that you fucked me.” He smirked, but there was a darkness behind it that told me he wasn’t offended or upset.

“Pretty much. I mean, that’s not the only reason, but that’s what pushed me over the edge.”

He nodded, his gaze calculating. “I figured there was something that triggered it. I had no clue what, but I knew you were using me to work shit out that night.”

“What about you? Were you working shit out?”

He studied me for a few beats. “Yes.”

I waited to see if he’d elaborate. This conversation should have happened four years ago; we might as well have it now while we were trauma dumping.

“I was trying to figure out if I’m gay or not.” He held my gaze. “I thought I was, but I wasn’t so sure I liked people. You helped me figure out that both are true.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not a secret you’re the first guy I slept with, but did you know you’re the first I did anything with?”

“The first guy, you mean?” I asked slowly. He was eighteen when we first hooked up. He hadn’t messed around with another guy before me?

“Nope, first person.”

My jaw dropped like it had been unhinged.

What the hell? He’d never been with anyone at all before that night? I hadn’t just taken his virginity. I’d literally been his first everything, except his first kiss, since we hadn’t kissed that night.

Jesus. That meant he’d had sex before he’d kissed someone? That messed with me more than I wanted to admit.

“Like I said, I wasn’t sure if I even liked people at that point. I liked looking at guys and thinking about them but never really had the desire to do anything with one until that night.” He smirked. “Do you remember how it started?”

I nodded, still too shocked to speak.

We’d been arguing about something stupid, and he said something that made me snap. I shoved him, which was the first and only time I’d ever put hands on him, but instead of hitting me back or being mad, he made a crack that set me off again, and the next thing I knew, I had him against the wall and we were both hard.

“That was the first time I felt anything like that with another person, so I decided to go with it and see if I’d like more.”

“Did you?” He’d seemed into it at the time, but that could be my memories playing tricks on me or him going along with it even if he didn’t like it. “Enjoy it?”

He smirked, his eyes filling with heat. “Yeah, I did.”

I cleared my throat, relief washing over me. “I did too.”

“You said I was the first guy you fucked,” he said, the heat fading from his eyes until they looked almost seeking. “Did you mess around with a lot of guys before me?”

“No,” I said truthfully. “You were the first one.”

His jaw dropped the same way mine had, but he recovered quickly. “Really?”

I nodded. “I figured I was bi, but I wasn’t sure until that night.”

“I know you hooked up with girls before that. But no guys? How is that possible?” he rushed on. “It makes sense that I hadn’t because I’m me, but you’re you.” He shook his head. “I just mean you were Mr. Popular with a million friends. Everyone liked you. You could have had your pick of guys if you wanted.”

I huffed out a laugh. “I might have been popular and had a lot of friends, but it wasn’t like I could tell any of them I thought I was bi. And there was no way in hell I could let the guys on the team find out I might like dick. They would have crucified me.”

His expression went sympathetic.

“I spent years terrified someone would figure it out and the guys I’d grown up with, played football with for years, would turn on me. A scholarship was my only chance at getting through college debt free. I couldn’t risk that, no matter how confused I was.”

“And I’m guessing you had to hide it at college too?”

“Yup.”

“Are you going to come out now that you’re home?”

I nodded. “I’m not planning a big announcement or anything, but yeah. I’ll tell a few of my friends and let them spread it around. I’ll tell our parents when they piss me off and I want to shut them up.”

Asa chuckled. “That’s what I did.”

“Really?”

I’d been away at school when he came out and hadn’t heard much about what happened.

“My mom was laying into me about how no girl would ever want me if I didn’t take the shrapnel out of my face and stop dressing like a funeral director, her words.” He shot me a sardonic smile. “Did I mention this was at Thanksgiving?”

I gaped at him. “Jesus, you have balls of steel. Was it in front of the whole family?”

“Most of them.” His smile fell. “I told her I wasn’t interested in dating and wasn’t going to change myself because of some hypothetical future partner I didn’t even want. She wouldn’t stop and just kept needling me about my clothes, my attitude, my tats. Everything. I would have let it go if she knew when to quit, but she started talking shit about my apprenticeship. That’s when I snapped and told her I didn’t give a fuck what girls like or look for in a boyfriend because I would also be looking for a boyfriend if I suddenly decided I wanted to date someone.”

I barked out a laugh. “Bet that shut her up.”

“It did, and she hasn’t pestered me about not dating since.” He grinned. “I call that a win.”

“Definitely a win. Maybe I’ll wait until Christmas so I can do something just as memorable,” I mused.

He laughed. “Always have to one-up me, huh?”

“You know it.” I paused. “Were they okay with it?”

“Me being gay?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, but not because they were cool with having a gay son.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was just one more strike against me. Of course the weird emo kid would be gay.” He rolled his eyes. “Your dad asked me if I’d ever slept with a girl one night after he’d had a few.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I told him no, and he asked how I could know I was gay if I’d never tried to be straight. He didn’t appreciate it when I asked him if he’d ever slept with a guy.”

“Oh my god.” I shook my head, knowing exactly where this was going.

“He definitely didn’t appreciate it when I asked how he could possibly know he was straight if he hadn’t.”

“You really do have balls of steel.”

“Just used to their bullshit.” He shrugged and looked down, his expression clouding over.