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"So that's what I am…an excursion?"

Alec stood and crossed to Tyler. He wrapped his arms around him. "No. You know better than

that."

"I don't want to leave, Alec. I have obligations. It may be hard to believe, but I have a unique relationship with a lot of the folks you've met. They're like family to me."

"I wouldn't ask you to. But I have connections there as well. There's Demarco and—"

"Him." Tyler shrugged from Alec's touch and paced away.

So that was what this was about, Alec thought. The juxtaposition in their roles had reversed.

Usually, he was the anxious one, skittish like one of Ty's horses. But now he was calm, and Tyler was so pent-up with something that he was practically shaking.

"His name is Evan McDonough. Mac, for short."

Tyler turned back. "You still have feelings for him. You told me you do."

"I would have been lying if I didn't."

"He's there, Alec. I'm here, across the country. I know what that means."

Alec went to Tyler again. "It means you'll have to trust me."

"I don't want you to go." There was a slight tremor in his voice. "I know it's not fair for me to ask, but… it's true."

Alec's heart ached. He embraced Tyler again, squeezing tight. "Is this because of Christmas? Is that a bad time for you?"

"That's part of it,"

Alec understood. He'd seen the boxed decorations in the storage room. He knew that Brett had

been a big-time Christmas person. And Tyler had been alone now for, what… five years? Five

Christmases. It had to be hard. He couldn't even imagine.

"I kind of promised Demarco I'd be back."

"Fine," he said, breaking free. He grabbed his beer and headed to the kitchen. "Go."

Alec wasn't sure what to say. This was not going well.

"What if I came back for New Years?"

Tyler grabbed another beer from the fridge. "Whatever."

"I'm not sure what to say. I want to be here for you. But Demarco is single too. We've always spent Christmas together."

"With Mac."

"Mac won't be there, Ty. I'm not sure how I can convince you."

"Then he could come here. This… Demarco."

That made Alec laugh, a little forcefully—it was unnatural and easy to misinterpret.

Tyler stared at him.