Common Goal (Game Changers #4)- Rachel Reid Page 0,76
pretty indifferent to the entire marriage, especially for the last few years. We both were.”
Kyle had only been in relationships that burned white hot, then extinguished quickly and—for himself, anyway—unexpectedly. “So it wasn’t a surprise? The divorce?”
“Not really. Again, I wasn’t really paying attention, so if it came as a surprise it was only because of that. Holly wasn’t angry with me. She sat me down one evening and gently pointed out that there was no reason for us to stay married.” He smiled wistfully. “She was always so organized. She presented a very compelling argument, and when she was done I told her she was right. We hugged, and the next morning we started the process.”
“Wow. I don’t think that’s usually how divorce goes.”
“Probably not. We’re still friendly, though. And she has a new boyfriend. Nice guy.”
They walked in silence for a moment. “Would she be surprised if you had one?” Kyle asked. “A boyfriend?”
Eric took his time answering, as if he’d never considered the idea. “I think she would be very surprised.”
“Does that matter to you?”
“I honestly don’t know. I do care what other people think, typically. And I don’t like that kind of attention.”
“Right,” Kyle said tightly.
“If I were in a relationship with a man, someone I was in love with, it might be different, I guess. Maybe I wouldn’t care what other people think, if I felt that strongly about someone.”
If. If Eric met someone who met his standards. Someone he could be proud to introduce as his boyfriend. Someone who wasn’t Kyle.
Kyle forced himself to ignore the bitterness that had crept in. “Feel free to introduce me as your friend-slash-sex instructor,” he joked.
Eric did that small, half-suppressed smile thing that Kyle loved. “I really do appreciate your...assistance.”
“It hasn’t been a chore.” The truth was it had been the best thing in Kyle’s life lately. He was halfheartedly finishing his final essay for a class he barely cared about, and dragging himself to a job that would be a lot more fun if his boss gave a shit about the bar or any of his staff’s suggestions. On top of that, he hadn’t been hooking up with anyone besides Eric for reasons he didn’t want to examine, and he was facing another lonely Christmas in Manhattan.
As if reading his mind, Eric asked, “Do you have plans for Christmas?”
“Nope. Just watching movies or whatever.”
Kyle could tell Eric was carefully trying to find his way to the questions he really wanted to ask. “Do you talk to your parents much?”
“Not really.” They stopped at an overlook, and Kyle braced himself for the question he knew was coming.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to talk about it, but...” Eric started. “Your family. Is it because you’re gay? Is that why they’ve...”
“Cast me out?” Kyle finished for him.
Eric’s eyes looked so sad. “Yes.”
Kyle sighed. “Not officially, no. At least, it’s not the only reason. I think it’s part of the reason, no matter what they say.” He ran a fingertip over the ridges of his coffee cup sleeve. “I guess I’ll never really know.”
Eric was quiet, his gaze fixed at the street below, and Kyle knew he was trying not to push for more information. For some reason, Kyle wanted to offer it up voluntarily. It had been a long time since he’d told anyone about the most shameful chapter of his life.
“I caused a bit of a scandal, back in little ol’ Shaw, Vermont.” Kyle worked hard to keep his tone breezy, as if this wasn’t killing him to admit to someone as impressive as Eric Bennett. “I was in a...relationship...with a man who was my boss at the time.”
“Oh.”
“He was married. To a woman, I mean. And he had two kids.”
“Oh,” Eric said again, this time more gravely. “I see.”
One of Eric’s hands gripped the railing so tightly, Kyle was sure his knuckles were white under his glove. Kyle wasn’t surprised—it couldn’t be pleasant to learn that the man you’ve been spending time with was a monster.
“And,” he continued, because Eric deserved to know how bad it got, “I knew. Just to be clear, I knew he had a family, but he told me he loved me, and I believed it.” He laughed darkly. “I’d never been with anyone before. I thought I was in love.”
Eric’s jaw was tense, as if he was gritting his teeth. “How old were you?”
“I had just turned eighteen.”
“Jesus.”
“His wife found out, and then the whole town. There were...photographs. Video.”