Two-Man Advantage Read online

  Both his brothers turned back to him, their eyes wide, and for a moment, he thought he said the wrong thing. Though, he felt it was entirely true. When a slow grin crept over Seth’s face, he held up his fist. “That’s fucking right, brother. You’re quiet and a little weird, but smart.”

  Laurence laughed as Matty pressed his fist to Seth’s. Laurence added, “He is, but he’s right. Dad was never around.”

  “He was too busy making his way to the top.”

  “And because of that, we depended on each other,” Matty said, and both of them nodded.

  Seth scoffed. “Well, we did. You and Avery stuck together like a pair of symbiotic twins.”

  Matty smiled as he nodded. “But now, we all have each other.”

  They both grinned back. “We do.”

  His heart picked up in cadence as he watched their faces carefully before saying, “Through thick and thin, right?”

  Seth’s brows rose as Laurence’s face twisted in confusion. “You dying or something?”

  “Yeah, what’s going on?”

  You can do this. You can do this. You’re doing this for yourself. For Wells. Open your fucking mouth!

  “Umm,” he stammered before leaning forward and putting the controller on the table. “I, um, actually need to talk to you two about something.”

  Oh, fuck, he was doing this. Yes, he was doing this. He loved Wells. He was a gay man, and damn it, he didn’t care what anyone thought. Wells would do anything for him; he’d proved that over and over again. It was time for Matty to do the same. But when he looked up, ready to utter the words he wasn’t sure would be well received, he was stunned when he noticed they were scooting closer to him, their eyes on him, concern filling their features.

  “You can tell us anything, Matty,” Seth reassured him, reaching out and smacking him on the back.

  Laurence scoffed, leaning on his knees. “Yeah, don’t be gay. Just tell us.”

  Don’t be gay. It always meant don’t be a sissy or a crybaby to them when they were growing up. That was until Matty realized that he was gay and those terms didn’t remotely describe the person he was. Or better yet, the person he would become. Because the person he was when they were growing up would never surface again. He had grown, he had learned, and damn it, he had loved.

  Fully.

  And it was time to do that without reservation or worry about someone finding out.

  When his eyes started to cloud with tears, he looked down and took a breath. His heart was jackhammering in his chest, his skin didn’t even feel like his own anymore, but he had to do this. Looking up, he alternated his gaze between the two of them as he said, “I’m in a relationship.”

  Both of them rolled their eyes. “Fuck, I thought you had cancer or some shit.”

  “Right, me too,” Laurence agreed as he leaned back. “A relationship is no big deal, Matty.”

  “Yeah. What, is this the first girl you’ve ever loved?”

  Matty swallowed hard. “No, he’s actually the second.”

  They both paused, and slowly Seth turned to look at him as Laurence just gawked. “What?”

  Holding Laurence’s gaze, Matty said, “I’ve been with him for over a year, but we took a break when I wouldn’t come out.”

  They both just blinked, their jaws practically to the floor.

  Clearing his throat, Matty said, “His name is Wells. Wells Lemiere. He plays for Colorado. Um, he’s great, and I love him—very much.”

  The silence was painful as his brothers both stared at him, then each other before looking away. He watched as Seth’s Adam’s apple bobbed before he turned back to Matty. “You’re gay?”

  He nodded, and for once, he felt confident as he said, “I am.”

  “Do Mom and Dad know?”

  “No, not yet. Only you guys and Avery know,” he answered, his heart still not slowing down any in his chest. “And I want to tell them. So please don’t tell them first.”

  Laurence held his hands up. “No. What? Really? When did this happen?”

  Matty shrugged. “I knew I liked guys when I was in middle school.”

  Laurence’s eyes widened. “Whoa, and you never told us?”

  “I was embarrassed and angry,” he answered with a grimace. “I didn’t think I could be who I wanted because no one would accept me.” His brothers both looked away, drawing in deep breaths. “I’ve wanted so badly to be loved by Dad and to be noticed that I’ve hidden this part of me, but I can’t anymore. Wells means everything to me, and I can’t lose him.”

  Seth’s face was twisted in distress as he shook his head. “We’re your brothers. You should have told us.”

  “I couldn’t,” he answered, his heart in his throat. “I had a hard time accepting who I was, but not anymore. I love myself. I love Wells, and I want to come out with the support of my family.”

  “Dad won’t be okay with this,” Laurence said.

  “I know,” Matty replied as a tear rolled down his face. “That’s why I asked if you two would be there through thick and thin.”

  Seth looked back at him, holding his gaze. “You’re my brother. I love you, no matter what or who you love. You didn’t have to live with all that by yourself, though. We would have been there for you.”

  Matty’s shoulders fell in relief. “Thank you.”

  But when he turned to look at Laurence, he was getting up. “I need a minute. Sorry, I’m a little stunned here. You like dudes,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re a dude, and that’s not okay. It won’t be okay when Dad finds out either. You know that, right? Are you sure this isn’t a phase?”

  Matty stood too, his shoulders going back as he held his brother’s gaze. “No. I know who I love.”

  Silence stretched between them as Laurence shook his head. “Matty, that’s gross. We are men, we are supposed to be with women. Make babies and shit. That’s how we were raised.”

  “I’m not made that way, though. I was created differently,” he tried, but Laurence looked disgusted as Seth stood, holding his hands up.

  “Laur, he’s our brother. We support him no matter what.”

  “No, I can’t,” he said, turning on his heel. “I’m sorry. And when this comes out, it’s going to be mayhem. I hope you two know that.”

  “Laurence!”

  “No. Shit, Matty, I wanted you to fix things with Avery, not come out as a fag. Come on. Fuck,” he complained, shaking his head as he went out the front door, slamming it behind him. For some pathetic reason, Matty waited for the door to open up again, for Laurence to pop his head back in and say “Got ya!” But he never did.

  When Seth cupped his shoulder, Matty looked over at him, and Seth shrugged. “I’m sorry, man, you know he and Dad are close.”

  Looking back at the door, still hopeful that it would open, Matty muttered, “I thought we were closer.”

  Obviously, Matty was wrong.

  Twenty-Two

  Fighting his nerves, Wells lifted his hand up and knocked hard against the door in front of him. He’d always loved the look of Matty’s apartment building, its sleek interior with old-world outside and a doorman he swore had worked there since 1980. He was a jazzy guy, with a fedora and popped collar, named Fred. Wells adored him, and it made him feel good that Fred had remembered him when he’d arrived.

  Especially since he hadn’t planned on coming to New York yet. They were supposed to be back in Colorado by now, doing some outdoorsy type shit before coming back to the city for dinner with Matty’s family. But when Matty called, a bit panicked when his brother didn’t take his news well, Wells didn’t think. He just got on a plane and flew to be with him.

  Maybe Wren was right. He really didn’t think much when it came to Matty, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. He wasn’t letting down Jensen and Wren. The move was done, he’d miss Tate Odder’s retirement party and Wren’s baby shower, but he’d spent so much damn money on his nephew while he was there, he doubted he’d be missed. Tho