I was uneasy leaving the bar, but I’m not sure if it was because I was leaving Allie behind with those obnoxious girls or it’s because Tyler was already waiting for me at my house.

When I bought this house over the summer, I waited a few months to tell anyone I had moved. It wasn’t until Sawyer wanted to come over one day that I had to spill the beans. At first, I wasn’t sure if the sale would go through. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I fell in love with the house and figured I would try. Then, when I closed on it, it was nice to just enjoy being in a place I could call mine, one I’d gotten on my own.

What has bothered me lately is something I should have realized long ago. Even though I can picture Tyler in my future, I never once pictured him cohabitating with me in this house. Maybe that’s because I’m a simple guy and Ty’s a bit more upscale. We tend to stay at his place most of the time. But the first time I walked in and saw Allie on the couch cuddled up with my asshole cat, I knew she belonged there.

After everything that has happened over the past few weeks, I’ve realized time is a gift. It’s why I have to talk to Ty tonight.

As I pull into my driveway, Tyler is sitting in his car waiting for me. Once we’re out of our cars, he pulls me into a hug.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

He releases me and motions for me to lead the way. Once we’re inside, Fat Bastard hisses at him, making me laugh.

“Your cat hates me.”

I scoop him into my arms and take him to my room. When I come back, I get a good look at Ty. He looks like hell. “He hates everyone who isn’t a kid … or Allie.”

“Did she tell you we talked?”

“She did. Before we get into all that, do you want something to drink?” I’m already walking into the kitchen for some water because I know his answer.

“A water would be great, thanks.”

After grabbing two bottles, I take a deep breath and head back to the living room. I hand him his water and motion for him to take a seat next to me on the couch.

“I’m sorry if talking to Allie was uncomfortable for you. And I’m also sorry I didn’t communicate more when I was at the beach house. I didn’t really talk to anyone … not you, not Allie, and not even Sasha. You know how I get when I’m loaded up on my meds. I just needed time.”

Tyler takes a sip of his water before meeting my eyes. “It was bound to happen sooner or later. She’s nice, Jordan. I can see why you like her. She seems … like a good person.”

“Is that what you were really going to say?”

“I was going to say she seems genuine. She said something to me about families, and it made me think. In fact, I did more than think. I came out to my parents. I told them I’m gay.”

It takes a minute for his words to process. “Jesus, Ty, when did this happen? Why didn’t you call?”

He shrugs. “A few days ago. I didn’t call because you have your own shit going on. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? Tyler, you could never be a bother. We might be in an awkward-as-fuck spot right now, but you are always going to be one of my best friends. What happened? And why did you tell them you’re gay?”

Tyler begins to cry as I pull him into my arms. As he sobs, I hold him close and let him get it all out.

“I’m sorry,” he finally says as he backs away and reaches for his water.

“Don’t you dare apologize. Talk to me, Ty.”

“I told them I was gay because I don’t want them to ever think there’s a chance I’m going to bring a woman home. On the off chance I fall in love with a woman one day, they can be surprised. But mostly, I might be bisexual, but ninety percent or more of my attraction falls to men.”

That makes sense.

“I take it the discussion didn’t go well?”

He shakes his head. “My mom fell to her knees in the middle of the floor and prayed for my salvation. My dad laid into me about all the ways it’s sinful to lay with another man. I was told not to come back unless I’d found the righteous path and was ready to love a woman … the way God intended.”

“Assholes. Don’t let them make you feel bad about yourself, Ty. You’re absolutely perfect the way you are. You’re loving, kind, sexy, and smart as fuck. You’d do anything to help anyone, and you have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know.”

It kills me his family has rejected him like this. I caress his cheek with my thumb, and he leans into my body. I tuck him in close with my arm around his shoulder and try to give him all the comfort I can.

“The night I went to the bar, Allie told me she’d never felt as free as she does right now. She said leaving her home and her family was hard but being back in charge of her life was worth it. Damn, J … her words resonated with me down to a cellular level. I realized if I ever want to find real happiness, I have to be true to myself. That started with coming out, no matter the consequences.”

I lean my head on top of his. “Now what?”

“Now I figure out who I am and what my place is in this world. It sucks and it hurts, but Allie was right. I feel free, Jordan, in a way I never have before. A huge load is lifted off my heart and I think I owe that to Allie.”

“Nah, Ty, you owe that all to yourself. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

He looks up at me with sad eyes, and my heart melts. “Thanks, but I know why I’m here, Jordan. I know you’re officially calling things off with us.”

Pain spears through my chest, but he isn’t wrong. I turn my body and cup his cheeks in my hands. “Listen to me, Ty, because I have a lot to say tonight, but the first thing I need to tell you is that I love you. I’m an asshole because I never said those words to you before, but that’s all on me. I spent the better part of ten years avoiding my feelings and now things have changed. I might not be in love with you anymore, but I love the fuck out of you.” Tears spring to my eyes. This is so much harder than I thought it was going to be.

“One day, someone is going to come along and you’re going to know they’re the one for you. And everything we’re going through right now is going to make more sense when that happens.”

He sniffs. “Is that what happened with Allie? You just knew?”

I hate that I’m the cause of more unshed tears in his eyes. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

He nods. “I have to, J. I have to know.”

“The first day she walked into the club, it’s like the air sparked with energy. She teased me, and she challenged me, but she was still this vulnerable woman who was dealing with a lot of shit. She came over here to feed Fat Bastard one night and … I still have a hard time explaining it to myself, but Tyler, she belonged here. It’s like this house was waiting for her to fill it with life.”

Tyler leans back onto my shoulder. “And I never belonged here.”

“Hey, I did not say that.”

With a sigh, he tucks himself closer to me. “You didn’t have to. This is your house, J, but I’ve never felt at home here. Even your cat hates me, but there’s no love lost there. I always pushed you to come to my place.”

“It was easier.”

“No, J, don’t give me an out. I should have tried harder. That’s something I’ve realized, and it’s partially why I knew this was going to be the end. I never tried hard enough. I never fought for you to stay. I never asked you to push through our problems so we could have fighting chance at making it. I thought if I sat back and waited, you’d understand how much I loved you. If Allie hadn’t come along, I’d still be waiting for you, Jordan.”

As we talk, I caress his arm, hoping he pulls some sort of comfort from me. “Sasha said something to me that sort of kicked my ass into gear. It’s when I really started thinking about us and Allie, and just … everything.”

“What did she say?”

“She pointed out that if the two of us had something truly special, an epic love worth acting on, wouldn’t we have already done it? Wouldn’t we have felt it so strongly that we’d likely be married with kids now or at the least living together?”

Ty whistles as that sinks in. “I’d never thought of it that way.”

“Me either, but once the words were out there, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Especially when … God, Ty, please don’t take this the wrong way. The first time Allie and I kissed, it was like our souls knew each other. It sounds so dumb.”

He looks up at me with a wistful gaze. “No, it sounds romantic as fuck.”

“Anyway, I tried to ignore it. Eventually, I couldn’t, so we tried the fuck buddy thing. I hate being without her and can’t sleep when she’s not in my bed. And when Noah died, all I kept thinking about was all the missed opportunities I had with him. I wondered if he knew I loved him, and I wished for more time. I still wish for more time.”

“He knew, Jordan. Noah loved you to pieces, and he knew you loved him the same.”

As I swipe away a tear, I pull him tighter to me and lean down to kiss the top of his head. “I know he did. Noah was such a firm believer in fate. I don’t know if you remember that about him, but whenever anything good or bad happened, he said it was fate. Noah was all about living life, but he was prepared for the end too.”

He pulls back and sits up. “How do you know that?”

“Because I have an envelope in my safe listing my inheritance and a video from him telling me goodbye.”

“You haven’t watched it?”

“Hell no, but Sawyer and Darren tried watching theirs—we all got one—and it was hell. I’m not one bit ready to even try to go through that. And I’m not ready to see my brother again either. I feel like I need to save that for a day when I’m really missing him. I can only imagine this ache in my chest is going to get worse over time, not better.”

Tyler pulls his legs onto the couch and leans back against me. “The two of us are a hot mess, J. I’m sorry we never got our shit together enough to find a way to make it work between us.”

“You will never know how bad I feel about that, but if Noah is right and this is all fate, it wouldn’t have mattered. Allie is Sasha’s best friend, so we would have met eventually. What if you and I were married and I suddenly felt for her what I feel now?”

“You’d never cheat, Jordan. You aren’t him, so get that out of your head right now.”

That’s one thing I love about Tyler—he knows when I go to that dark place in my mind.

“No, but what if we ended up divorced?”

“Shh, it doesn’t matter. We can’t play the what if game. It’s not fair to either of us. All we can do now is figure out how to move forward. Do you think we can still be friends? Would Allie let that happen?”

A vision of Allie’s smiling face pops into my mind. “I think she’d be okay with it. She feels awful, you know. She considers herself the other woman.”

Tyler laughs. “At this point, I think I’m the other man. She’s a good one, J. If you were going to leave me for a woman, you picked well. I’d really like us to still be friends. I don’t think I can handle losing any more family right now.”

Tyler lays his head in my lap, and I thread my fingers through his hair as we sit together in silence. The next thing I know, I wake up at four in the morning.

Shit!

“Damn, J, what time is it?” Tyler yawns as he sits up.

“Four in the morning. Allie was supposed to be here an hour ago.”

“Oh shit,” Ty says as I look at my phone. There are no missed messages or calls. That’s probably a good thing.

I text Sasha first so I can figure out my next move.

Is Allie there?

Tyler downs the rest of his water as I wait for a text back.

Sasha: Yes, and you’re in a world of shit.

“Fuck! Allie must have come here and left. I’ve got to go, Tyler.”

As I put on my shoes, he eyes me carefully.

“Jordan, do you love her?”

Our eyes meet, and I hate myself for having to answer him, but he knows I won’t lie. “Yes.”

“Are you in love with her?”

I close my eyes and then open them. “Yes. Deeply.”

He blinks rapidly. “Then do me a favor. Tell her. Don’t lose her the way you lost me. Don’t make her wait ten years to hear the words only to leave her for someone else.”

As Tyler stands to leave, I reach for his hand. “Are you sure you want to be my friend after all of this? I’d understand if not.”

“We’ll always be friends, Jordan, but you may need to hook me up with Sawyer’s hot as fuck bodyguard. I’m going to need a good rebound fuck.”

We both laugh, but it’s actually not a bad idea. Mac’s an awesome dude. He’s affectionate, fun, protective—which Tyler would love—and unlike me, he has zero commitment issues.

“Consider it done. You’re a good fit for him, and fuck, Ty, the man has some incredible moves between the sheets.”

His mouth drops and he slugs my shoulder. “You hit that?”

“We had a don’t ask, don’t tell rule for the off months, remember?”

He shakes his head as we walk outside and I lock up behind me. “You’re unbelievable, Weston, and you definitely need to hook me up on a date. I’d say it’s the least you owe me.”

I pull Tyler in for a hug. “Consider it done. And Ty? Thanks for being you. Tonight wasn’t easy, but I’m not sure what I’d do if you didn’t want to be a part of my life anymore. Whoever ends up with you is going to be one lucky bastard.”

“Go get your girl, J. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

After Tyler drives off, the only thing on my mind is getting to Allie fast and hoping I didn’t screw everything up.