Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Shaking his head, Alex ran his hand along his cheek, his eyes full of resentment. “The thing is, you forgot to tell me all that.”
Wells nodded. “I think I wanted to forget, though I never did.”
“And so, now, we’re over.”
“We are.”
“And you two are back on.”
“We are.”
Alex nodded before he started moving, coming toe-to-toe with Wells. Alex was shorter, his dark brown eyes in slits as he gazed up at Wells, his brown hair falling in his eyes. “Well, just like before, he’ll end up hurting you. And believe me, I won’t be waiting.”
Wells didn’t even pause. “I don’t want you to, and I’d never ask you to. Because I have my forever.”
Alex scoffed. “And I lost mine. So, thanks.”
Matty could see the comment was a surprise to Wells as his composure faltered a bit. “Alex, come on. I was never your forever.”
“Oh, you made that loud and clear,” Alex spat back before he stomped past Wells without even a glance at Matty. “Fuck off, both of you.”
When the door slammed, Wells let out a long sigh as his shoulders dropped. The room was eerily silent. Matty couldn’t even hear Alex leaving, or maybe that was because his heart was beating so damn loud. This man, this beautiful man, had never stopped loving him, and he’d thrown that away.
That chance at forever.
But Wells had always known.
Walking to him, Matty wrapped his arms around Wells’s shoulders, pulling his back to his chest. “How much shit do you think he took?”
As Matty had intended, Wells laughed a bit as he let out another sigh. “Not much, he wasn’t living here yet.”
Matty’s face scrunched up. “So you two were getting married, but he wasn’t living with you?”
Wells nodded. “Yup, I wanted to wait until after the wedding for him to move in completely.”
Matty rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you may have used the dude, but the signs were there. He just chose to ignore them.”
Leaning his head into Matty’s, Wells whispered, “I know, but it still doesn’t help with the guilt I feel right now. It didn’t hit me until we got here. I knew I was being selfish, but I couldn’t fight it, ya know? I couldn’t fight this. Us.”
Matty almost felt desperate as he said, “Don’t. Please don’t.”
“I can’t,” Wells laughed, though it wasn’t out of humor. “I love you. Too damn much. But I’m not one to hurt someone, and I feel awful for that.”
Kissing Wells’s temple, Matty closed his eyes. “I know. And fuck, Wells, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all this.”
Turning his head, Wells brushed his nose along Matty’s as he whispered, “Just don’t make me regret it, and it’s all worth it.”
Opening his eyes, Matty met Wells’s blazing green ones, and everything felt right.
Perfect, even.
And he knew he would never do anything to ever make Wells feel regret. He hated that Wells even felt a little guilty for what had happened. It wasn’t his fault in the long run, it was Matty’s, but there was no changing that. What was done was done, but the future…the future was theirs, and nothing was ever going to break them apart.
Nothing.
Not even the suffocating fear that coursed through Matty at that moment.
Because he loved this man.
And he was ready to love him with the whole world knowing.
“I love you, you know that?” Matty whispered, and slowly Wells’s mouth turned up.
“I do.”
“Then it’s a done deal.”
Wells grinned. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, and I promise, I’ll never do what I did before.”
Cupping Matty’s face, Wells nodded. Compassion filled his gaze before his lips turned down just slightly as he held Matty’s stare. “Are you scared?”
Matty prayed the confidence he’d exhibited earlier that day shone at that moment as he shook his head. “Not at all.”
It was a lie, and as soon as he said it, he cursed. He wouldn’t lie to Wells, or better yet, to himself. Not anymore. “No. That’s not true. I’m terrified.”
Wells nodded, but before he could speak, Matty went on, “But I remember way back when you stood in my parents’ front yard, you looked at me and told me you wouldn’t be anywhere but beside me.”
“Was that me?” Wells joked and Matty grinned.
“Only you. And I was an idiot, Wells, really, and I would do anything to change that moment.”
“You weren’t ready.”
“I wasn’t. But honestly, you being there for me is the only thing giving me the strength I need. To come out. To be yours. Completely.”
Wells pressed his forehead to Matty’s lips, sighing as if the weight of the world had just fallen off his shoulders. “That’s all I want.”
And with a certainty he hadn’t felt until that moment, Matty smiled into Wells’s hair and whispered, “Then it’s yours.”
Eight
“You didn’t bring a bag?”
Wells tried to clean a bit, hating the mess that Alex had left, but also hating that Matty had to see that. He didn’t want Matty thinking he’d just thrown the dude to the side. It wasn’t what he’d done, and he didn’t want Matty to get skittish, but to his surprise, Matty seemed unaffected, moving around the room and helping to pick up as best as he could. “Nope, I jumped on a plane and came.”