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)
“I say let them come out.”
“I’m not ready for that.”
Wells let out an infuriated breath. “When will you ever be?”
“Wells, don’t be like that. Seriously. This is a big deal. I can’t let them find out like this. My teammates? My family? That’s unfair.”
“Then tell them!”
“I will! But on my own fucking terms! I told you that from the beginning, that I was going to come out to them, to everyone, but I want it on my goddamned terms!”
Wells didn’t say anything for a moment, and Matty could almost see him shaking his head, his brow furrowed as he grumbled about how pissed off he was. Matty knew this man like the back of his hand, and he loved him more than Wells would ever know, but he would never let anyone leak intimate pictures of them. Those were their moments. Not the world’s.
“Fine.”
Matty’s brows rose at Wells response. “Huh?”
“Fine, give me your account number, and I’ll wire you the money.”
“Excuse me?” Matty said, completely stunned. “What are you talking about?”
“I have the money. Remember, Wren just transferred my half of the inheritance I should have gotten a few years back? Since I wouldn’t stop being gay, I had to wait for my sister to get it.”
“Wells, no—”
“I love you, Matty, and I know how you are. This isn’t how it’s going to go down. You need to tell them yourself, and I support that.”
“But it’s so much.”
“You’ll pay me back,” he said with a chuckle. “Or I’ll kill you.”
Matty couldn’t even laugh; his eyes were filling with tears as he shook his head. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Give me your account and routing information. I have a pen ready.”
“Wells—”
“Matthew. Yes, I said your full name, give me your fucking account number and shit so you can do this on your terms.”
So he did.
Even though it felt wrong, and he didn’t want to owe his boyfriend that much money, he knew Wells wouldn’t take no for an answer. But as he read the numbers and his heart slowly calmed in his chest, all he could think was that Wells was more than just a boyfriend. Though, he suspected he’d always known that.
But this, Wells’s willingness to help Matty when he really needed it, confirmed that even more.
Wells really was his everything.
His partner.
A part of his soul.
Twenty
“Thank you.”
Gone was the panic, and back was the rough, low voice Wells adored and craved. He hated the way Matty had sounded when he’d first answered the phone. It hurt him, and while he may not have fully thought through what he’d just done, he really didn’t have a choice. He had to help Matty.
Because he loved him.
Shaking his head, he leaned his hip to Wren’s new kitchen counter. The house she and Jensen had just bought was modest, to say the least. Unlike the one Brie and Vaughn had purchased, over-the-top with too many rooms, this was cute. Five bedrooms and a bonus room. It was ranch style with an upstairs and a downstairs. It was simple and totally them. “Don’t thank me. It’s fine.”
“No, really, Wells. I don’t think you realize how much this means to me.”
Wells smiled as he drew a little hockey stick, then a dog on the pad that had Matty’s account details. “What’s the point of having all this money if it can’t be used for good?”
“You could have donated to something.”
“I still will. I mean, I don’t even know what my grandfather thought I was going to do with all this money, but thank God for it, I guess.”
It was sort of crazy to think he was now a millionaire. He’d always dreamed of being one, but he wanted to do it by playing hockey. That hadn’t happened, though. It was an inheritance he had to get from his sister because he was proudly gay, which apparently was against one of the stipulations in his grandfather’s will. Wren couldn’t have kids out of wedlock, and neither could Wells. Neither of them could be in a same-sex relationship either. If either one of them violated the terms, the other got the whole sum. And if they both violated, their dad got it. So the deal had always been that Wren would get it all and split it between the two of them since Wells had no intention of becoming any less gay. He just wished Matty were as proud about his sexual orientation as he was.
Wells took a deep breath. “I agree with you in the sense that you have to do this on your own. You aren’t like me, no cares in the world about who knows I’m gay, and that’s fine. I love the private part of you, but I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.”
Matty paused for a moment, and Wells knew he probably didn’t have to say what he just did, but he had to for his peace of mind. “Meaning?”