Asher: Friend. Kick in the ass. Same thing.
Cameron: LOL! Well, I hoped it helped.
Then another message came before Asher could type a response.
Cameron: Are you still coming to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?
Asher: Yes, I’ll be there.
Cameron: Good. I miss you.
Asher swallowed, and his eyes prickled at the corners. That fucking feeling in his chest returned as his heart pounded hard against his ribs. Only this time, it was accompanied by a flood of warmth and happiness that spread to every cell of his body.
Realization dawned, radiant and shiny and perfect. Christ, he was such an idiot. There wasn’t something wrong with him. Well, nothing wrong except for the fact that it had taken him so long to figure it out.
In his defense, he’d never been in love before, so he felt like he could be excused for not catching on right away.
Asher: I miss you too. I’m so sorry for everything.
Cameron: I’m sorry, too. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Asher grinned. There was a lot more he wanted to tell Cameron, but it wasn’t the kind of thing one said through a series of text messages. He needed to be there, to look Cameron in the eyes when he said them.
Asher: See you tomorrow.
Which gave him a little over twenty-four hours to prepare for the most important conversation of his life.
Chapter Thirteen
Thanksgiving in the Stonehouse was already in full swing by the time four o’clock rolled around the next day.
The smells of roasting turkey, tart cranberries, and freshly baked bread filled the air, making Cameron’s mouth water and his stomach rumble. His mother and aunts had been in the kitchen all day, threatening anyone who came any closer than the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. At least they’d been kind enough to set up an assortment of appetizers along the chest-high counter.
His dad and uncles had planted themselves in the living room in front of the television, yelling loudly about bad calls and red flags. Every once in a while, one of them would grudgingly brave the kitchen to fetch another round of beers for everyone.
Since none of Cameron’s cousins had been able to make it back for the holiday, that left him alone to deal with the craziness. The problem was, he didn’t quite fit anywhere, despite being surrounded by family.
Every time he’d tried to help in the kitchen, he’d been chased out by his increasingly tipsy mother. He had no desire to watch grown men chase a ball up and down a field, either. Well, part of that probably had to do with thecompany. If he had to endure his Uncle Craig ask one more time if he was still “doing the gay thing,” he was going to lose his fucking mind.
Then, there was Natalie. She’d shown up twenty minutes after he had, said hello to everyone, then disappeared upstairs to her old bedroom with her phone clutched to her chest.
At first, he’d guessed she probably had a new boyfriend she didn’t want to tell him about yet. When he’d teased her about it, however, she hadn’t reacted. Nothing. Not a smile. Not a snappy comeback. She’d just shook her head and made a beeline up the stairs. Sensing something was definitely off, he’d gone after her, only to have her slam the door in his face.
She hadn’t surfaced since.
So, when the doorbell rang at a quarter after four, he dropped the book he’d been reading and damn near sprinted through the house to answer it. Wrenching the door open, he stumbled to a stop, his heart pounding wildly as his gaze locked with Asher’s.
Cheeks pink from the cold, Asher smiled as his eyes raked over Cameron from head to toe. “Hey, sweetheart.”
A sheen of mist glistened over his hair in the porch light, making him look like some ridiculously gorgeous angel. A single drop of rain dripped from the strands and rolled down the side of his neck, disappearing into the collar of his black sweater. Cameron tracked its progress,swallowing convulsively as he envisioned leaning closer to lick it away.
“Hey,” he echoed, backing out of the doorway and motioning Asher into the house. “Come on in.”
“Sorry I’m late. There was an accident on the interstate, and traffic was backed up for miles.”
They hadn’t spoken since their brief text exchange, and a little part of Cameron had feared Asher wouldn’t actually show. He’d never been so glad to be proven wrong.
“No worries. I’m just glad you’re here.” Closing the front door, he made a sweeping motion toward the back of the house. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
