Chapter Ten
Eli
Istormed out of Mark’scondo like a bat out of hell, intent on getting as far away as possible so I could breathe without remembering what a complete and utter ass I’d made of myself.
What the hell was I doing making ultimatums and demanding that he come out for me?
Seriously, I have no idea what got into me. Something just switched on once Mark and I were in bed together. The connection we shared was so powerful and strong, it was like I entered some other dimension or something, and I became a man possessed.
Or just turned into an outright asshole.
Instead of enjoying the time I had with Mark and having a fun weekend in bed, I pushed him away and practically antagonized the man for being closeted.
Not my finest moment. I know better than that. It’s never anyone else’s place to judge or pressure another man to come out. Everyone’s timing is different. Just because I found a reason and the courage to do it in my teens doesn’t mean that Mark is required to. Not today, tomorrow or ever.
It must’ve been temporary insanity. That’s the only logical excuse I can come up with for my behavior. Mark turned me so inside out I could barely see straight.
After running out of Mark’s place, I returned to my apartment but realized I didn’t want to be alone. Standing outside my apartment, I sent Addie a text to see if she was available. She gave me the green light to come over and hang with her and Wyatt.
“How’s my angel doing tonight?” I coo in greeting, kissing her on the cheek as I step through her open doorway. “And where’s that handsome boy of yours hiding? Where’s Wyatt?”
This is a game we always play whenever I come over. If Wyatt’s awake, we always start with a game of hide-n-seek. He loves it and honestly, I do, too. The imagination of a kid this age is something that is unlike anything else in life. Reminding me never to take life so seriously.
“Addie, have you seen our cute little Wyatt around anywhere today?”
I give Addie a wink and notice pudgy bare toddler toes sticking out from under the floor-length curtains of their front window.
Addie smiles and lifts her arms in a shrug. “I have no idea! The last time I saw him he was fighting those mean old monsters that were taking siege of his castle. But you better find him, because it’s almost bedtime. Even heroes need to sleep so they can be strong and rested.”
My body and mind like the idea of sleep very much right about now and it feels much later than eight p.m. I’d been over at Mark’s most of the afternoon and past dinnertime, and everything is still a blur. I stare longingly at Addie’s couch where just last night I sat talking dirty to Mark over the phone. Where just the sound of his voice sent me into a fevered-frenzy, turning me on so fiercely that I came in record time.
Shaking those thoughts from my head, I tiptoe over to the curtains and stand there, making loud, exaggerated noises so Wyatt knows where I’m at. His little boy giggles make me grin and help me to forget my worries for the moment.
“Hmm...where could Wyatt be? He’s not under the couch...or in the pantry...and he’s not in his bed...”
Before I can say anything further, Wyatt bursts through the curtains and grabs hold of my leg, laughing and babbling with unsuppressed joy.
“Eeee-iiii! I’m wight heeeeere, E-I!”
I think it’s adorable that Wyatt can’t pronounce my name, so he just says E.I. Melts my heart. Every. Single. Time.
I bend down to pick him up, swing him up in my arms and tossing him to the ceiling before catching him again in a bear hug.
“You little stinker! There you are!”
He giggles and continues to laugh in little fits of hysterics when I find his exposed Buddha belly and blow raspberry kisses on his soft baby skin.
His laughter dies down and his tone turns serious as he wraps his chubby arms around my neck.
“Eeee-iiii, you wead me book?” It’s adorable that he also can’t say his R’s.
I place a kiss on the top of his baby shampoo scented hair and cradle him in my arms. My heart swells to the size of a basketball whenever he asks me to do anything, but especially when it’s reading bedtime stories. I love every moment I get to spend with Wyatt because he’s the closest thing to having a child of my own.
“Of course, I will, buddy,” I agree, letting him scoot out of my arms and to the floor. “You go pick out two books and get into bed and I’ll be right there.”
Wyatt toddles off into his bedroom as I plop down on the couch next to Addie, who is texting on her phone with a huge-ass grin on her face.
Leaning over, I press her shoulder with mine and peek at her phone screen, but she yanks it away before I get a chance to see anything. What she fails to understand, however, is that she’s already given me the entire story without uttering a single word.
