“I’m sure you’re sorry about that,” she said dryly. “Don’t forget to text me.”
“I won’t.” I said, ending the call and setting the phone onto the wireless charger with a heavy sigh. “Never forget that you are insanely lucky to have turned out gay.”
Reggie stared at me curiously. “Why is that?”
“Because you don’t have to be tied to your ex-spouse for the rest of your life,” I said with a chuckle, taking a sip from my drink and letting the mellow taste roll over my tongue.
“Right, well, first off, gay people have kids sometimes.”
“True.”
“And in my case, I could point out that my husband actually died, so that’s one way to get out of any messy, post breakup shenanigans.”
I grimaced, less so at the reminder, but at the sheer darkness of it. “There is that I suppose.”
He winked at me. “In any case, sorry to drop in, but I realized I’ve been running around so much I haven’t stopped by to just drop a problem in your lap and run.”
It was a very Reggie thing to be concerned about, and I smiled. “I’m not a needy husband who doesn’t realize what kind of work his husband does, Reggie. You don’t have to check in to make sure I feel I’m getting enough attention.”
“Well, someone needs to check on you,” he said, and his eyes flicked over me for a moment before clearing his throat. “In any case?—”
Dull heat passed through me, and I knew it wouldn’t take much to feed it so it flared into something sharper and more demanding. I was obviously watching him find a way not to be distracted by the fact that I was clad only in a pair of loose pants. In all fairness, I rarely dressed this lightly around him, but itwas the first time something like this had happened since we, well, shared a mutual blowjob. He might not have been thinking about it before coming into my room, but his nervousness made me wonder if he was remembering it now.
I certainly was.
“I’m tired and worn down after that conversation,” I said, gesturing to the phone with a grimace. “But I am fine.”
“You always say that, or something close to it,” he said, and while it was a valid point, I really was fine. “You could also ask what I’m sure you’ve been wanting to ask for a week, and I’m sure your ex-wife called to ask you the same question.”
At that, I sighed. “Yes…how has he been doing?”
He grinned. “He’s been doing just fine, better than fine, I would say. I think he’s a little…intimidated by all the guys though.”
I fingered the edge of my glass. “For any reason or just nerves?”
“Just nerves,” he said with a shake of his head. “You don’t honestly think I’d let them get away with making him feel that way, right?”
“No,” I said easily. “But I had to ask.”
“Cade seems to have taken a liking to him.”
“Cade, not Clay?”
He gave me a knowing look. “Clay seems to like him too, notlikehim, but like him.”
I wanted to protest that I wasn’t worried aboutthat,but…well, I could lie to many people, but lying to Reggie was always risky. He was too used to me to fall for my attempts to deflect, but I could never quite be sure if he missed that I was lying and downplaying what was going on in my head, or if he was uncharacteristically letting something go to accommodate me. I didn’t like the idea that he would bend his personality to caterto me, but it was nice to know there was still room in our relationship for me to establish some peace and privacy.
“I’m still going to try not to think about that aspect of his stay too much,” I said with a shrug. “We’ve never really discussed his personal life, not to that degree. I know he’s had a couple of girlfriends, and he’s mentioned dates, but just that they were dates and were…well, he said they were fine.”
Reggie snorted, setting his tablet down and looking at me as he leaned against the small table I rarely used since I usually took my meals in my office. “How frustrating it must be to have someone say something was ‘fine’ and not elaborate.”
“It’s a good thing you’ve never made claims to subtlety,” I told him dryly. “My point is, I don’t know if he is completely straight or?—”
“Bisexual like his old man,” Reggie finished bluntly.
“Correct. I also don’t know…much else.”
“Like if he had or was actively having sex before coming here?”
