This was deeper than Gene thought he’d ever go with his lover’s brother.
“Callen.”
The man cut him off.
“Please don’t tell him. No one knows. I mean, I think granddad knows, but that’s it. I’m just really confused, and I don’t understand why I feel what I feel.”
Gene wouldn’t tell Ethan because this wasn’t his to tell. This was Callen’s truth, and he wouldn’t do that to a person.
He would give him advice, though.
“You should tell him. That would definitely change the dynamic between you. Ethan would…”
Callen shook his head, stopping him from going there.
“I can’t. All I know is I can’t be attracted to my brother, and I have to figure out why I am.”
Gene tried to help him.
“First, your brother is incredibly sexy, so there’s that. You clearly like women, though, or just that walking STD.”
He was honest.
“I like women more than men. In fact, I only like one man, and I think what happened to me broke me. I’m trying to figure it out, and I can’t get it to solve in my head. It’s like I’m running into a wall trying to get to the answer.”
Gene touched his leg, and instinctually, he moved it.
That told him everything he needed to know. Callen wasn’t lying. That was the telltale sign of abuse.
“Who hurt you?” he asked.
Callen glanced up, but he didn’t answer. That alone told Gene it was someone who had access to him as a child. He’d worked plenty of cases like this, and it made him sick to his stomach.
That changed how he felt about this man.
There was compassion now.
There was mercy, and he understood why Callen did what Callen did, and why he told Ethan while drunk. Sometimes, you had to look into the mirror and see the sins done to you.
“Please tell me it wasn’t your father or grandfather, because if I find out it was, and they hurt Ethan, too, I’m killing them. I’m not good with being calm around shit like that.”
He shook his head.
“No, Granddad saved me, and Wyler is useless. It was my egg donor’s boyfriend when I was younger. Again, please don’t tell Ethan. I don’t want anyone to know. I shouldn’t have told you. I’m sorry.”
Gene stopped him.
Callen had that trapped animal look on his face, and he knew what was next.
Running.
Apparently, it was genetic.
“Breathe. You had to tell someone. It’s okay. I will keep your secret, and I don’t mind that you needed to say it out loud. If that helps you heal, then I understand. Sometimes, telling people is the first step.”
Callen wanted to figure out why he was so fucked up.
He was desperate to do that.
