Page 109 of Boss and Brat

“But he didn’t mention it in the file,” Carter said.

“I want to see that file.”

“I burned it.”

“Did you read everything first?”

“Yes. Nothing in there about you being gay.”

“He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t betray me.” Ethan kicked lightly at the sand. “I just feel like he knows. He didn’t get upset when my mother said you were playing house with me. I think he knows.”

Carter exhaled slowly. “I don’t know if he knows. Why would he entrust me with you?”

“Maybe he thinks you’re perfect for me,” Ethan said, half teasing, half terrified he meant it too much. “Don’t tell me I’m dreaming.”

“No,” Carter said. “I don’t know your father as well as you do or on the same level either. I never came out to my family.”

Ethan’s chest tightened again, but this time with something like courage. “My mother won’t ever speak to me again. But that’s her loss.”

Carter looked at him with something close to awe. “I’ve never seen you so confident about anything like this.”

“Will you let me talk first?” Ethan asked.

“Yes,” Carter said. “He’s your father.”

***

The drive back to Foggy Basin seemed longer than it ever had before. The road wound through the hills the same way it always did, but Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that every mile was pulling him toward something huge—something he couldn’t undo once it was said out loud.

Carter drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his thigh, fingers tapping every now and then like he was thinking hard but trying not to show it. He didn’t push. Didn’task. Didn’t fill the silence. He just stayed there—solid, steady, an anchor in the storm swirling in Ethan’s chest.

Ethan stared out the window, watching the familiar landscape blur by. The ranch fences. The open fields. The mountains in the distance. It was a strange feeling, like being welcomed home while also being cornered.

His stomach churned with a sudden wave of apprehension.

I’m really going to tell him. I’m actually going to say it.

When they reached the cabin, Ethan’s hands were shaking. He tried to hide it, stuffing them into his pockets as he stepped out of the truck.

Carter noticed anyway. “You okay?”

“No,” Ethan admitted. “But I’m doing it.”

Carter nodded once, firm. “I’m right here.”

Chapter Forty-One

His father arrived not long after. His SUV rumbled up the drive, the sound heavy and familiar. Ethan wiped his palms on his jeans, feeling like he was sixteen again and about to get lectured for something stupid.

They all went inside. An oppressive stillness hung in the living room. His dad sat in Ethan’s usual chair, posture straight, hands resting on his knees. Carter stayed near the wall, giving Ethan space but close enough that Ethan could feel him there.

Ethan sat on the edge of the couch, bouncing his knee until he forced himself to stop.

His father studied him with that steady, unmoving look he always used—brow smooth, jaw set, eyes fixed on Ethan like he was taking in every detail without giving a single one back. “You said you wanted to talk.”

Ethan swallowed hard. His parched tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. “Yeah. I… I need to tell you something.”

A tightness gripped Ethan’s chest when his father didn’t move, didn’t blink. Just waited.