Ross chuckled, feeling a little self-conscious, which was fairly new for him. “No! Empirical evidence, based on my own parents and watching my sisters raise their own kids. Pat and Desi are great examples, right?”
Tenner shrugged, conceding. “Well, Pat got me and Nina through the diaper years, so I’ll have to give you that. He got me through the divorce too. It was his idea to have Piper pick furniture for my house so she’d feel comfortable.”
“That’s sweet. So, uh….” And just like that, Ross was back to feeling self-conscious. “About that divorce….”
Tenner let out a breath. “It was my fault. I… I never should have told her I was gay.”
Ross’s eyebrows went up to his hairline. “When was that?”
“About a year and a half before the divorce. I… she wanted passion and excitement. I mean, we’re not even thirty yet. She deserved some. And I was not….” He made motions with his hands. “You know.”
Well, this was embarrassing. “Alas, no. Very bisexual. But I’ve been with guys who’ve been all or nothing, so let’s say I do.”
Tenner rolled his eyes. “I should be so lucky. Anyway, I thought it would make her feel better—it wasn’t her issue—she’s beautiful and smart. And she used to be funny. It was a me thing, and she shouldn’t have to live with that.”
“What happened?”
“She stopped touching me, period,” Tenner muttered as if he was ashamed.
And Ross, who had shown up for the mac and cheese and the adorable single father, found his chest becoming very, very tight. “Like, no hugs or….”
“Or holding hands or kisses on the cheek or hanging out in front of the television. No smiles over jokes or telling each other about our day or… none of the good parts. It was like I killed everything between us, even our friendship. And we were really good friends.” He shrugged. “I thought.”
“Oh, baby—” Ross reached across the table to cover his hand at the very least, but Tenner jerked away.
“I should go check on Piper. She gets lost singing to herself sometimes.” And with that, he disappeared up the stairs, leaving Ross to wonder what in the hell he was doing there.
Little Bubbles of Hope
TENNER MOSTLY expected Ross to be gone when he got downstairs with Piper.
He got it—he did.
Tenner had been a hot quick fuck in the dark, and Ross wanted more of that. He’d been human and kind with Piper, and damned seductive as they’d been preparing dinner. But nobody signed on for the long haul when all they’d done was bang someone against a cinderblock wall, right?
And Tenner’s long haul was obviously fraught with some damage. There was the kid, the ex-wife, the obvious caveat that Tenner didn’t do quick and easy. So why would Ross want to hang around for that?
But Tenner couldn’t lie to himself. After those years with Nina, trying to be straight, he’d learned that only led to heartbreak. So he had to admit… he’d sort of liked the guy.
That upper lip curl Ross had when he was being particularly full of himself? Yeah, on the one hand it pissed Tenner off, but on the other?
Dead sexy.
And he’d listened and taken his ration of crap and given back as good as he got.
And he’d been honest about leaving, about the possibility of his return. He’d even seemed to know why it was important.
It wasn’t that Tenner was looking for Mr. Right, or even Mr. Right Now, but God, he refused to start another relationship that was out and out doomed from the get-go. He had to have learned something from those loveless years with Nina, right?
So it had been nice having male company—an adult—in his kitchen, someone who knew a side of Tenner that Tenner had barely shared with anyone.
That surprise kiss had been… tremendous. God, so sweet.
But as Tenner set out Piper’s PJs and made sure her clothes from Nina’s were clean and folded in her backpack, and her “daddy’s house” clothes were in the hamper, he had to admit, he kept waiting for the sound of the front door opening and Ross’s casual, “Thanks for dinner, Ten, see you around!”
But it never happened.
Piper fell asleep while he was loosely braiding her hair for bed. One minute she was sitting up, talking about how someday she would play baseball, and the next minute, her little head had slumped to the side and Tenner had to stretch her out in bed and finish the braid there.
“Night, pumpkin,” he whispered, kissing her forehead, but she didn’t wake up.
He wandered downstairs dispiritedly, wondering how Ross had managed to leave without making any noise, and was surprised to hear Mario Kart in the background.
“Hey,” Ross said from the couch, where he was wielding the remote controller. “You didn’t have any passwords enabled, so I got a head start.”
Tenner found he was staring at the cocky blond god with hunger in his eyes, so he said, “Not much of one,” to cover.
That lip curl, the dead sexy one, made an appearance. “Want to see what I can really do?”
He hadn’t left. He was there, crouched in the stuffed chair, ready to play Mario Kart with Piper and Tenner.
“Sure,” Tenner said. “Piper’s asleep, though. It’ll be just me.”
Ross slid him a sort of sideways smile. “Not a hardship. Now come sit and pick your character. Let the asskicking begin!”
As. If.
TWO HOURS later, they were still neck and neck, and Ross called a time-out—not a halt. He’d been very careful to say it wasn’t over until someone was wiping the floor with someone else, but a pause, while he went to use the bathroom and fetch them both another beer.
It was their third since Piper had gone to bed, and as Ross came back and handed Tenner his, it dawned on Tenner that Ross might not be okay to drive.
“You can stay in the guest bedroom,” he said guilelessly. After all, Ross was a friend. A guy friend. Over for some beers and some gaming. “You don’t have to drive back to Pat’s like this, or take an Uber.”
Ross grimaced. “I’m not sure there’s an Uber out here this late anyway. Wow. I’m sorry.” He sat down on the couch next to Tenner this time, and not in the chair kitty-corner to him. “I honestly didn’t mean to get too buzzed to drive.”
Tenner shrugged. “Pat’s done it a time or two. So have some of the other guys we work with. Piper won’t see anything wrong with it.”
“Mm.” Ross took a hearty swig of his beer as if fortifying himself. “There’s not, you know. Even if I didn’t sleep in the guest bedroom, there’s nothing wrong with me staying the night.”
Tenner stiffened. “I am not—”
Ross held up his hand. “No, that’s not what I meant. No, of course you can’t expose your daughter to every guy you date. I get that. I really get why it’s important for any guy in your life to be Daddy’s friend for a good long time before you tell her anything different, you know?”
Tenner nodded. “It would be the same if I was dating a woman,” he said, and Ross shook his head.