Sweat clung to Dylan’s neck and dotted his T-shirt as he gripped a wrench, straining to loosen the bolt on the front tire. When Alec caught sight of Dylan squatting next to a decrepit motorcycle, inhaling and exhaling became a bit of a chore.

A hard rock song echoed in the space, but not so loud as to be obnoxious. Despite the gaping garage door, the building was stuffy, the air humid. Why start now?Īlec rumbled up the driveway, parked the motorcycle, and stepped into the dim light of the garage. Nothing about his and Dylan’s relationship had been conventional. Then again, Tyler had probably thought the same thing about Memphis. The knot grew tighter when he rounded the corner and spied the large red sign Adams’ Classic Motors.Ĭonventional wisdom probably stated that, since Dylan was the one who’d left, he should be the one to come to Alec. With a knot of nerves in his stomach, Alec made his way up the street on his Harley. Of course, the only way to truly achieve said condition was to win Dylan back. All in all, a fairly lofty goal for an unremarkable Wednesday evening. With Tyler’s words in mind, Alec set about to do as suggested: achieve happiness. “You’d be okay, ten years from now, with me still introducing him as your boyfriend?”Ī small smile edged up his lips. Christ, at this point, Alec couldn’t even count on seeing Dylan again, much less fixing the problems between them. He’d take a lifetime of uncertainty with Dylan over a sure-thing marriage to someone else. “And you could be happy with that, Alec?”Įvery cell in his body screamed yes, forcing Alec to clutch his phone harder just to keep from losing his grip. “I’m saying, I’m hoping he’ll take me back so I can spend the rest of my life with a man who’ll never agree to marriage, Mom.” He was the other half of their matched set, the vital part Alec had sensed he was missing all along.Īlec’s heart twisted painfully. When he stripped everything unnecessary away, all that remained was how he felt about Dylan. And if Dylan spent the rest of his life with Alec, all the while refusing to be called a “partner” or a “significant other,” well, Alec would consider himself the luckiest guy on the planet. Or any other variant Dylan refused to choose. Neither would Dylan defining himself as gay. He wanted to grow old with Dylan by his side, and saying “I do” in front of a judge wouldn’t make Alec any more committed than he already was.

The backup boyfriend by river jaymes