Chapter Eleven

“I’m slightly perplexed by the housewarming happening before you move in,” Will said as Riley finished the tour of the townhouse he and Carter would be moving into in a few weeks.

“Well, Carter and I never have done anything in the proper order.” Riley chuckled. “In this case, it mostly has to do with the kids’ schedules. They’re starting school in a few weeks—right after Labor Day—and we’ll be moving in sometime around mid-September. We figured by the time we got the kids settled and the house ready, it would be late fall and things would start getting crazy with the holidays.”

“That makes sense.” Will smiled and changed the subject. “It seems like you’re settling into the parental role well.”

Riley shrugged and leaned a hip against the kitchen counter. “I’m trying. Sadie and Dylan seem pretty comfortable with me and they’re excited about the move. They’ve always liked Audrey and Max’s place, it’s closer to their school, and—best of all—they get their own bedrooms now.”

“Yeah, it’s a great place.” Will looked out of the wall of windows in the kitchen at the back of the house. It overlooked a private garden—a rare thing in Manhattan. “Four bedrooms, plus the top floor you could finish if you want—thinking about more kids?”

“No. I don’t think so. Carter and I are pretty content with where we are. I think Sadie and Dylan will keep us plenty busy.” Riley’s face softened every time he mentioned the kids. His happiness was palpable.

“Where are they tonight? Is Carter’s ex bringing them by?”

“No, Kate and Robert took them on vacation. We have them Labor Day weekend and we’ll be making a trip to the beach house.”

“That’ll be fun. You guys are welcome to stop by Garden City on the way to or from there. It’s on the way from Manhattan.”

Riley raised an eyebrow. “You sure you want to subject yourself to that?”

“Well, I wasn’t suggesting you all move in or anything. Just stop and grab an ice-cream cone.” Will chuckled. “And I do like kids, you know. In fact, now that they’re back from summer camp, I’m getting to know Adam and Jocelyn, my sister’s kids. They’re weirded out by having an uncle they’d never met before, but they’re starting to get used to the idea. Buying presents in apology hasn’t hurt, either. Olivia had to gently remind me I don’t need to buy their love.”

“I’m glad to hear things are improving with your family. How’s your dad doing?”

“Not well. I went with him to his appointment with the oncologist in Philly and the prognosis is pretty grim.”

“I’m sorry.” Riley covered Will’s hand with his own.

Will smiled thinly. “Thank you. I think my mom is still somewhat in denial.”

“I take it things are going better with you and your father?”

“They are. I took the suggestions you and David gave me and found some common ground. I wouldn’t say it’s undone all the issues we have, but we’re making progress.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Riley smiled. “Speaking of the hot senator…how is that going?”

Will chuckled. “I’ll have to tell him you called him that. He’ll be amused. And to answer your question, it’s going well. We’re…well, to be honest, I don’t know what we’re doing. But we definitely have stopped deliberately antagonizing each other.”

Riley grinned. “From that smile on your face, I’d say it’s more than that.”

Will cleared his throat. “Let’s say I discovered how good Senator Mori looks with his suit off. And his way with words is not reserved for the Senate floor.”

“Well done, Will,” Riley murmured, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. He sobered quickly. “Is this casual or is it leading to something else?”

“We haven’t discussed it, to be honest. I-I don’t know. Hell. I’m not sure what I want.” Will raked a hand through his hair. “I enjoy the time we spend together—in and out of the bedroom. But there’s the vastly differing political opinions and situation with my father…”

“What do you mean? The fact that David and your father work together?”

“That’s part of it, yeah.” Will licked his lips. “David and I are keeping it all a secret. Well, from my family, anyway. My relationship with my father is so tentative right now and I have no idea how he’d feel about my involvement with David. There’s so much to lose, you know? It could derail all the progress we’ve made, strain his relationship with David, and to do all that while he’s so ill? I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Riley nodded. “That makes sense.”

“So, I don’t know where things with David can realistically go. Or if it should go anywhere.”

“Fair enough.” Riley hummed thoughtfully. “I assume it’s more than ‘wham, bam, thank you, Senator’, right?”

Will laughed. “It is. We go out to dinner occasionally and take his dog for walks and stuff like that. Friends with benefits, I guess.”

Riley frowned. “Feel free to tell me if I’m out of place, but are you—I don’t want to say capable, but suited to that kind of thing? You and I started out pretty casual, but it didn’t stay that way.”

“You’re right.” Will nodded, surprised that Riley’s observation didn’t sting more. “I’m not great at casual.”

Then again, are things with David really casual anymore? he asked himself. His father’s illness and the situation with Isabel had brought them closer and led to them emotionally supporting each other. They couldn’t go back now. Even if they could, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. But where did that leave them?

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Riley glanced down. “I know that’s probably hypocritical coming from the guy who hurt you but…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Will reassured him. “I don’t know if it’s the thing with David or time and distance, hell, maybe it’s seeing you and Carter together, but I’m feeling good about things. We were never right together and I’m okay with that.”

Riley flashed him a bright smile. “I’m glad to hear it. And I don’t want you to think I’m not supportive of what you have going on with David. I think you need someone while you’re there.”

Will nodded. “Thanks. I—”

“I thought you were throwing a party tonight, Riley. What are you doing standing around talking?” a female voice interrupted them.

Will turned to see Carter’s sister Audrey, arms laden with market bags. She flashed him a grin when he moved to take them from her.

“I waited for you to get here so I could put you to work,” Riley teased. He pointed to the counter to indicate Will could set the bags there.

“For that, I may charge you and my brother extra to buy this place.” Audrey patted Will’s arm as she went past. “Hey, Will. Nice to see you.”

“Nice to see you too, Audrey.” Will nodded at Audrey’s husband who’d walked in. “Hey, Max.”

“Hey, glad you could be here, Will.” They shook hands, then exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Riley cleared his throat.

“All teasing aside, Audrey is right. I have a few things to prep before the party. That was part of the deal, Will. You get here early and I put you to work. I know you’re useless in the kitchen but I figure you can schlep stuff and help set up.”

“I’m getting better,” he protested with a laugh. “I’ve helped my, ah, friend, David, in the kitchen a few times now.”

Riley snorted at Will’s lame attempt at subterfuge. “Oh, I bet you have,” he muttered under his breath.

Will grinned and elbowed him playfully. “That’s definitely not what I meant.”

Several hours later, Will surveyed the party. Music played on a set of speakers, drinks flowed, food was being devoured and the yard—lit with string lights and torches—looked festive as people milled around, talking and laughing.

Carter had made a grand announcement about his new career path with Corporate Equality Campaign and when he walked over to the food table, Will approached him to congratulate him on the house and job. Their exchange seemed slightly forced and Will felt guilty that Carter was still so uncomfortable around him. He needed to work on that, because he really had turned the page on the relationship with Riley.

“Riley’s been telling me a bit about Corporate Equality Campaign,” Will said, “and the work they do to ensure the rights of LGBTQ employees in the corporate workplace. It sounds pretty fascinating.”

Carter nodded. “It is. It’s very necessary work, too. They’re one of the only advocacy groups in the country that focuses on corporate policies and practices pertinent to people like us. Being out in the workplace isn’t something that should kill a person’s career.”

“Like it did yours?” Carter’s coming out had torched both his relationship with his parents and his career. It hadn’t helped that Carter’s family had established the advertising firm where he and his father worked.

Carter dipped his head. “Yes, though coming out wasn’t the only reason my career at Hamilton Ad ended. I could have fought to keep my position at the firm, maybe even won, especially if I’d had someone at the CEC helping me. It didn’t seem worth it, though. I wasn’t content there, for many reasons. By the time I felt ready to come out, I was also ready to leave the firm. Being disowned by my parents made it a hell of a lot easier to leave, too.”

Will nodded. He had more in common with Carter than he’d realized. “That takes some kind of balls,” he said sincerely. “Good to hear that you’ll be loaning yours out to other people in the same position who need them.”

Carter huffed a laugh, and his expression lightened. “You’ve certainly got a way with words, Will. I may just add that to the skill set on my résumé.”

“Feel free.” Will relaxed, glad he and Carter were finally finding some ease in their conversations.

“How are you doing?” Carter asked more seriously. “Riley mentioned someone in your family was ill and you were spending a lot of time on Long Island.”

Will nodded and pitched his voice lower. “Please don’t repeat this to anyone, but my father has cancer. The prognosis is…not good. His staff are trying to keep it from the media until he’s ready to make a formal announcement.”

Carter frowned. “I’m sorry, I feel like I should know who your father is, but Riley’s never mentioned him. Or if he did, it’s slipped my mind.”

Will waved off his apology, surprised Riley hadn’t told his boyfriend more. “My father is New York State Senator William Martin.”

Carter opened his mouth in a small ‘o’ of surprise. “I understand the discretion, then. Nothing you tell me will travel any further than this conversation.”

“I appreciate that.” Will sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “It’s been a difficult summer. My father and I have been estranged for years, you see. I went to Long Island to support my mother and sister, but my father seems like he’s softening a little. Or maybe it’s just the painkillers.” His laugh held a touch of bitterness. Will hadn’t admitted that to anyone before but the thought had definitely crossed his mind. Was his father’s change of heart real or a byproduct of the opioids?

“I really am sorry you’re going through this,” Carter said. “I can’t imagine how difficult this has been for you all. I know we’ve had our differences, but please, if there’s anything Riley or I can do…”

“Thank you. I appreciate that. I’ll be fine, though. Believe it or not, seeing you all at the bar every couple of weeks has been a real sanity saver. David’s also been a huge help and—” Will cut himself off and grimaced.

“David Mori.” Will wondered if he’d made a misstep. “This is also off the record. David’s a first-term senator who works with my father. He’s a great guy, but on the other end of the political spectrum from me. It’s…complicated.”

“I would imagine.” Carter looked over at where Riley and Audrey were chatting. “But, hey, some people are worth the complications.”

Will nodded, surprised but appreciative of Carter’s support. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The line at the table finally moved forward. After Will and Carter filled their plates, they went their separate ways.

He found an open seat on a chair next to his friend Natalie in a relatively quiet corner of the yard. “Mind if I sit?” he asked. Natalie had been the one to introduce him to Riley in the first place, more than a year and a half ago.

She gave him a wide smile. “Not at all. I was hoping we could catch up!” Their schedules hadn’t allowed them to do much more than email or text lately. He had done his best to keep her abreast of the situation with his family and progress with David, but there had been little time for anything else.

“I know.” Will made a face and reached for a mini vegetable tart. “I’ve been so busy I feel like we’ve lost touch.”

She patted his knee. “You’ve had a lot going on. Besides, I can’t take it personally when you’re hardly keeping up with Gabe and Charles, either.”

“Charles doesn’t seem to understand my continued friendship with Riley and it leaves us at kind of an impasse.”

She shifted in her chair to face him. “I think he and Gabe are having trouble.”

“Yeah, I know they did, but I thought things had settled down.” Will pushed a peapod through the chive and dill dip.

Natalie shrugged. “Jealousy issues have cropped up again. Charles is on a tear about Gabe’s new sous chef at the restaurant. I guess he’s very good-looking.”

Will frowned. “Why the hell didn’t Gabe mention this when we had lunch the other day?”

“I’m sure he didn’t want to bother you with everything that’s going on in your life,” Natalie said gently before she lifted a bite of food to her lips.

“Will, you’ve moved back in with your estranged family and are trying to rebuild those relationships while coming to terms with your father dying. I think you can cut yourself a little bit of slack.”

He huffed a laugh. “Well, when you put it that way…” He grew serious. “The thing is, dealing with my father and meeting David highlighted the fact that there are some things about myself I don’t like. My temper is way too short, I steamroll over other people and don’t listen to them, and I’m way too quick to make snap judgments. It’s not pretty, Nat.”

“Well, admitting the problem is the first step, right? Just keep working at it.” Natalie gave him a soft, sympathetic smile and nodded toward Riley and Carter who sat on a bench across the yard and appeared to be in their own world. “Am I right in assuming David’s also making it a lot easier for you to be comfortable with that?”

Will watched Riley play with the hair at the nape of Carter’s neck then lean in to kiss him. Longing thrummed through Will, but not for Riley. For David. Funny, when had that happened?

“You may be right,” he said to Natalie. He jolted slightly as he remembered Riley’s comment about his tendency to fall for his bed partners. David was having a much bigger impact on his life than he ever would have anticipated. And, it felt good to talk about David with someone. At home—on Long Island, he corrected himself—he had to watch what he said so carefully around his family. But he trusted his friends to keep the information under wraps and it felt nice to relax and talk about the person he’d spent so much time with lately.

In fact, he’d like to introduce David to the speakeasy guys and Natalie. He thought they would actually get along quite well.

An outburst of laughter came from the corner where Riley and Carter were now talking with Jesse and Ingrid, his date. As Will watched, Riley and Ingrid, a striking blonde, stood and disappeared into the house while Carter and Jesse settled into conversation.

“They’re an interesting group, aren’t they?” Natalie said, drawing his attention back to her.

“They are,” Will agreed. “I’ve been to Kyle and Jesse’s speakeasy a few times and I’ve gotten to know them some.”

Will nodded toward the dark-haired Kyle, who was talking to Audrey and Max. “The hot hipster. Well, I guess both he and Max could be described that way, but I meant the one on the left.”

“Dinner meeting with a producer about a new show.” Natalie’s boyfriend was a choreographer for the New York City Ballet. “He’s sorry to miss you, by the way.”

“Tell him I said hi. Hopefully we can all catch up when I’m here next time.”

Will liked Julian a lot and he seemed to be the perfect foil for Natalie. Other than a few relatively minor bumps along the way, they seemed to be doing well.

“It’s going great.” Natalie’s face lit up. “We’re taking a trip to Italy in a few weeks to visit my family.”

“We planned it so we’d be there for the grape harvest.” Natalie shifted in her seat and settled the fashionable floral skirt she wore around her knees.

“I’m envious. I can’t think of the last time I traveled anywhere. I didn’t even make it to P-town with the guys this year.”

Natalie offered a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure your family appreciates the sacrifices you’ve made.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he muttered. “A missed trip is nothing compared to what my parents are dealing with.”

Natalie reached out and squeezed his thigh. “Of course not. And I didn’t intend it as criticism. I meant I’m amazed by how willing you’ve been to put your life on hold while you help out. I can’t believe you’re taking a sabbatical from NYU!”

“I’m not sure I can believe it either,” Will admitted. “A few months ago, if someone had said I’d be trying to line up a guest lecturer position at another university in order to spend more time with my father, I’d have told them they should see a shrink.”

Natalie snorted delicately, but quickly turned serious. “I think it’s pretty incredible, to be honest.”

Will waved off her praise. “As everyone keeps reminding me, this may be the last opportunity I have to make peace with my father. I didn’t want to live with any regrets.” He sighed. “Which is why I’m packing up a good share of my personal belongings this weekend and either putting them in storage or taking them to Long Island.”

“Yeah, I figured it was the best way to make up the loss of income from teaching. Book sales help, and so do my investments, but not enough to justify paying for a one bedroom in Tribeca I’m not even living in.”

“Makes sense. I bet you never imagined living with your parents again at this age, did you?” Natalie joked.

She chuckled, then stood gracefully and gestured for him to stand. “C’mon, I think we both need another drink. And you need to re-introduce me to some of the pretty men around here.”

Hours later, Will collapsed on the bed in his apartment, his head spinning slightly from the excellent booze that had flowed at the party. He couldn’t resist the urge to message David, despite the late hour.

Will nearly dozed off waiting for David’s reply. He assumed David had gone to bed and shut off his personal cell, like he usually did. He forced himself to get up so he could brush his teeth and prepare for bed. He’d stripped down and put on a clean pair of pajama pants when his phone pinged with a message.

Just got home, actually. I had dinner with Isabel and Allen and she and I stayed up talking.

“Nothing new, per se. More of the same fights with Allen about fertility treatments. He and I got into it a bit, which wasn’t my plan, but it’s hard to see her upset and not want to go off on him for being willing to endanger her health.”

“Thanks. I’m just frustrated. And she’s frustrated and it’s a whole huge mess, unfortunately,” David continued. Will listened and put in the appropriate responses when he could.

After he’d filled Will in on the conversation, David let out a soft laugh. “God, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to dump that all on you.”

“Hey, no need to apologize,” Will said gently. He didn’t mind listening to David vent—he’d certainly listened to Will complain often enough, but he wished he could do more to help. “I’m happy to listen.”

“It’s impressive you’ve managed to build such a good friendship, under the circumstances.”

Will laughed. “Oh, believe me, I was bitter as hell at first. But they’re appallingly good together in a way Riley and I never were. And now that I’m getting to know him, I genuinely like Carter. Plus, being friends with the other guys makes it all a lot easier.”

“I try. I mean, I am da—sleeping with a Republican senator. I have to keep things balanced.” He winced at his near slip of the tongue. He’d almost said he was dating David. But they’d certainly never discussed that.

“Well, Jesse and the whole group,” Will explained. “You know. You’ve met my family and I’ve met your sister. It would be nice for you to meet my friends.”

“I thought about it at the party,” Will confessed. He wasn’t about to admit he’d missed David, but that was close enough, right? “That you’d fit in with the guys. Uh, politics aside.”

David snorted. “Well, as long as they’re not afraid of a rousing debate, we’ll do fine.”

“I think they’ll be able to hold their own,” Will said. “And I know you can.”

David yawned. “Ugh, you know, if I weren’t so tired I’d think about driving into Manhattan tonight.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe there’s a hot law professor I’m thinking about getting naked with.”

“I’d leave the door unlocked. And I might even wake up if you crawled into my bed.”

“Tired or not, I’m tempted. Unfortunately, I’m meeting a friend from college for brunch. An early brunch.”

An irrational stab of jealousy went through Will. “Sounds like fun,” he said aloud.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice catching up with her.” A female friend then. Interesting. Had David heard something in his voice? Before Will could respond, David continued. “When are you going to be back?”

“Monday night at the earliest. I have to get my apartment packed up to either bring to Garden City or put in storage.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m sorry you’ll be spending the fall on Long Island.”

“I never expected to say this, but me either,” Will said. “Now, I guess I’d better let you get to sleep, huh?”

“That would be good.” David yawned, this time loud enough that Will could hear his jaw crack. “Glad we got to talk.”