Cam’s eyebrows lifted.

“I want to meet your father. Your sister and her husband. Your nieces and nephews. You’ve met the only family I have. Milly. Now it’s time that I meet yours.”

“Right now?” Cam’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

“No. Right now, you need to go talk to Roan.”

Cam nodded. “I want you to go with me.”

Gannon shook his head. Although he would give anything to be a fly on the wall, this was something Cam needed to do on his own. Roan would feel as though they’d ganged up on him, and that wasn’t fair to the friendship they’d built through the years. “Why don’t I figure out dinner while you go talk to him?”

Cam took a deep breath, let it out. “All right. But you have to promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I want you to stay the night with me tonight.”

Gannon pretended to consider that for a moment, then laughed when Cam grabbed his face and pressed a loud, sloppy kiss on his mouth.

“Okay,” Gannon said, pushing Cam back. “I’ll stay.”

“Good.” Cam grabbed his cell phone from the charger on the counter, then took a step back. “Now wish me luck.”

“I was thinking you should wish me luck,” Gannon retorted. “I’ve seen what’s in your refrigerator. Or rather, what’s not.”

Thirty-Six

Cam hated leaving Gannon behind in his apartment. He would’ve preferred to stay there with him, get naked, and have some hot, sweaty makeup sex.

After all, what was the point of arguing if you couldn’t have makeup sex?

Instead, Cam was going to have one of the most difficult conversations of his life. With his best friend.

As he made his way down the stairs, he grabbed his phone from his pocket. It took a second to pull up Roan’s number and hit the call button. Another second and Roan answered.

“Hey,” Cam greeted. “Can we talk?” Noticing Roan’s SUV in the parking lot, he added, “Where are you?”

“Down on the dock.”

“I’ll be there in a second. Cool?”

“Yeah.”

Cam hung up the phone, made his way across the gravel parking lot in front of the marina office, past the security gate, then to the private pier that led down to the water. He slowed when he noticed Dare walking toward him.

“He okay?” Cam asked, stopping in front of Dare.

Dare turned to look back down the pier. “He will be. He’s confused, yeah.”

“I swear to God I had no idea,” Cam blurted.

“I know. And he knows that, too.” Dare shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “I think he’s worried that your friendship’s at risk.”

“That’s what Gannon said.”

Dare smiled. “Gannon’s a good guy. I like him. And I like him for you. Y’all figure it out?”

“Yeah.” Cam couldn’t contain the smile when he thought about how he’d proposed. Dropping his head and staring down at his feet, Cam added, “I’m gonna get back into counseling. He’s gonna go with me.”

“I think that’s smart,” Dare said when Cam met his gaze. “Love’s not easy, man. But when you find that person … it’s worth it.”

Cam sensed that there was something Dare wasn’t saying. They’d been friends for a long time. Not nearly as long as Cam had been friends with Roan, but fourteen years was a long damn time. In all that time, Cam had never known Dare to have a serious relationship. But he wondered if there hadn’t been someone at some point.

“I’ll get outta your hair. Go talk to him,” Dare said, shrugging his shoulder toward the lake. “See ya tomorrow.”

“Later.” Cam remained where he was as Dare headed back toward the office.

After a few deep breaths, he forced his feet to carry him down the pier toward the lake. He found Roan sitting on the edge, feet dangling in the water, a beer in his hand.

“Hey,” he greeted, dropping down onto the wood beside Roan.

“Man, look,” Roan began, but Cam cut him off.

“If you’re gonna apologize, I’m gonna punch you.”

Roan’s eyes slammed into his. Cam smiled.

“I owe you an apology,” Roan stated defensively.

“No, you owe me a beer,” he countered, nodding toward the cooler beside Roan.

Roan handed over a beer.

“We haven’t talked much in the last few weeks,” Cam said, twisting off the lid. “And I’m sorry about that. This thing with Gannon…”

“You love him.”

Cam noticed it wasn’t a question.

“I love him,” Cam confirmed. “I plan to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him, Roan.”

Roan’s eyes widened, but he didn’t speak.

Cam continued, “But I want you to know that our friendship—yours and mine—it means everything to me. And Gannon knows that. Hell, I asked him to come down here with me, and he told me that this was something you and I needed to work out. He doesn’t want to come between us.”

Roan released a breath. “I don’t know what I’ve been thinkin’. When I told you I was in love with you, I thought it made sense. In my head, it did, but when the words came out ... it just felt weird.”

Maybe Dare and Gannon were right, Roan wasn’t in love with him; he was simply worried about the friendship.

Roan continued, “Doesn’t mean it’s real. But it’s confusing, nonetheless. Regardless, I want you to be happy, man. And I can see Gannon does that. He makes you happy.”

“He does,” Cam agreed. “Doesn’t mean things are easy with us, but no one’s perfect. The shit we’ve been through—before we ever met—that plays a huge role in our relationship. But I love him enough to move past it.”

“How do you do that?” Roan asked, turning and peering out at the water. “He travels and that shit freaks you out.”

Roan sounded genuinely curious, so Cam answered. “I’m gonna go back to counseling. He’s gonna go with me. It might not be easy, but we’ll get through it.”

“Can you get past it?”

“Maybe.” Cam didn’t know the answer to that, but he was willing to do whatever it took to keep Gannon in his life.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Cam watched the sun slowly slide past the horizon, drinking his beer and enjoying the peace and quiet.

“I don’t want this to fuck up our friendship,” Roan finally said.

“It won’t.” Cam nudged him with his shoulder. “Just as long as you don’t try to fucking kiss me, man. It’d be like kissin’ my sister. Not cool at all.”

Roan laughed, and Cam was glad he could see the humor in that. “Are you comparing me to your sister?”

“No.” Cam smirked. “Don’t tell her I said this, but I think you’re prettier.”

Roan shoved Cam, making him laugh.

“I’m not pretty,” Roan argued.

Cam shrugged. “I don’t know about that.”

Roan met Cam’s gaze, his smile disappearing. “We’re cool?”

“We’re cool,” Cam assured him, finishing off his beer. “I need to get back upstairs. Gannon’s makin’ dinner, and I have no idea what the hell he’s gonna find in that pantry.”

Roan laughed. “Whatever he finds, I’m sure it’s expired.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Cam got to his feet. “You need anything?”

“Nah,” Roan said, looking up at him briefly. “I’m just gonna chill for a while.”

Cam turned to walk away.

“But hey,” Roan called out.

Cam stopped, turned back toward him.

“I’m gonna have to come upstairs at some point, so could you keep all that moaning and shit to a minimum?”

Cam laughed, grateful it was dark so Roan didn’t see him blush. “I’ll do my best to keep Gannon quiet.”

“Not him,” Roan said, chuckling. “You. You’re the screamer.”

Cam shook his head, then turned back toward the marina office.

Gannon had just set everything out on the table when Cam returned. He hadn’t known how long Cam would be gone, but he’d wanted to be prepared, so he’d heated up the oven and tossed the frozen pizza in, figuring he could microwave it if necessary.

Cam stepped into the apartment, and Gannon looked him over. “You okay?”