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I snorted, and he grinned, knowing I heard him loud and clear. Fuck, did I want to follow his suggestion, but I put Preston first.
Always fucking would.
But maybe a short visit in a few days, a little poke to encourage a step in my direction wouldn’t be a waste.
Chapter 28
Drake
I set the weighted barbell back on the rack and stepped away, my thighs fucking burning over the amount of back squats I’d done. Nothing better than jelly legs after a good workout on a Sunday morning. There was no day of rest in my books, especially since I hadn’t yet found something else to keep me busy now that I’d retired from escorting.
Maybe someday, I would find a way to put my MBA to good use, but for now, I was relaxing and taking care of myself.
Sweat dripped down my chest, soaking my shirt. I lifted the hem and wiped my brow, content in my workout I would pay for later.
AirPods in my ears, I’d been jamming to my favorite playlist. Aerosmith’s “Love in an Elevator” came on before I could take a few wobbly steps across the gym, and my grin broke out in full fucking force.
A call rang through the tune before Tyler even finished the first verse, and I groaned, wishing I could stay in my memories rather than answering.
Dad.
My attitude changed when I saw his name on the screen, my smile fixed back in my place. I hadn’t talked to him since they’d left. Unlike Preston with Jacqueline, Dad and I only spoke about once a month.
“Hey!” I answered. “How’s your trip around the world going?”
“Best vacation of my life,” Dad said, happiness evident in every word.
“Glad to hear it. Where are you?”
“Greece, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.”
We got caught up for a few minutes, just the regular bullshit. I expected his wife was in the shower or at some spa, otherwise the conversation would have been short as fuck since she monopolized his time more often than not.
“So, I wanted to talk to you about something while Jacqueline is in her meeting.” Dad’s voice turned serious.
Sitting on an empty bench near the gym’s far wall, I readied myself for what I expected was coming. “I thought she retired?” I hinted at, wishing I could put off the inevitable.
“This is something personal, she said. I’m not too disappointed, since her being busy gives me a few minutes alone with my little buddy.”
Steeling myself, I asked, “So, what’s up?”
“What are your feelings for Preston?”
Yep. There it was.
If I’d had on pants instead of short shorts, I would have been rubbing my sweating palms down them like Preston always did. “Pretty sure you already know the answer to that one, Dad.”
He released a slow exhale that didn’t sound disappointed or even upset. “You take care of him with more than stepbrotherly love and always have. It was obvious to me when you were both in high school—how you looked at each other when you thought no one watched.”
I made a noise of agreement but didn’t speak. He’d been aware of my feelings before even I was. Dad had always paid attention to me, but I hadn’t realized how much he watched over me.
Had my fucking best interests at heart.
Jesus, could a man be any luckier to have such a father?
“Then that last dinner at the Tribeca loft,” he continued, “you hadn’t seen each other in years, but it was obvious as hell nothing had changed between the two of you.”
Dad and I hadn’t ever bullshitted each other, and I wasn’t about to start now. The cards would fall where they were meant to, but nothing would change what I wanted for my and Preston’s future.
