Patrick Holt is lonely. A bad breakup with his boyfriend has left the forty-year-old ophthalmologist reluctant to get involved with another man. When his neighbor sets him up with her brother-in-law Eric, Patrick prepares himself for disappointment. But Patrick quickly finds himself surprised and charmed by Eric, and Eric, who’s had relationship problems of his own in the past, falls hard and fast for Patrick.<br><br>On the outside, Eric seems like a great guy: young and attractive with a promising job as an assistant manager at a Chicago hotel. But Eric has a dark side he and his family are hiding from Patrick. When the truth is finally revealed and Eric’s secrets are exposed, will Patrick be willing to go the distance with Eric? Or will he run as fast as he can from the new man in his life?

Baggage

Of course, he doesn’t know…I can’t tell him about that yet.


I knew I was the “he” and “him” in those statements, but I wished to God I knew what Eric was talking about. What was he hiding from me? Clearly, Greg knew, but why couldn’t Eric share whatever it was with me? And what happened in California? I remembered Greg’s comment a few weeks ago about him and Gary having to keep a closer watch over Eric after the “mess” he’d made for himself in San Diego. What the hell had happened out there?


Eric hadn’t said much to me about his life on the West Coast. Every now and then, he’d say something trivial about San Diego, commenting on the weather there or the cost of living, but he’d never spoken at any great length about his life or Matthew, his ex, there. Yes, I knew he and Matthew had a terrible breakup that “devastated” him, but that was it. I was dying to ask Eric what he and Greg had been talking about, but I didn’t want to admit I’d been eavesdropping on their conversation.


Chapter 31