After being kicked out of the Chicago condo where he and his boyfriend have lived together for over three years, Scott Parsons is forced to move back to the suburbs with his widowed mother because he's too broke to pay for a place of his own. Angry and humiliated over being dumped and kicked out, Scott tries to make the best of a bad situation by vowing to save enough money from his low-paying job so he can leave his mother's house and get a place of his own. His mother welcomes Scott back with open arms, but reveals she was secretly married her boyfriend during a trip to Las Vegas a month prior. Scott is surprised by his mother's news and even more surprised when he meets his handsome new stepbrother, Alex. Alex, a Stanford grad, has been living and working in LA, but returns to Chicago to pursue an MBA at the University of Chicago while working for a high-powered accounting firm. Scott and Alex initially butt heads, but soon discover there's more to like than dislike about each other. The first time Alex makes a pass at Scott, he ignores it. But when Alex makes a second attempt, Scott decides to take his stepbrother up on his offer and the two start a relationship. Even though Scott knows getting intimately involved with Alex is a bad idea, he also knows that sometimes a bad idea is just too good to ignore.

Fluidity

Turning, I saw Alex entering the backyard. He looked good dressed in dark jeans, a blue button-down shirt, and a blue blazer. He stopped when he saw Darren, but I waved him over. He smiled and waved back before heading our way.


“Who is that?” Darren asked, looking him over.


“You think?” Darren asked just as Alex came into earshot.


“Hey, Scott,” Alex said. “I’m sorry I dropped by without calling first. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”


“It’s fine,” I assured him. “Alex, this is my friend Darren. Darren, this is my stepbrother, Alex.”


The men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before Darren announced he had to be going.


“Don’t leave on my account,” Alex told him.


“No, I’ve got to pick up my niece from her friend’s house in a half hour, so I need to get going. I just stopped by to see how Scott was doing.” He turned to me. “Talk to you later. And tell your mom that my mom will see her Tuesday at their book club.”


Chapter 18