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

“You had no idea, did you?” my mother asked.


“No, but it doesn’t matter. Like I said, Alex and I aren’t moving in together. We’re just enjoying each other’s company.”


“He’s practically a married man!”


“Stop being so melodramatic, Mom. You make it sound like I’m a homewrecker or something. Alex isn’t married and I’m not even sure I believe he’s engaged, but so what if he is? He’s free to do what he wants and so am I.”


“I just don’t want to see you end up with a broken heart again. After everything that happened with Christopher—”


“This isn’t like that! God, why do you keep rubbing my relationship with Chris in my face? Do you enjoy making me feel like shit over and over again?”


“I’m not?you know I’m only concerned about your well-being.”


“If you’re so concerned, then stop bringing Chris up. He dumped me, it’s over, and I’ve moved on. What part of that don’t you understand?”


“Stay out of my personal life, Mom! I mean it!”


Chapter 27