From the farms of Tennessee, Beau Watkins had it all in high school: the cute girl, the popular jock lifestyle, a loving family. As a rising freshman at an out-of-state college, he's determined to find out who he really is behind the fake it 'til you make it attitude. He joins Rainbow Connection, the gay student alliance, hoping to find himself. Instead, he meets Vin Reyes. Raised by his grandparents and the heir to a prosperous company, Vin has been out of the closet since he figured out what that meant. He has it all: fashionable clothing, fancy cars, huge houses, and a real party lifestyle, even a bodyguard. Most of all, he has a secret. Uncomfortable with Vin's generosity, Beau fights his growing attraction for the president of Rainbow Connection, instead chasing a series of shallow affairs. Vin's never been denied anything he wants, though, and now he wants Beau. But it isn’t until an old rival puts Beau in the hospital that Vin realizes Beau means more to him than a simple affair. Can the two of them bridge the gap between their worlds and roll with the all the punches life throws at them?

On a Roll

“I really hope he does, baby boy,” Joanna said. She hugged him tight. “You’re gonna need all the love you can get, now.”


“Well, and so do I, honey. So do I.”23


Beau didn’t talk and that was bad. He also didn’t eat, barely drank, got up once or twice to use the bathroom, and probably hadn’t slept. Vin couldn’t be sure about the last one because—after several hours of fruitlessly attempting to goad his boyfriend into some sort of semblance of an actual living, breathing human being—he had fallen asleep himself. So, Beau might have slept. It was possible. But when Vin woke up, Beau was in exactly the same position: slightly inclined on the bed, hands tucked behind his head, staring at the ceiling. And he had been like that for almost an entire day. Which was definitely edging toward worse.


Chapter 65