That was when Carson realized they'd been set up. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I have a feeling Kenny's trying to tell us something."
"I don't understand."
Evan shrugged and said, "It's obvious this meeting was his attempt at getting us together. I think he's actually trying to fix us up, and he has no idea we've been seeing each other all this time."
"I guess I should be flattered," Carson said. "Now we can stop sneaking around and being so secretive." He'd already let Evan know he wasn't fond of meeting him in the gym. He wanted to take him back to his loft and make love to him like civilized people.
Evan shook his head. "I know it sounds good," he said. "But I know Kenny, and he's only doing this because he's still mad at Jeffery for getting involved with Darin Bloomberg. He wants to get even with Jeffery. And this is his way of protecting me. He thinks if I'm with someone stable like you, I can't get hurt again. Besides, I don't want our relationship to be public knowledge yet. That kind of news might not hurt my career, but it could hurt yours as a schoolteacher."
"You have a point," Carson said. "But I'm not worried about my job. I've been out of the closet for years and I'm not hiding anything from anyone."
Evan hesitated. He didn't want to say the wrong thing because he really liked Carson. He reached for his hand and held it tightly. "It's not that simple. I'm still married to Jeffery and I'm not ready to let go of that yet." This was getting more complicated than he wanted it to be.
"But he's so bad for you," Carson said. He leaned forward and looked into Evan's eyes. "He'll sleep with anyone, he'll do anything to make money, and from what I've seen and heard, he has no morals or ethics to speak of. I know I'm not perfect, not by any means. I have my quirks just like any other guy. But I think I'm falling in love with you and I don't want to sneak around with you anymore."
Evan sat back and folded his hands on the table. "I'm sorry, Carson. I have to be honest with you. I can't offer you anything more than what we have right now. I still love my husband, in spite of everything you just said. I have strong feelings for you. But I'm just not ready to say it's over with Jeffery."
"If you need more time, I can deal with that," Carson said. "I'm curious about something. When was the last time you saw Jeffery?"
"We speak every day on the phone," Evan said.
"I'm asking about the last time you saw him."
Evan shrugged. "I haven't seen him since before he went on that trip to California. It's been weeks now."
"Does he know about me?" Carson asked.
Evan nodded. "Yes, I've told him I'm seeing you regularly."
"And he's okay with that?"
Evan smiled, but he hesitated even longer. He couldn't tell Carson the truth this time. When Evan had mentioned his relationship with Carson to Jeffery, Jeffery had laughed and said, "Have fun while it lasts. I'm sure he's a competent stud horse." Evan wasn't surprised by Jeffery's reaction. He knew Jeffery tended to be smug that way. Jeffery even said, "I know you still love me, and I also know no man will ever make you feel the way I do. I'm not worried at all."
So Evan took a quick breath and answered Carson's question without going into detail. "Jeffery is respecting the rules of our open marriage." He couldn't tell him Jeffery didn't consider him serious competition. But more than that, Evan wasn't sure how he felt about Carson yet. The only reason he continued to see him was because he thought he might be able to have a real relationship with someone who wasn't interested in things like open marriages. He knew he might have to settle for second best, but it was worth it to get that kind of stability in his life.
"Then I'll wait," Carson said. "I don't care how long it takes. Sooner or later you have to come to your senses and see that Jeffery Charles is no good for you."
But that same afternoon, while Kenny was at football practice and Carson was back at school meeting with another parent who had a kid who really was failing English, Evan opened the door to his apartment and found two dozen long-stemmed roses on his dining table and Jeffery sitting almost naked on his sofa. He was wearing nothing but a red bowtie.
Evan reached out to touch a rose and smiled. He glanced at the way Jeffery was stretched out on the sofa stroking his dick and took a deep breath. Jeffery knew Evan had always had a small secret fetish for men in bowties.
"Where were you?" Jeffery asked.
His deep smooth voice calmed Evan. He wanted to run over and hug him. But Evan remained standing and said, "I had to meet Carson about something this afternoon. Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?" It was a dumb question. Jeffery never called in advance; he just showed up and expected Evan to drop everything for him.