Bitter Taffy Read Free Page A

flavored soup. “Who made this?” he asked. It had come out of a Tupperware container Rico had never seen.
    “Someone in Finn’s family,” Adam said. “They cook for each other. Finn never makes just one loaf of bread—he makes six and then gives them to his parents, and they spread them around. His sister makes soup in like a fifty-gallon drum, and we get enough for a week. You shoulda been here at Easter. Apparently his mom makes these dessert cookies for weeks .”
    Rico smiled, thinking that Adam had been getting love, and he was glad. “Sounds dire.”
    Adam nodded and grinned so wide his cheeks appled. He had a dimple Rico had seldom seen, even when they were children. “Finn got fat ,” Adam whispered. “We had to run Clopper around the neighborhood double-time for a month .”
    “I heard that!” Finn mumbled sleepily from down the hall, and Rico had to laugh.
    He pressed his palms up under his eyes to wipe them—again—and Adam handed him a napkin without a word. “You’re so happy,” Rico said, genuinely joyful in his heart for this. “Our whole lives, I’ve never seen you happy.”
    Adam ducked his head and then looked at him shyly. “And I’ve never seen you hurt.” He reached awkwardly across the table and took Rico’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Rico. I’m so sorry you got hurt. You’re the best guy in the world—all I ever wanted was for you to be happy.”
    Rico tried to smile, because that was the sort of emotional honesty Adam wouldn’t have been brave enough to share before this past Christmas. Before Finn. But that thought just hurt more, because Rico had honestly thought he was going to be able to be brave like Adam. He’d have Ezra and his new job, and he could tell his family that he was gay too, and they could love him or ostracize him, but they couldn’t change him because that was just who he was.
    To Rico’s horror, his smile collapsed, and then so did he, shoving his empty soup bowl and his coffee cup out of the way as he laid his head on the table and came undone.
    Adam draped his warm, solid body over Rico’s back in the mother of all bear hugs and held him as he sobbed out the last of his helplessness—and the last of his hope—for the love and the future that he’d hoped would set him free.
    He wasn’t sure how long he cried, but he had a hazy memory of Adam shoving two ibuprofen and a big glass of water at him before telling him to get undressed while Adam got sheets and blankets for the couch.
    “I’m afraid you’re stuck with us for a while,” Adam apologized.
    Rico grunted. “I have no job—you may be stuck with me so we can all make rent together.”
    To his surprise, Adam grinned. “You say that like it would be a hardship. Dude, I’m sort of in love with your fuckin’ dog, you know that? I was wondering how I was gonna leave him behind.”
    Rico remembered that moment when he’d fallen in love with Clopper at the animal shelter. It was a good one.
    And then Adam made up his bed and Rico lay down on his surprisingly comfortable couch and fell asleep.
    He woke up with a five-pound furry weight purring on his throat, and Adam calling to him over the back of the couch.
    “Hm?” Oh, yawn, stretch, and be very grateful for those two ibuprofen, because otherwise he’d probably have a doozy of a headache. Rico wondered how Adam would know about that, and then didn’t. Adam would know.
    “You need to get up,” Adam said, peering down at him, Finn over his shoulder. In the daylight, Adam looked dark and dangerous. Rico and Adam both had skin that was Mexican brown, but Adam’s time in the military had burnt his face a little darker. He had a sharp nose, hard jaw, and big liquid brown eyes—as well as visible neck tattoos. Finn, his pale boyfriend with the strawberry-blond hair and ginormous blue eyes, looked waifish and winsome next to hardass Adam, but Rico was sort of glad for him. Finn looked like he would understand who Adam really was, and not