Right now the debate was whether the tip of the dart had hit the green or the red. Of course the dart had been yanked out several minutes ago, so it was a pointless argument and both Digger and Nick knew it. They were both grinning as they called each other creative names and pointed their darts in each others faces.
Ty smiled wider as he watched them. The waitress brushed his shoulder and set a basket full of hot wings down on the table. He looked up at her and nodded. “Thank you,” he murmured.
She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “You boys need anything else?” she asked, keeping her hand there as she moved behind him.
Ty arched an eyebrow as he looked across the table at Owen and Kelly. They both answered the waitress with shakes of their heads and muttered “no, maams.” Ty shook his head as well and craned his neck to look up at her. “Thank you, darlin,” he said softly.
“Any time, sweetie,” she answered, the flirtatious undertone to the words hard to miss. She smiled as she let her hand slide off his shoulder and moved away. The touch felt good, and Ty let himself enjoy the attention. He didnt respond to it like he would have a year ago, though.
Nick whistled low as he pulled out his chair and sat with a thump beside Ty. “And youre waiting for what?” he asked Ty as he watched the pretty little waitress move away.
Ty cocked his head at her appreciatively as she moved through the crowded bar, then sighed and turned back to the table, propping his elbows on the scarred wooden top and reaching for a stick of celery out of the wing basket. “I guess Ive slowed down in my old age,” he told them wryly before crunching down on the celery.
Nick raised a disbelieving eyebrow as he leaned closer. Ty glanced at him and looked away quickly before the man could read anything in his face. Nick knew him all too well, though. He knew when to call bullshit.
“Tell us,” Nick ordered with a wide grin. Ty glanced at him, trying to judge his mood. This was the perfect opportunity to tell Nick and the others the truth. Hed come close to confessing to his best friends dozens of times over the years, telling them he was bi or even that as he grew older, he was beginning to realize that he definitely preferred men over women. The fear of being exposed and kicked out of the military and then simply the fear of losing them, especially Nick, had always stopped him. But the military was behind him, and if they were the men Ty thought they were, they wouldnt care. Ty reminded himself that if he could tell Zane he loved him, he could do just about anything.
“Grady? What arent you telling us?” Nick asked quietly. Ty winced. “I never was good at hiding much from you,” he said in resignation. Nick laughed, shaking his head. Ty held his breath and glanced at the others.
“Garrett and I….” Ty put his palm to his chin and swiped at it, glancing down at the table nervously and then looking up at Nick as he tried desperately not to back out. Nicks green eyes were on him, watching him with a mixture of confusion and concern. “Were a little bit more than partners.”
Nick shook his head, frown lines deepening. “I dont understand, man. What does that mean?”
Ty took in a shaky breath and turned the beer bottle in his hands compulsively as he tried to decide how to word his response. “You saying youre… what, hes working black ops with you now?” Kelly asked. Ty came up short. “How do you know about that?”
“Know about what?” Kelly countered with an innocuous blink. “Ty, focus,” Nick muttered.
Ty shook his head and tried to swallow. His mouth had gone completely dry. Kelly and Digger laughed, taking his silence as being sly rather than being sick with nerves.
Nick snorted. “Ty, come on. Im too buzzed to read your mind tonight.” Ty closed his eyes and smiled, just stepping off that ledge like hed always done. “Were f**king,” he said frankly, not surprised when the public admission caused his stomach to roil even harder with nerves. He looked at the other three, then at Nick, breathless as he waited for their reactions.
They were all staring at him, agog. “Are you shitting me? Cause thats not funny,” Nick blurted. Ty swallowed hard and his jaw tightened. A cold dread began to settle in his chest. If Nick didnt handle this well, Ty didnt know what he would do. The others would follow Nicks lead. He shook his head minutely. “Dead serious,” he murmured, voice going just a little cooler.
“Whatre you… are you saying youre g*y?” Digger asked slowly, as if trying to come to terms with information he didnt quite understand.
Ty swallowed with difficulty and wet his lips. His gut was churning as if he truly were in free-fall. He leaned forward. He couldnt read any of them, and that alone made Ty more than a little worried. He nodded anyway. “Yeah. Thats what Im saying.”
He held his breath as he waited for any of them to react, and they took their sweet time. Nick watched Ty for a full minute before he finally looked away. “Well,” he said slowly, obviously still thinking about how to respond. “Im a little surprised,” he finally decided with an uncomfortable laugh. He jerked his hand over his shoulder, pointing his thumb in the vague direction of Tys row house. “And hes the best you can do?” he asked with a growing smirk as he looked sideways at Ty.
Ty stared at him, shocked by the relatively easy acceptance. “Bullshit,” Owen said suddenly. He didnt look surprised at all, merely angry. Ty lowered his chin and looked across the table at him, waiting for the reaction hed dreaded and known at least one of them would have.
“Owen,” Nick said with a slight laugh. He held his hand out across the table. “Whats it matter, man?” he asked good-naturedly. “Its bullshit,” Owen repeated with a shake of his head. “No,” Ty said quietly.
“All those years in the field and you knew this?” Owen asked angrily. Ty cocked his head, narrowing his eyes at Owen without saying a word. Nothing he said or did would make it better if Owen was pissed. He was surprised it was only Owen, in fact.
“Owen, man, its not like its catching or anything,” Kelly said quietly as he sat back in his chair. Ty glanced at him in mild surprise, then back at Owen as the man stood up suddenly.
“You telling us all those f**king years you were supposed to have our backs you knew you were queer and didnt tell us?” Owen growled. Heads began to turn. “Jesus Christ,” Digger said angrily as he stood and grabbed at Owens collar. “Whats your problem, jackass? This is Grady youre talking to!”
Ty merely sighed and began rubbing at a spot of tension in the back of his neck. It had been there for a solid week now. “Let him go,” Nick told Digger calmly. Digger turned to look at him, scowling mutinously, but he released Owens shirt, giving him a small shove just to make himself feel better.