Damn, he couldn’t believe he’d just said that. The only person he’d ever really talk to about it before was Braden.

Mason didn’t stop walking so neither did Gavin. “No shit?” he asked. “So your family doesn’t support you?”

Gavin thought for a second. “That’s a tough question. They love me. I know they do. They would never disown me, but they don’t support me, either. It’s not the angry kind of non-support.” It was the kind that made his chest ache. The kind filled with guilt when he thought of his parents’ tears and their bone-deep belief that the son they loved would go to Hell.

“Which makes it even worse….”

Mason’s words hung in the air, and Gavin somehow knew he didn’t need to tell Mason that he was right. The kind of—hell, what felt like betrayal—that came from love, no matter how wrong it was, made the pain even greater.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Mason decided to let the heavy conversation go as they continued the climb. Heavy didn’t typically go hand-in-hand with one of the first times he hung out with someone.

It didn’t typically go with him at all.

They talked about nothing and everything at the same time. A little over an hour after talking about Gavin’s family, they took a break to eat before they started up again.

About four o’clock, Mason climbed around a massive rock and around a few trees before turning around to Gavin. “We made it.”

Gavin stumbled on a root. Mason held out a hand for Gavin, which he grabbed, allowing Mason to steady him as he pulled himself up. He didn’t speak for a minute, his eyes slowly taking in the sight in front of them.

“Damn, it’s incredible up here.”

Mason looked out at the mountains, trees and sky—green and blue as far as he could see. Gavin was right. The view was incredible.

“Makes you feel small.”

Mason nudged him. “We jumped out of an airplane today and this makes you feel small?”

Gavin chuckled. “They both do, in a way. Skydiving is a rush, though. You don’t get to take the time to just be in the moment, to think about shit. Up here, you can think; makes you realize there really is a whole world out there, and that does make you feel small.”

Yeah, he got where Gavin came from on that one. “It’s a good kind of small, if that makes sense.” And then, “Look at us, jumping out of planes, hiking and contemplating life. You trying to get me centered, or something?”

Gavin laughed the way Mason hoped he would. The man had a sexy smile, and Mason liked putting it on his face.

“It’s funny, you climb all the way up, just to turn around and go back down.” The softness in Gavin’s voice told Mason he wasn’t ready to leave, which was fine by him.

“Sit down. No one said we had to go anywhere yet.”

Gavin looked Mason’s way and raised a brow. “Bossy, aren’t you?”

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. And just think, I actually am your boss. What should I do with all that power?”

“Are you going to make me regret taking this job? I really wanted to like you, but you know it’s impossible to like asshole bosses. The man always trying to hold us down and all.”

Mason laughed. “Shut up and sit down. My legs are tired.”

“Bossy,” he heard Gavin playfully mumble, but then he sat down, leaning against a rock. Mason went down beside him. It was Gavin who spoke first. “I wish I had my guitar out here with me.”

A light wind brushed over his skin. It was quiet, peaceful and quiet. “Yeah, me, too.” Not just because he wanted to hear Gavin play, either. Just seeing him with a guitar the one time showed Mason how much music helped set Gavin free.

“Why’d you leave your job, man?” Gavin had obviously loved it.

Gavin answered his question with one of his own. “If your family supported you, why didn’t you feel like you fit with them?”

Eh, that was an easy one. “Because I didn’t. Most of it was what I said earlier; they wanted one thing from me and I wanted another. It was hard, though, when you have a good family who would do anything for you. It makes it tough to let them down. Most people would be happy to be handed the reigns to a million-dollar business.”

Gavin picked up a small pebble, rolling it around in his hands. “Not you?”

“Yes and no. I appreciated it, but I didn’t want it. It’s hard to explain. I wanted something I created for myself, ya know? Hell, when I moved to Blackcreek I didn’t even let anyone know who I am. I didn’t want to be associated with Alexander’s. I wanted Creekside to be something Mason did on his own—not Mason Alexander’s experiment. That’s how I had to twist it, though—that I was just a man who owned some restaurants, left them and moved here, when really, to my family, it was my experiment. The plan had originally been to move back to Denver for the restaurants. I love my family. I always have. But I still always felt different. Then one day, I found out why.”