“Hello to you too, asshole.”
The bartender came over, and I ordered a whiskey.
Greyson took a slug of his beer. “What’s the situation?”
I gave him a quick recap of everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, including Lacey’s final decision about monogamy.
“So, congratulations, you were right,” I finished sourly.
“Damn.” Greyson sighed. “That’s some heavy shit.”
I glared at him in exasperation. “I’m so glad for your infinite wisdom.”
Greyson shrugged, turning his palms up. “What do you want me to say? You’re in a tough place, and I can see why you’re stressing out, but the solution is kind of obvious. Right?”
Obvious? The hell is he talking about?
When I didn’t respond for a minute, his eyes widened into an incredulous stare. “Dude. Are you serious? You have this incredible connection with Lacey, and you’re still going to keep fucking around?”
“I didn’t say that,” I snapped. “I came to talk to you because I don’t know what I’m going to do. This isn’t as simple as you seem to think.”
“I think you could love Lacey. I know you don’t love Daniella.” Greyson shrugged again and almost spilled a little of his beer. “Sounds pretty damn simple to me.”
I didn’t even want to address his use of the L-word. The motherfucker.
“Just because we’re not romantic doesn’t mean Daniella isn’t important to me. We’ve been friends for years. I can’t just ditch her.”
My whiskey chose that moment to arrive. I threw a ten at the bartender and said, “Keep the change,” impatient to finish before Grey could interrupt. “If you got a girlfriend and suddenly stopped hanging out with me, that would make you a tool.”
“But I’m not fucking you, am I?” Greyson laughed at his own joke. “And you’re not just ‘hanging out’ with Daniella. Sex kinda changes the equation.” He pinched his thumb and finger together. “Just a little.”
Why did Greyson have to be so goddamn annoying when he was right? “Yeah, but Daniella needs me. I give her a place to live. I’d be throwing her out on the street.”
“Oh, please. She’s only living with you for free because you insisted. She’ll be fine on her own. Nurses make pretty decent money, and she’s had two years to squirrel away almost all her paychecks. And it’s not like Lacey would insist that you evict her without warning.”
I bit my tongue. Greyson had no idea what he was talking about. My arrangement with Daniella wasn’t just about money. She needed security and stability and emotional support. She also needed kink, and because of her asshole ex-Dom, I was the only person she trusted enough to submit to. The ugly aftermath of her breakup two years ago was still in play now.
But none of that was any of Greyson’s business. I couldn’t blab Daniella’s whole private, painful history just to make a point. And deserting her in a time of need would make me an ass.
Greyson interrupted my stony silence. “Actually, screw this. Daniella’s a big girl. Why not talk to her directly, instead of just talking about her?”
Because that would make this mess feel way too real. Because it meant my whole life was poised on the edge of a cliff. I struggled to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t make Grey laugh in my face.
Eyes narrowed, I folded my arms over my chest. “I’m not doing that.” Bringing this up now would only make her worry. I would tell her when I had a final decision.
“Damn it, Nolan,” Grey muttered. For a long moment, he just stared at me, a somber expression on his face and his beer paused halfway to his mouth. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Holding a friend as he died in your arms would fuck anyone up.”
Oh, hell no. He of all people did not get to throw that in my face.
“This has nothing to do with Marcus,” I growled.
“The fuck it doesn’t.” Finally, Grey set down his glass and spun on the bar stool to face me fully. “You want my honest opinion or not?”
I shrugged. Sure, why the hell not?
“I think you’re an idiot. You’ve got a woman who loves you, and you’re sitting here wringing your hands about it to me. If you end things with Daniella, you can still hang out with her. She’ll still be your friend with her clothes on. But if you end things with Lacey, you lose all of her. Everything your relationship could have been. A whole future full of possibilities. And you’ll regret blowing that chance for the rest of your life.”
“You don’t know that,” I muttered.
“Tell me one thing you like about Lacey, and would genuinely miss if she wasn’t in your life.”
I thought it over for a good long while. There was more than one thing . . . a lot more. Which might have been his entire point in asking me.
“She likes kissing me. A lot,” I finally answered, feeling like a sentimental prick as a smug grin tugged up my lips.
“And Daniella doesn’t?” He chuckled.