“I did?” He had, but not in public. He read the article and photo captions. He’d been seen talking to a guy and someone had speculated that he’d finally announced that he was homosexual. He was throwing his career away. The desolation over losing a family member had made him go off the deep end. “Well, shit.” He stared at Mick. “None of that’s true.”
“I know.” Mick put the tablet down. “What do you want to do? You can’t let this go without some sort of response.”
Evan sighed. He’d been through the wringer today and didn’t want to deal with his career, but Mick was right. There was only one thing to do—own his story. “Let’s make a video.”
“You’re sure?” Mick asked. “It’ll change everything.”
“I know.” As much as he didn’t want to deal with the shit from his music career, he was at peace with his decision to come out. No one should be forced out, but if he had to be honest, then he’d out himself on his own terms. “I’m ready.” He knew what he wanted to say, too. “Are you willing to record me?”
“I will.” Mick smiled. “Of course I will.”
“Even if you’re only behind the camera, you’ll get dragged through the mud. Are you willing to come down this road with me?” Mick would be tracked by the media and probably be a local sensation. But…Evan should write down what he’d just said. Come down this road with me. He could use the line in a song. Mick’s song.
“I’m not ashamed of who I am or who I’m with.” Mick embraced Evan. “I’m in this with you. If you want to name me, then cool. I’m good with being in the shadows, too.”
“You’ll be made an example.” He knew so. He’d seen others turned into examples. Don’t be like this guy or don’t follow his footsteps. It was bullshit, but Evan had seen too many lives fucked with.
“Then I will.” Mick shrugged. “I’m an adult. I can handle it.”
“Then let me log in to my social media account. I’ve got one that handles all my various platforms.” Evan tapped the information into Mick’s tablet. “I’m ready to make things official.”
“Us, too?”
“Us, too.” He logged into the account. “It’ll post everywhere, but the video will go to my fan group—small as it is—first.” He composed himself and stood in front of the backdrop of flowers.
Mick held up the tablet and pointed to him, then nodded.
“Hi, James Gang. I know it’s been a while since I posted. It’s been a crazy time in my life. I left the tour and canceled my remaining three dates because my grandmother passed away. I need some time to deal with the loss. She encouraged me to pursue my dreams and music. One thing she always told me was to be true to myself. I cherish that advice. For most of my time on tour and in my career, I’ve been true to my music, but not myself. I wanted to please you, the James Gang. So because you’re my fans, I’m coming out to you first. I am gay. I hid who I was because I needed time to process how I felt. Now that I’ve come to terms with who I am, I’m happier. I’ll make more music. It’s coming—I promise. Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you come along with me for the rest of this journey.” He smiled and laced his fingers together to keep from showing the trembling. He’d done it. No going back, but then again he had no desire to change his mind. He was free.
“Posted.” Mick’s eyes widened and he grinned. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.” He threaded his arms around Mick. “I couldn’t have done that without you. The music isn’t dying to come out, but I feel it. I’m ready to move forward and have a life. I want to live it here in Cedarwood and see what we can create together.” Holy shit. He’d said everything in his heart.
“That makes me happy.” Mick cupped Evan’s jaw. “I’ve seen you with the guys on the land and you’re sexy on the tractor. I love you in those jeans.”
“I’m sweaty when I’m on the tractor.” He chuckled. “I guess if I pass muster when I’m at my worst, then I must not be so bad.”
“No, you’re pretty good.” He kissed Evan. “I’m thrilled you’re my boyfriend.”
“Likewise.” Evan’s heart hammered. He wanted to take Mick upstairs to make love again. His phone pinged, interrupting the mood. He should ignore the notification.
“Better get that,” Mick said. He swayed with Evan. “I’ll bet it’s a bunch of positive feedback about your announcement.”
“Maybe.” The fans were loyal, but might not approve of him taking this step. He continued swaying with Mick. He’d rather be in this moment than dealing with the outside world.
The phone continued to ping. “Ev,” Mick said. “It’s not bad. This is your brand. You worked hard for it and the fans will appreciate the authenticity.”
“My brand is on hiatus.” He rested his forehead against Mick’s. “My world got smaller and better.”
The pinging turned into the blare of the phone ringing.
“Okay, you can’t ignore that,” Mick said. He brushed his nose along Evan’s and sighed. “You’ll have to answer.”
“Fine.” He let go of Mick. “If it’s not love or at least something positive, I’ll throw my phone out of the window.” He checked the notifications. There were hundreds of them. He swiped through them. Half the messages encouraged him in his announcement and future plans. Half weren’t so nice. He’d expected some backlash. The phone call that had roused his attention had gone to voicemail. He retrieved the message from his former manager.
“I’m glad you came out. I’m proud you’re being honest and applaud your choice, but don’t call me. I don’t agree with your lifestyle,” Lawrence said in the
