Bottoms Up by Melissa Elizabeth
Over the last fifteen years, ETHAN CARLSON has slowly succumbed to a life of colorless routine. After the death of his father, he hid himself away in books, struggling to find purpose after the paralyzing trauma. Not even winning the lottery had the power to pull him out of his grief.
But when the infamous LUKE SHAW suddenly reappears in their small town after ten years away in the big city, everything changes. Luke is tall, fit, and unmistakably handsome, but his return is fraught with animosity. As an openly gay man, he’s confronted with hostility from bigots and childhood bullies who are intent on making his life miserable.
When Ethan steps up to defend him from the worst of them, it leads to a tentative but genuine friendship. The more they interact, the more Ethan finds himself drawn to Luke in a way he never could have anticipated. There’s just one problem — Ethan isn’t gay. Or, at least he didn’t think he was.
Coming into sexual awareness at thirty-five has its challenges, but navigating his first romantic relationship with a man is surprisingly easy. Can he expect his happiness to last? Forced to confront his deepest fears, Ethan struggles with anxiety and insecurity about what might change after coming out to his friends, and whether or not he truly has a place in Luke’s life.
