Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107352 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
“I was super worried that if Nash went, then all his rules and stuff that we do might go too,” he said into his father’s shoulder. “I don’t wanna go back to how it was.”
“No. We won’t go back,” Luke promised. “We’re a different family now.”
“But you love him, and he loves us, so he’ll love you too, don’t worry about it.”
“I will not worry,” he said, chuckling.
“The most important thing, like I said, is that he likes you and you’re friends. He won’t ever leave if you’re friends.”
“Plus, he loves you guys.”
“That’s right,” he said with a smile.
“How do you know he loves you?”
“He makes me feel important, so I know how he feels. He loves us.”
I did. He wasn’t wrong.
Darwin turned to me. “Nash?”
“Yes, buddy?”
“I think it’s good that your stuff is in Dad’s room. Don’t move it again. Just stay there.”
“Okay,” I agreed, because what was the point in arguing?
“I hope it won’t bother you when kids say your father is gay,” Luke told his son. “It won’t bother me, but kids, especially, can be cruel.”
“But everyone at school already thinks that.”
I squinted at Darwin. “What?”
“Yeah. Once you were here, moved in, everyone asked if you lived with us, and we all said yeah. And my friends asked me what you did, and I said you take care of us and you’re our guardian, so they all assumed you and Dad were a couple.”
“And you didn’t clear that up?”
He shrugged. “I don’t care. Two of my teachers are gay.” He lowered his voice. “Plus, I told you—Teddy thinks he is too.”
“Yeah, but nobody has given you any crap about it?”
“About my father being gay?” he asked, his voice back to its normal decibel level. “Why would they? It was a bigger deal when Mom left and they got divorced and everybody knew that she was cheating with Mr. Conti.”
“Everybody knew about the cheating?” Luke asked him.
“Yeah. That’s how I found out. I heard it at school, and I came home and asked Griff, and he said it was true. I’m sorry, Dad. That sucked, huh?”
Luke glanced at me and then back to his son. “It did, yes. But, buddy, I’m so sorry you didn’t hear it from—”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s just that me and Tate had to tell Dr. Marlowe all about it, and she felt bad for you.”
“Oh, well, isn’t that nice,” he said dryly, shooting me a look. I made sure I didn’t laugh, but it was hard.
“Nash, love,” Viola called—she was at the stove, stirring soup, “I made you my world-famous chicken dumpling soup. Are you ready to have some?”
“Yes, please.”
“Well, sit down, and I’ll bring it to you.”
“I can—”
“No,” she said, her voice like steel. “You will do as I say and not argue.”
Holy crap, she was a little scary. I hadn’t noticed that before.
I took a seat, and Luke was right beside me, his knee pressed to mine under the table. I couldn’t help it, I needed the closeness with him, and leaned sideways and kissed the patch of skin right under his ear. His sigh of happiness made me smile, until his father sat down across from me.
“Sir,” I said as his wife set in front of me a bowl of soup that smelled heavenly.
Tatum was right there with the spoon and a napkin and two ibuprofens.
“What is this?” I asked her as she settled next to me.
“Nana said you’re gonna be sore.”
I turned to Viola.
“What? You will. You’re not twenty anymore.”
I grunted and started on the soup, my attention on John, whose entire focus was on Luke.
“You’re gay?”
“Clearly not,” Luke said, putting his hand on my thigh under the table. “I’m bi, like Nash, or more likely, it’s just him I’m interested in. I’ve never been attracted to another man.”
John nodded.
“Viola, this soup is amazing,” I assured her.
“I’ve won prizes with that recipe.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Do you think this is a response to your wife cheating on you and you’re afraid to love another woman?”
He wasn’t yelling, instead asking questions. I considered that a very good sign.
Viola took a seat beside her husband and propped her chin on her hand, looking at Luke and me. “You know, you two make a beautiful couple.”
“That’s because you two made him so pretty,” I said.
“Why, thank you, sir,” she gushed.
“Oh God,” Luke groaned, his gaze back on his father. “To answer your question, no. I have no issue with women and still find them as beautiful as I always have. I simply have no desire to spend any time with anyone else but Nash. When he hugged me the first day I got back, it was… Everything was swirling around, my life was unbalanced, up in the air. I felt like I was losing the kids, but then…then he hugged me, and my world that was coming apart became solid again. I felt like me.”