Chapter 24
Now I was over the initial shock, and thank fuck Leo had been here with me to drag me out of my spiral, I needed answers. Lots of them. Not only had my world view been flipped on its head, the saintly image I’d painted for my mother was seriously damaged. How could she have cheated on Dad? And no wonder he’d never supported my hockey career the way she had.
Leo stepped to me, and I looked up at him, all bundled in a navy-blue fleece and my old parka. Grabbing his wrist, I tugged him down next to me.
“Go ahead, Archer. Ask me anything.” Tad sat back and spread his arms along the back of the couch.
“How is my dad’s name on my birth certificate?” I’d start with the easy questions. I twined my fingers in Leo’s and rested our hands on my knee.
“That’s the name they gave the hospital. Richard wasn’t going to dispute it, so there never was a blood test done to say otherwise.” Tad tapped the fingers of one hand on the cushion.
“So, how did they know I wasn’t his? How did they know Coach Dupont had gotten Mom pregnant?” I arched a brow. I couldn’t think of Richard Dupont as anything other than a coach at this point. I gritted my teeth for a second. Leo had said I looked like Coach Dupont, but that didn’t mean anything.
“Your dad has a rare genetic condition that left him infertile. No sperm count.” He winced.
“But you’re fine?” I scratched my cheek. Uncle Tad had twin daughters. “Your girls are yours?—”
“Yes, I’m fine. I wasn’t affected and my girls are my biological children.” He raked his fingers through his short hair. “You don’t need to worry about it, either, since you’re not genetically related to your father.”
“Is this defect why Dad’s having heart problems in his early fifties?” And was it something that would end his life early? I wasn’t ready to ask the second question. I held tighter to Leo’s hand.
Leo offered an affirming glance.
“The doctors don’t know. It could be, but maybe it’s the fact that he doesn’t take care of himself and eats too much shit he shouldn’t. He’s had high cholesterol for years.” Tad dropped his arms to his sides. “I do, too. It runs in our family. But I take my medication and I’m way more active than your dad.”
With a nod, my heart about stopped. Shit, the man sitting across from me wasn’t blood related to me either. Or his daughters, my cousins. I parted my lips and stared at him.
“What?” Uncle Tad leaned forward.
“You’re not my real uncle.” I blinked a few times. “Allison and Sara are not my real cousins.”
“Real is not the term that’s used. Biological is.” He pursed his lips. “We’re all your real family, Archer. Always have been, always will.”
Uncle Tad must have spent some time thinking on this to be saying those words to me. I thought a moment. “So, Mom cheated on Dad. When did he find out?” I braced myself. It was time for the harder questions.
“When she got pregnant. She came clean with him.” Uncle Tad wrinkled his forehead. “They looked at it like a blessing in disguise. They’d wanted a child but were unable to have one unless they adopted. Richard was happy to let them raise you and he’d said he’d be there if they needed him.”
“Okay.” I slowly nodded. So, Coach Dupont wasn’t a complete ass. “Did Coach Dupont ever give them child support or anything?” I eyed my uncle. I wasn’t sure why I cared so much about it, but maybe it would make my biological father seem like a better person.
“Yes, he helped some when they needed it. Hockey isn’t exactly a cheap sport to play at the level you play at. Your mom didn’t make a ton of money being a teacher and the early days of your dad’s career weren’t very lucrative either.” Uncle Tad sucked in a deep breath. “Richard wanted to see you play hockey and so did your mother.”
“Holy shit.” A realization hit me. “Has Coach Dupont ever come to any of my games?” I mean, apparently at some point all three of my parents had gotten along. Had they come to a game together?
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask him that.” Biting at his lower lip, Uncle Tad peered at me. “You are going to talk to him, right?”
I widened my eyes, a shock rushing through my chest. I had to hear Coach Dupont’s side of the story now. “Yeah, I guess so. Maybe when I get home from the holidays.” I needed to make sure Dad was okay before I tackled the issue with Coach Dupont.
“I think that’s a good idea, Archer. And you should talk to him in person.” Leo kissed the back of my hand.
“Your mother was a good woman, Archer. She always did what was best for you.” Uncle Tad softened his gaze as it met mine. “The whole cheating thing happened a long time ago and your parents were very much in love when she um, passed.” He sighed. “They got over it. Don’t let it change your view of her or their relationship.”
With a nod, I hung my head. “Okay.” I wouldn’t let this tarnish my image of Mom. She wasn’t here to defend herself and I’d never know why she did what she did.
Nurse Jada entered the room and clapped her hands together. “So, I have news on Sam. He’s doing well, and they expect to have him in recovery in a few hours, so hang tight.” She looked at each of us in turn. “Any questions?”
I shook my head. I didn’t even know what to ask and my brain was already swimming with the intense conversation we’d been having.
“How much longer will he be on a respirator?” Uncle Tad asked.
“We’re hoping to wean him off it in about twelve hours post-op.” Her gaze flicked between us again. “Anything else?”
“Not unless you’ve got something, Archer?” My uncle held out a hand to me.
“No, I’m good.” I leaned into Leo’s side. This was going to be a long day and tomorrow was Christmas. I usually did all my shopping my first day home, but this whole thing had thrown off my plans.
“Okay, let me know if something comes up and I’ll tell you when he’s in recovery.” She walked away.
“I didn’t have time to buy my Christmas presents.” I pressed my lips together.
“The only present we need is for you to be here.” Uncle Tad gave me a soft smile.
I picked at the hem of my sweater. “But the girls are twelve. They’ll want?—”
“They only want money. You know how they are.” With an eye roll, Uncle Tad said, “They’re going to hit me up for make-up and I’m going to say, no.” He scoffed.
“Archer, if you want, I can go out and get cards and things. Then you can stay with your dad.” Leo cupped my chin and pressed a short kiss on my lips. “I can go buy some things at the grocery store, too, and cook something nice for us. You need to eat.”
“Yeah, okay.” I blew out a breath. “But I want to get you something.” With a frown, I peeked at him. With all this shit going on, I’d completely blown it.
“I’m here with you. That’s all I need.” He kissed me again.
“Leo, you’re a good man. I’m glad he has you.” Uncle Tad gave Leo a warm grin.
A few hours later,Leo had taken Uncle Tad’s truck out for shopping, and we were watching a home remodeling show on the television in the waiting area. My uncle had made several comments about the show hosts doing everything wrong and it had cheered me up and given me something else to think about besides how well Dad’s surgery was going. I glanced at the window, sunshine beaming through it. “Good thing it’s not snowing today. I don’t know if Leo would know how to drive in it.”
“Even so, my truck could handle it.” He patted my knee. “He’ll be fine out there. He seems very capable.”
“He is.” Warmth flooded my chest. God, how I loved him. “He’s sort of a nerd. He went to ASU for business and now he’s a planner at a high-tech company.”
“Yeah? How did you meet him?” My uncle shifted to face me.
Scratching the back of my neck, I said, “At an animal shelter. We were both volunteering that day. I sprayed him with a hose by accident and gave him one of my team shirts.” I smiled at the memory. It seemed so long ago now.
“I see. So that’s how queer people meet their dates?” He quirked the corner of his mouth.
With a sharp laugh, I pushed on his shoulder. “No, we use apps like everyone else.” This was a nice reprieve, like old times with Unc. He was always around when I was growing up. He was like a second Dad to me. Shit, now I had three father figures in my life?
“So, tell me more about him. Is he gay or?” He arched a brow.
“He’s bi, like me. But he’s only been dating women.” I huffed a laugh. “Also like me, except that I’d decided to date men last summer.” I toyed with a fold in my jeans. Milo was the first man I’d wanted to date. How odd I ended up with his friend’s brother. “I’m the first man he’s dated.”
“Oh.” He twisted toward me, planting his hand on his thigh. “But, he’s out, right? You’ve met his family and all that?”
“Yeah, I met them over Thanksgiving. He wasn’t out then though, so it was a little weird.” I pursed my lips. “Leo came out to them the day before yesterday.” I met his gaze. “There was a weird family dynamic going on with his brother being gay and it was hard for him.”
“His brother is gay?” He shifted on the couch and eyed me. “It makes me wonder if there’s some sort of family history for being queer.”
“I don’t know. Is there anyone on Mom’s side of the family that was queer?” I peered at him. This was weird. His side of the family wasn’t blood related, so I couldn’t ask about it anymore. Maybe I’d ask Coach Dupont. Shit, did he know about my status? He must since me and my friends were out at the university.
“Come to think of it, she had an uncle who was gay. He lived in Florida maybe, with his partner.” He faced the television.
Leo strolled into the room with a plastic bag dangling from his hand. “Hey, any word? I brought sandwiches from the deli at the store.” He dropped in next to me and opened his bag. “I also have Gatorades.” He rummaged in the bag. “I wasn’t sure what else to get you both to drink, and I know what Archer likes.” He handed me an orange Gatorade and a wrapped sub.
“Thanks, Leo.” I twisted off the cap on the Gatorade, then sucked some down. He was so thoughtful.
Leo passed another sub and bottle to Uncle Tad. “Here. I hope you like turkey and provolone. I tried to make it a little on the healthy side after hearing about your cholesterol.” His cheeks, already pink from the cold outside, flushed a deeper shade.
“I love turkey and provolone. Thank you, Leo.” He held up the wrapped sub a moment and gave Leo a warm smile.
“This is a cute little city. Some of the buildings look so quaint and old. I bet it was beautiful here a few months ago when the leaves were all changing.” He unwrapped his own sub and bit into it.
“It was. I love fall. It’s my favorite season, even though I know it means it’s going to be colder than a witch’s tit in a few months.” Uncle Tad chortled, then bit off a piece of his sandwich.
“So, any word?” Leo eyed me, then sipped his drink.
I chewed my sandwich, then swallowed. “Not yet. We’ve been watching this remodeling show and Unc’s been telling me about all the shit they’re doing wrong.” I chuckled.
“These shows give my clients the wrong ideas about a job. They think we can come in and remodel a bathroom in like, two days, because they saw them do a whole house in a week.” He barked out a laugh. “Sure, but if you want quality, it takes time.”
With a nod, Leo said, “Yeah, my dad runs a tax business down in Arizona and he says similar things when people come in at the last minute wanting their taxes done on time.”
“Ah, so your dad is a business owner?” Uncle Tad ate the last bite of his sub.
“Yep. He went to college for accounting and got into the tax business by luck. He worked for a small tax place when he was in school and picked up the business when the previous owner retired.” Leo drank more Gatorade, then popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and licked his fingers.
I watched Leo’s tongue dart out around his index finger, then his thumb, heat sparking in my belly. When this was over, we were going to spend a lot more time together in bed. “I didn’t know that about your dad.”
Jada strolled into the waiting area. “Okay, Sam’s stable and in his room. You can go see him if you like.” As we rose up and threw our trash into a bin in the corner, she held up her hand. “He’s still sedated and has a lot of equipment on him, so don’t expect much.”
“We just want him to know he’s not alone.” Uncle Tad hitched up his jeans, then grabbed his coat from the arm of the couch. “I know he needs to rest.”
“Okay, good.” With a soft grin, Jada pivoted and left.
My heart pounded in my throat. It was hard enough seeing Dad with all the equipment on him earlier. It would probably be worse now. A warm arm wrapped around my waist, and I turned my head.
“I’m right here, babe.” Leo kissed my cheek.
“Thank you.” I patted his hand at my hip, then followed Uncle Tad through the hallway and into Dad’s room with Leo at my side.
The soft whoosh and click of the ventilator filled the room and much of Dad’s face was covered by the ventilator mask, but underneath it his skin was pale and more swollen than before. Blankets and sheets wrapped his body. The room was darker, with only a single lamp on behind the bed.
I stepped to him and fumbled under the edge of the blankets for his hand. “Dad, I’m here with Uncle Tad and Leo, my boyfriend.” As an ache wound through me, I glanced at Leo, watching me with wrinkled brows.
Dad’s cold fingers wrapped around my hand in a faint grip and his eyelids fluttered.
“You rest and get better and when you wake up, we’ll have Christmas.” I bent over the bed and kissed his clammy forehead. I’d never forget this Christmas. It would always be when my whole world changed. As I straightened, I looked at my dad’s face, the part I could see around the mask. I’d always thought I’d seen pieces of him in me. But now I knew it wasn’t the case. At least not the physical pieces. It was weird, but now I had to take a closer look at Coach Dupont. I wanted to see what Leo saw that day.
“Come on, let’s sit down.” Leo gently guided me to one of two reclining chairs in the corner.
Uncle Tad looked Dad over from the other side of the bed. “He looks peaceful, don’t you think?”
“Yeah.” I sank into the chair. “Hey, want to go spend some time with your family? We can stay here and wait with him.” Maybe then, we could take turns.
Uncle Tad gave a stuttered chuckle, his gaze affixed to his brother. “Yeah, that would be nice.” He turned his gaze on me. “I’ll be back in a few hours to let you both have some dinner. How’s that?”
“Great.” I glanced at Leo, sliding his arms out of the parka, and crawling into the recliner. “What are you making? Or do you want to order in?” He had to be as tired as I was.
“I bought us some steaks and potatoes. Isn’t that what you all eat up here?” He smirked at me.
With a quick point at Leo, Uncle Tad said, “You forgot the corn.” He smiled. “We’re all corn-fed up here.”
Leo winced. “Oh, I can go?—”
Reaching across the arm rests of the chairs, I squeezed Leo’s forearm. “It’s fine, Leo. You don’t need to go and get corn. He’s kidding. Sort of.” I offered a grin. God damn, he was a keeper.
“Anyways, see you in a few hours. Try and rest, will ya?” With a wave, Uncle Tad walked out.
Leo pushed his recliner back and looked at me. “How are you doing?” He wrapped his hand around mine.
“I’m…okay. It was nice to sit with Uncle Tad for a little while and shoot the shit.” Warmth crept into my chest. “I told him about you and how we met. He said I had a great uncle who was gay.” I nodded.
“Yeah?” Leo’s attention drew to the ceiling. “It runs in families, you know. I read a study once. They haven’t pinpointed the exact genetics, but there’s some evidence to say it’s genetic.”
“Oh?” I studied him. “Did you look that up while you were figuring yourself out, knowing your brother is gay?” It didn’t surprise me in the least he’d be looking up studies, my hot and nerdy boyfriend.
“Yes. I wanted to know what the odds were that two sons in one family would be queer.” He met my gaze. “Did you know the majority of the queer community is made up of bisexuals like us?” He lifted his brows.
“You are a wealth of information.” I rolled my eyes and let a grin sweep across my lips. “And I love you for it.” Bringing his hand to my lips, I kissed his knuckles. “I don’t know how I’d have gotten through this day without you, babe.”
He shimmied in his chair. “I would never have let you go through it alone. Never.” He squeezed my fingers. “Let’s chill for a bit.”
“Yeah, I hear ya.” I settled into the chair and closed my eyes, letting the sounds of the machines lull me into a dozing nap.
Last night,Leo had made me the most delicious steak with baked potatoes and all the fixings and had even thrown in a walnut and feta salad. We’d been so tired, we went to bed early, so we’d be prepared to go back to the hospital fully rested. It was Christmas morning and we’d had another round of snowfall overnight. I was letting Uncle Tad spend most of the day with his family. I figured me and Leo could handle everything and if we needed Unc, he was on call.
I parked Dad’s Mazda SUV in the lot at the hospital and Leo grabbed the card he’d bought yesterday for my father before stepping out of the truck.
Snatching my hand, Leo strolled beside me down the walkway in a few inches of snow. It crunched under our sneakers. “Looks like they haven’t gotten out here to shovel yet.”
I glanced at the grey sky overhead, the clouds thick. Now, this was normal Minnesota weather. “Yeah, I suppose they have a skeleton crew since it’s Christmas Day.” We had yet to speak to the doctor, but nurse Jada had told us they were planning on weaning Dad off the ventilator after we left last night. Hopefully, they’d been successful.
After walking into the hospital, we made our way up to Dad’s floor and into his room.
Dad sat at a more upright angle and his blue eyes were bright. An oxygen tube was attached to his nose. “Archer,” he croaked and the edges of his lips curled.
“Dad, you’re awake.” My heart soared. We were over the worst of it. Leaving Leo, I jogged to him and took him in from head to toe. He still looked frail, but the swelling in his face was much less. Could I touch him?
He held up his hand. “Come here, son,” he said, his voice raspy.
Wrapping my hand in his, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “How are you?” I glanced beside me as Leo stepped to the bed. I still had to formally introduce him.
“The doc says I’m making a stellar recovery.” He shook my hand. “The nurses had me get up and sit in a chair for a little bit, but my damn chest hurts.” He took quick breaths.
“Your voice…is your throat sore?” I knitted my brows. I should have been here when the doctor was here.
“Yeah, so I don’t want to talk too much.” He sighed. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I wrapped my arm around Leo, pulling him in next to me. “Dad, this is Leo, my boyfriend.”
Dad tilted his head over his pillow. “Pleased to meet you.” He breathed in deeply and winced. “I thought I’d dreamt you brought a boyfriend here.” He lifted the edge of his mouth.
“No, sir.” Leo patted Dad’s arm. “I’m real and I’m very happy to see you feeling better.” He gave Dad a soft grin.
“Don’t…” Dad coughed, then settled and drew a deep breath. “Don’t need to call me sir.” He tensed his mouth. “Sam.” He focused on Leo.
“Of course.” Leo sputtered, then turned around and held out the card. “We got you a little something,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”
Dad’s eyes grew glossy, and he nodded. “Read.” He pointed at the card.
Taking the card from Leo, I held it up. We’d just gotten here, and we were already wearing him out. “Dad, let’s let you rest.”
“But…” His gaze cut to mine, his forehead wrinkling.
I snuck a glance at Leo. Leo had gotten a card for me to give to Dad that I could write my own message in, and I’d written things about the current situation. I’d started processing everything from yesterday and wanted to heal our relationship. “Okay, fine.” I opened the card and read it. “Dad, Merry Christmas. You were always the man I looked up to and you still are. We might not be bonded by blood, but you will always be my father.” I glanced at him, and a deep ache crawled through my chest. How had things gotten so bad between us?
His eyes glistened in the low light over his bed.
Leo wound an arm around my shoulders.
I cleared my throat, the words on the card blurring. “I understand you better now and I hope we can find a way to mend our relationship. A father is the man who raises you, not the man who gives you life.” I set the card down and sniffled, then swiped the wetness from my eyes.
A tear meandered down the side of Dad’s face. “You know.”
“I do.” I edged into Leo’s side, his warmth soothing me. “I read your letter yesterday and spent the day with Uncle Tad. He answered all my questions.”
Dad nodded, then in a harsh whisper, he said, “He’s a saint, my brother.”
“I’m going to talk to Coach, uh, Richard when I get back to Arizona. Having him in my life won’t change anything. You’re still my dad. I want you to know that. You’re not losing me to him.” And hockey would become my life. I was determined now to make it work and play in the NHL. My gaze searched Dad’s face. “You okay?”
A grin teased his mouth and he nodded, then whispered, “It feels good to have it out in the open.”
“Love you, Dad.” I kissed his forehead.
“Love you, Archer,” he rasped.