Chapter 14
JOSH AND RILEY DIDN’T get a chance to talk much after that day’s wrestling match turned into something… so much better.
They had agreed to sleep on it, since that night they had a big family dinner at the Hanson house.
Once a week, the Hansons and Browns got together for a massive feast. They used to have meals together at least three times a week when Josh, Riley and Sophie were kids, but since the three of them grew up and moved out, that number dropped.
Sophie often missed their dinners during hockey season, but tonight she was off.
Surrounded by family was not the best place for Josh to think about his and Riley’s evolving relationship, but it was difficult to think about anything else.
“My baby’s here!” his mom gushed as he and Riley walked into the Hanson household. Leigh Anne Brown wrapped Josh in a big hug. She was the best adoptive mom he could have ever dreamed of. “How was your gay?”
He froze and stared at his mom. How could she tell?
“H-how was what?”
“I said, how was your day. Are you okay, sweetie? You look pale,” she said, raising her hand to his forehead.
Great, now I’m hearing things.
Riley’s eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out the abrupt change in Josh's mood. Josh tried to shake it off.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. What’s for dinner? Can we help?”
“We’re having a smorgasbord. Your dad made an eggplant dish and Zac made his hot dog mac ‘n’ cheese. Will you slice a cucumber for me for the salad?” She turned to Riley and gave him a hug hello. “And Riley, maybe you can peel the bananas to go on the pudding I made for dessert.”
She spun on her heel and walked down the hallway toward the kitchen, leaving Josh frozen in place.
Why was every food they were having shaped like a fucking dick?
They made their way to the kitchen, saying their hellos to everyone, and then washed their hands so they could help prepare the meal.
Josh was still contemplating the shape of the foods when he spotted Riley peeling the bananas. Riley went to take a bite of one when he made eye contact with Josh, immediately turning red and putting the banana on the cutting board instead. Why oh why did Josh's dick twitch when he saw that?
Uncle Zac, an older version of Riley, was topping his hot dog mac ‘n’ cheese with bread crumbs and throwing it in the oven when Josh had an unwelcome thought.
That could be Riley in thirty years, working on dinner in his and Josh’s kitchen, their kids running around and waiting to share a meal with their dads.
Holy shit.
Josh thought his life was only supposed to flash before his eyes when he was facing death, not bisexuality. And wasn’t it supposed to be his past that flashed before him, not his future.
It wasn’t a bad future, that was for sure. What could be better than spending the rest of his life with his absolute favorite person in the world? It was like fate had brought them together.
Zac and Allison Hanson became instant friends with his mom and dad, Leigh Anne and Eddie Brown when they moved next door to each other a little over thirty years ago.
They loved telling the story about their lives leading up to Josh and Riley. It was a shame it ended in so much heartbreak, but they had each other, and that was a comfort they all relied on.
Allison and Leigh Anne had been at one of their mailboxes on the curb in front of their houses discussing their growing bellies.
They were delighted to get pregnant at the same time so they would have someone to share the experience with.
Apparently, that was different than having their husbands there.
The two of them had been discussing the coupons in the mail that they’d need for baby products when a noise from across the street broke their focus. They turned to see Josh's Māmā checking her own mailbox, her back to them as she pulled out the mail.
When Leigh Anne and Allison called out hello to the new neighbor, she turned to reveal her own baby bump, and the three of them giggled like children as they realized they were all pregnant together. Leigh Anne and Allison quickly brought Māmā and Bàba into their little bubble.
Yù hóng, his Māmā, told them to call her Jade, and the trio became the best of friends.
A couple months later, Leigh Anne lost her baby and had to watch her two best friends go on to have healthy baby boys. They were all devastated, so Māmā asked if Leigh Anne and Eddie would be Josh’s guardians if anything ever happened to them.
No one could have guessed that five years later they’d be gone from this world.
It was a big adjustment for everyone. Leigh Anne gracefully walked the line between the sorrow of losing two of her best friends and the happiness of having her own child.
Josh still didn’t understand where she got the strength.
The six of them heard the front door to the house open and slam closed, followed by a small crash and loud footsteps.
Sophie entered the kitchen with more noise than one could think possible for a woman of her size, her messenger bag still hanging over one arm wide open, papers spilling out and leaving a trail behind her.
“He said yes!” she shouted into the kitchen, leaving everyone waiting for more information. Josh was pretty sure Sophie was single, so he had no idea what she could have been talking about.
“Who said yes to what?” Riley asked.
“Tobias Moyer said yes!” she shouted. “He’s going to play in the alumni game this year and my boss is soooo happy that I’m on the short list for the next promotion!”
The room erupted in cheers and hugs for Sophie, who was still talking a mile a minute.
“He gave us like a million conditions, and he made me promise to be his liaison during the whole thing and help him deal with the press, and I get to hang out with him now even though he’s kind of grumpy, but it’s okay because he’s so hot, and he wants to keep his privacy, which will be hard, but I’m going to do my best, and oh my God thank you Riley and Josh for talking to him for me! ”
She swamped the two of them in hugs and kisses, leaving Josh feeling like he went toe to toe with a steam roller. That was the typical after-effect of Sophie “Taz” Hanson.
Once the excitement of Sophie’s announcement plateaued, they were able to finish making dinner and finally sat around the table.
The conversation flowed from one topic to another. Things were rarely ever quiet with their family.
And Josh saw them as one big family. He’d called Riley’s parents Uncle Zac and Aunt Allison his whole life, Riley doing the same for Josh’s parents.
When Josh’s biological parents were killed, he started calling Leigh Anne and Eddie mommy and daddy.
For him, it was completely different from Māmā and Bàba, so he didn’t mind calling them that.
His mom and dad were his American parents, and his Māmā and Bàba were his Chinese parents.
And all of it was totally normal for him.
Except for one thing that he couldn’t stop thinking about.
“What do you all think of gay people?”
The cacophony that once filled the room died, and everyone looked at him like he’d grown a second nose.
“You mean like… Wait, what do you mean?” Sophie asked.
Riley’s gaze was bouncing between everyone at the table except Josh. He hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but he wanted to get a feel for their reaction. He decided to take a different route.
“We were talking about Tobias and it turns out one of the guys at the gym he runs is bisexual, and I was wondering what you all thought of that,” he said, trying to keep his voice from wavering.
He wasn’t technically outing Cole, but he could be talking about anyone at the gym.
Although, he did know both Hunter and Chase were gay.
Josh figured it was better to ask about someone else rather than himself. At this point, at least.
“Did the other guys at the gym think it was a big deal or a problem?” Uncle Zac asked.
“Well, no, not really. It’s just, like, a fact, or something.”
Riley cleared his throat and finally made eye contact with him for a moment. “I think Josh is asking if you all support LGBTQ+ people or not.”
“I never understood why people care so much about it when it doesn’t affect them at all,” his dad said. “So there’s a bisexual man at your gym. Does the fact he’s bi affect your workouts in any way? Is he making you uncomfortable?”
“No, of course not,” Josh said, defending Cole. Sure, sometimes he caused chaos and discomfort with some of his jokes, but it never had to do with him being bi. “It’s nothing. We don’t really think about it during workouts.”
“I think what your dad was trying to say is that if someone isn’t hurting someone, or even trying to hurt someone, then what does it matter who they love?” Leigh Anne said.
“Yeah, so long as he isn’t throwing it in your face or trying to make you bi, too,” Aunt Allison said, and Riley stiffened next to him. Not in a good way.
“I don’t think anyone does that, do they?” Riley asked his mom.
“Well, you know there are some people who throw Pride flags everywhere and talk about it all the time. I wish they’d keep it in the home, the same way we don’t shove our relationship in other people’s faces, right, Zac?”
Uncle Zac squirmed in his seat. “Well, I don’t think they’re trying to shove anything in anyone’s faces. They just want equal rights and to be able to hold their partner’s hand while they walk down the street without worrying about someone giving them shit. Or worse.”
Riley was still tense, but Josh thought he looked slightly less uncomfortable thanks to his dad’s statement.
“I’m all for it. They’re not hurting anyone.
In fact, in lots of ways they’re helping the economy.
Their weddings help the economy, and they adopt kids who otherwise would be sent to foster homes,” Eddie said, giving Josh a sympathetic smile.
“I’d rather worry about things that are actually a problem for everyone, like adults wearing Crocs. ”
Everyone chuckled at his dad, and thankfully the conversation moved on. Sophie looked at Josh and Riley quizzically from her spot across from them, perhaps sensing the tension radiating from them. She couldn’t have guessed about them, could she?
Maybe being bi with Riley wouldn’t be as simple as they thought. It was another thing standing in their way, the first being that Josh wasn’t anywhere near good enough for Riley, even though he wanted to be.