Chapter 18 #2
Before I reached the stairs, a large party suddenly appeared in my path. Mostly men, they were clones of each other, all dressed in expensively casual clothes with loud, brittle laughs.
And then I heard him.
The high-pitched, slightly nasally voice was one I’d instantly recognize in any crowd.
I hadn’t heard it in months, but the shame I’d felt when I left his home flooded back.
As much as I wanted to run away and hide from the group, I was rooted in place.
Before I could actively will my feet to move, he saw me.
The dawning recognition on his face turned to puzzlement.
“Oh my God, Andrew, is that you?” Jonathan asked in a register designed to be heard. His entire party turned to look at me like I was a specimen in a zoo.
I quickly scanned the group, but I didn’t see the man who’d replaced me. Jonathan pushed his way through the people who’d stopped to listen to our exchange, which meant my tiny secret hope of escape was out the window.
“In the flesh.”
“Wow. I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought maybe you’d decided to go back to Indiana.”
“Iowa.”
“Pardon?”
“Iowa. I’m from Iowa, not Indiana.”
“Same difference,” Jonathan tittered. Had he always laughed like that? Surely it must have annoyed me. “Wherever it is, you dropped off the face of the earth.”
Beyond staring at him, I wasn’t sure what else I could do in the moment. He’d summarily tossed me out of the house when I got replaced by a younger model. At that point, exchanging future addresses wasn’t anywhere on my to-do list.
“You kicked me out of your house, remember?”
A few eavesdroppers around us raised their eyebrows at my response.
“Ha ha, you’re so funny.” This time, his laugh was decidedly more brittle. “Let’s go catch up.”
Without waiting for an answer, he tucked my hand into his elbow and led me toward a more private alcove.
“I’ve wanted to discuss something with you anyway.”
I followed him woodenly but didn’t argue. Even months later, it seemed I fell immediately back into the person who wanted to make sure no waves were left in their wake.
“My group is…”
“This won’t take long.”
He steered me toward the back of the alcove near the office doors, where we wouldn’t likely be overheard or interrupted.
“Where’ve you been?”
“I found a rental place after I moved out.”
Well, that was sort of true. Henry paid for me to stay there, so someone was paying the rent. Mrs. Calloway had gone out of her way to help me, and I sure as hell was keeping her name out of it.
“I’ve been staying there while I decide what to do next.”
“When you disappeared, I was worried.”
“Worried? I came home to find out someone else living in our house,” I countered.
“My house.”
Jonathan’s correction was immediate. Nothing like making sure I knew exactly where my place was between the two of us.
“But still, I expected you to go stay with a friend. It’s unlike you to be inconsiderate. That’s what I always liked about you…always putting other people first.”
“Given he was already there when I arrived, there wasn’t much time to call around.”
“Oh, that.” Jonathan waved his hand like the destruction of my illusions was a slight inconvenience. “You were supposed to be gone, remember? You extended your trip.”
“You suggested it.”
“Well, you should have known better than to listen to me.”
And there it was.
That one line was the realest thing I’d ever heard him say.
“My friends and folks are waiting for me. What did you need?”
I kept the emotion from my voice because I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of watching me break down.
“Maybe I was too hasty. I’ve missed you, and I think there’s a place for you in my life…”
“In your house? Standing next to you?”
The amusement in Jonathan’s eyes didn’t make me sad.
It pissed me off.
And there was not one damn reason I needed to stand here and listen to it.
My life was good. I had a job I loved, a place to live that Phoenix had created for guys like me because of people like him. What I needed wasn’t with Jonathan in a dark hallway, settling for so much less than I deserved.
“Don’t answer that. I’m going back where I belong.”
And I left him standing there without a single backward glance.
My future would never be found by returning and allowing myself to be a disposable option. It was with the life that came with family and friends who helped me figure out what my favorite ice cream flavor was when I couldn’t remember who I was.
“Oh, there you are,” Daddy said as I approached the table. He was already on his feet and standing behind his chair. “I was worried something was wrong and was about to become a one-man search party.”
“No worries. I just got waylaid downstairs.”
Daddy opened his arms, and I stepped into his embrace. When he turned and kissed my temple, I knew my decision was the right one.
He was going to be my future.
“Daddy, thank you for the best birthday.”
“Yeah? I’m so glad you had a good time. Hopefully, I was an all right companion for the spa, even though I was a last-minute substitution.”
“What do you mean?” I drew back so I could see him clearly.
After dinner, we’d stayed for a beautiful birthday cake that involved too many candles and plenty of off-key singing. Then Daddy and I drove my parents to their hotel with a promise to see them in the morning for brunch.
“It was supposed to be you and your mom, with Marc and me entertaining your dad doing something we hadn’t figured out yet.”
With both our heads on the pillows, we were staring at each other like kids whispering in the dark when they were up past their bedtimes. I liked the vibe.
“Oh, she would’ve loved that, even though she’d have told me the entire time she’d never done anything like that before. But you were all right, I guess.” My smile gave away the joke.
Daddy leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss across my lips.
“I hate that she didn’t get the full Cali treatment. Maybe you can take her there later this week. I mean, if it’s not too much trouble for you.”
“I’m not sure she’d be down for the massage or the sauna, but I’m sure she’d like the mani-pedi and facial part. She might not have time to fit me in though.”
“Why’s that?” Daddy’s eyebrows wrinkled together when he was confused. It was cute.
“Because she, my dad, and Ben have made plans with each other. I think the rest of us are invited, but I’m not sure.”
In the quiet of Daddy’s bedroom, it truly felt like we’d managed to shut out the rest of the world.
“Oh, that explains the text.”
“What text?”
“Marc sent me one on the way home about coming over for dinner tomorrow and bringing Ben’s new grandparents.”
“Apparently it’s been decided by the council of three.”
“How do you feel about that?” Daddy asked.
It was a good question because the answer wasn’t as clear-cut as I’d hoped.
“Ben is easy to love, and I’m not surprised my parents and he hit it off.”
The answer I settled on wasn’t the entire truth, but it was enough for now, even though the truth bubbled inside me. I wanted to say the words, and I was rapidly reaching the point where I needed to say them.
“Yeah, he is, even if he is a pain in the ass.”
“Hey now.”
“There’s someone else who’s easy to love,” Daddy added.
My breath caught in my throat when his words landed.
“Because I’ve fallen in love with one of Phoenix’s angels, and I hope he’ll consider changing his living situation.”
“You have?”
Daddy nodded.
“You want that?”
He nodded again.
“I love you, sweetheart. And I want you with me every morning and night and all the days in between.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”