Chapter Twenty-Five #2
“Because he’s a goddamn legend,” Gannett snaps back. “Because you have no idea the shit he’s been up against.”
“You’re defending him, after what he did to your brother?!” Weston balks. “Let me make what happened back then abundantly clear to you, since you’re too stupid to get it—”
Gannett cuts him off. “I’m not fucking stupid; I get what happened!
Do I believe what he did to Evan was right?
No! I don’t! But knowing the circumstances now, I understand why it had to happen.
Evan even knows why it had to happen. That is between them!
I’m fully capable of separating their issues from my relationship with Gordy! ”
Weston’s eyes just about bug out of his head. “Relationship,” he huffs, the word leaving his mouth as if he’d just spat out lemon juice.
“Yes, relationship,” Gannett echoes, then addresses Easton. “Now probably isn’t the time to get Gordy’s autograph, but I’m sure once he calms down—”
“Yeah,” Easton cuts him off, nodding. “I mean, yeah. I appreciate the private lesson today. I, um, I get it. It doesn’t have to be right now, but, like, sometime. You live around here, right?”
“Easton!” Weston hisses.
“What, Dad?! You raised me watching all Gordy’s games!”
“Yeah, but… now we know he’s—”
“Queer?” Easton’s brows pinch. “What’s the big deal? Seems like the only one here who has a problem with that is you. And for the record, Dad, I would have decked you myself if you said the f-word.”
Gannett smirks, rubbing my back in that soothing manner of his, even though I’ve all but ruined our date.
My past actions, once again, have come back to haunt me at the worst possible time.
And while he has every reason to want to bolt, to rub it in my face what an asshole I was to his own brother, he’s here—reminding me to breathe.
Offering me a lifeline in the storm, as usual. Being my lighthouse.
It’s working, I can feel the pins-and-needles feeling starting to dissipate. My heart rate starts to descend out of the clouds. The constricting feeling around my ribs starts to loosen as the flood waters of anxiety start to drain out of me.
Weston storms off in a huff. Easton puffs out an exasperated breath.
“I’m really sorry, Mr. Masterson,” he mutters apologetically, offering a hand out to me.
Despite his size, he yanks me upright effortlessly.
“I don’t really know what happened between you and my dad, but…
well, I still want you to know that I wouldn’t mind getting, like, a selfie with you or whatever.
If that’s okay with you, I mean. Something to remind me of a fellow former Ternbay Tiger I looked up to before I went pro, you know?
” A nervous smirk twitches to life on his lips.
“Maybe, when I do, I can sign it and send it back to you, and it’ll be worth millions someday… ”
Finally able to breathe again, I huff out a little chuckle. “I didn’t, uh, ruin the illusion with my little freak out there?”
Easton waves me off. “You’re human. Pretty sure you’re allowed to freak out every once in a while.
” He strips off his batting gloves, fishes his phone out of his duffel bag, and holds it up at an arms length.
I pose for a couple of pictures with the beaming kid who looks like I just looted a candy store for him.
“Your father is probably going to burn those,” I hum.
He scrolls through the pictures, surveying them with a smile.
He snorts. “Nah, knowing him he’ll continue to act miffed about this run in for a couple of days before he forgets why he’s being such a douche.
Then I’ll see them hanging on the fridge or something.
He idolized you just as much as I did, if not more.
He’s just being a big baby ‘cuz he got called out for being a homophobe in public. I don’t really think he is; he just hates getting his ego knocked when he’s wrong.
That, and he’s always just tossed around the f-bomb carelessly, kinda like the r-word and the n-word.
I’ll keep reminding him to watch his mouth. ”
Gannett snorts, nudging me. “This generation’s kids, I tell you what. They’re growing up better than we did, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, well.” Easton shrugs. “Change, acceptance, and tolerance has to start somewhere, right?”
“Keep preachin’ it, kid,” Gannett hums. “The world needs more of you to set everyone straight—er, well, you know what I mean…”
We all chuckle, and eventually Easton scurries off to go meet up with his ride. Gannett sighs, wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me in close to his side. Peering down at him, I apologize. “Sorry for ruining our date.”
He shakes his head. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Unless—” He gasps dramatically. “Did you summon Weston’s presence here today in order to sabotage this?”
“No, but having to sit with me to calm me down through another would-be panic attack isn’t how you planned on this outing going, I’m sure.”
He shrugs. “Shit happens, man. That’s just life.
You want daisies and unicorn toots all the time?
Sorry to bust your bubble, bud, but that just ain’t gonna happen.
Besides, all I did was rub your back and remind you to breathe.
Not like that was solid advice at all, since I’m pretty sure that’s an automatic thing… ”
“It’s really not when you’re in the middle of feeling like the world is about to implode on you.”
Gannett’s lips roll between his teeth, and his head wobbles. “I guess. Think what you want, though. You managed to get out of that all on your own.”
I tilt his chin up, feathering my lips on his. “I thought of how you’re my lighthouse,” I admit, sealing that statement with a kiss—one that will surely leave no doubt to anyone here just how much Gannett means to me.
I hand the pen to Taryn and watch as he scrawls his signature across the dotted line.
He looks up at me, proud as a damn peacock, as he closes the manilla folder and hands it over to the gentleman on the other side of the table.
It’s a bright early-June Sunday morning, and my son just became the new owner of Portside Pub.
“Well, son, how’s it feel?” I clap him on the shoulder.
He snorts. “Feels like I’ve got an empty bank account. Good thing you’re officially moving out of the apartment upstairs and in with Gannett. Upgrading to a two bedroom from the studio certainly helps soften the financial blow.”
“I know just what I’m going to fill the second bedroom with too!” Morgan chirps, presenting Taryn with what must be a cupcake from the bakery up the street. “Congratulations, my love,” she adds, kissing his cheek.
My eyebrows lift, my eyes darting between the two of them. “Hopefully not cribs. I’m sorry, but I’m not ready for that yet.”
Morgan scoffs. “Gosh, no. Are you kidding? Between all the Healing Waters campers, siblings, cousins, and now a new little niece or nephew, we don’t need to add to the mix just yet. No, I want a freakin’ library. You ever watch Beauty and the Beast, Gordy? Belle’s library is goals.”
Taryn chuckles. “I’ll install one of those sliding ladders for you. You’ll need one with all the books you’ve got stuffed into every nook and cranny of your dorm. Poor Aspyn’s probably sick of finding all your Shadow Daddy fangirl paraphernalia everywhere.”
“You’re not seriously jealous of Xaden, are you?” She giggles, patting him on the chest, all the while I have absolutely zero fuckin’ clue what they’re yammering about.
“I’m gonna go”—I point at the kitchen—“start getting all the buffet equipment set up. Let you two do your thing, or whatever.”
Taryn stands and, to my surprise, since he’s not an overly affectionate kid—wonder where he got that from—hauls me in for a hug.
“Thank you, Dad. I know you never really wanted to be saddled with this place, but—I’m still happy you held onto it for me anyway.
I promise, I will give it a new image just for you.
Someday maybe you can see it in a whole new light. ”
A lump swells in my throat. “If anyone can, it’s you. You’re already off to a good start. I’m proud of you, Taryn. Truly proud of the man you’ve become.”
“Oh my god, stoooop,” Morgan says, wiping tears from her cheeks before launching into the hug too. “Sorry, I know this was your special moment, but seriously… freakin’ A. Nothing beats a good family bonding moment, and I just love you both!”
Taryn and I both chuckle, staying locked in the three-way embrace for a moment longer. I don’t know what led him and Morgan to one another, but I’m glad he has her. Fuck, if I’m not damn proud all around.
A couple hours later, everything is just about set up, and folks are trickling in.
Walter and Wagner are having a spirited conversation with Gannett’s girls over in their usual corner, which has now been made into a whole family table.
Vickie has her hands full with Tallulah, since Brooks and Evan had some “date night” planned or something on Gannett’s houseboat.
I know that because all I’ve listened to him bitch about this morning was how they better Lysol the shit out of it when they’re done using it.
It makes me snicker whenever I realize that they get more use out of his pleasure craft than he does.
That’s probably why he’s considering selling it to them, so they have a place to stay whenever they visit Ternbay.
He’s tried to talk me out onto it a few times before he does, but, ironically enough—considering where I live—I get violently seasick. I’ve got no problem out on lakes or other smaller bodies of water, but the ocean? Nope. My guts don’t fuckin’ like the prospect of that at all.