Chapter 39 #2
I glanced between them and Asher. Did I introduce them? On one hand, they wouldn’t care and probably would feel insulted. On the other, Asher was important to me, and I wanted the world to know—especially my intolerant parents—he was by my side.
“Asher, you remember my parents.”
“Unfortunately,” he drawled. God, I wanted to kiss his pissy-on-my-behalf attitude.
Mother bristled and was the first to break their silence. “This is who you wrecked your life for? This … This …”
“Mind your words, Mother. Asher is my boyfriend, and you will not disrespect him in my home.”
“D-disrespect?” she sputtered. “And what of disrespecting us? You lied to our faces, then flaunted your homosexual lover in front of all our friends.”
“You can say boyfriend, right?” Asher grimaced. “It’s less of a mouthful.”
Instinctively, I stepped in front of Asher, hating that he was here for this. While I didn’t want to be, I’d had a lifetime of handling their garbage. Asher wasn’t having it, though. He came around me and stood at my side, grabbing my hand and squeezing in solidarity.
“You can’t be happy he found love? You can’t find it in your hearts to accept the generous and kind man you raised, no matter that his lover has a dick?” Asher accused.
I bit back my smile. “Thank you, Playboy. I got this,” I whispered.
“How dare you flagrantly flaunt your homosexual ways in front of your mother?” Father snarled.
I stood a little taller with Asher beside me. “You’re in my house, or did you forget? You came here, to me, and I will do as I please in my own home.”
“And apparently, in public too,” Mother snapped. “You kissing this … this—man is plastered all over the place.”
“Your point?” I asked to speed this along.
“Had you kept it in your pants in public, no one would’ve cared who you bedded in private.” Father huffed, turning red in the face. “Too late for that now.”
“You’re throwing your life away. You had prestige and clout. Now, you’ll have nothing.”
I cocked my head, letting Mother’s words fall away.
“You’ve ruined this family,” she went on. “Truman broke off the engagement with Mary, and Paul will forever be tied to this scandal.”
“You have your lies confused, Mother. I spoke with Mary and Paul before I made this public. They’re aware of my sexuality and accept me, love me, the same as always. They even like Asher. If you can’t, then that’s on you.”
“You can’t be serious,” she laughed. “You’re giving up your family name for a man?”
“I’m giving up nothing. If anything, I’m reaching for the stars. You are the ones who believe you have some sort of hold over me. Something you think I can’t live without and holding it ransom like a child with his favorite toy.”
Father squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. “You don’t care about your inheritance? Your career?”
I gritted my jaw and darted my gaze between them.
“You seemed to have forgotten who you raised.” Using my most haughty sneer they taught me well, I lifted my chin.
“Do what you must, but I will not follow your rules. I will not let you set the precedent for my life.” I pointed at my chest. “I decide my future, not either of you.”
“I’ll not have a son of mine live his life as a queer.”
Asher flinched.
“Because you never knew about it didn’t mean I wasn’t living that way already. You’ve had a queer among you since I was born.”
“I’ll ruin you for this.” Father seethed, pointing a threatening finger toward my face. “You’ll never set foot inside my company again, and I’ll make damn sure you never work in the finance industry.”
I chuckled. “You only wish your reach was that far.”
Father put his arm around my mother’s shoulders. Her eyes glistened as if she might cry, but I wouldn’t let that get to me. They came here to insult Asher and me. They did this, and I would not shoulder the blame.
“You’re no longer welcome in this family,” Father said. “My will’s changes are effective come April. I will not take it back.”
“That’s your choice to make.” I squeezed Asher’s hand. “I’ve already made mine.”
Mother scoffed. “For this classless—”
“Stop!” I snapped. “You will never again come into my home and insult me or Asher.” I jerked my head toward the door. “Get out. Take your insults and your prejudices and live your remaining years in the misery you’ve made, for all I care, but you won’t do it around us.”
“You’ll regret this,” Father said as he turned Mother to leave.
“Oh, not a chance on that, asshole. I keep him way too satisfied to regret anything,” Asher yelled at their backs, chasing them down the entry hall.
He slammed the front door, leaving us in a deafening silence—until I snorted.
“Did you have to add that?” I asked.
“There was so much I held back.” He winced. “That one got by my defenses.”
I pulled him into my arms and sighed.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said slowly, thoughtfully. “I’m okay. Perhaps I might find regrets somewhere, but they’ll be fleeting if at all. Still, I had hoped to do that without you around to hear it.”
“Not a chance. I’m here for all of it, the good and the bad.”
I hummed and held him. “I like the sound of that.”
He popped a kiss to my cheek and stepped away. “Now that we got that out of the way, let’s go have some fun in Hickory Bend.”
I nodded but tugged him against my chest again. “I love you, Asher Brandt.”
“And I love you, even if you’re poor now like me.”
I snickered. “Ahh, about that.”
“What?”
“Well, I’m not technically poor.”
“But the will, and they’re taking the trust and stuff, right?”
I shrugged. Yeah, that hurt my bottom line, but I didn’t want the money made off the judgmental backs of a family who wouldn’t accept me. “I told you I’d made my first million of my own money before hitting thirty.”
“So, without your family’s money, are you, like, normal rich? Not filthy rich? How’ll you cope?”
“You little shit.” I reached for him, tackling him against the wall as I played, acting as if I’d bite him wherever there was open skin.
“Stop. Stop,” he laughed. “You know, I don’t really care how much money you have. I don’t even need to count the zeros. I’m gonna graduate in three years and a couple of months and make enough to keep my snooty-britches man happy.”
“Trust me, I’ll be happy no matter what.” I turned us so we could finally head out. “Now, let’s go get your gift.”
“Huh?”
I raised my brows and sucked my lips in.
“Luke?” When I only marched for the front door, he called after me, “Luke? What gift?”