41. Tree-huggin’ hippie at heart #2
His mom grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. It was hard but brief. When she pulled back, she looked at him like he was insane for even asking. “You weren’t answering your phone! I heard there was serious damage in the hills. I didn’t know if you were okay.”
“She made me drive her here,” Brodie said, rubbing the back of his neck under his shaggy brown hair, which he was growing out, apparently. At least it looked like it. “Sorry for the intrusion. I can go wait in the car. Or take her back home now that we know you’re alive.”
“The phone networks crashed,” Colby said and cleared his throat because his voice was raspy.
“Have you seen your garage?” Brodie wanted to know, jerking his thumb behind him.
Colby nodded. “Yeah, I was in it when it happened.”
His mom’s eyes widened, and she pressed her left hand to her chest. Colby noticed her wedding ring wasn’t on it. Guess the separation was sticking. It felt weird to Colby to have her concern so overt. “I’m fine, Mom. I promise.”
“Colbs, babe, I’m starving.” Hunter’s voice was just as groggy as Colby’s as he called out from the hall that led to Colby’s bedroom. “Do you have the ingredients for burritos because I can—”
Hunter appeared in the living room. Colby didn’t turn around to confirm, but he could tell by the way both Brodie's and his mother’s eyes shifted at the exact same time to the exact same spot. He could only pray Hunter had put on some sort of clothing. “I’m sorry… I should… I’ll go.”
Colby finally turned around, letting go of the door he’d been holding as if to block his family’s way past the threshold. Hunter was retreating toward the bedroom again. Luckily, he was wearing clothes. Well, sweatpants, which were much better than nothing, for his family’s sake. “Don’t leave.”
Hunter skidded to a stop at Colby’s words. He turned around and their eyes locked. “Are we still doing this?”
“Haven’t changed my mind,” Hunter confirmed, so Colby turned back to his mom and Brodie, who had remained frozen.
“Mom, Brodie, this is my boyfriend Hunter,” Colby said, waving his hand in Hunter’s direction before waving it back toward the two in the doorway. “Bonnie Keaton and Brodie, this is Hunter Law. And yeah, that Hunter Law.”
“Holy shit,” Brodie whispered, but he blinked and offered Hunter a wave with a friendly smile. “Hey. I loved you in Platonic Planet. Super excited for the sequel.”
“We just wrapped on that. It’s really great,” Hunter replied and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Now everyone’s focus shifted to Bonnie, who looked pale. “Hello.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you,” Hunter offered.
Bonnie nodded and then shifted her gaze to her youngest son. “Are you going to let me get off this doorstep and meet him properly? Maybe over some coffee? With bourbon, if you have it?”
Colby let a burst of nervous laughter break out of his mouth. “Yeah, I can do that.”
Twenty minutes later, they were gathered in the kitchen.
Hunter sat at the round table with Brodie and Bonnie, telling them about the earthquake that introduced Colby to Hunter.
They were riveted and happy to chat with him.
Colby watched in amazement and confusion.
Since his very first gay thought, Colby had run through possible scenarios for this moment with his mom.
The reactions that had run through his mind were everything from anger and rejection to avoidance and tears.
He never thought acceptance was a possibility.
Yet, Bonnie seemed to be accepting this whole thing.
Granted, he’d put Bailey’s in her coffee, but still.
There were no tears, no yelling, no blissfully ignorant smiles or acting like she didn’t understand or hadn’t heard the word boyfriend.
After about an hour of odd but comforting small talk, Bonnie carried her mug to the sink and kissed Colby on the cheek.
“I have to run, angel, I have a tennis lesson.”
“That’s code for a date with her boyfriend.”
“What?” Colby blinked, and his eyes bounced between Brodie and his mom. She swatted at her middle child.
“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s still… what do you kids say? Friend-zoned. For now.” She hugged Colby, and over her shoulder, he looked at Brodie and mouthed the words tennis pro? Brodie nodded.
“Mom, I… don’t know what to say,” Colby said as he walked her to the door, and Brodie took an extra minute in the kitchen to ask Hunter for a selfie. Thankfully, he’d put on a hoodie while Colby had made the coffee. “Thank you.”
She stopped by the door. “Don’t thank me. I need to thank you for giving me the chance to try and make this right.”
She reached up and touched his stubbled cheek.
“I used to think blind optimism and pretending to be oblivious were the only way to keep moving forward. Your father convinced me… I let myself be convinced that if we didn’t talk about something, it wouldn’t touch us.
But it destroyed our family, and for what?
Because you wanted to fall in love with someone who isn’t a girl? Why does that matter? It doesn’t.”
She patted his cheek. Now you and Hunter come for Thanksgiving, okay?”
“I don’t know what our schedules will be,” he said honestly, sad he couldn’t just accept.
“Okay, well, it’s out there. Just let me know, angel, if you want to thank someone, Brodie is a good candidate,” she said and paused after twisting the door handle. “He got angry one day and told me, ‘You lost one child, and it almost broke you, so why the hell are you throwing another away?’”
She blew him a kiss as she left, and a second later, Brodie was breezing by him. “Thanks for the coffee and the chat. It’s good to see you again. And see you happy.”
He stepped onto Colby’s small, bricked stoop, and Colby grabbed his shoulder.
Brodie looked at him, his gaze leery. He might never forget the feelings Brodie’s previous lack of support gave him, but he could maybe forgive them.
He hugged Brodie, swift and hard, and then let go and said, “Don’t be a stranger. ”
“I won’t.” Brodie smiled brighter than Colby had seen since they were kids.
Hunter walked up behind Colby and draped his arms over Colby’s shoulders. Colby smiled and said to Brodie, “But always call first. In case we’re occupied.”
Brodie laughed and shook his head. “Why do I feel like that’s a throwback to the time you caught Shelley Sanders and me in the pool house?”
“We had a sock on the door rule, and you ignored it!”
Brodie laughed as he made his way past the damaged garage. “It was summer! I wasn’t wearing socks, dude!”
Hunter and Colby stood in the doorway and waved as Brodie and Bonnie drove off. “I’ve never had a brother. This is going to be a fun learning curve.”
Colby turned and kissed Hunter’s cheek. There was something about Hunter considering Brodie his new brother that made Colby’s heart feel as weightless and euphoric as a hot air balloon ride.
A shingle slipped to the ground from the damaged garage and landed on the stoop. “I think I need to call someone.”
“Not a bad idea.”
Colby turned under Hunter’s arms, put his hands on Hunter’s hips, and walked him back a few steps so he could kick the door shut. He kissed him, slowly, softly, but with a gentle pass of his tongue over Hunter’s. He tasted like coffee. “But first, shower? Together?”
Hunter nodded and led the way to the bathroom.
Colby hoped he’d be saying the word together a lot in the coming weeks, until Trevor was better, the tour started, and Hunter took a job that took him God knows where. But until then, together was their mantra, and it was about damn time.