Page 108 of The Prodigal Son

Those would be some lucky fucking kids.

Jensen glances up at me and our eyes lock as if we’re thinking the same thing. It doesn’t matter that it’s way too early to be thinking stuff like this, because we’re thinking it anyway. We’re just two people who never thought we’d be in this situation or have this opportunity. I surely never saw myself settling down and Jensen obviously had no plans of ever attempting long term with anyone, let alone a man.

It feels incredibly freeing to finally imagine these things now.

“What’s wrong?” Sadie asks Luke, and I glance up at them with concern. He looks in the rearview mirror.

“You see that car? It’s been following us.”

She turns around, as we all do. It’s a black sedan I don’t recognize, but there’s nothing really out of the ordinary about it.

When Luke pulls off the highway at our exit, the black car does too. Then, to our relief, it turns in the opposite direction at the traffic light.

I glance up at my brother, who doesn’t bother looking relaxed, and I’m assaulted by guilt. Is this how it’s going to be now? Paranoia for the rest of my life. The sooner I come out, the sooner they can all get over it.

“See?” I say, turning forward. “Nothing to worry about.”

A few moments later, Luke pulls up to my mother’s house and all of the good feelings in my stomach turn to ice. Seeing this house again feels like being punched in the gut.

We discussed it earlier and decided to serve the family with the surprise of a lifetime, which means we haven’t told any of them I’m coming. Why? Because I’m a dick sometimes, andwhile I know they probably could have used some time to mentally and emotionally prepare, I was slightly afraid that if I told them I was coming, I’d back out last minute and feel like shit for it.

So…surprise.

Luke pulls into the large circular driveway before anyone else has arrived. We planned to come early on purpose—for Mom. She deserves a few minutes alone with me before the chaos ensues.

Jensen and Luke both open their mouths to speak at the same time, but I quickly interject.

“If either of you asks if I’m ready again, I’m going to walk back home. Got it?”

They both close their mouths. “Got it,” Jensen says.

Sadie winks at me from the front seat.

Henry starts to get fussy as soon as the car stops moving, so we all climb out of the car. It’s like there’s a weight on my chest as I stare up at the same house I walked out of eleven years ago.

This is the house seventeen-year-old me stood in while my father slapped me across the face for telling him I was gay—for calling him a bigot. This is where I stood that night when I promised myself I’d never return.

I freeze on the front porch steps. Jensen is by my side when he glances my way. Everyone stops and looks at me as if waiting for me to make the first move.

“If I walk in there…am I betraying the kid who ran away?”

Luke turns toward me with the baby on his hip. His eyes bore into me with severity as he says, “You’re not betraying anyone. You got that kid out, Isaac. But you hold the power now, which means you can choose to leave. And having that choice is what really matters.”

The tension melts away from my shoulders as I stare at my big brother.

Sadie reaches out and squeezes my arm. “You’re not betraying anyone, Isaac.”

I smile at her before nodding to Luke.

“Thanks. Okay…let’s do this.”

Luke reaches for the front door first. I stand behind him, sliding my hand into Jensen’s. There are no cameras or paparazzi here. So he leans in and presses his lips to my temple.

Suddenly, I feel grounded and safe.

The first thing that hits me when I walk in the door is the scent. It’s the smell of home, so deep within my psyche that I forgot it even existed. I couldn’t put a name on it if I tried. It’s my childhood and holidays and hugs from my mother all rolled into one.

“Hey, Mom,” Lucas calls. “We’re early.”

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