Page 144 of The Prodigal Son

Hey. I’m home.

“No, no, no. I wasn’t out for milk,” I mutter to myself.Delete.

The oven beeps when it’s heated and I set down my phone to put the pizza in. After setting the timer, I pick up my phone again and close my eyes, imagining Isaac in my hospital bed that day and everything I did to him. The stupid phone call I made to him. The way he found me. I told him he needed to finish his tour without me dragging him back down into all of my shit.

But he deserves to at least know I’m home.

Hey. I just got home from the recovery center. I still need some time, but I just wanted you to know. I’ve been watching you on your tour. You’re doing amazing. Keep going. When it’s over, I want to see you again. I hope you still want to see me.

I’m chewing on my lip as I hit send. Was that too impersonal? Too cold?

I pace some more while I wait. What if he doesn’t respond at all? What will I do? I’d have to move on, I know that, but it would be miserable.

Then my phone pings with a message and I nearly drop it as I scramble to see it. And when I open the text message thread, I let out a soft whimpering sound.

It’s a selfie of him lying down in his bed with a soft smile on his face. Below the picture, it says…

Best news I’ve heard all year. When you’re ready, I’ll be there.

And just like that, all of my anxiety dissipates. Just his face and those comforting words. He knew exactly what I needed.

Composing myself, I hold up my phone with the selfie camera on. I snap a picture with the softest smile.

After I send it, I write:

I can’t wait.

“You’re the pastor, Jensen. They hired you for a reason.”

“I know that,” I reply with my hand around my coffee mug. Adam is sitting across from me at the diner, and I’m replaying the entire meeting today with the board at the church. Redemption Point has a large team, including the two other preachers who stepped in while I was gone, but Adam is right. At the end of the day, I am the one they want.

“Are you thinking about stepping away?” he asks, and that is the question that’s been hounding me.

“No,” I say without hesitation. “I love my job.”

“Okay, start over. Tell me exactly how the meeting went,” he says as he leans his elbows on the table.

Setting my cup down, I cross my arms over my chest. “I sat in front of the entire board, and I told them everything. I told them that I’m gay. That I have a public boyfriend. That I won’t be stepping down. I worked for that spot and that church. If they want to fire me, they can face a discrimination lawsuit.”

“What did they say?”

It’s my turn to tilt my head toward him. “A couple of them threw a fit. Tried to bully me out of the job. But some…were supportive.”

Adam is wearing a smug smirk as he tosses a piece of bacon in his mouth.

“What is that look for?” I ask.

He chuckles. “I wanted that job more than anything. I thought I was going to be the man standing at that pulpit, but my father made sure that never happened. And now…the church belongs toyou. His son’s boyfriend.”

“I call that irony,” I say with a smile.

“I call it providence.”

With a tight-lipped smile, I nod.

“So tomorrow is your first sermon back,” he says as he continues to pick at his breakfast.

“Yeah.”

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