Page 66 of Highway To Destiny

I had been out of the room when they arrived about an hour later. When I walked in, Kyle was seated facing my way. He immediately stood and approached me.

“Hey, Connor. Do you have a minute?” he asked, almost in a whisper, as he lightly gripped my upper arm. His expression was somber, and I wasn’t sure I cared for it.

I glanced at his hand on my arm and said, “Sure.” I decided to let him lead the way out of the room after he addressed everyone and said we’d be right back. I followed him down the hall into an empty waiting area that was dimly lit.

We stood facing each other. I felt tension in the air, not knowing what he wanted to say. The last time we’d stood like this, we’d screamed and said some hateful things to one another. My pulse quickened at the thought.

Kyle looked up and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. When his eyes met mine, they were softer. More like the Kyle I’d known most of my life. He took his time, and I could tell he was thinking before he spoke.

“The last time we saw each other, I was a complete fucking dickhead. I had no right to treat you or Mason the way I did. It was Christmas, for crying out loud,” he began before he turned away. “I had no right to get in your face about you not warning me who he was, what he did, or his age. Honestly, I felt blindsided, but that’s just me. I’ve always had a hair-trigger reaction to things that surprise me.” By this time, he’d turned back to face me again. “I’ve always been your protector, and I was caught off guard. Maybe I thought I needed to take on the man-of-the-house role, which was wrong.”

I stood there in a state of shock but let him continue as the tension in my shoulders eased.

“Yesterday, when Mom and I got here, I watched the tenderness and care you showed him as he lay there. I could see the love you have for him, and I hope, for your sake, he feels the same for you. I’m so envious of that. I’ve never felt that with anyone I’ve had a relationship with.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but he held up a finger for me to wait.

“These past few months have killed me not talking to you. My fucking pride kept me from reaching out. I just wanted to tell you how much I’ve missed you. I love you, brother, and I’m so sorry for what happened.”

My eyes filled with tears, and my throat tightened. It was my turn to make amends, and I wanted to do it right. I wiped a fallen tear from my cheek before I talked. His last declaration had hit me square in the chest.

He stood close enough that I reached out and took one of his hands. “I’ve missed you too, Kyle. The things I said back then, how I hated you, were hurtful and stupid. I shouldn’t have gone that far. I hope you realize I could never hate you. We’re ride or die, man. You’ve been my supporter, my friend, and an amazing brother,” I said, fighting more tears. “Maybe I should have given you and Mom a warning about who Mason was and not let it play out the way I did. I was so afraid of what you’d both think of me being attracted to older men. Maybe I do have a ‘Daddy’ complex, I don’t know…but I don’t care. Mason has filled my heart with real love and devotion, and I’ve not felt that with anyone either.” I stopped and gently pumped his hand. “I want to say I’m sorry for the things I said back then too. Can we move forward and promise never to let our pride get in the way again?” I finished with a pleading smile.

Kyle pulled me into the strongest hug we’d ever had. We sobbed on each other’s shoulders, letting go of shit we’d kept bottled up. We both said we loved each other, and I thought perhaps Mason’s accident was partly to bring my brother and me together again.

When we broke free, we laughed at each other’s crying, but we both knew we’d fixed things, and my heart felt incredibly lighter. We walked back into the room with our arms around each other’s waists and our eyes red-rimmed. Mason, Eli, and Mom watched us approach, and Eli quickly said, “I think they made up.”

Mom jumped to her feet and embraced us. We told her we were sorry for putting her through our fucking shit, to which she said, “Language!” We laughed, and Mason looked at me with a smile that conveyed his happiness. I smiled back.

Mom and Kyle stayed another couple of hours before they decided to head out, have some lunch, and do some early Christmas shopping. They thought they’d find gifts they wouldn’t find in Portland. I thought the idea of early Christmas shopping in a city only one hundred and seventy-five miles from Portland was a stretch. But I told them to have a nice time, and we’d catch up later. They said they’d probably stop by for a quick visit later tonight.

Mason had finally finished his lunch but was insistent about getting a second or third green Jell-O cup from a nurse, which I thought was hilarious.And what’s this fetish about the color green?I thought.

Eli said he was going back to the hotel to get some rest. I decided to busy myself on my laptop and tried to compose a page about the World Trade Organization and its crucial role in regulating trade flow, and then decided it was a lost cause. My head wasn’t in it with all the worry I’d had about how Mason was going to get his recovery dealt with once he left the hospital.

Just as I closed my laptop as if on cue, Mason’s phone rang.

41

MASON

Ipicked up my phone, and it showed Sylvia’s name on the caller ID. I answered, my voice slightly raspy. I’d just finished my Jell-O cup and set it down before the phone rang. We chatted briefly and agreed she and Jack could visit that evening. After I ended the call, I looked across the room. Connor had an expression of curiosity, but he didn’t ask who’d called.

“That was Sylvia. She and Jack will be here tonight for a visit,” I said, so he didn’t need to ask. I grunted and adjusted myself as best I could to get comfortable as Connor came over. I was tired of lying down, and I’d at least been able to sit upright and even stand for a short time with help. They wouldn’t let me venture out on my own until I had my protective helmet, and that was going to take another week since it was being custom-made.

“That’s great. I can’t wait to meet them,” Connor replied happily. “I’ll be sure to text Eli and let him know. Mom and Kyle planned on having dinner down on the waterfront tonight, so we won’t see them until tomorrow.”

Once I got comfortable, I held my hand up to take Connor’s. He kissed it. He exuded such love and warmth, and I felt so lucky to have him by my side. It was the right moment to tell him how I felt.

I cleared my throat and squeezed his hand. “Connor, I don’t know what I’d have done without you here with me. For you to travel from the university, sit with me, and worry the entire time is almost more than I can comprehend. You’ve taken time away from school, and I’m sure it’s been rough.” Connor looked at me with such care, and I felt my lower lip quiver, but I needed to get it out. “You mean more to me than you know, babe. I love you so much—I have for some time, and I wanted you to know that.” It was my turn to pull his hand to my lips, and I brushed his knuckles with kisses. I heard his breath hitch.

“Oh, Mason,” he began as I saw moisture fill his eyes. “I think I’ve loved you since that night at the bonfire. I’ve tried not to think too hard about what it might mean for us. I-I’ve wanted to tell you I loved you for so long but kept it to myself. It seems everyone else knew how I felt, and it was Eli who pushed me to tell you. When you were in the coma, I told you over and over, every day, and hoped you heard me.”

My throat tightened, and a tear ran down my cheek. Connor swiped it away with his little finger. I didn’t get deeply emotional often, and I think the last time I was overcome with such feelings was when Claudia died, and thoughts of grief consumed me.

These weren’t sad tears, though. They were tears of devotion and the love I felt for the man standing next to me. I didn’t know what our future would look like, but I knew we’d figure it out together. Claudia told me we were meant to be, and now it all made sense.

Connor had given up trying to work on his paper, so he decided to read to me. He started somewhere in a book that sounded familiar, yet I couldn’t place it. Connor hadn’t said what the title was. He just started reading to me. But as soon as I heard him say the names Wesley and Buttercup, I laughed, which my head told me was a mistake as it throbbed.

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