Page 18 of Happily Undead in Dark River

Igroaned as Tex’s phone went off at five p.m. the following day. I snuggled back under the blankets, sinking into the hard warmth of Tex’s body. Tex found his phone in the drawer, looking pale and hungover, his shoulder-length hair sticking up in all directions.

“‘Lo?” he yawned, his eyes still sticky with sleep.

“Tex? Did I wake you?” My body stiffened at the voice that came over the speaker. “Am I on that Facetime? Tim, how do I get this off Facetime?” I shook my head, stuffing my fist in my mouth to stop myself from crying out.

“Mrs. McKellen,” Tex said quickly, his eyes shooting to me, and then back to Judge.

Judge pulled me back into his body, pulling my fist from my mouth and cover it with his own palm. “Shh, Rainey Day. It’s okay. Shh,” he soothed, and now someone else could be in control, I let the tears burst forth.

It was my Mom. On Facetime. If I leaned just a little to the left, I could see her face. Judge held me tighter as if he could read my thoughts.

“Enough of that Mrs. McKellen thing, Tex.” I could hear the smile in her voice, but I could also hear the sadness that was never there before. “Look, I was talking to your mother and she told me that you’d met someone up there. A man.”

“Uh, yeah,” Tex said, seeming uncomfortable for the first time. I looked at Tex. I hadn’t even realized he’d spoken to his parents, let alone came out to them. Was this his plan to never go home? Just get banished?

“I know that they didn’t take it well, Tex, and I don’t understand. I don’t understand how they could just let you go, and I kept thinking that I would give my life for just one more second with Mika,” her voice broke and my body started to shake with the force of my sobs. Judge was whispering softly to me, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying, I was focused on the one person I missed more than any other.

“It’s okay,” Tex murmured softly. “I knew what they would say. I expected it. I’m really happy here, I promise.”

Mom gave a shaky breath. “I just wanted you to know that you have a place here with us if you ever want to come back. If your parents have anything to say about it, they can take it up with me.” She sounded like the fierce woman who took down my second-grade teacher who kept me in class during playtime because I couldn’t get my K’s around the right way. My mom in a fury was a sight to behold.

“Thanks, Mrs. Mac,” Tex said softly, his eyes shining too.

My Mom gave a soft laugh, and I knew the sound as well as I knew my own. “You know, I always thought you’d end up with Mika? You two were so cute when you were kids. I would never have guessed you were gay. But I fully support you, and so does Frank.”

Tex shifted uncomfortably, and I realized he was still on Facetime. “I’m not gay. I’m bisexual.” He looked over the phone toward me. “I loved Mika. I’d loved her since I was ten years old, and she was following me around and dancing like a lunatic to my Dad’s records. I don’t think there will ever be a day I don’t love her.”

Mom began to cry softly, and my heart shattered. It was dust in the cavity of my chest. “Me too, Tex. Me too.” She cleared her throat and continued. “Well, I just wanted to let you know. Don’t be a stranger. Come home whenever you need to. Bring your new beau. We’d love to meet him.”

Tex’s eyes shot to Judge automatically, before he looked back at the screen. “Maybe Mrs. Mac. Do me a favor?”

“Anything, you know that.”

“Check in on my parents for me. I know you don’t agree, but they are a product of their generation. I’m not mad, and I wouldn’t want you to ruin a long friendship being angry for me.”

“Oh, Tex,” my mother whispered. “You were always such a good boy. Such a sensitive soul. I’ll watch over them. I mightn’t agree with their decision, but they were there for me these last few months. I owe them that at least.”

They quickly said goodbye, and Tex hung up. Judge released my mouth and the keening noise that came from my throat was inhuman. Tex pulled me up and into his arms. I sobbed into his chest, into the chest of the only other person in the universe who knew what I had lost.

My sobbing had drawn the others from wherever they were in the cottage, Brody looking bleary-eyed but X looked fierce. I noticed he had a knife in his hand, looking for unknown threats. If I could have drawn breath around my wracking sobs, I would have told him that the only threat to my well being was my broken heart. Judge was standing, speaking to them softly, explaining.

Brody came over, kissing the tears from my cheeks. “Oh, sweetheart. I am so so sorry. Want me to go and get Walker?”

I shook my head. Walker would already be at work. He didn’t need to leave because I was having yet another emotional breakdown. I didn’t want anyone but my mom. The one person I could never have.

X slipped the knife into the back of his pants and clapped once. “Okay, Love. If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that you need time to grieve. But wallowing in the darkness on sheets that stink like stale sex is not the way to do it. The pretty shifters are going to run you a bath, I am going to make you a cup of tea, and then you are going to tell me everything there is to know about your Mother.” He paused. “Clothing is optional.”

I realized I was naked, and X could see the long line of my spine and my naked ass. Again. I was too sad to be embarrassed, but Judge, who was also naked, shooed him out of the room.

“I hate to agree with the bossy bastard, but a bath would be a good idea right now. Let us take care of you again,” Brody whispered against my cheek.

I nodded and he disappeared out of the room, and I heard the rattling noise of the water in the pipes.

“You didn’t tell me you’d called your parents,” I said against Tex’s chest, feeling the thump of his heartbeat against my cheek.

He tightened his arms around me. “I didn’t want to upset you. I figured if I couldn’t come out now, I would never come out, you know? This just served a dual purpose. But I could still call my parents and you’re…”

“I’m dead.”

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