Page 221 of Force Play
“Do not backtalk me, Ari,” his dad booms.
I have to bite my tongue to keep my mouth shut.
“You know what?” Ari says. “Fuck this.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m tired of being your pawn. You’ve only ever cared about how I reflect onyou.You don’t give a damn about my happiness. You’re glad Lucia is a woman because having your son be with a man would just make everyone clutch their pearls and pray for my soul. Well, guess what, Dad? Your son is bisexual. I could so easily have ended up with somebody you deem unacceptable.”
I watch Ari in reverence. I can tell this outburst isn’t typical of his conversations with his dad, and I’m so proud of him for standing up for himself.
“The hell you are,” his dad yells. “No son of mine is a—”
I cut him off before he can even finish that heinous thought.
“I’m gonna stop you right there, Tom,” I assert, and Ari’s eyes widen as he watches me. “What you’re not going to do is fucking disparage your son for his sexuality. Ari is free to love whoever he wants to, but based on your reaction, I can see why he’s been so hesitant to tell you.”
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are—”
“I’m Lucia Torres,” I shrug. “I’m your son’s girlfriend, but you already knew that. You just don’t like that I have the audacity to call you out on your homophobic bullshit.”
“Ari Morgan, if you don’t tell h—”
“I’m not going to tell her to do a goddamn thing,” Ari pipes in. “She’s doing what I should’ve been doing for years. I’m your son, but you’ve certainly never treated me that way. In your eyes, I’m an extension of you, and onlyyoucan decide how I live my life. Fuck that.”
“I will not be spoken to this way, Ari.”
“You don’t have authority here, Tom,” I chide. “Respect is earned, not given, and I get the feeling you haven’t respected your son a day in his life. But that’s okay because I’ll respect him enough for both of us. Ari is incredible, and I’m sorry you never gave yourself the chance to actually see that.”
Ari sits up straight now, no longer sinking in on himself and instead standing tall.
“Lucia is right. You have never respected me. You were only worried about me being seen with my male friends and what people might think about that, but that’s because you never saw the men I wasactuallywith. I don’t need your support or blessing for any of it, though. Honestly, my relationship with Lucia is a first for mebecause of you.But I’ve learned what not to do and that starts with not fucking cheating on a woman I claim to love.”
“Ari—”
“Save it, Dad. I honestly just don’t care anymore. I’ve kept in contact with you solely because we’re family, but I’m starting to see there’s really no point to it. Every conversation has always been you asserting your assumed authority over me, and me walking away with my tail between my legs. No more. I’m fucking done. If you can’t respect me or Lucia, there’s no need for us to speak. We might be blood, but we don’t have to be family.”
“I’m not going to tolerate this bullshit, Ari.”
“Your opinion on this doesn’t matter,” I add. “Your son is thirty fucking years old. He can make his own decisions, and that includes cutting people out of his life who bring nothing but toxicity.”
“You know my number,” Ari states. “If you ever think you can respect us and not talk down to either of us, give me a call. Otherwise, don’t fucking bother.”
Ari hangs up the call and sets his phone on the counter. Then he immediately leans over and kisses me desperately, sinking his fingers in my hair and swiping his tongue into my mouth.
I get lost in him for a moment, but I can’t let myself go completely.
“Ari,” I sigh. “I’m sorry if I—”
“Sorry?” He laughs darkly. “Why would you be fucking sorry? Lucia, you stood up for me, and I love you more now than I did even ten minutes ago.”
“I couldn’t let him talk to you like that. He doesn’tgetto talk to you like that.”
“With your support tonight, he won’t have another opportunity to. I’m done with him. I don’t need his shit in my life. I’ve been really fucking happy, and he’s not going to ruin that for me.”
I smile and press my forehead to his. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Ari.”
“Honestly? I’m proud of myself.” He grins before kissing me again. It starts soft before the intensity ramps up. “I need you, baby. Right fucking now.”
