Page 81 of Roll With The Punches
“Queer, not—”
“Whatever!” he said. “Again, you’re smart enough to not parse things right now. I don’t care what label you choose for yourself or where you place yourself on the rainbow. I seriously do not. That’s a moot point because you’re born the way you are. As a father, I ampissed offthat the two of you broke our trust.Thatis the focus, here. You’re not being punished for being gay. You’re being punished for deliberately lying to us to avoid rules.”
“Sorry, Pop.”
He stared at them for a long, sad moment. “I’m not just hurt and angry, I’m disappointed in both of you. I love both of you. That’s why I’m coming down on you so hard about this, so you understand how serious it is.”
He looked at Jeff. “Anything to add?”
“No, I had my say earlier.”
Brandon returned his focus to the girls and tipped his head toward the kitchen. “Go get dinner started, please. I’ll drive you both over to Grace’s later so we can talk to her parents.”
The girls got up and headed for the kitchen, then reversed course and each leaned in to hug Brandon, then Jeff.
“Sorry, Dad.” Emma sniffled. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Grace leaned in next. “Love you, Pop.”
“Love you, too, kiddo.”
Once they were in the kitchen, Brandon focused on Jeff, who stared at him from where he still lay on the couch. Keeping his voice low, Brandon leaned in. “Do you think you’ll feel like going with us tonight?”
“I’d like to, but probably not. I hurt too much right now, and my stomach’s all screwed up. Maybe take Stu with you.”
Brandon hatedthis, too, that he couldn’t wave a hand andfixJeff’s health troubles. He touched his forehead to Jeff’s, nuzzling noses with him. “Okay. Love you, boy.”
“Love you, too, Master.”
* * * *
By the time Stuart got home, he’d received the gist of the situation from Jeff via text. Dinner was ready when he arrived, so he went straight to eating and would take his shower after.
“When did you want to leave?” he asked Brandon.
“Pretty soon. I have a feeling we might be talking for a while, and I don’t want to wait until late to do it.”
The girls exchanged a guilty look but didn’t speak.
“And you owe Stuart an apology, too,” Brandon told them. “You lied to me, to Jeff, and to Stuart.”
“Sorry, Stuart,” they echoed.
He struggled not to lose it in front of them. “Thank you.”
Brandon reached over and patted his arm. “If you want to say something to them about this, go ahead. Jeff got to already.”
He met Brandon’s blue gaze. “That’s freaking spooky when you read my mind like that.”
A handsome smile quirked his lips. “It’s a blessing and a curse. Seriously, you’re part of this family.”
Stuart laid down his fork and thought about it for a moment. “You know my family has pretty much disowned me, so you guysaremy family. I know I’m more like a big brother than a dad, in your eyes, but I do love you like you’re my daughters. Em, it really hurts that after all we’ve been through, backing you up with your mom more than once, that you lied to me. To all of us.”
He tried to blink back the tears but still felt them prickling his eyes. “I came from a family where I wasafraidto come out.Literallyafraid for my safety, especially from my oldest brother. So afraid that I decided to leave thestateso I could live my life the way I wanted. This is anything but that kind of family. This family is the polar opposite of my birth family. And it’s freaking disrespectful, especially to your dad, to keep a secret like that when he’s worked so hard on your behalf and youknowhe won’t disown you for it, because he’s gay, too. You don’t understand how lucky you are to have a parent who trulygetsit.”
He glanced at Brandon, who nodded that he could keep going.
