Page 62 of Galen's Redemption
Chapter Sixteen
THE AWKWARDNESShadn’t faded as the evening progressed. Galen’s pained gaze kept shifting toward Tom and Brian. Robert wished he could read minds right about now. He had no idea what was going on with Galen, and his dad was being cryptic, just saying that what they discussed was private until Galen decided he was ready to share. The one thing about his father that alwaysirritated Robert was how he kept so many damn secrets.
“Galen, did you want some more soda?”
“No, but thank you, Mrs. Kotke. Everything was delicious.”
Mom wasn’t fooled. Galen had barely done more than move the food around on his plate, only stopping to take a bite when he noticed someone was looking at him.
“I’ll have some more soda, Mom.”
She smiled. “That’s good, sweetheart. You knowwhere it’s at. Bring me some, too, would you?”
The people spread around the room chuckled, including Robert. His mom had outdone herself with this spread. She pulled out all the stops to impress Galen, but it didn’t seem like it was helping.
Marco, seeming to sense some tension in the room, turned to Mom. “This is wonderful, Rachel. If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask for the recipe? Mymom will kill me if I don’t get it.”
“Of course. If you give me her email address, I can send it to her so she can write me back if she has questions.”
“That would be great. I’ll write it down before we leave.” He reached out and put a hand on Andy’s arm. “But we appreciate you inviting us.”
She waved him off. “Nonsense. The two of you will always be welcome at our table.” Her gaze shiftedto me. “Robert? The soda?”
He got up and took a step toward the kitchen. Mom caught his eye and tilted her head in Galen’s direction.
“Galen, why don’t you help me?”
His head snapped up. “What? Oh. Okay.” He got up and trudged into the kitchen. When the door closed, Robert spun and pressed him against the wall and held him there.
“No thinking. Tell me what’s going on in your head?”
“Why amI here? I don’t belong.”
“What? Of course you do. My mom loves you, and Dad keeps checking to make sure you’re okay. How in the world do you not belong?”
He bit his lip and tried to turn his head.
“Uh-uh, no. Look at me, Galen.”
He slowly returned his gaze to Robert’s face. It was eating him up inside, that much was obvious.
“Talk to me.”
“Tom is doing everything for Brian. He was actuallyfeeding him, and it was… I don’t even have words. It was so intimate and I felt like I shouldn’t be here, witnessing something so perfect. You all take care of one another. I… I don’t even know what that means. If Andy hadn’t taken me in, I would probably have ended up on the streets. I’ve never had to care for myself, let alone anyone else. I don’t think I can do it.”
Of course.“Galen, canyou tell me where this is coming from? Please, I swear not to tell anyone what we talked about.”
Conflicted emotions played out on his face. Sadness seemed to be the most obvious. “When I was a kid, maybe eight years old, I came home from school and found Father waiting at the door. He stood over me and demanded I tell him why I talked back to my teacher. I tried to explain, to tell him thatshe’d gotten something wrong in her explanations and she didn’t appreciate it.”
He squirmed and Robert took a step back, but not so far as to let him run or to break contact with him. He knew Galen needed something solid to hold on to, and Robert intended to be there.
“He stood there, impassive, nonplussed, and glared at me. See, I thought he’d be proud of me, because I wasn’t going to simplyaccept what she was saying was true. When he raised his hand and slapped me, I figured out I was wrong. It was the only time he’d ever hit me. From then on, no matter what I did to make it right, he would glare at me and tell me what a disappointment I was. And you know, those words hurt more than the slap did. I spent the next twenty years trying to show him I wasn’t a total fuckup.” Galen gavea rueful chuckle. “Guess I failed there too, huh?”
Even if he wanted to, Robert couldn’t stop himself from scooping Galen up in his arms and pressing their lips together. He’d suspected whatever Galen was hiding, it had to do with his bastard father, but to hear he’d hit a child? That was unconscionable.
“You are not a fuckup. You’re a man who was constantly crapped on by someone who shouldhave been helping you to be your best. I’m sorry that happened.”
He sniffed, and Robert turned and grabbed a tissue off the counter. He held it up and pinched Galen’s nose lightly. “Blow.”
