Page 6 of Stained Hearts
His cheeks darkened and his lashes fluttered. One thing about Brian—he was easily embarrassed, but he loved it when I wouldn’t let him hide away.
“Oh, you two are adorable. And it’s a great pleasure to meet you, Brian.”
Brian dipped his chin to his chest. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Forcing myself not to sigh, I realized I hadn’t introduced her. “Brian, this is Katy. She works breakfasts here. Katy, this is the most important person in my world, Brian Chen.”
“He’s a cutie.” Katy winked at him, causing his cheeks to darken more. “What can I get you?”
“We’re having dinner with my parents later. I’m just showing Brian around. I figured I’d introduce him to my friends, who, hopefully, will become his.”
“Glad I’m on that list,” Noel said as he stepped through the door that led to the kitchen.
“Shut up, drama queen. You know you are.”
I stood and hugged him when he came closer. It had been a few months since I’d seen him last. After he met Lincoln, he seemed to… I wasn’t sure how to say it. Galen had told me what an absolute shit he was to Noel and how he swore to Robert he’d make up for it. When I saw Noel and Lincoln together, and heard Lincoln calling Noel “pup,” I understood their dynamic. The two completed each other, and it looked good on them.
“Hey, I got two banana splits back here that somehow appear to be extra. Who wants them?”
Katy bounced on her heels. “I’ll take one.”
Lincoln smirked. “Yeah, no. They’re for Tom and his friend.”
Katy’s lower lip slid out until she was in full-on pout mode. “You suck.”
Lincoln tilted his head in Noel’s direction. He turned toward Katy, leaned in close, and whispered, “Yes, he does. And he’samazingat it.”
All of us, Brian included, laughed, and it felt good. Noel grabbed the desserts and brought back two of the largest splits I’d ever seen. He also had four spoons in his hand, so we all dug in. Brian kept looking at Noel and Katy, but then he smiled at me.
“Thank you for bringing me here.”
I reached out and took his hand in mine. “I told you my family would love you.” I tilted my head in the direction of Noel and Katy. “These two? And the guy behind the counter? They’re every bit my family. It’s the ones we make that are the most important. It’s not always the blood we share that make the ties that bind.”
Though Brian had often claimed he was over what his father had said all those years ago, I honestly believed that was the moment the last of the stranglehold on his heart finally withered away. It took us time and a lot of love, but eventually he confessed the truth of how his father had told everyone in his family that if they spoke with him, they would be dead to him too. He essentially left Brian all alone in the world. It was a good thing Brian had gotten a full scholarship, or otherwise he might never have made it to college.
In the almost twenty-five years we were together, his family never reached out to him, and Brian stopped trying after they made it clear they no longer cared. He cried, but from that he grew stronger, fiercer. He picked himself up, dusted off his big-boy pants, and showed the world not to fuck with what belonged to Brian Chen.
Fortunately that included me.
I WOKE,cold with sweat. Fuck, I was having the dreams again, and I was torn between wanting them to stop and worrying that they would, because then that meant I would have forgotten Brian.
I went into the kitchen and made myself a cup of cocoa. It was Brian’s favorite drink for us on a cold night, as we snuggled in front of the window and watched the snow fall. I think those were my favorite times with him.
God, I missed him so.
SIX MONTHSlater, a little more than a year after Brian’s death, I sat in Lincoln’s diner, nursing a root beer float. Noel took the seat across from me, and I could see the pity in his eyes. I hated when people looked at me like that, because they knew I was broken. Internally I understood I was clinging to the past, but how can you get beyond a quarter century of love?
“I’m glad you came back.”
I snorted. “Mom and Dad came over to the house, and Dad dragged me into the bathroom, telling me to shower and shave. After I did, they each took an arm and hauled me outside kicking and screaming.” I sighed. “I admit, I was doing the bare minimum to take care of myself. Things just didn’t seem to be important. I barely ate, hardly slept, but if you asked me, I don’t think I could tell you anything I’d done. I mean, there was food in the house, so obviously I went shopping, but….” It was quiet for a moment. “It’s been a year. When does the hurt stop?”
“I don’t know that it ever does. That’s why family and friends are so important. Your folks are worried. We all are.”
Yeah, everyone was worried about the poor widower. My heart seized at the word. I hated it.
“I miss him too, you know.”
And I did know. Brian and Noel had become good friends. Even though there was quite a few years between them, they found common ground in movies and music. Noel was the first person to talk Brian into going out with him to a concert. Well, it was more like he whined and pleaded until Brian said yes to shut him up. After they left, Lincoln told me how much being friends with Brian meant to Noel. That cemented their bond, and the two became thick as thieves, always getting together to talk. I liked that Brian had a friend.
