Nolan nodded. “If you want to, then yes. I think any team would be lucky to have you.”
Ryder’s lips thinned and his eyes got a distant look in them. “I don’t even know where I’d want to work.”
“Well, you have time to do some research.”
Ryder moved fast, rolling him to his back and straddling his waist. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Nolan asked.
“Being patient. For not giving up on me when I had given up on us and everything.”
Nolan lifted up and kissed Ryder on the lips, pulling him down with him. He rolled Ryder to his back and straddled him. "I believe in you, and I believe in us."
Ryder settled beside him. “I think we’re going to have a long relationship.”
Nolan kissed the side of Ryder's head. He felt it, too. They were good together. They might have people against them here, but hopefully, they would find a place where they really fit in.
He'd thought he would never find happiness again. He'd moved here ready to accept that he wouldn't date anyone for years. The real shocker was finding someone he could fall in love with. He'd thought love was gone from his life and he'd never achieve this kind of happiness again. But he had done more than achieve happiness. He was thriving in happiness.
Chapter 35
Ryder was surprisedto see his father's truck in the driveway when he came home from work. He was glad Nolan was still at work and not in danger. The last thing he wanted was for his father to hurt his lover.
He stepped from his truck and stood with his arms crossed over his chest, not saying a word. His dad shuffled from one foot to the other. The silence stretched on, and Ryder was about to tell him to leave when his father started speaking.
"Your mother went to the doctor. Actually, we both did. They're worried about how much she is declining."
His heart twisted, but he wouldn’t go back to being abused by them. If they wanted a relationship with him, they would have to accept that he was with Nolan and treat them both decently.
“They are talking about putting her in a nursing home.”
Shock pulsed through him. Could his mom really be that bad?
“She’s been acting differently for a while. And I ignored it. That’s on me. I should have been watching her better.”
“I hope she gets the care she needs.”
His father nodded, and it seemed like he was going to turn to get into his truck. Instead, he lifted his chin and met Ryder's gaze. "I thought I could do it, keep a lid on everything, make it all work, but I was miserable, and I took it out on you. My father, when he found out, he beat me, and I wanted to save you from that."
The words hung between them for ten seconds or so, confusion filling Ryder. “So you beat me every day instead?”
“I didn’t want you to have the same affliction I did. But I guess it’s not an affliction. I blamed everyone and everything instead of accepting. Now I’m old and it’s too late.”
He narrowed his gaze, trying to figure out what his dad meant. "What are you saying?"
“Before your mother, back when I was younger, I had those same thoughts and stuff. My father found me in the barn and damn near killed us. The other boy, he left town. Never saw him again. I don’t know what happened to him. It took me a month to get over that beating.”
Heat washed over Ryder and he wondered if what his father was saying was true. “Did Mom know?”
His dad shook his head. “No. I never told her.” His father took a step closer and reached out, holding onto Ryder’s arm. “I’m sorry. I was a terrible father. I was wrong. I thought I could save you from being like me, but I didn’t. I don’t know if it’s hereditary or if it just happens, but I’m sorry.”
Ryder shook his head. "I'm not sorry I'm gay—actually bi. I love Nolan, and I'm happy. I loved Amy, and I never would have looked for a man if she was still alive. But I don't regret being with a man."
“I never should have laid a hand on you. It was wrong. And I hope one day you can forgive me. Your mother wants to see you before she gets too bad. I’m going to tell her tonight that I’m gay.”
“Do you really want to do that?” Ryder asked.
His dad shrugged. “She deserves to know why I wasn’t the best husband in the world. There’s a reason we only had one kid, and it wasn’t because either of us were shooting blanks. I didn’t like that part of marriage.”
