A soft squeeze to my thigh had me looking back toward the man I loved. “You ready to go in?” He asked.
I gave him a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Stepping out of the car, the heat hung heavy. I groaned softly, knowing the high humidity and temperatures were going to have me sweating through my deodorant just on the short walk to the door.
We made our way down the walkway, up the porch steps, and to the front door, where Derek laced his fingers through mine to give my hand a quick, firm squeeze. Our eyes locked and the look on his face told me he wouldn’t be going anywhere. A smile spread over my face, the same one mirrored on his. Everything was going to be fine, one way or another.
Derek dropped my hand as we made our way into the cool entry hall of my parents’ home. The smell of freshly baked cookies hung thick in the air, and I greedily took it in. My mother had always been an incredible baker, but her cookies were one of my favorite treats growing up. There were dense,indulgent orbs of pure love that had made even the hardest days just a touch better. The sweet aroma enveloping the space had every warm childhood memory flooding back to me.
At the sound of the door closing, my mother’s blonde head popped from around the corner to the kitchen. A moment later, she came out, wiping her hands on a small dish towel.
“Charlie, the boys are here!” She called over her shoulder, then turned back to us, a large grin plastered on her face.
Her blue doe eyes scanned over both of us inquisitively as she greeted us with sugary, sweet hugs and tender welcomes. My heart squeezed watching my mom hug Derek so affectionately. I wanted this to be a sight I saw every holiday, get together, and family event. After a moment, she motioned us into the living room while she grabbed the plate of cookies.
Entering into the space had my back stiffening. The way my father stood, poised and staring out through the window overlooking the backyard seemed ominous. When he turned back to face us, he was holding a glass of whiskey and my mind reeled again. One of these things did not match the others. His stance was intimidating with his shoulders squared back and his chest puffed, and he held an unusually blank expression on his face.
While my father was a good Southern man, formality was not something adhered to in his home. Clients and guests alike were introduced to his carefree, kicked back style when they passed through his front doors, which made this whole situation beyond weird. Tension was slowly creeping into my shoulders and I ached to hold Derek’s hand again.
“Come, sit boys. Ellie will be in shortly.” My father motioned to the loveseat across from where he stood. He swirled the dark amber liquid in his crystal tumbler absently.
Derek and I exchanged a glance, both of us clearly picking up on how differently my father was acting, but took our places as requested. Just as we situated ourselves, my mothercame in, holding a large platter of chocolate chip cookies that were still steaming.
“Now, be careful, they just came out of the oven so they’ll fall apart if you take one, but I know how much you love them pipin’ hot, Colton.” She gushed, setting the tray down on the coffee table between us and neatly situating herself into a seat near my father.
She looked expectantly between all of us, clearly ready to discuss whatever had brought us over today.
Without much preamble, Derek took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine and situating them pointedly on my thigh.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush, Charlie.” He started, addressing my father with his shoulders pulled back. “You know I’m not good at that sort of thing.”
My father’s eyes dropped to our hands before he glanced at my mother, who had done a similar motion. When they both looked back at us, my father motioned with his glass for Derek to continue.
“I’m not here to ask for permission. I’m in love with your son and we’ve decided that we’re going to continue living together. It’s unconventional, and I’m sure people in town will have a lot to say about it, but he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I want to continue building our lives together, here in Westwend, regardless of what people think. But, I think I can speak for both of us—” Derek’s eyes cut to mine for a moment, full of so much determination and affection. “—that having your support would mean a lot to us. Both of you have done so much for us, in different ways, which is why we wanted to tell you before we made our relationship public.”
I could tell Derek was holding his breath, the same way I was, as I glanced back toward my parents. My mom was holding a hand over her chest, her blue eyes watery with unshed tears. My father still wore that blank expression whichhad my nerves fraying at the edges. Any semblance of calm I thought I had walking into this room was slowly slipping away as the silence hung between us. Derek’s hand tightened around mine, probably sensing I needed the reminder—we were a team and he had me, no matter what.
After what felt like an eternity of my father staring Derek down, his attention shifted to me. “That all true?”
Something about the weight of our hands locked on my thigh, and the reassuring presence beside me had me sitting up straighter as I addressed my father. “Yes.” My voice was steadier than I’d thought it would be, which made me feel more empowered. “Everything Derek said is true.”
“Do you love him?”
“I do.” There was no hesitation.
For a moment, my father stared back at me with the green eyes he’d passed on to me. Then a grin grew slowly on his face, his mustache bouncing as a booming laugh burst from his chest.
He quickly rounded the chair my mother was sitting in, who was openly dabbing at her eyes now, making his way to the cabinet that held all the decanters and glassware for his liquor. He plucked two crystal tumblers from within, poured a healthy amount of whiskey into both, before dropping them onto the coffee table before us. He clinked his glass against them before throwing back the little amount he had left.
“Hoo-wee!” He bellowed, standing up tall. “Damn, I surprise even myself sometimes.” He glanced at my mother over his shoulder. “Ellie, I think I need to take up match makin’ when I retire.”
“I won’t lie boys, I was starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen, seeing how y’all tiptoed around each other. I told Ellie—tell ‘em I told you—” He motioned back toward my mom whose blonde head bobbed rapidly in confirmation. “—that I was starting to think maybe I’d gotten it wrong somewhere, but here y’all are, and I couldn’t be morepleased as punch!” He dropped heavily into his chair beside my mother, kicking his feet up onto the table.
I could feel my jaw hitting the floor and my brain was scrambling to keep up with whatever… that just was. One glance at Derek’s face confirmed we were firmly in the same confused boat.
“Come again?” Derek asked, finding his voice sooner than I did.
“Yeah, what the fuck?” I echoed.
