That might have hit a little harder if I hadn’t sounded so whiny. I took a deep breath and tried again. This time, I forced myself to find the calmest, most neutral tone I could get my vocal cords to produce.
“I know you’re concerned, and I know you’re worried. But I need you to trust that I can do this. I’ve never been happier than I have been while working on this house, turning it into the vision I had in my head. Sissy trusted me, and I need you to do the same, Dad.”
“Son, it’s not about trust. It’s about competence.”
Dad looked sad when he said the words, as if they were painful even to speak. I guessed I appreciated that much of his control. He didn’t like calling me incompetent. He didn’t want to say it, but he had to for his own good and mine, I suppose. Maybe to clear his conscience?
“Come on, Dad. For someone who supposedly doesn’t know what he’s doing, Jasper’s done a pretty fucking good job so far.”
Gage might be a dick who accidentally dated married men, but he always had my back when it mattered.
“See, Dad? Even Gage thinks I can do it—and he doesn’t think I can do anything.”
“Oh, I think you can do lots of things, baby boy.”
“Gage, I swear to god, if you call me that again, I am going to fucking murder you.”
“Baby boy, that’s not language you should use,” Gage said, wearing a shit-eating grin.
He looked like the Cheshire Cat—sitting on a toadstool or something. I didn’t even know, but I was going to do him in, and in the most painfully embarrassing way I could manage.
“Let’s get something straight right now,” Daddy said as he strode through the kitchen door, boots echoing across the tile. He yanked me to his side, pressed a firm kiss to my lips, and ignored my startled expression. I probably looked like a deer in headlights, but I didn’t care. Awkward, yes, but oh-so-hot too.
“The only one who’s calling Jasper ‘boy’ is me.”
“Oh, is that so?” Gage smirked.
“Yeah, it absolutely fucking is.”
As Daddy spoke, his Texas twang deepened. For a second, I thought this might actually turn physical. Gage and Daddy locked eyes in a full-on stare down until my dad broke the tension with a clearing of his throat and a hand on Gage’s forearm.
“Gage, I don’t think Jasper’s friend appreciates the way you tease him. We might know it’s all in good fun, but he doesn’t. So maybe you want to get to a point where you can tone it down.”
“Fuck that shit.” Gage waved off that suggestion. “Some new boyfriend is not going to tell me what I can say to my brother.”
“I’m not his boyfriend.”
Two heads swung toward Daddy, and I jerked mine up.
“Whoa, you want to run that by me again?” I asked.What the hell was going on?
“I’m your Daddy. I’m not just some boyfriend,” Daddy said with a definitive nod.Oh my lord, please save me from a pissing contest.“Gage, you won’t be shit if you make Jasper feel bad,” Daddy warned, “because I will bury your ass under my barn.”
“All right, all right. We’re done. Gage, please stop antagonizing my boyfriend. And, Hank, please stop letting Gage wind you up.”
“Why don’t you call him what you usually call him, Jasper?” Gage sing-songed.
“Gage, that’s enough,” Dad roared.
Dad hardly ever raised his voice to Gage. Out of all of us, it was Gage he had the most patience with and put up with the most from. Probably because he looked so much like our mom, or maybe because he secretly enjoyed heartburn. Anyway, it was well known in our family that Dad had a soft spot for him, and Gage played it to the hilt at every opportunity. I liked to imagine that if Mom hadn’t died in that accident, as her youngest, I would’ve been her favorite. It was one of my favorite daydreams.
“Jasper, the only thing we have ever wanted for you—the only thing I have ever wanted for you, the only thing your mom would have wanted for you—is to be happy and successful. And if you choose to have a relationship, then it’s the right one for you,” Dad said.
I heard the sincerity in his voice, and I knew he meant it. But I couldn’t shake the idea that he thought I was going to be a failure. Again.
“Dad, I know you’re worried about this house and about what my relationship is with Hank, and yeah, we just met each other. But I need you to know that I’m dedicated, one hundred percent, to making sure this place is successful. A big part of the reason it’s come together so quickly is because Hank was here. I promise he’s not a distraction.”
“That’s what I thought about the coffee shop. You were doing so well, and then I was told you got fired for lying.”
