“We’re good out here,” Wright said. “You can ask your mom if she needs anything.”
The night air was a bit chilly and Vic didn’t have a jacket on. The house, despite the open door, was several degrees warmer. “Hey, Mom. Dad.”
“Oh sweetie, hi.” Their mom had her hands up with what looked like flour clear up to her elbows. “I would hug you but I don’t want to get you dirty.”
“It’s okay, Mom.” Vic wrapped their arms around her and gave her a quick hug. “I missed you. Everything is looking amazing already.”
“It’s not much,” she said, dismissing her hard work like she did every time she cooked.
“It’s more and more food every year and yet, she still says ‘not much’.” Their dad came from the living room. From the angle the main dining room table sat, Vic assumed that he’d been moving furniture around to accommodate an extra table tomorrow. “How was the trip?”
“Great,” Vic said. “It was really needed, but we also learned a lot.”
“That’s great, sweetie. I’m glad you had fun.” Vic watched their mom go back to kneading some dough. She was making her homemade rolls. Vic helped her make them last year. “You look tired, though. Why don’t you go get some sleep? We can use your help in the morning getting everything set up, but we’re good right now.”
“Are you sure?” Vic was feeling a bit drained. Whether that was because they were physically tired or because they craved to drive up to Tawson’s place and stay the night.
“Yes. Go sleep.” Their dad popped something into his mouthwith a finger held to his lips. Vic nodded. “Do you mind helping with the horses tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I can.” Vic nodded. They started toward the hallway to head to the stairs.
“Love you, honey!” Their mom called out behind them. “Goodnight.”
“Love you too. Both of you.”
Vic did just that too. They slipped down to their briefs and got under the covers, pulling up Tawson’s texts to tell him goodnight and that they would see him tomorrow. Vic fell asleep before a response came through.
When they woke up the next morning, it was go-go-go from the start. Vic helped out in the barn. They even rode out to the back fields with their dad to make sure the guys and Zaya were good and on track to come up for the meal later. Zaya worked it out with Vic and Paxton’s dad that she would be off during the soccer season to travel with Paxton for away games. They had their own house already too, but Zaya still stayed in the bunk house some nights.
By the time they put the horses back in the paddock, the rest of the family was up and moving around. Vic showered and then helped where needed. It involved moving furniture, setting up placemats, greeting friends and family as they came in. They also helped their mom add the whipped cream onto the pies before they went back into the fridge.
The house was filled with bodies and conversations by one in the afternoon. Tawson slipped into the house, handing the cobbler he made off to Vic’s dad. “You might regret doing that,” Vic commented. “We likely won’t see that dish put out on the table.”
Tawson smiled at Vic. All the memories of the last coupleof days flashed in Vic’s mind. They wanted to reach out and touch Tawson, hug him. Kiss him. Tell everyone that they were together. Instead, they ducked their head and offered a small smile in return. “Can I help with anything?”
“Victor?” Hearing their full name sounded almost wrong now. They hadn’t gained the courage to tell the family that they went by a nickname. Much less, that they were nonbinary. Vic could see that Tawson knew what was going through their mind. “Can you possibly head to the guest house and see if we have the centerpieces from last year in there still? The ones that have the metal base and have the leaves wound around them?”
“Sure,” Vic said. “Tawson, would you mind helping? If they’re in there, it’s going to require more than two hands.”
They walked outside and down the steps. Vic wore his tennis shoes, a pair of dark jeans, and a sweater with a discreet argyle design across it. Tawson was in much the same with the shoes and jeans, but he chose one of the blazers he wore for work. He looked amazing. Vic unlocked the door and stepped in, closing it softly behind Tawson. No one else was inside.
“You still haven’t told your family?” Tawson asked. It wasn’t accusatory or pushy, but Vic knew he was going to ask as soon as they were alone. They shrugged.
“I don’t know,” Vic said. “I want to. It’s kind of weird hearing my full name again. I’ll talk to them, I promise. After today, though.”
“I’ll be there if you need me,” Tawson said. “Do you want me to use he / him pronouns again or?”
“No, it’s okay. I promise, I’m not near as worried as I was at the start of the semester to tell them. It just hasn’t come up.”
Tawson pulled Vic in for a quick hug before they focused andVic led him to the closet they used for storage. They found six of what their mom was talking about, exactly the reason why Vic asked for extra hands. Back inside the main house, Vic and Tawson let their mom direct on how to set the tables. Then she directed Vic to find some candles.
They got it set up just in time for everyone to come in and find a seat. With such a crowd and the rush of dishes that everyone brought, settling the kids that had been running around, and this and that, Vic and Tawson weren’t given a second glance when they sat beside each other. Both of them kept their legs pressed together under the table.
Vic’s grandma on his mom’s side, Palma, sat across from them. She had an unending list of questions for Tawson. Most of them he answered, some he skirted around the truth a bit. She asked Vic how classes were going too. When she realized that Tawson was a professor, that started a whole new round of questions for both of them.
They all laughed and ate and had a good time. Vic ate way more than they should have. They regretted the jeans and wished to sneak away and put on a pair of sweats or something. Tawson called out to Vic’s dad that he couldn’t see the cobbler on the dessert counter when he went to get himself and Vic something.
“Shhh! Don’t be so loud, man.” But Vic’s mom slapped his arm and told him to pull it out of the oven where she’d kept it to stay warm. Everyone in the house laughed at the interaction and watched him pull the pan out of the oven. There was also vanilla ice cream pulled from the freezer.
