Her eyes sparkled as they met mine. “I think Zephyra’s right, if thechildrenwould stop fooling around for a moment. It is time for all of us to get caught up. And as I don’t want to interrupt you getting properly nourished with Southern food again, I think we can fill you in on our lives first. Dinner and a show.”
I swallowed another forkful of mashed potatoes. “That sounds great. I would love to know what all I’ve missed.” I glanced over at Sue. “I can’t believe how much I have missed your cooking, Sue. I hadn’t even realized. I feel like I haven’t really eaten in years.”
Sue smiled at the compliment. “You’ve just missed fried food and butter. That’s all.”
Della shook her head. “It’s true. Your heart probably was just starting to get healthy after all those years living in Denver, and now we’re gonna mess it all up again. You’re gonna love it!” She dunked her chunk of fried chicken into her gravy for emphasis. “Do you think Jed will be able to handle Southern cooking?”
I felt my body tense in spite of myself. Why did people keep bringing up Jed without warning? I guess I should have assumed that they all knew about Jed, since Donnie and Maudra had both known before I told them.
Zephyra cocked her head at me. “Who’s Jed?”
So much for everyone knowing. “Jed is my, uh….” I glanced over at Chuck and Nolan, trying to gauge their reaction. I cleared my throat tentatively. “Jedediah is my… husband.”
If there was any tension, it was shattered by another of Zephyra’s squeals. She smacked the top of my arm. “Your husband! No way!” She let her head fall back, laughing at the top of her lungs. “That is priceless! I never would have guessed!”
Donnie smirked. “Then you’re the only one.”
“Donnie, stop it.”
“Oh, Della, come on. It ain’t a big deal.”
“I didn’t say it was, but you don’t need to be crass.” I was pretty sure she was trying to keep herself from grinning right along with Donnie.
As Zephyra continued to giggle, I again glanced back and forth between Chuck and Nolan.
Chuck smiled a tired smile at me. “I can’t say I understand or approve of it, Brooke, and it is most definitely not what I hoped for you, but it doesn’t change anything. Sue and I love you like one of our own.”
Sue nodded and tears filled her eyes. “Yes, dear. We love you completely. I worry about it. I always have. I hoped it would be something you could overcome one day. The Bible is very clear about this issue, and it makes me scared for you, but nothing could make me love you any less.”
I just looked at them. I wasn’t sure what to say. They handled it better than I was afraid they would. Of course, it seemed like they had known when I was a kid too. “Thanks, guys. I love you too. And I’m sorry to cause you worry, Sue.”
“Oh, Mom. You don’t need to worry. How could God ever not love Brooke? He’s too wonderful not to love!” Zephyra beamed at me. “So. How hot is this Jedediah?”
I could feel my face redden as I again glanced over at Nolan.
He shifted uncomfortably but met my gaze after a nudge from Della. He took a deep breath. “My little brother is gay too. So I’ve been around it for quite a while. He came out about five or six years ago. It was hard for all of us at first. Kevin wouldn’t let any of us ignore it, though. He kept it right in our faces. Now, we just see Kevin. No different than he used to be, only an endless string of boyfriends that changes every few months for us to meet.” He looked like saying so much at once was an extreme effort. “I think it’s cool that you have found someone to build a life with. I hope that for Kevin one day too. Life is better when you can share it with one person.”
“Thanks, Nolan.” My throat was tight. “That means a lot to me.”
Della gently interrupted again. “Here I said that I was going to let you eat while we fill you in, and now you’re the center of attention again. You go back to eating, and we will take the lead now. My dear husband gave me a perfect segue.” She patted him on the chest. “I will tell you about how Nolan and I began to ‘build a life’ together.” She ended quoting with her fingers.
“As you may remember, after Donnie and I graduated high school, I started working at the nursing home.”
I nodded. She had still been working there when I graduated a year later and moved away.
“Well, I’d been there a couple years when one day, this huge gorgeous doctor showed up. He was in his last residency cycle. He wasn’t very happy about being placed in some little nursing home in this little Podunk town. At first I thought that was why he was so quiet all the time. Thought maybe he felt that he was better than all of us hicks, and he was too good to talk to us. When he finally managed a whisper asking me out to dinner with a crimson face, I realized he was more shy than arrogant.” Even as Della spoke, Nolan’s face flushed purple. “Somehow, he worked up the nerve to ask me to marry him after a little more than three months of bringing me flowers and buying me dinner. Obviously, I said yes.” She paused to grin at Nolan and kiss his cheek. She took a sip of her sweet tea before she continued. “After Blaire was born, I became a stay-at-home mom. I am sure all those high-power businesswomen in Denver would say I made a very 1950s choice, but I’ve loved every minute of it. Besides, I’m not the only one who compromised in order to have a family. Nolan agreed to spend his life in this little Podunk town. Of course, Mom’s fried chicken didn’t hurt in convincing him.”
Nolan let out a deep quiet chuckle. “That’s for sure.” He took another bite, as if highlighting the fact, as he shifted Savannah’s weight to his other leg.
I glanced into the living room where I could see Willow curled into a ball on the sofa, fast asleep. She and Blaire had left the table shortly after the meal to play withtheir new puppy. Blaire sat on the floor, her back against the base of the sofa, tenderly rocking a sleeping Duncan in her arms. “Well, it looks like every sacrifice was more than worth it. I don’t think I have ever seen more beautiful children.”
“We think so.” Nolan’s quiet voice was filled with pride.
Della glanced down at Savannah. “Maybe one day we’ll add a little boy to the mix.”
“You’d better.” Donnie nodded at his sister. “I need someone to pass my booming business on to.”
“Oh, you’ll have your own little gang of boys one day, Donnie. You’ll be such a great dad.”
