“I will, and I’ll still order mine. Can never have enough of these grits?” Peace smiled at me. “So glad you’re back in my life again. Feels like time never passed. You were nice to me from the moment I met you. No judgment or discomfort. Just liked me for me, and we clicked.”
“How else would I have been? You were his brother, and he loved you too much for me not to love you too. I never cared whether you liked boys or girls. It didn’t change that you were human.”
“If only the world could adopt that attitude, it would save a lot of unnecessary deaths and trips to the therapist.”
The waitress dropped off the refreshing-looking martinis and took our orders.
Peace studied me for a second before he started speaking, “My brother told me that you and he are still in love with each other, but were going forward as only co-parents.”
“You two really do talk about everything.” I sipped on my drink. Hearing what happened between me and Freedom so casually unsettled me. It’d been four days since I’d last heard from Freedom and the confrontation with Kody.
Kody made it clear that we weren’t going to discuss the weekend, and we were moving forward in our marriage. Whatever we did with other people was in the past and wouldn’t happen again. We slept on opposite sides of the bed that first and second night, and on the third night, he stepped into the shower while I showered and reminded me that we were stillhusband and wife. Now, I sat in front of my lover’s brother, wondering how all of this was going to end.
Peace’s expression sobered, and he stared at his glass. “We do until he disappears. Once he believed I could handle myself, he moved on. Everything that happened back then with you and the arrest shook something inside of him. He became so focused and intense that only his music mattered. And after all his success, he started drinking and taking drugs and not giving a good fuck about anything, not even me and Granny. And we both know how he feels about us.”
“How does he really feel about finding out about Kody and Jamie? He seemed to accept it better than I thought.”
“Oh, he was positively livid. Cursing both of you out. And I told him that he needed to confront you.”
“Are you mad at me, too?”
“No, J.” He smiled kindly at me and rubbed my wrist that rested on the table. “I wanted you and him to see each other again and remember the love you used to have for each other. My brother and I were an army of two once Mama died, and we moved with our father. We had an unhappy childhood, and Freedom did what he could to make me happy. He knew I loved stuffed animals, and he would scrape together change from my father’s pockets to buy me one every birthday. When kids beat me up or bullied me because I didn’t fit in, he would find them and threaten them. Then he would reassure me that nothing was wrong with me. That they were just jealous because the Cade boys were so handsome and we would be rich someday.”
I chuckled through my tears. “Very true and sounds like him.”
“When he started spending time with you, he was so happy, he made me smile. To watch him be in love with you made me believe. I didn’t have parents to watch love one another. All I knew was pain and hate. So, when I saw an opportunity to bringyou back together, I took it. And though he was pissed about you and Kody, he couldn’t hide the smile at knowing he had a child with you and that he would see you again. Swore he was giving up alcohol and drugs just to hear information about you, and I believe he plans to stick to it. Or I pray that he does.”
“I don’t know what to say to that.” I crossed my hands over my heart. “He really loves me that much?”
Peace nodded. “And he and Jamie are going to be just as crazy about each other. Jamie is already one of his biggest fans. It’s kicks to hear Jamie talk about him, not realizing that he’s my big brother. I also believe he’ll stay clean for Jamie. He doesn’t want him ever to feel like we used to feel around my drunk ass father.”
“You told me you would tell me how you know Jamie. The only thing Freedom told me was that you noticed me when I dropped him off at school, and that you put two and two together.”
“Jamie is in a group at school. I thought you knew because parents have to give permission.” He looked down at his glass and back up at me. “But when you didn’t come to the parents’ night last month, I asked him. He begged me not to say anything to you because the group was the only place he felt seen.”
“You’re a social worker?”
He nodded.
My heart skipped a beat. “Is Jamie okay?”
“He’s not a harm to himself or others, or ever been abused. He has challenges, which you already know. Can’t really say more unless he wants me to tell you.”
“And he can’t be in a group without my permission.” I jabbed the table, and at his surprised look, I settled back in my seat. “Why didn’t he tell me? Did he think I would be mad that he wanted to be in a therapy group?”
“I think it was more about not wanting Kody to know.”
“Know what?” Panic garbled my voice. “Please tell me. You’re his uncle now and not just his therapist.”
Peace hunched his shoulders and took a sip of his martini before responding, “It’s a safe place for teens struggling with their sexual orientation.”
I shot up in my seat. “What? He’s struggling like in what way?”
Peace’s gaze locked with mine. “You’re his mother. You know.”
We stared at each other until I dropped my gaze. I did know. Kept hoping he would open up to me.
“Jamie is my child, and I love him just as he is. No matter how he sees himself or believes he is, my love doesn’t waver. Like any good parent, you want your baby to be happy. Please say he at least knows that I would never shun him or make him feel less than.”
