Emmett’s eyes shot wide at the identical affectionate looks Catherine and Delilah gave him, Delilah placing a gentle hand on Harold’s arm. Were the three of them… Nope, he wasn’t going to finish that thought. None of them had diagnoses that would prevent them from consenting towhateverwas going on between them so it wasn’t his business.
He took a step back from the table, scanning the room to make sure no one needed him, but the aides seemed to have things under control. One of them, Will, was carrying in the giraffe piñata and whiffle bats, and Emmett grinned at thesight. Watching a bunch of octogenarians hit a piñata was the highlight of the party for him.
Before he could slip away, Harold turned and locked his watery eyes on him. “You never answered my question.”
Frowning, Emmett moved closer, trying to remember what Harold had asked him. He started to shake his head, then stopped as it hit him, his cheeks flushing hot. “Oh, uh.”
Harold had asked if he’d found himself a nice man. The answer was a resounding yes, combined with confetti and heart eyes. But he hesitated, not sure it was really appropriate for him to share something personal like that with the residents.
Or are you worried they won’t like you anymore if they know you really are gay?
He grimaced at the little voice in his head calling him out. That was really what was holding him back, wasn’t it? He liked his job and didn’t want to do anything to rock the boat.
But… Harold and Delilah and the others, they weren’t his family. They wouldn’t ice him out if he said or did something they didn’t like or understand. He’d known Harold for three years and Delilah for almost two—their kids sent him Christmas cards, for Pete’s sakes. Heknewthey weren’t like his parents and siblings. They never rolled their eyes if he talked about “kids” stuff. They never ignored him. They never made snide comments about what food he ate, clothes he wore, or how excited he got over new activity ideas.
Heck, if anything, some of his residents seemed way too interested in his personal life.
Taking a deep breath, he pictured Rooster’s proud smile and said, “Yes, I’ve found myself a very nice man recently.”
Questions exploded all around him, some coming from other tables where residents must have been paying more attention than he’d thought.
“What’s his name?”
“What’s he look like?”
“Does he have a good job?”
“Do you love him?”
“Is he sweet to you?”
“When can we meet him?”
Laughing, Emmett grabbed a chair and took a seat. “His name’s Gray, but his friends call him Rooster.”
Just as Emmett started the rice cooker, singing about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas, his music cut off. He frowned and glanced around for his phone, finally finding it over by the mail he’d brought in when he’d gotten home and dumped on his and Roni’s small kitchen table. Assuming it was Rooster calling, he skipped across the hardwood floor, almost slipping in his socks and giggling as he caught himself on the edge of the table.
The sound died in his throat when he saw the name on his phone screen.
Mom
Swallowing, he gingerly picked it up and answered before it could head to his voicemail. “Hi, Mom.”
“Emmett, are you planning on coming to Christmas Eve dinner or not? I can’t very well plan a meal without knowing how many people will be in attendance,” she said, voice tight with irritation.
Just the sound of her annoyance was enough to have his belly tightening unpleasantly. She was acting like she’d already asked him and he hadn’t given an answer, but this was the first time he’d talked to her since Thanksgiving.
And he’d told her then that he’d be there for Christmas Eve. Like he was every year.
“Yes, I was planning on coming,” he said, his voice a little softer than he wanted. He just couldn’t seem to find his courage when he talked to his parents, especially when they acted like he was being difficult.
“Okay,” she said, and he winced at her sigh. Was that not what she wanted to hear? “Did you hear Emily is pregnant again?”
He nearly got whiplash from the change in subject, though he really shouldn’t have been surprised. His siblings were his parents’ favorite subject to talk about, at least to him. There was a pang of hurt at the casual way she told him the news. He wasn’t close with his sister, but would it really be too much to ask that she send him a text letting him know something as important as being pregnant?
“Um, no, I hadn’t heard,” he mumbled, thumbing at the junk mail on the table and telling himself not to cry. If he cried every time his family left him out, he’d never stop.
“They’re very excited,” she told him, driving the knife deeper. “Emily says she hopes they have another girl, but I think a boy would be nice so they could have one of each. Especially since they don’t think they’ll have anymore after this.”
