“It took me two years to get through all the red tape and finalize the sale, and during that time, I learned there was pervasive homophobic bias in the government, not that I didn’t suspect it all along.
“I made it my mission to learn everything I could about the law so I could bend it to my advantage for the benefit of my tribe. After undergrad, I went to law school, and here I am.”
“Wow. Where’d you go to college?” I’d known I was out of my league with Sean before he told me the story, but now I was certain I’d never measure up. Sean and I would never be on an even playing field. That was depressing as fuck.
Sean stared at me for a moment. “Nowhere important. What about you? Did you always want to be a soldier?”
I chuckled. “I did okay in high school, but college wasn’t really my thing. I loved growing up here with the horses, but I wanted to see something more than just Ann Arundel County. My dad suggested I go into the military so I could figure out what I wanted to do, so I sat down with a few recruiters. The Army won. My years of hunting with my dad made me a good shot and gave me good tracking skills, so I was sent to sniper school and then was accepted into Special Forces— Uh, we’ve been called Green Berets.”
It sounded so matter-of-fact to me, but Sean sat up in bed. “You’re a Green Beret? That’s the elite of the elite, Jericho.”
I chuckled. “Shh. Don’t let the Rangers, the MARSOCs, or the SEALs hear you say that. They get really pissy about it. Anyway, I had a knack for what was needed by the military, but I missed my horses. After my accident, I went a little loco, but I’m not sorry I came back home.”
His right hand gently rested against my cheek. “I’m sorry you lost your father. I’m sure he was a special guy if he caught your mother’s eye. She’s a kind, generous woman.”
I put my hand on his hip. “Takes one to know one. We’ll get through this, okay? Don’t worry.”
He moved his hand from my face, but I didn’t move my hand from his hip. My breathing synced with his, and I drifted off to dreamland.
Chapter Eleven
Sean
“Mrs. Hess, can I help you with something?” It wasn’t as though I was helpless.
Maybe I didn’t present as someone who did manual chores—hell, that was even funny to me—but I could aid the kind woman with whatever she needed. I was able to do physical things.
I’d been in Davidsonville for three days, and I was, quite frankly, bored. Jericho was busy riding horses—I wasn’t dumb enough to try to participate in his work, which I knew nothing about—and his mother was working in a small garden patch behind the house.
The days were warmer and a thunderstorm was expected later that afternoon, so Jeri’s mom was trying to pick some greens, spring onions, and peppers that had ripened on the vine before the possible storm wreaked havoc. She had a deep basket with a few tomatoes beside her and a large knife in her hand.
“If you want. Can you pick some peppers about this size?” She reached toward a leafy green plant with green peppers dangling in various sizes. She plucked one, handing it to me before she moved the basket in my direction.
She worked her way down the row on a small, wheeled garden cart and began pulling spring onions. “You friendly with your parents, Sean?”
I swallowed. “Not really, Mrs. Hess. They were busy people when I was growing up, and since I’ve become an adult, they’re not exactly thrilled with my life choices. I run into them from time to time at social functions in DC, but we don’t acknowledge one another.”
Mrs. Hess shook her head as she tossed the bunches of green onions toward me to put into the basket. “People make stupid decisions for even stupider reasons. Take my late cousin Verna.
“Her daughter had a baby about ten years ago. Beautiful little guy, as I recall. She named him after her boyfriend’s father, LeShay. Melodie and Matthew were engaged and have sincemarried, but Verna hit the roof when LeShay was born. You see, Matthew is Black, and Verna, well, she had a racist streak a mile long, just like her daddy. She didn’t want to see the baby, and she didn’t go to the wedding. She told her husband and their younger twins they couldn’t go either, but they went anyway. Hell, Leo and I went as well.
“Verna looked like a selfish bigot because she was the only one in her family who didn’t show up. Even Aunt Wilma, her momma, came. O’course, old Bob had been dead for a while. I bet that old SOB was spinning in his grave at the idea of having a bi-racial grandbaby.” The sarcastic laugh made me grin.
“To my knowledge, Verna never saw the baby, and he’s goin’ on ten years old. He plays soccer and is taking piano lessons. Melodie and Matthew moved to Chicago, but I get a nice Christmas card every year with a catch-up letter. And my cousin Verna died alone. Fred divorced her, and her twins didn’t talk to her after he left, saying she drove him away with her bitterness. Sad, sad state of affairs.” She shook her head as she tutted her disapproval.
Mrs. Hess told the story as though I knew those involved, which I appreciated. I had no extended family, so it was good to hear what I wouldn’t miss if I did.
“Yeah, unfortunately, I’ve heard that kind of story far too many times. Did you have second thoughts about accepting Jericho after he told you he was gay?” He’d said both of you were accepting when he came out.
“Jeri? Oh, good lord, he’s been the light of our lives since he was born. There’s no way I wouldn’t accept and support my son in anything he wanted to do or be or anyone he wanted to love.”
She cast her gaze my way, and she smiled, making me feel funny inside. That gorgeous son of hers was taking up a lot of space in my head, and it seemed as if his mother knew it.
“That’s good to know, Mrs. Hess,” I said as I crawled behind her and picked up the vegetables she was leaving in the rows.
“Sean, honey, call me Gayle. I’m so glad you met my Jeri. I can tell he loves you.”
That was news to me.Love?Who said a word about love? It was far too soon to use the L-word.
