Later that day, Colton drove to see his mom. Since their blowout at the show the night before, she’d called him seven times, but he couldn’t talk about this over the phone. He had to see her. While what she said was reprehensible and uncalled for, he couldn’t let this misunderstanding create a rift in their relationship.
As he walked toward the house, the front door flew open and his mom rushed out to meet him.
Mary threw her arms around Colton, crying, “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry!” She lifted her head as the tears streamed down her face. “I don’t know what came over me,” she sputtered. “I saw the dancers on stage and my mind went to a horrible place. I remembered the hell the women went through while I was playing tennis and people making fun of gay men, those news stories about gay bashings, the sermons about gay people going to Hell, and the shootings at gay events” —she took a stuttered breath— “and I…I don’t want that for you…I freaked out.”
Colton squeezed her tight. “It’s ok, Mom. Let’s go inside and talk.”
They moved into the kitchen and Colton settled on a stool at the island. He looked around the spacious living area and smiled. He’d had so many wonderful family moments in that house…birthdays, holidays, family dinners, and sports in the backyard. He was grateful that he could still visit his parents there, and that his mom was willing to talk with him. His heart hurt for Dean. He knew that Dean wanted more family moments, but he certainly didn’t fault him for not wanting to reconnect with his own asshole parents. Maybe, just maybe,Colton could bring Dean into his own family…if he managed to get back on the same page with his mom.
Mary poured them both a large coffee and joined him at the island. She stared at her cup and sighed. “I’m so embarrassed. I’m so sorry I said those awful things to you. And your father is furious with me.” She lifted her gaze to Colton, her cheeks still stained with tears. “But I’m really proud of what you and Dean did on that stage.”
Colton tilted the corner of his mouth into a slight smile. “After you said those things and I walked out, I was really upset. All I wanted was to see Dean. So I ran around the stadium and went backstage.”
Colton smiled timidly, a slight blush in his cheeks before continuing. “I don’t know if you noticed, but Dean left the stage for a few minutes during his show. I went backstage and demanded to see him. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I had to see him.”
Mary shifted in her stool to face Colton. “I did notice that, but I really didn’t think anything of it. I thought maybe he had to pee.”
Colton chuckled. “Anyway, as I was explaining why I was so rudely interrupting his show, I decided I wanted to announce our relationship right then and there. I had been scared for weeks about making an announcement, about what people would say, if I would lose my job, but I realized I was being silly. What other people think doesn’t matter. Dean wasn’t entirely sure it was the best idea, but he agreed to do it with me.”
Mary smiled and patted his arm. “Well, it was very brave. All those people! I would have wet my pants just stepping on that stage.” She dropped her smile, turning more serious. “I do worry about you, about how you’ll be treated, but I know you and Dean will be there for each other, and that makes me happy.”
Colton smiled wide, a sparkle in his eyes. “Yes. We will. I know you freaked out about the dancers, and the way they weredancing on stage, but you know that’s not me, and you know that’s not Dean. People are going to talk trash. Hell, they already talk trash about my performance on the field every week…so I’m used to it. They can’t hurt me.” He squeezed her hand. “A very wise man once told me, there’s more than one way to be gay. So, you don’t have to worry.”
Mary playfully swatted his arm. “I’m your mother! I’m gonna worry, no matter what.”
Colton spun his coffee cup on the counter. “I know this isn’t what you want for me. And I didn’t set out for this to happen. I reached out to Dean because I wanted him to help me with playing guitar, but it turned out we had a lot in common. We started hanging out. We did fun, silly things together. We had stupid competitions about everything. We had serious conversations I’ve never had with anyone else. Over time, he became my best friend. And then one day, I realized I loved him as so much more than a friend.”
Colton shifted in his seat. “It’s funny, I’ve heard people say…you don’t fall in love with a man, and you don’t fall in love with a woman. You fall in love with a person. Sophie once told me she thinks Dean and I are soulmates, meant to be together forever. I always thought that was a load of crap, but then it actually happened to me. I didn’t fall in love with Dean, the man. I fell in love with his heart, his soul, and his kind spirit. And I wouldn’t change a single thing.”
Mary’s eyes softened. “All I want is for you to be happy. And I can see you’re genuinely happy.” Mary dropped her eyes to her coffee cup. “How does Dean feel about what happened? Is he furious with me too?”
Colton sighed with a quirk of his lip. “Dean isn’t mad at you. He understands better than anyone how hard it is for parents to come to terms with something like this. He was only upset because I was upset. He has a show in L.A. this weekend. He wasso concerned with how I was feeling, he was going to cancel the show to stay with me. I had to beg him to go to L.A. and do his show!”
Mary met his eyes and smiled. “I gotta say, Dean is a much better partner to you than Sophie ever was.”
Colton chuckled with slight amusement on his face. “I’m glad you can see that. He really is an amazing, caring boyfriend.” Colton paused. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
Mary smiled warmly and squeezed his hand. “When you are together, you can feel the love radiating off of you two. It really is a beautiful thing to see.”
Colton hopped off his stool and hugged her. “Thanks, Mom. I’m really glad we got to talk about this.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. And I’m sorry for the way I behaved. I think I’m going to do some research, maybe join a support group.”
Colton smiled. “That sounds like a good plan.”
Mary grinned and tousled his hair. “Hey. Since Dean is out of town, how about you stay for dinner?”
“Oh, I would love that. I’m starving!”
Mary giggled, “You’realwaysstarving. Here, you can help me cook.”
Colton paused as Mary began pulling ingredients out of the fridge. He wanted to ask her, but he hadn’t discussed this with Dean, and there was no guarantee that it would happen. Still, he felt the urge pulling on his tongue to just spit it out. He wanted to plant the seed and give Dean the family he deserved.
“Hey, Mom, one more thing. How would you feel about a fourteen-year-old grandson?”
Chapter 39
Colton
