“But?” his father asked.
“But I don’t think that will happen.” Everett spoke with conviction, sure that his heart had made the right choice. “I have a feeling that what we’ve found is going to last for a long time.”
The silence resumed, but Everett didn’t mind it. It gave him time to think.
“So all this time,” Everett’s father said at last, “you and Caleb…”
“Yeah.” Everett raked his teeth over his bottom lip. “And I mean, it’s extra weird now that Gage and Aaron are getting married, but… fuck it. It doesn’t matter. I love him, I’m not giving him up, and I’m not moving out. So if you want to retire because you want to, then do it, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve already found my family.” The thought bubbled up inside Everett like a laugh. “I never knew that a heart could hurt from loving so much until they came into my life.”
For a while, they stood and said nothing, neither of them daring to move. Then, with a throaty chuckle, Everett’s father wrapped his arm around Everett’s shoulders and tugged him to his side in a half-hug. “I’m happy for you, Everett. All this time I thought you looked happier at work because Caleb had fixed things with his father, and it had lightened the mood in the condo. I’ve never been so glad to be wrong. This other man you’re seeing—what’s his name?”
“Jayne.” Everett returned his father’s affection, feeling nothing but relief. “J-A-Y-N-E.”
“Oh, likeFirefly.”
Everett squinted. “Is that an old people thing?”
His father laughed. “Sure.”
“Well, that’s his name. He has a young son less than a year old named Parker, and he’s the legal guardian of his teenage brother, Shep.”
“DefinitelyFirefly.”
Everett shot his father a look and got another laugh in exchange. “He has a brother between his age and Shep’s who lives in California. I’ve never met him.”
“Malcolm, right?”
Everett elbowed his father in the side, effectively ending their hug. “No.”
“Hoban?”
“No!” Everett rolled his eyes. “This is supposed to be a heartfelt, terrifying conversation for me. Can you stick to the script?”
“Right. Sorry.” His father bit down on a smile. “I should have guessed Simon right off the bat. That’s my bad.”
“God.” Everett covered his eyes and heaved a sigh. “Yes, his name is Simon. Are you happy?”
“Yes.” His father chuckled. “You know, if you’re going to be raising a child, one day you’ll be cracking dad jokes, too. You’d better get used to them.”
The thought was simultaneously horrifying—because Everett couldn’t imagine willingly ever being so lame—and exciting. Parker deserved a second parent to love on him, and with Everett and Caleb, he’d get three. The wars Everett and Caleb had waged against each other while spoiling Bo and Penelope would pale in comparison to what they’d get up to when it came to Parker. Over-the-top birthday parties, the sleepovers of the century, holidays that would never be forgotten, and fun, random adventures in and around the city when Caleb and Everett really wanted to get into trouble.
Fatherhood wasn’t something Everett had asked for, but now that it was his, he was going to do the best damn job he could.
“If we’re out here any longer, we’ll be blacked out before the club even opens,” Everett said, grounding himself with a tap of his heel. “Can we shelve the retirement talk for later? I don’t want to step away from The Shepherd, but in order to make the best decision for me, I’ve got to talk to my family first.”
“I accept, on one condition.”
It wasn’t like his father to make demands. There was a chance he’d read the situation wrong, so Everett readied himself for the worst. “Yes?”
“As soon as you three are ready to go public with your relationship, you need to bring our new grandson home for a visit. Once your dad finds out there’s a new baby in the family, hell itself won’t be enough to keep him away.”
Everett laughed. The tension that had weighed him down and made him dread the conversation burst, and once more, he was free.
No more secrets. No more white lies.
It was a small step, but progress was progress.
“You ready to go grab some pizza, kid?” Everett’s father asked. “You were right about blacking out. We might be drunk off our asses tonight if we don’t make our way to the bar soon.”
