“Everyone burps too,” I said as I checked the radar for a small storm that suddenly popped up as being in our way tomorrow.
“But not everyone burps at a dinner table.”
“Indeed.”
When Ryan made a sudden gasping noise, I pulled my attention away from the radar weather on my phone to look at him.
“Pooping at the table! Not everyone poops at the table. That would embarrass you,” he said as he grinned and nodded.
“If you pooped at the table, I’d know you were feeling extremely ill. And if you weren’t, then I just might take you out to the barn and enjoy turning your ass red,” I promised.
“Threats of a good time.” Ryan sighed and rolled his eyes, making me laugh.
I set the phone down, shut the lights off, and crawled into bed beside him. I propped myself up on my elbow and leaned over to kiss him goodnight.
“You’re mistaken, my boy. That wasn’t a threat.” I lowered my head and kissed him. “It was a promise,” I whispered against his lips.
I felt his smile spread across his face and gently patted his abdomen as I laid down. He was still talkative and had things on his mind, so I rubbed on his stomach as he got everything out.
“Have you ever taken anyone home to meet your parents?” he asked.
“I haven’t. Until you, I hadn’t found anyone who I wanted to be with long term. So you are the first and only person that I’ll be taking to meet them.”
“How do you think they’ll react to me? Do you think they’ll have wished I was a woman for you? Maybe be disappointed you won’t have grandkids for them?”
“Relax, Ryan. They are very well aware of your existence—”
“Have you specifically said that I’m a guy? My name could be unisex nowadays. Maybe they think I’m a girl.”
“They know you’re a man.”
He was quiet for a moment, but even in the darkness, I could see his eyes were open as he stared at the ceiling.
“Are they okay with that?”
“They are. My parents want what many parents want for their children: for them to be happy.”
It was a shame that Ryan had no experience with that notion. His parents were cruel and made sure he knew that they didn’t care.
“Do they know I don’t have a family or anything like that?”
I was sure he was having glimpses of his past and the last time someone had taken him home to meet their parents. His body was tense as I pulled him closer to me.
“I’ve talked to them many times about you.”
“So they know I’m trash and come from shit,” he stated. I despised it when he spoke like this about himself. When Ryan got this in his mind, he spiraled quickly and began believing what those asshole parents of his instilled in his mind.
“Stop, Ryan.”
Under my hand, I felt his abs dip and pull away. And just like that, he began detaching from me and mentally walking toward his parents. Keeping my hand flat on his stomach, I moved my thumb over his skin.
“Do they know I’m a lot younger?”
“Yes. They know your birthday.”
“Do they know my dad and brother went to prison?”
“They do.”
