And yet, there I was, pulling into their driveway not thirty seconds after James did.
I sat in the truck for a moment, trying to force my brain to quiet down. I couldn’t shake this thought that my dad would know something had changed about me. Stacey, I had no doubt, would pick up on the fact that I wasn’t with Brittany anymore. But I couldn’t let either of them find out about these feelings I was having for James. These…urges. If anyone found out about that, my life would be ruined.
I took a deep breath and got out of the truck.
James was already at the front door, waiting for me with his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked annoyed, which seemed to be his default expression around me these days. I couldn’t really blame him.
“You ready for this?” he asked as I approached.
“Not even a little bit.”
He rang the doorbell, and within seconds Stacey flung the door open with that bright, artificial smile she always wore when she was trying too hard.
“My boys!” she exclaimed, pulling James into a hug first. He hugged her back, though he looked a bit stiff. Then she turned to me, and I let her embrace me even though every muscle in my body wanted to retreat. “Come in, come in! Your father just opened a bottle of wine.”
The house smelled like roasted chicken and rosemary, which would have been comforting if I wasn’t dreading every second of this evening. I followed James inside, watching the way he moved through the space like he’d rather be anywhere else. At least we had that in common.
Dad appeared from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “There they are,” he said, his voice warm. He shook James’s hand first. They’d always had this weird, formal distance between them. Then he pulled me into a one-armed hug. “Good to see you, son. Where’s Brittany?”
And there it was. The question I’d been dreading straight out of the gate.
“She couldn’t make it,” I said, the lie sliding out easier than I expected. “She had a work thing.”
Stacey’s face fell slightly. “Oh, that’s too bad. I was hoping to see her. It’s been ages.”
“Yeah, she’s been busy,” I added, digging myself deeper into the hole.
James shot me a look that I couldn’t quite read. Judgment, maybe. Or pity. I looked away.
“Well, hopefully next time,” Stacey said, recovering quickly. “James, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?”
I watched James’s expression shift, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite his obvious desire to keep this visit short. “Actually, yeah. His name is Trevor.”
Dad let out a small huff and Stacey shot him a dirty look. “Oh, how wonderful!” She clasped her hands together. “Tell us about him.”
As James launched into a description of Trevor, I felt something twist in my chest. It wasn’t jealousy. It couldn’t be jealousy. That would be insane, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself. But watching him talk about this guy, seeing the way his face softened when he mentioned how kind Trevor was, made me feel...angry.
“He sounds lovely,” Stacey said. “You’ll have to bring him around sometime.”
“Maybe,” James said noncommittally.
Dad gestured toward the dining room, clearly not enthusiastic about the idea either. He’d never been very fond of what he called James’slife choices. “Well, let’s eat before it gets cold. Kent, you want a beer?”
I began to say yes, but then I stopped myself, remembering my drunken night a couple of days ago that ended in disaster. “Just a soda for me if you’ve got it.”
Dad raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment, just headed back to the kitchen. James followed Stacey into the dining room, and I trailed behind them, feeling like I was walking to my own execution.
The table was set with Stacey’s good china, the kind she only brought out for special occasions. I wondered what made tonight special enough to warrant it. Probably just her desperate attempt to pretend we were a normal, functional family.
We took our seats. James was across from me, Stacey and Dad at either end as always. And for a few minutes, there was just the sound of plates being passed and glasses being filled.Dad came back with my Coke and set it down in front of me with a little more force than necessary.
“So,” Dad said, cutting into his chicken. “Kent, how’s work going? Derek treating you alright?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” I said, pushing food around my plate. “Actually, had a meeting with him the other day. Might be getting a promotion.”
“That’s good. You need to be thinking about your future, especially now that you and Brittany are getting serious.”
I nearly choked on my water. “Right. Yeah.”
