Seth felt the familiar weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders—the same burden he’d carried since he was sixteen and had suddenly become the man of the house. “Like I’ve said before, they’re adults. You might not like their decisions, but they have the right to make them. And if they’re mistakes…” He shrugged. “That’s on them.”
Grace’s face darkened like a storm cloud. “Not with my money paying for their education, their apartment, their food. If they want to act like heathens, they can figure out how to support their deviant lifestyle themselves.”
“You can’t cut them off, Mom.”
“Oh, I can.” Her voice was steel. “I’ll call their school tomorrow and cancel the tuition payments. They can find jobs and see how long their little arrangement lasts when they’re flipping burgers.”
With a heavy sigh, Seth sat at the kitchen table, the same scarred oak surface where he’d done his homework as a kid, where Grace had bandaged countless scraped knees, where the family had shared thousands of meals with and without his dad.
“Mom, do you love one of us boys more than the others?”
Grace scowled, hands on her hips. “What kind of question is that? Of course not.”
“So…it’s possible to love more than one person at a time, right?”
“If you're talking about children, then yes.” Grace’s eyes narrowed.
“What about a partner? A girlfriend or boyfriend?”
“A single partner is perfectly fine. Normal. Natural. But not some girl who gets passed around like a…” Grace’s face reddened. “Like a sex toy. Besides, it doesn’t matter now that Gia is out of the picture, thank the Lord.”
Seth took a deep breath, knowing he was about to step into a minefield. “What if one day, down the road, Connor and Jack find someone new? Someone they both love? Someone who loves them back? Someone who wants to build a future with them?”
“You mean another easy woman who’ll let them?—”
“I mean someone who chooses to be with them in a loving, committed relationship. Someone who wants what they’re offering.” Seth leaned forward, his voice gentle but firm. “Are you really going to disown your children because they love differently than you expect them to?”
Grace’s face closed up, but her voice got quiet. “I didn’t raise immoral brutes.”
“You didn’t, but you can’t expect grown men to let their mommy dictate the rest of their lives. Since Dad died, you’ve considered me the father figure around here. I was happy to try to fill those shoes for the other boys—while they were kids. But I won’t disown them for thinking or wanting something different. And I don’t want you to destroy our whole family over a disagreement.” Seth’s voice cracked slightly. “You’ve spent too many years and sacrificed too much to keep us all together, to keep us whole. Dad would?—”
“Don’t.” Grace’s voice was sharp as a blade. “Don’t you dare bring your father into this. He would be just as ashamed of what those boys are doing as I am.”
“Would he? Or would he trust that he raised them to know their own hearts?”
Grace turned away, but not before Seth caught the shimmer of tears in her eyes.
Sensing that she was getting overwhelmed, he quickly changed tactics. “I know you don’t approve, but what gives you—or any person—the right to define what love is? Or what love is acceptable? And before you say God, remember—He’s the one who gave us the capacity to love unconditionally and without end. He’s the only one with the true authority to judge us.”
Grace didn’t answer, just stared at him with a mixture of hurt and fury.
“Love doesn’t follow rules, Mom. It might not look the way you think it should. It might not fit society’s norms or whatever preconceived notions we carry up here.” Seth tapped his temple. “And whether you’re ready or not, when love comes your way—when you find your person—it doesn’t really matter if it fits some predetermined mold or not.”
Grace’s voice was suddenly small. “I don’t want them to be ridiculed. Embarrassed. Hurt. Ostracized.”
Seth studied his mother’s face, seeing past her righteous anger. “No, Mom. That’s what you’re afraid of.”
The words hit their mark. Grace flinched as if he’d slapped her.
She sank into the chair beside him. “Their morality—or lack thereof—is a reflection of me as a mother, as a person, and as an upstanding member of the church. What will people think? What will Father Heasley say when he finds out I raised sons who share women like…like animals?”
“Do the opinions of others really matter that much? Do you care about that more than your own sons, especially when the fallout for their actions are on them, not you.” Seth reached out and took her hand. “Listen, Jack and Connor are still young, and they have a lot of growing up to do. But they’re the ones who have to decide what their lives will be. You let them pick their school and their majors, the fields they’re pursuing and their friends. If you trust them with those decisions, why can’t you trust what’s in their hearts?”
“Because it’s wrong.”
“In your opinion. Not in theirs.” Seth squeezed her fingers. “Do you want Jack and Connor to be happy?”
“Of course, but?—”
