Cam’s eyebrows went up. “Well, as soon as you’re able to do.”
Heat rose in his cheeks and shook his head. “I’m sorry, man. That sounded shitty of me, and I didn’t mean it that way. I was trying to tease you. I’m just feeling a little worthless.” Cam had been really good to them, and he didn’t want to mess it up with hard feelings.
“Well, you’re not worthless. You’re just laid up. God knows I’ve been there. And trust me, I’m nicer than my mom would be.” Cam’s lips curved into a smile, and it was kind of devastatingly hot.
Miz Halley came by and whapped Cam on the back of the head with her dust cloth. “Now son, don’t be nasty, did you get me one of those?” She nodded at his Coke.
“Yes, ma’am, I got one for anybody who might want one.” Cam climbed back to his feet and headed for the refrigerator to grab his mom something. “Mitch, did you need a drink?”
“I would love a glass of iced tea, Cam. Do you mind?” He wasn’t feeling up to putting that baby down and hauling his ass up off the couch.
“Not one bit,” Cam grabbed him a glass of tea and a Coke for his mom and came back handing them off. “Did you need me togive you some of this stuff for dinner, Mom?” Cam asked. “I got fried chicken and all.”
“No, son, that’s fine. Your daddy’s going to take me out to dinner tonight.”
“Yeah, where are you going to go?”
“Probably Quincy’s over in Alamosa.” Quincy’s was a steakhouse that mostly did filet mignon on the weekdays and prime rib on the weekends. Mitch had been there once with Allison to celebrate something. He couldn’t even remember, and they had felt more than a touch out of place.
“How fancy.” Cam rolled his eyes where only Mitch could see.
“Yes, son, well, some of us like to go out to eat somewhere decent every now and again.” Miz Halley made exactly the same face Cam was making at him behind Cam’s back, and Mitch thought about just dying. He started chuckling and he couldn’t help it.
“Yes, Mother, some of us like to eat fried chicken out of a bucket.”
That was it, that was all she wrote. He couldn’t have stopped laughing for love or money, and everybody else was laughing too.
Obviously, this was some common tease between the family, because everybody was in on it.
Finally, Miz Halley pushed her bangs off her forehead, leaning down to kiss the top of Cam’s head.
Suddenly Mitch missed his mom so much it was like a physical thing, a genuine deep pain, and he got it. He knew they’d never forgiven him for being queer. They’d never forgiven him for being pissed that they were mad at him for being queer. And then it didn’t matter anymore because they were both dead. But still he missed his mom something fierce.
“Okay, we’re gonna get out of all y’all’s hair. Lori, start rounding up kids. Leanne, can you grab all the buckets and supplies?”
Leanne nodded, and Lori started gathering babies, leaving the littlest one still with Mitch.
“Teresa, come on. I’m gonna take you home so you can get some clothes, toothbrush and stuff, and your pillow. Then I’ll bring you back.”
“Okay, Momma, can Sarah come?”
Lori glanced at Mitch, and he nodded.
Cam’s eyebrow winged up, and he got it. He totally got it. His baby goth girl was making a friend with a Halley.
After all, he’d never really been friends with Cam.
Wildly passionate? Yes.
Insane with need? Totally.
Absolutely busting with teenaged angst? Oh yeah, baby.
But they’d never been something as bloodless as buddies. No, they’d been as hammer and tongs as teenagers could be, and then it had been over and they were nothing.
So why was he looking at Cam like he was the steak at a fancy steakhouse. The damn man made him drool, and seeing him with his mom had made him smile. Like,reallysmile.
He took a deep breath and told himself to just chill out.
