He hadn’t realized how unhappy he was until he came out here. Until Blake made him smile and laugh so much his face hurt.
“Love is rare,” his mother added. “Rare and precious. If you’ve got it, you’d be wise to hang onto it with both hands. You deserve it, Rusty. You deserve all the beautiful things in the world.”
Rusty didn’t know how his mother always knew exactly what to say, but it was a skill he hoped he’d inherit one day.
“Thanks, mum,” he said softly.
“Let me know how it goes,” she said. “I’ll be up late.”
“I will.” Rusty smiled to himself, glad that at least someone was on his side.
His dad could handle not getting his own way for once. He was getting an extra son out of the deal, if it went the way Rusty was hoping.
He should have been grateful.
Rusty hung up the phone, taking a deep breath as he shoved it into the pocket of the sweatpants he’d gone to bed in.
If Blake said no, he was leaving today anyway.
If he said yes…
Well, Rusty really hoped he’d say yes, on account of being in love with him.
