5
His parents’ house was dark when Mike slipped in through the front door, and that was enough to make him breathe a sigh of relief. Staying with them for the wedding and the holiday season had seemed like a great idea until he remembered why he’d moved out in the first place. Why he’d been so happy to take Rachel up on the idea of getting the hell out of here, moving halfway across the country, starting their lives over again elsewhere.
He’d stayed a while at the sanctuary, been introduced to the new python—Buttercup, which was too cute a name for a python in his opinion—and caught up with everyone. He’d even made his peace with Millie, following Ezra as he covered over the huge aviaries Mike remembered from his time there.
To Mike’s dismay, the light in the kitchen flicked on just as he was passing the doorway.
“You’re home late,” his father said from his place by the refrigerator, beer in hand. Sneaking it while mom was asleep, or watching TV in their bedroom or something.
Objections about being a grown man who wasallowedto be out late welled up in Mike’s chest, but died at the thought of starting an argument. He didn’twantto argue. He wanted to go to bed.
Seeing everyone at the sanctuary again had been incredible, but it had also been emotionally exhausting. They’d all been so kind, and Mike couldn’t bring himself to feel as though he deserved that at all.
He’d walked away without notice. And they’d welcomed him back with open arms and then told him all the stories of the ways they’d struggled, financially and otherwise, and Mike felt awful. Not that he was sure he would have been much help, but… at least he would have beenthere.
It’d never been his job and it was never going to be his career, but they were his friends.
Guilt at leaving them was only madeworseby how happy they’d been to see him. Especially Ezra.
“Yeah, uh… got caught up at the sanctuary. Everyone was there,” Mike said.
“I thought you were on a date with a doctor?” his dad asked.
“That was last night.” Mike glanced at the stairs, wondering if he could head for them to give his dad the hint that he wasn’t in the mood for a conversation.
No. He’d only be mad about it later, even if hedidlet Mike leave now.
“Right, right,” his dad said. “How’d that go.”
Mike shrugged. What was there to say? They hadn’t hit it off. It’d gonenowhere.
“That bad, huh?” his dad smiled wryly. “Beer?”
“No, thanks,” Mike murmured, barely stifling a yawn.
“Come on,” his dad said. “Come and have a beer with your old man. Talk to me. What else is the point of having you here?”
Wetting his lips, Mike considered his options.
Either he gave in to his father, or he got into a fight about it and there’d be a chill in the air—unrelated to the weather—for days.
It was faster to drink half a beer, tell a few stories, and then go to bed like he wanted.
“Sure, why not?” he said, heading into the kitchen and sitting down heavily at the table. He forced himself not to yawn again and traced the outline of a sprig of holly printed on the cloth.
He’d promised to help put the tree up tomorrow, too. A family Christmas. The first one in four years.
Mike wasn’t thrilled at the idea of that. He remembered family Christmases, although this one at least promised to be just the three of them. No miscellaneous relatives for his dad to get into a fight with.
His dad joined him a moment later, passing a beer across. Mike winced at the first sip—he’d never developed a taste for it, and he didn’t think he ever would.
The reaction went unnoticed, which was just as well. Real men drank beer. Mike had heard that enough times that he’d almost started to believe it himself.
“We just didn’t hit it off,” Mike said, which was what how he’d been phrasing the whole thing in his mind. It was more complicated than that, he knew. It was abouthim. About something that was… notwrong, but different about him. Something he couldn’t put his finger on.
Either way, it was getting ridiculous. He was tired of being uncomfortable on every date he’d been on.
Today had been a welcome balm for his soul about that. He’d sat around with old friends and felt like he was part of that particular weird little family again, even if it’d changed since he left.
