“I don’t know what to do with the fact that I loved Anthony so much, but he was so awful. Maybe there’s something wrong with me.”
Dad pauses fiddling with the pizza to turn and fix me with a serious look that makes me squirm a little in my seat. “Sometimes we reenact love we wanted from loved ones, hoping this time we’ll get it right. Maybe you saw some of your mother in Anthony.”
“I don’t know what she was like.”
Dad’s smile is bittersweet before leaning over to tap my chest, just over my heart. “You remember her here. Maybe now you need to learn to accept all the wonderful love around you, because so many people love you, and realize that the man we all love deserves the kind of love that makes galaxies explode.”
“Is that what Pop does for you?”
Dad winks. “Pop’s love makes me feel like the universe could explode because I love him so much.”
Charles and Pop join us a few moments later at the table as Dad plates the pizza. Charles sits beside me, and I hold my breath to not smell the warm amber scent of him. It’s not even all cologne. Some of it is just the scent ofhim. He’s so exceedingly kind, and he smells lovely, and everyone likes him, so surely there must be something wrong with him.
“How’s the physical therapy going?” Pop asks with a mouthful of pizza.
Charles wipes his mouth with a napkin and shrugs. “Okay. I don’t think I’ll ever have a full range of motion back. But Ican run and lift Cupcake into the truck, so I think that’s the best I can hope for.”
“No more Super Bowls?” I ask, which earns me a glare from both of my parents. I stare back with round eyes and shrug, then whisper, “Sorry.”
Charles smiles tightly. “It’s fine. My football career is over. Hence the retirement.”
“Yeah,” I say, then return to my favorite meal.
We eat in awkward silence after that. I help Dad clean up the kitchen as Pop walks Charles out, and when Pop returns, he sends me a curious look that I can’t parse. And I’m not sure I want to anyway.
CHAPTER FOUR
CHARLES
“Are you coming for Sunday dinner this week?” Brent asks over coffee midweek.
I rub at what is now very much an overgrown beard on my face. “I don’t know. It didn’t go too well last time.”
“Tucker’s going through a lot.” Brent lifts his coffee to take a large sip, gaze narrowed on me. “Are you still firm on not doing anything football related? The local high school needs a coach.”
“Nah. I want to move past football. I’m done.”
“There’s this charity on the mainland that could use your help,” he says with an encouraging smile. “It’s for queer runaways. It’s like a Big Brother situation. What do you think?”
“That’s way more up my alley.”
“I’ll pass your information off to them, then.”
We finish up our coffees and part ways with a handshake. Brent and Mark are great men, and I’m sure they raised an amazing son, but Tucker is world weary and obviously tired.All I can do is be kind and hope maybe he’ll come around to liking me. After all, there’s something about him and his sunrise wishes that intrigues me. There’s a lovely man under all that armor, if only he’d drop it for a moment.
My next stop is Marcia’s storefront, and the little bell rings when I step through.
She looks a little more tired than normal but perks up at the sight of me. “Charles!”
“Hello.” I lean across the table to kiss her cheek. “How’re you doing today?”
“Better now. We’ve sold a few more tickets since you shared about the festival online! We still need to sell more tickets though. It gets harder each year, and I try so hard but…” Marcia trails off with what sounds like disappointment in herself. From my time here, it’s pretty clear Marcia holds the community together, and has for a very long time. She smiles widely. The sight of it is fake even to my own eyes. “We’ll sell out like we always do.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“This is your first year at the lantern festival, right?”
“Yeah, I moved here last year. I missed the festival.”
