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She smiled. “Sweetheart, it breaks my heart to see you boys suffering like this. It will only be a matter of time before this is over. This too shall pass.”
I nodded. “How does he look?”
“Just like you do. Lost and hurting. But Cooper and his tall husband are there. He’s not alone.”
I laughed. “They invited us back to the Keys. It was their hideaway from the world before Greg could come out.”
“You should go. When you boys work this out, you should definitely go.”
Maybe we would.
“So you knew we were meant to be, even back then, huh?”
“Without a doubt. You were inseparable. The three of you, really. He never got jealous of Adam, like most boys would have. But I think that’s because he knew in his heart that you were his.”
“Mom, we were eight or nine-years-old. We didn’t even know what love was.”
“Maybe you didn’t, but your hearts did. It was clear every time he looked at you. And when those girls asked the two of you to escort them during homecoming, the two of you stood closer to each other than you did to them. Just look at the pictures, son. You’ll see it.”
I laughed at that memory. We couldn’t wait to drop them off… to be alone with each other.
“Then there was the football thing. Turning down a full ride to stay in Seattle should have told you something, sweetheart. He would have been a number one draft selection if he’d gone down there to that SEC school. Patrick may not have been able to come out and live the public life you’d like to live, but he’s put you first in his life since he was a pre-teen, still wet behind the ears.”
I laughed. “My god, where did you hear that wet behind the ears thing?”
She grinned. “I think I heard Michael say it to your brother.”
“I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you for everything you do for us. All three of us are so lucky to have you and dad.”
“We feel the same way, sweetheart. You just be patient. It won’t be long before this is over.”
When I went to bed that night, I felt lighter, knowing my mother knew the three of us better than anyone. If she felt sure we’d fix this, I had to believe her. She’d always been right about everything else.
When I looked down at my phone, I had a text message waiting for me.
Patrick: I love you. Always have, always will.
I smiled like a lovesick teenager. Twenty-five years with him and I still felt all the tingles that came with just seeing his name on my phone.
Me: I love you to the moon and back. Always have, always will.
I just prayed the love we had for each other was enough to put us back together.
The next morning, I felt like there was hope for us. After Patrick’s text message last night, I’d made the decision to go to him. I needed to prove I wasn’t going to give up on us so easily. Pushing him away and leaving him to get through this alone was what got us into this mess to begin with. I’d almost lost him because of it.
I got up and showered, then went to get coffee. Anxious to get home to him, I packed up my things and the boxes I’d left here before the tour. The knock on the door drew my attention.
“What are you doing, buddy?”
I smiled. “Hey, Dad. I’m going home. It’s time I helped Patrick rather than leaving him to deal with whatever shit he’s going through alone. I’m not much of a partner like this.”
He smiled at me the way parents do when they’re proud of their kid. “I’m glad. You guys can work this out. I heard your mother talking to you last night. She’s right about all of it.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know she is. I’m glad he knows now. I just hope he can forgive me.”
“I don’t think it’s if, but more like when.”
I hugged my dad. I hoped he was right.
