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“Mom,” I groaned.
Jaw set, she declared, “Safe sex or no sex, Ciaran.”
God, why hadn’t the floor opened up and swallowed me yet?
“It’s—we’re—yes,” I stammered, my face heating. Matty was going to tease me mercilessly once I told him. “We’re being safe.”
“Thank you. I’ll smooth things over with Stefon. Once he sees reason, I think he’ll come around. If anything, he may be glad to see Matty serious about someone. But,” she added, “I reserve the right to change my mind if the relationship looks unhealthy, okay?”
That seemed like a fair compromise.
“Thanks Mom.” She wrapped me into a tight hug.
“One last thing, Ciaran.” She stroked my hair. “I want to reinforce that you did nothing wrong. Drew is at fault and he is going to wish he never met us.” Yikes. Mom was a complete badass. “I want you to give something serious thought.” She let go of me. “I think it may be a good idea to sign up for therapy. For you and even for me. We’ve struggled for years, honey. That kind of thing leaves a mark. No need to decide right now, but give it some thought, okay?”
“I will.”
“Let’s go find our boys,” she said with a beaming smile. Our boys. I liked that. As we walked down the stairs, she added, “I like your idea of giving away the money. I’ll arrange a family meeting so we can all discuss it.”
72
MATTHIAS
Dad’s steely eyes practically drilled a hole into my skull as he glared at me. Ciaran and Theresa had just left the room and I knew what he was waiting for. He was waiting for his bride to be out of earshot.
“You seduced Ciaran, didn’t you?” Dad accused in the same tone he might use on someone who’d just been convicted of first-degree murder.
“Dad—”
“I’m not blind. I saw the hickeys. Ciaran’s your stepbrother and…and…” It wasn’t like Dad to be flabbergasted. “What the actual fuck, Matty?”
“It’s not like that, Dad.” Dad crossed his arms. “Okay, maybe it is like that.”
“What do you think Theresa’s going to do once she realizes?” My dad’s face crumpled in utter despair as he collapsed into the armchair Theresa had just vacated. “She will leave me and my life will be over.”
I’d never seen my dad so distraught before. His eyes were glassy, his skin flushed, and his fingers kept tapping his knees, as if he were already thinking of a future without the magnificent Theresa Vaulteneau at his side.
I’d also never understood that feeling…the anticipation of losing someone important to me. Until now. When my mom died, it was sudden, so it wasn’t like I knew it would occur.
This, though, was so foreign that I wondered if we were both miserable for no reason at all.
“Theresa’s not going to leave you, Dad.”
Dad’s disheveled head snapped up. I flinched at the heartache etched in his expression. His shoulders slumped beneath his rumpled suit and he looked like a man in desperate need of a strong drink. “I hope you’re right…for your sake, too, because?—”
“Yeah, I know Dad. Because you’ll chuck me off the cliff yourself.” Standing, I went to the minibar to pour him a small glass of scotch. “Here,” I said, handing him the tumbler.
Dad took it and knocked it back in one go. “Thanks.”
I took the glass from him and placed it on the coffee table. Dad gave me a scathing look, so I placed a coaster beneath the tumbler.
“I know you hate the idea of me and Ciaran together.” Dad tried to interrupt, but I added, “Let me finish, please.” Dad nodded. “But Ciaran’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. He doesn’t take my crap, he calls me on my bullshit, and frankly he inspires me to become a better person.”
“Like his mother,” Dad whispered.
“Yeah,” I agreed, because Ciaran had to get it from somewhere. “He’s probably the most authentic person I’ve ever met, hands down. The most creative, too. You should ask him about the plot of his novel. It’s clever!” I knew I had a dopey smile on my face, but I didn’t care. “The way I see it, if mother and son love us, a pair of cretins, then we’re the luckiest sons of bitches in the country.”
“I don’t disagree,” Dad offered. “But love?” His forehead puckered. “You?”
