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“Mom likes to make quilts. She picks a theme for each year and spends the whole year making quilts with that theme. Dad is obsessed with World War Two, so he reads about it a lot. And he likes woodworking. They converted their garage into a studio where he can make, like, pens and stuff.”
Levi grinned. “That’s really cool. So I should ask about your mom’s quilting and have your dad show me his workshop?”
“They’d love that, actually.”
“It’s a done deal. Thanks for the heads-up.” He paused for a moment and turned to glance out the window. “Hey. We’re in the air.”
My stomach fluttered a little as I peered over his shoulder. “So we are.” I sat back in my seat and closed my eyes briefly, letting out a slow breath. Levi’s warm hand clasped over mine.
“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured, his thumb drawing small circles around the back of my hand.
I opened my eyes and looked at him. “You’re right. Everything’s going to be fine.” I paused for a second and gave him my best smile. “Now, tell me more about cow families.”
By the time we’d transferred planes, landed in Wichita, and gotten into our rental car, Levi and I had practically shared our life stories with one another. We’d talked about childhood dreams—I’d wanted to be a math teacher, he’d wanted to be a construction worker. He’d told me his coming out story—caught kissing another boy in the boy’s bathroom in middle school, and the principal had called his parents, not because of his sexuality but because PDA was strictly forbidden in his school. We’d even discussed our siblings—I was at least sort-of close with Hugo, who was only a few years younger than me, but he and Amelia, who was several years older than him, might as well have grown up on different planets.
The conversation had distracted me from the inevitable, which was growing closer by the second. When I pulled the rental car into my parents’ driveway, my hands were shaking again and my heart was racing.
We grabbed our backpacks from the back seat and before we could make our way into the house, Mom and Dad came rushing out, Mom’s arms open wide.
“Hi, baby!” Mom called, gaze locked on me.
Dad, on the other hand, stopped short when he caught sight of Levi. “Who’s this?”
Levi reached his hand out and shook my dad’s. “I’m Levi Hayes, sir. It’s good to meet you.”
Mom wrapped me in her arms and I swallowed the lump forming in my throat as she squeezed me tight. “Soren, you’re so cold. Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m great, Mom,” I said, hugging her back.
She released me and went to hug Levi. “Any friend of Soren’s is a friend of ours,” she announced, pulling him in for a hug.
I chuckled once as his eyebrows rose and he mouthed the word friend. “Mom, Dad, I have some good news, actually. Levi isn’t… just my friend. We’re married.”
Mom released Levi and stepped back, her eyes wide and her eyebrows in her hairline. “You what?”
Levi nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Tied the knot just this past Monday.” He held up his left hand to show off his ring. “We know it’s a little sudden, but—”
Dad coughed. “Sudden? That’s one word for it.”
“Soren? What does he mean, you’re married? I thought you were…” Mom gestured with one hand, letting her sentence trail off. “Single.”
I tipped my head to the side, confused about why she didn’t ask if I was gay. “I mean, I was, but then I met Levi and everything just sort of fell into place. So yeah, we got married, just over a week ago.”
“You didn’t invite us?” The hurt in her voice was evident.
Levi cleared his throat. “It was pretty sudden. We didn’t have time to invite many people at all, and definitely left no time for anyone to travel to us.”
“I knew it,” Dad murmured. “I just knew it.”
I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean, you knew it?”
He shrugged. “I always suspected you liked men too, but I never wanted to say anything, you know? I’m glad you’re embracing who you are now, though.”
Mom nodded while he spoke. “Me too. You’re happy now, though, and that’s all that matters. Let’s go inside. It’s late and I want you all to get settled so you’re not too tired to spend time with us tomorrow.” We followed them inside and as we did, mom continued to talk. “I made up the bed in the guest room. It’s no king or anything, just a full, I’m afraid. But I think you two can manage. Newlyweds like to be close to each other, right?”
“Ew, Mom, seriously.” I did not need my mom making comments about my fictional sex life, regardless of how real she thought it was.
“It’s fine, Mrs. Duval,” Levi said. “We’ll make it work.”
