Trevor squeezed her shoulders again, and whatever she’d been about to yell at him was cut off. Connor watched the battle on her face. This was new. His mom regaining her composure before telling him what a horrible boy he’d always been, and not after. The obvious reason for this change was her new husband.
“How about you make some tea?” Trevor suggested. “I’ll talk to Connor.”
She made what Connor considered a tactical retreat while Trevor made a tactical advance… onto the couch next to Connor.
Oh boy. Connor, naturally, was very uneasy about this. Trevor was a big guy, and while fights with his mom were normal in his life, this was the first time her new husband was present for them.
Chapter Two
Trevor took a deep breath. “Let me clear up what you may find upsetting. We didn’t give away your room to Laurence, and I apologise. I should have thought about how offering you the storage room would make you feel.”
“You didn’t give away my room to Laurence?” Connor repeated. “That’s an interesting interpretation on how I no longer have a room in this house because Laurence now has it.”
“We’re building an extension,” Trevor said. His eyes were dark, but there was an undeniable earnestness in them. And there was just this… softness in his expression. Like he was a gentle person. Connor didn’t mix well withgentle.
“We already have planning permission,” Trevor continued, “and I have the contractors lined up to start work on the house next month. It was originally supposed to be finished before you came home for the summer.”
Connor believed there was an extension on the way. He didn’t believe his mom thought he’d ever be coming home after he finished school. If it weren’t for the whole…mess, he doubted he’d ever have returned to this seaside town. There was nothing here but resentment and bad memories.
“The boys are picking up pizza. What toppings do you like? Vegetarian? Meat feast? Do you like pizza?” Trevor asked him.
Connor wasn’t so stubborn that he would turn away food. After all, he’d been travelling for hours and had scarcely eaten since everything went down. Sore ribs made for painful everything. “I’ll eat whatever.”
“Are you under any advisement from the doctors?” Trevor asked him.
Connor wondered, suddenly, what version of the story Trevor had heard. Had his mom lied about what happened so Trevor didn’t think she’d raised a little devil? It didn’t seem likely. Not with all the news reports and outrage that had stemmed from his quick sentencing, which, he knew thanks to the people out there spitting his name, had been woefully soft. A maelstrom of negative emotions bled through his body.
“I was the one doing the beating up, in case you hadn’t heard,” Connor said stiffly.
Trevor’s eyes inexplicably softened. “Nobody assessed you?”
“If you mean a mental assessment, then no.”
“I mean the physical kind,” Trevor said calmly. He brought his arm up, checking the silver watch banded to his wrist. “The doctor’s office will still be open. If I call ahead, I’m sure Dr. Long will fit you in before they close.”
So Trevor was the meddling kind. “I’ll pass,” Connor said.
“It’s better to be safe.”
“If I was hurt, I would have seen someone already.” The idea of a doctor’s visit wasn’t high on his list of goals. In fact, it was pretty much near the bottom. Right next to moving back in with his mom.
“You looked hurt getting out of the Jeep.” Trevor nodded to Connor’s midsection. “Your ribs, is it?”
Connor could just imagine the gossip if he appeared at the local doctor’s office. It wouldn’t be long before people knew he was home; how exciting it must be for a quaint little town to have someone from the area turn out so rotten.
“I’ll pass.” He didn’t need a doctor to tell him he had bruised ribs. And he didn’t need to force his presence on Dr. Long, who the entire population of their little seaside town knew was gay. He should have talked about his blackout with a doctor, but when he’d told his lawyer about his memory loss, he was not believed and was told to keep quiet.
An apprehensive look crossed Trevor’s face: something that dipped his calm into unhappiness. “I can bring you to the hospital if you would prefer to be seen by a different doctor.”
Ah ha. Trevor must have been a local to know about Dr. Long. Connor offered a humourless smile. “I’ll pass on whoever that is, too.”
“If that’s how you feel, I can leave it be. Now I know you don’t know my sons or me, and it’s going to be uncomfortable for you to see us in your space. If something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it. I’ll do what I can to help you get settled in again. And I know these aren’t the circumstances that everyone was expecting, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” Trevor had that warmth in his expression again. Connor stared at him, wondering if he’d be saying the same thing had Connor murdered someone. It didn’t seem right to be hearing this now.
As awful as the comments were that declared he was a horrible person, the ones defending him turned his stomach.
“I’ll leave you to get settled in,” Trevor said as he stood and walked to the kitchen. Just how one talked to a guest in their house. Connor wasn’t a guest, more like an unwanted visitor. He lay on the couch, using an uncomfortable throw pillow to support his head. He toed off his shoes.I’m more like an inescapable burden. His parents hadn’t been able to evade responsibility for him this time, though he wondered how long it would be before his mom kicked him out. She’d been longing to do that for years, and now that he was eighteen, she could do so without legal repercussions.
Except she’d gone and married Trevor.
