After a time, Merrison drew back and held Gale at arm’s length, peering deep into his eyes.
Gale’s lips trembled around words that didn’t come.
Merrison rubbed his arms. “It’s all right. You don’t have to say a thing. How about you introduce me properly to your company, and we can have ourselves a nice breakfast?”
Gale nodded, swiped away a few lingering tears, and faced me. It took another minute before he cleared his throat and spoke. His voice quivered. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Ozrik.”
Merrison smiled kindly in my direction. “It’s nice to officially meet you, son.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You can call me Merrison.” To Gale, he said, “Was that so hard?”
“Yes.” Gale’s teeth chattered.
Merrison chuckled and ruffled Gale’s hair. “Do you really think I give a shit who you date?”
Again, Gale couldn’t seem to find words.
“Well, I don’t.” Merrison hugged his son again.
Once Gale managed to calm his shakes, father and son finished making breakfast. We sat and ate, chatting about our run later that afternoon. Merrison made the situation as normal as any other day, never once shining a light on Gale’s revelation.
Gale’s cheeks remained rosy through the whole meal. His gaze lingered a few times on his dad, as though ensuring he was reading him correctly. He didn’t seem to quite understand why his coming out had been so anticlimactic.
I rested a hand on Gale’s knee under the table. He hadn’t eaten much, but I imagined his stomach was in a knot. We shared a smile.
34
Gale
Coming out to my dad gave me an unexpected boost of confidence. Between it and the night I’d spent in Ozrik’s bed, I was unshakably happy. Nothing could upset me. Not even Jazz and his mumbled comments and dirty looks.
Olivia’s team met around noon. When I informed them that I was riding to Kansas with Ozrik later that day, no one was surprised. My sister and I exchanged many secret smiles, and I suspected she’d been talking to Dad and knew what had happened. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone. Part of me wondered why I hadn’t done this years ago.
We were on the road by three. Although the Jeep wasn’t a suitable chase vehicle, Ozrik texted to ask if I would drive. Apparently, Lex wasn’t impressed with the condition of Ozrik’s tires, stating they were practically bald. He advised getting them replaced before we used the car to venture too far from home.
“If I drive muddy roads, we could land in some serious trouble,” Ozrik explained. “Wouldn’t want to get stuck.”
“Oh, I know. I got stuck in the Jeep, remember?”
“It won’t happen again. I’ll be with you. Jeep Jamboree, baby. I say we do it.”
“You’re nuts.”
“That’s what I hear.”
So, we took the Jeep. I drove, fearing Ozrik might get ideas of off-roading.
The camera crew met us in Kansas, ready to film all our private moments and stir shit. Without them, our teams were learning to get along. Vern and Maggie and their undisclosed relationship formed a bridge between us, inextricably linking us. Ozrik and I acted as the invisible foundation. Roe and Olivia connected well with Noah, Elliott, and Lex. The five of them formed friendships that had never existed before the show.
Jazz was… Jazz.
Despite our contracts, the show, and hostility—both natural and producer-manufactured—our teams were becoming an unbeatable force, combining resources, knowledge, and experience while on the road.
The plan was to spend one night in a motel in Dodge City and head home to catch the system sneaking across the western edge of Elk City the following day.
Vern, Roe, and Ozrik were already conversing via group chat about the projected path of the storm cell we planned to chase that evening. Ozrik read the messages while I drove, and I shared my input, which he relayed to the others.
