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“To the night you lost your mom you mean?” Gray asked.
Roman swallowed hard. “You know about that?”
“Not the details,” Gray responded. “I heard Mo-Victoria say how your mom died when she was fighting with Dad one night when I was home from college. I’m sorry, Roman. No one ever told me when you first came to live with us.”
“I’m sure it was hard enough to hear your dad had been cheating on your mom all those years. It probably wouldn’t have mattered much that his mistress killed herself,” Roman said. After a moment, he continued. “She never did what Hunter does but she always had that same empty look in her eyes that I sometimes see in his. When I saw what he’d done to himself, I just panicked. I knew I had to get him out of there but it was like I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. What if I did or said something to make things worse? What if I missed some sign and he…”
The thought was too disturbing to even contemplate so Roman snapped his mouth shut. He was surprised when he felt Gray’s hand close over his where it was resting on the table.
“Roman, even if you spend the rest of your life hating me, I will always be here if you need me.”
“I don’t hate you,” Roman murmured. “I just…”
“You can’t forgive me,” Gray finished for him.
God, Roman felt like such a fucking hypocrite. Hadn’t he been urging Hunter to forgive himself for the mistakes he’d made and yet he couldn’t find it in himself to let go of the pain Gray’s indifference had caused him all those years ago?
He must have been quiet too long because Gray said, “Can I ask you something?”
Roman nodded.
“Is there something between the two of you?”
Roman smiled. “Just going to go right to it, huh?”
A small smile graced Gray’s lips. “It’s just…he’s so young and you guys are so different. I didn’t even know you were interested in men.”
Roman’s first instinct was to say Gray hadn’t been around enough to know about his preferences but he bit back the automatic response and said, “It’s not something I announce to everyone I meet but I don’t hide it either. I suppose I’ve never been in a relationship long enough with either a man or a woman to even make it necessary to “come out.” And Hunter…he’s so messed up about being attracted to men that it wouldn’t matter either way if there was something there or not.”
“Is there anyone he can turn to?”
“He mentioned a grandmother but I’m not sure if they’re still in touch.”
“I’ve met her. She takes care of our friends’ daughter while they’re working. Dane is a vet and Jax is the town’s other deputy besides Rhys.”
Roman remembered the big cop who’d intervened yesterday. Interesting that both of the small town’s law enforcement officers were gay.
“She ever mention Hunter?” Roman asked.
“Not to me but I’ve only spoken to her briefly in passing. She was the one who spearheaded the rebuilding of Callan Bale’s barn after the two fuckers who were vandalizing his property burned it down so she seems supportive of our cause.”
So Hunter’s grandmother was open to the idea of homosexuals while Hunter’s own father clearly wasn’t. And from what Hunter had said about his grandfather, he hadn’t appeared to have had an issue with his grandson’s sexual preference either.
Roman heard the back door open but when he saw only Luke round the corner, he immediately stood. “Where is he?”
“He’s making a phone call,” Luke said as he leaned down to brush his lips over Gray’s. “Don’t worry, I made him promise he wouldn’t take off again. Ripley’s out there with him so even if he does, he’ll be easy to find. I showed him our spot,” Luke said to Gray and they shared a quick smile between them.
“Straight out the back door about 200 hundred yards. You can’t miss it,” Luke said before Roman could even ask.
Roman nodded and hurried out the back of the cabin. He was relieved to find Hunter sitting on a large fallen log just past where the backyard turned into dense woods. He was tossing a stick into a small stream for Ripley.
“Morning,” Roman said as he sat down next to Hunter.
“Hi,” Hunter said just as Roman’s phone began to ring. “That’s my dad,” Hunter said. “I told him I was planning to head back to school today unless his new client needed me to stick around a little longer to show him around some more.”
Roman felt a prickle of disappointment go through him as he realized he was about to end the only valid reason he had to keep Hunter around for a while. But knowing just how toxic this town and his own family were to Hunter, Roman had no issue with answering the phone and telling Malcom Greene he’d be leaving town this afternoon and wouldn’t need Hunter’s services anymore. He ignored Malcolm’s efforts to try and draw more information out of him regarding his plans to pursue the purchase of the property and hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
“Thank you,” Hunter said softly.
