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I looked down at the piece of paper to see the name Joyce Cooper and a mobile number written underneath it. I picked up my mobile and dialled the number. As the ringing tone sounded, part of me hoped that she didn’t answer and I could just leave a message. I didn’t have long to find out when a voice spoke at the other end.
“Joyce Cooper.”
I took a deep breath as I started to speak. “Mrs Cooper, my name is Richard White, and I know your son, Daniel.”
I could hear the excitement and worry in her voice as she immediately started to speak, not allowing me to carry on.
“Is my Daniel okay? I can’t believe what happened to him and poor Katherine. I warned my husband this could happen. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him. This is all my fault. I should never have let Johnathan talk Daniel into that marriage.”
I could tell that she really did love Daniel just by the way she was speaking. I was hoping that would make what I was about to say easier. At the moment of silence, I managed to start speaking again.
“Mrs Cooper, Daniel is fine. I wanted to speak to you about him. I guess I should probably explain who I am. I’m his partner. He has moved in with me and we are very much in love. He is happy, except for one thing. He really wants to try to rebuild his relationship with you and Mr Cooper. We have spoken to Simon a few times over the past couple of weeks, and he has accepted us. I guess what I was hoping was that we could all meet up. I know Daniel has been putting off phoning you, which is why I am. I will tell him when I get home this evening. We don’t keep any secrets from each other. I just want to try to give him what I have: a loving family around us.”
I could hear the sniffles from the other end of the phone. Daniel’s mum was crying. I felt bad that it had been me to do that to her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, Mrs Cooper.”
“Please call me Joyce, Richard. You haven’t upset me. I’m just so happy that Daniel has found someone that loves him and will care for him. I’ve known he was gay most of his life. I guess like Johnathan, I just tried to ignore the signs, pretending that it wasn’t true. I know that was wrong, but Johnathan has such strong beliefs about homosexuality. Both me and Simon have tried to explain that it isn’t anything he has done wrong, but he thinks he wasn’t man enough to produce a real man. Then he tried to blame me for mothering him as a child. But what was I meant to do? He was my son, and I loved him. I know Simon has some close male friends as well, and they seem very affectionate to each other when they meet up. It wouldn’t surprise me if he told us he was gay. I just want both my sons happy, and if you do that for Daniel, then that is all I want in life. I would love to see you both. I think we do need to talk. I’m not sure how Johnathan will take it, though. But if Daniel can at least keep in contact, I would be happy.”
I did understand how difficult it was for our parents’ generation. Brought up thinking it was a bad thing to be gay, something that had to be corrected by taking harsh drugs—chemical castration, I believed they called it. Thank God attitudes had changed now. But for some, those beliefs and attitudes were ingrained into their psyche, drummed into them from a young age. If we could at least change his mum’s views, then it was a start.
“Perhaps we could come down this weekend? We were going to check on the work that is happening at Daniel’s house, so we wouldn’t be that far away from you.”
“That would be perfect. I will invite Simon down as well. At least then you will have another person on your side. Shall we say around two o’clock? I can get some lunch together. Even if Johnathan won’t join us, at least Simon and I can get to know you better.”
We made all the arrangements and said our goodbyes. As I hung up the phone, I was hopeful of bringing Daniel back to at least his mum and brother. All I had to do now was tell him what I had done and hope he didn’t get too mad.
I walked into the apartment just after five in the evening and wasn’t surprised to find Daniel already at home getting dinner ready for both of us. Since we had moved in together permanently, he always made sure to be home on time unless he had a really important case going on, which wasn’t that often. He would come home and start prepping the dinner so it would be ready for when I walked through the door.
Some nights, I would even come home to find a hot bath waiting for me, especially if I had messaged him to say I’d had a hard day at work. The love I felt for this man was astronomical, which was why it was so hard to tell him that I had gone behind his back and contacted his mother. I hadn’t done it to upset him; on the contrary, I just wanted to try to make him happy. I knew it might backfire on me, but if he could at least have a relationship with his mum and brother, it was a start. I was sure his father would come around to the idea sooner or later.
I stood in the doorway for a moment, just admiring the man who had stolen my heart. The way his muscles showed through the t-shirt he was wearing sent tingles down my cock every time. Since my first time with him, he had opened a whole new world to me, and it was one I couldn’t get enough of. How I managed to control myself around him sometimes was beyond me. I just knew that sooner rather than later, I was going to make him mine forever.
“Are you just going to stand there ogling me, or are you going to get your arse over here and kiss me, Romeo?”
My fake name had stuck with him as my nickname, to the point that he even used it in public. My mum and friends were even getting used to it now.
I walked over to him and gently kissed him on the cheek as I put my arms around him from behind. “Evening, handsome. What delights do we have for dinner tonight?”
I already knew what we were having. On most nights, it would be some form of pasta dish, and I loved it. However, I had to start joining Daniel at the gym a couple of times per week now, as the carbs didn’t like my body, or vice versa.
“Spaghetti pomodoro with a salad and ciabatta garlic bread. You have enough time for a shower if you want. There is some wine in the fridge, if you would like to pour me a glass.”
This was another tradition we had started. We didn’t drink heavily, but always enjoyed a glass of wine with our meals. Sometimes on the weekend we would enjoy a couple of gins as well, but never during the week. I took up his suggestion of having a shower and dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, ready to enjoy our meal together. As I walked back into the kitchen, Daniel was just plating up. The salad and garlic bread were already on the table.
I poured two glasses of wine, put the bottle back in the fridge, and sat down just as Daniel placed our meals on the table. I really enjoyed this time together. It reminded me of being at home with my mum. She would always make sure we sat down together at mealtimes to enjoy the food as a family. Even after Jayden and then Arthur moved in, we had still continued to do this. Sometimes Mum would relent and join Sienna and Jayden, but most of the time we ate in the kitchen together.
We both started to eat our meal in silence. I knew I had to bring up my news, so I decided that as no time was going to be good, I might as well get it over with. I could always sleep in the spare bedroom if he was that upset with me. There was no easy way to say it, so I just went in with both feet, hoping I wasn’t making a big mistake.
“I spoke to your mother today.”
I looked up to see Daniel sitting there looking directly at me. I couldn’t tell how he was feeling because his face was devoid of any emotion, as though he was trying to hold back his feelings from me. I’d started now, so I might as well continue.
“I know I went behind your back, but I saw how much spending time with my mum and Arthur affected you. I just wanted you to have a chance to have your family back. I know I should have spoken to you first, but I could tell how hesitant you were phoning her.”
I felt him place his hand over mine as he looked down at his plate and spoke.
“What did she say?” It was almost a whisper, as if he was frightened to hear the answer.
