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“I ended up blurting it over dinner one night,” I tell him. “My brother, Vaughn, is two years older than me. He looked about ready to kick me in my face. My parents were calmer, but they were just oozing disapproval. That was the first time they told me I had to make better choices.”
“Better choices,” Teddy parrots, shaking his head. He doesn’t sound happy.
“Yeah, I know,” I mutter. “They do think it’s a choice, being gay. Or queer. Or anything remotely non-heteronormative. My dad told me to lock it down tight, and my mom enrolled me in a youth group at our church.”
“And Vaughn?” he asks.
“Yeah. He basically just started being a dick to me. All the time. Hasn’t stopped, really.”
Teddy takes a turn, his movements calm even as his eyes look flintier than usual. “When did you move out?”
“They moved, actually. We came to Nevada when I was fifteen for my dad’s job. He’s a pilot for a private jet company, and they wanted him here. That’s how I met Niko. I was the new kid at school, and he took one look at me and ushered me under his wing. I think he could tell I was part of the alphabet mafia, you know? We stick together.”
“Yeah, we do,” Teddy says with a small smile.
“Anyways, my family, Vaughn included, moved back to Indiana while I was in college. That was an argument, let me tell you.”
“They wanted you to go?” he asks, braking at a red light and giving me his focus.
“Well, yeah,” I say with a shrug. “I think they just wanted to keep an eye on me. Make sure I wasn’t straying too far from the path. But…” I shake my head. “There was no way I was going back. I made a life here. Had friends here and was open here, even if my family never knew about that part of my life. Maybe it was cowardly, but at that point, I just… I stopped talking to them about anything real. I played nice, and then once they left, I avoided seeing them whenever I could.”
It was easier. I could pretend we were still a normal, happy family when I didn’t have to see the hateful looks in their eyes.
“But now they’re here,” Teddy says.
“Now they’re here,” I agree.
“Well,” he says, reaching over and snagging my hand, twining his fingers with mine. “Whatever happens, I’ll be in your corner.”
I blink a few times, looking out the window and willing my voice to come out even. “Thanks, Teddy.”
He hums softly.
We pull up to the restaurant with five minutes to spare, and I start sweating immediately. “They’ve never seen me like this,” I mumble.
“Like what?” Teddy asks.
“Gay. Outwardly gay.”
He squeezes my hand, waiting for me to meet his eyes. “You’ve always been you, Kipp. If they couldn’t see that, it’s their loss.”
Fuck.
“How do you want to play this?” he asks gently, never looking away. “Do you want me to keep some distance? Treat you like a friend? Because I can do that if you want. Or I can be the most adoring, loving husband a man could ever ask for.”
It only takes me a moment to find my voice. “Be my husband, Teddy. I’m done hiding.”
A smile curves his lips. “There you are. Let’s do this, sweetheart.”
“Yeah,” I breathe out. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 15
Teddy
Kipp walks into the restaurant with his head held high, but I can see the moment he catches sight of his family. He jolts slightly, his hand tightening in mine, and he tries to mask his emotions.
His worry still rings out loud and clear, though.
