Ethan studied Beau for a moment, realized he was staring down at the table, his hands clasped together so tightly, his knuckles were white. Without thinking about it, he put his hand on Beau’s shoulder and leaned toward him. “What’s wrong?”
He didn’t even realize what he’d done until Beau glanced over at him suddenly, his eyes darting to the hand on his arm. Ethan looked over and noticed his mother smiling.
Crap.
“I went to talk to my parents tonight,” Beau said quietly, drawing Ethan’s, and hopefully everyone else’s, attention back to him.
“What did…?” The question fizzled out as Ethan realized what Beau had just said. Considering the man told him he didn’t have much interaction with his father, Ethan figured things didn’t go well.
“Did you tell them?” Ethan asked, trying to keep his focus on Beau, but feeling the way his parents’ eyes were glued to him.
“Yes.”
Ethan simply nodded, unsure what to say after that. He wanted to get up and go home. This was obviously a conversation he needed to have with Beau, but from the looks of it, Ethan didn’t think his parents were going to let him go that easily.
“Mind if I talk to Beau for a minute?” Lorrie asked, interrupting the strained silence. “Alone.”
Ethan glanced over at his father, then back to Beau. To his surprise, Beau nodded his head, obviously all right with being left to talk to his mother.
Rising to his feet, Ethan followed his father out of the kitchen and into the living room. He made his way over to the couch and flopped down, letting the exhaustion consume him. This had been an emotionally trying day. And it didn’t seem to be getting any better.
“Talk to me, boy,” Curtis said with that rough grumble Ethan was used to.
“About?” he asked, peering over at his father through one partially opened eye.
His father stared back at him for a minute, and Ethan figured he was going to have to spill his guts or endure the scrutiny of his father’s piercing gaze. Before he could come up with a sentence, his father said, “How are things with you and Beau?”
Ethan was tempted to ask his father what he was talking about. He didn’t. Instead, he sighed and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. Clasping his hands together in front of them, Ethan looked up at his father and… smiled. “It’s good, Dad. Things are really good.”
He waited to hear what Curtis would say, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that his father just smiled back at him.
Was that it? The conversation he’d been avoiding for most of his life? What was he supposed to do now? Did he need to spell it out? Make sure they understood what that would mean for them. It wasn’t going to be pretty, he knew.
“I’m proud of you, E,” Curtis spoke, his eyes darting behind Ethan into the kitchen. “The only thing we’ve ever wanted for you is for you to be happy. That’s all that matters.”
Ethan’s gaze dropped to the floor. “It won’t be easy,” he finally said.
“Nothing that is worth it ever is. Doesn’t mean it isn’t worth fighting for.”
Ethan didn’t need his father to clarify that statement. Since Beau came into his life, Ethan fully understood. Beau was worth fighting for. What they had between them was worth fighting for.
Glancing behind him, Ethan noticed Beau appeared to be in a serious conversation with his mother.
“Did something happen?” he asked, turning to look at his father again.
“We received a phone call from Beau’s father,” Curtis replied softly.
Ethan didn’t even need to question how that went because he could see the tension in his father’s face.
“Talk to him,” Curtis said. “He’s a strong man, but no matter how strong he is, something like that is bound to break him down. He’s lucky to have you, son. And I know it’s none of my business, but he’s definitely going to need you right now.”
Ethan’s mouth was hanging open as he stared at his father, but he couldn’t get his brain to function enough to force it closed. Rather than make a fool out of himself, he just nodded, suddenly anxious to get to Beau.
Thankfully, as though everyone in the house knew there was only so much Ethan could handle in a day, Beau walked in and looked down at him. He smiled, but Ethan could tell it was forced. Making his way to his feet, Ethan moved closer and linked his fingers with Beau’s right there in the middle of his parents’ living room.
“Let’s go home.”
Beau nodded, the smile intensified, this time for real.
Turning back to his father, Ethan nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”