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first in line to volunteer to administer it. Kaitlyn was like a mother to him, always trying to take care of him. She treated him damned near the way she treated Gray. He opened his eyes and took her hand, lightly squeezing. Kaitlyn, I ... thank you. Thank you for being the mother that mine never was. I could never repay all that you ve done for me over the years. No matter what happens, I want you to know that and that I love you. Kaitlyn framed his face with her hands, pulling him down to kiss his forehead. I love you, too, honey. Nothing going to change that. You are like a son to me; you have been for a long, long time. Taking you in was never a hardship, you know. You ve always been very appreciative and you ve repaid us in kind over and over. Try not to be so upset over this. It will work out, I promise. He hoped like hell that she was right -- and that she still felt the same way after he told them what he needed to say. Ted still awake? He s in his office. You eating with us tonight? Shane got up, drawing Kaitlyn with him. I actually have plans for dinner tonight, but I d like to talk to the two of you first. Kaitlyn gave him a speculative look, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. Come on in, then. She tugged him behind her into the house. When they reached the office, Shane had the sudden urge to flee. Ted, Shane has something he wants to talk to us about. Kaitlyn let go of his hand and went to the couch and sat down. Oh, good, I have something I want to talk to him about, too. Ted glanced up from some papers on his desk and smiled at Shane. Shane swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He pulled his hat off, circling it around and around in his hands. Ted looked at Shane s hands and frowned, then gazed back to meet his eyes. I m guessing this is pretty serious. Have a seat, son. You aren t going to tell me that you did get that Kauffman girl pregnant are you? No! Oh, good Lord, no! Ted grinned. Well, I didn t think so, but you look like you re going to a funeral. Shane walked across the office and sat down beside Kaitlyn. I ... Gray was right today when he said that Kauffman was probably going to dig up a lot of stuff about me. And I owe the two of you too much to not let y all know what he s likely to find out. Damn, this sucks! His stomach was such a mess he wasn t going to be able to eat a damned thing tonight. He had the sudden urge to throw up. Kaitlyn patted his knee encouragingly. Ted nodded. This have anything to do with why you left New Mexico at alone at sixteen and ended up in Texas? Shane nodded. Sort of. Well, I can t tell you that we haven t wondered over the years, but I ll be honest, son, I doubt you can tell me anything that is going to make me think less of you. I ve watched you grow up, boy, I know what kind of man you are. Whatever you ran from, was a long time ago and -- I m gay! Well, shit! He d just blurted that right out, hadn t he? Ted sat still for several seconds, frowning, eyebrows pulled together. Kaitlyn gasped, clutched her hands to her chest and flopped back against the couch. Oh, God! Shane felt tears burning his eyes. He couldn t look at either one of the Hunters. They didn t understand and were going to toss him out. Worse, they didn t love him anymore. Kaitlyn took a deep breath and dropped her head in her hands. Oh, God, honey! You scared the heck out of me! I thought you were going tell us you d murdered someone. What?! Shane s mouth dropped open. Ted groaned. Now, Katy, how it the world could you think that? His wife blushed. Well, what did you think he was going to say? I thought maybe he d stolen a car or something. Shane couldn t help himself; he just stared, looking back and forth between the two of them. He didn t know whether to be insulted or relieved. They d thought he was a criminal on the lam? Did this mean they didn t care that he was gay? Kaitlyn wrapped her arms around Shane, hugging him tightly. Honey, you look like you ve seen a ghost. Say something. Y all don t care? Ted chuckled. Hell, son, we ve known that for years! Shane was aghast. You have? Kaitlyn nodded. Of course, honey. Is that why you left home so young? Even after all this time and in the midst of one of the hardest conversations he d ever had, Shane still felt old anger boiling up inside him. He clenched his jaw and gave a crisp nod, hoping like hell the response would be enough. Ted got up from his chair and slowly made his way around the desk and over to the couch. He sat down on Shane s other side and slung an arm over his shoulder. We figured as much. You don t have to talk about it. Nothing has changed, son. We love you and support you, just like always. Shane swallowed hard. How long have you known? Did he dare to ask how they d known? Since you were a teen, honey. You never brought it up, so neither did we. Kaitlyn reached behind him, grabbing Ted s hand. Shane felt a tear slip down and swiped a finger under his glasses to catch it. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. Ted and Kaitlyn hugged him and each other. Kaitlyn kissed his cheek. Did I tell you I like the glasses? Shane grinned and shook his head. No, but thank you. So when do we get to meet him, boy? Huh? Shane jerked his head around to face Ted. You re seeing someone, aren t you? That s why you aren t eating at home and why you ve told us not to wait up for you, isn t it? Oh, shit! How in the hell did he answer that without telling them about Gray? Shane silently groaned. Oh, man, he d solved one problem only to realize he had another. He had no idea how they d react to him seeing Gray. Would they think he d taken advantage of Gray? Probably not, they weren t those kinds of people. They truly cared for him, but he was so tired of emotionally draining confessions today. And what if it got out that Gray was gay? How would that affect him in the community? At work? Shane didn t care so much what others thought of him or how they treated him, but Gray ... He didn t want to chance it, not now, and it wasn t up to him to tell them before Gray did. Or, at the very least, the two of them tell his parents together. Ted chuckled. Well, hell, boy, you don t have to bring him home. You look like a teen balking at bringing your prom date to meet your folks. Shane chuckled. It s not that. I just ... well, I ll talk to him, see if he wants to come to dinner one night. Kaitlyn grinned. Good. We miss not having you eat with us. It s bad enough that Gray doesn t come by more often. Although I will point out that you are way too late. You should have done this years ago when most kids bring their girlfriends or boyfriends home to meet their parents. Kaitlyn rose. I m going to go start dinner. She stood in front of Shane and patted his head. We love you, honey. You don t have to be afraid to tell us stuff; you should know that by now. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |