and met the other man’s
eyes with difficulty. “Sometimes…there’s…a mess. But that’s gotten better too.”
John met his eyes, face calm, and reached across the table
to squeeze his hand in reassurance. “Thank you for telling me.”
Robin pulled away and swallowed the rest of his drink, more
than ready to change the subject. He only wished it could be to something a bit
less awkward. “I have the next couple of days off. I thought we could go to my
parents today. I’d like to introduce you to them.”
John’s eyebrows rose in question. “Introduce as in introduce .
As in meet your parents?”
Robin smiled at him and said gravely, “Yes, as in, ‘Hey Mom,
Dad, this is my boyfriend.’”
“You don’t have to do that, love. We have plenty of time.”
“I want to. I don’t want to waste any more of my second
chance looking at the inside of a closet door. It’s past time.” He walked away
from John, leaving him smiling at the kitchen table while he went to get
showered and dressed.
As they pulled up in front of his parents’ house an hour
later, the butterflies in Rob’s stomach turned into frogs and the bowl of
cereal he had eaten threatened to make a reappearance. If he had still been
allowed to drive he might have chickened out and driven past the little
wood-framed bungalow. Instead he sat frozen in the seat of John’s SUV and tried
to gather his wits before his mother came to find out what was going on.
He had called them to make sure they were home and there was
no doubt that she was watching for him. It was only a matter of time before
curiosity and worry brought her outside. Since his injury, she seemed to always
expect the worst and though he could understand why, it didn’t make it any less
annoying. When he was released from the hospital, it had taken all his energy
to convince her to let him go back to his own home. She had wanted him to move
back to the bungalow but by that time Rob just needed some space of his own
where no one hovered. The compromise in the end had been that Jo came back to
the apartment with him for the first week. He had accepted because he knew his
sister would understand and give him the distance he needed.
John touched his arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Come on, let’s go inside.”
Before they reached the front steps the door opened and his
mother stepped out to greet them. She was dressed in her customary blouse and
slacks and the sun caught the flickers of silver in her ash-blonde hair. She
smiled curiously at the man at his side.
“Mom, this is John MacAllister, the friend I met on
vacation.”
“Oh! Of course. Robin talked about you a little. We weren’t
very comfortable with him going on a singles trip so I’m glad you kept him
company.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Grant.” They clasped hands briefly.
“It was my pleasure, honestly.”
Robin choked at John’s words and his mother frowned at him.
“Are you all right, dear?”
He resisted the urge to look at his lover. “I’m fine, Mom.”
She smiled again, reassured. “Come out back, both of you.
Your father is sitting on the deck. Are you hungry?”
She walked ahead of them into the house without waiting for
a reply. She would feed them whether they were hungry or not. Robin knew an
answer wasn’t required. They trailed behind her as she led the way through the
kitchen and to the back door. Robin’s father was sitting in the sun with the
newspaper. He folded it and set it aside as they approached. Pushing his
glasses up onto his thick salt-and-pepper hair, he stood to shake John’s hand.
Shrewd eyes measuring up his boyfriend with a glance.
Robin watched his father as he and John made small talk.
Studying the face that was so like his own, he wondered if he would soon see
disdain there. His hands shook and he folded them together to disguise it. His
mom emerged with a tray of lemonade and cookies and he took a sip of the icy
beverage to try to ease his dry throat.
eyes with difficulty. “Sometimes…there’s…a mess. But that’s gotten better too.”
John met his eyes, face calm, and reached across the table
to squeeze his hand in reassurance. “Thank you for telling me.”
Robin pulled away and swallowed the rest of his drink, more
than ready to change the subject. He only wished it could be to something a bit
less awkward. “I have the next couple of days off. I thought we could go to my
parents today. I’d like to introduce you to them.”
John’s eyebrows rose in question. “Introduce as in introduce .
As in meet your parents?”
Robin smiled at him and said gravely, “Yes, as in, ‘Hey Mom,
Dad, this is my boyfriend.’”
“You don’t have to do that, love. We have plenty of time.”
“I want to. I don’t want to waste any more of my second
chance looking at the inside of a closet door. It’s past time.” He walked away
from John, leaving him smiling at the kitchen table while he went to get
showered and dressed.
As they pulled up in front of his parents’ house an hour
later, the butterflies in Rob’s stomach turned into frogs and the bowl of
cereal he had eaten threatened to make a reappearance. If he had still been
allowed to drive he might have chickened out and driven past the little
wood-framed bungalow. Instead he sat frozen in the seat of John’s SUV and tried
to gather his wits before his mother came to find out what was going on.
He had called them to make sure they were home and there was
no doubt that she was watching for him. It was only a matter of time before
curiosity and worry brought her outside. Since his injury, she seemed to always
expect the worst and though he could understand why, it didn’t make it any less
annoying. When he was released from the hospital, it had taken all his energy
to convince her to let him go back to his own home. She had wanted him to move
back to the bungalow but by that time Rob just needed some space of his own
where no one hovered. The compromise in the end had been that Jo came back to
the apartment with him for the first week. He had accepted because he knew his
sister would understand and give him the distance he needed.
John touched his arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Come on, let’s go inside.”
Before they reached the front steps the door opened and his
mother stepped out to greet them. She was dressed in her customary blouse and
slacks and the sun caught the flickers of silver in her ash-blonde hair. She
smiled curiously at the man at his side.
“Mom, this is John MacAllister, the friend I met on
vacation.”
“Oh! Of course. Robin talked about you a little. We weren’t
very comfortable with him going on a singles trip so I’m glad you kept him
company.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Grant.” They clasped hands briefly.
“It was my pleasure, honestly.”
Robin choked at John’s words and his mother frowned at him.
“Are you all right, dear?”
He resisted the urge to look at his lover. “I’m fine, Mom.”
She smiled again, reassured. “Come out back, both of you.
Your father is sitting on the deck. Are you hungry?”
She walked ahead of them into the house without waiting for
a reply. She would feed them whether they were hungry or not. Robin knew an
answer wasn’t required. They trailed behind her as she led the way through the
kitchen and to the back door. Robin’s father was sitting in the sun with the
newspaper. He folded it and set it aside as they approached. Pushing his
glasses up onto his thick salt-and-pepper hair, he stood to shake John’s hand.
Shrewd eyes measuring up his boyfriend with a glance.
Robin watched his father as he and John made small talk.
Studying the face that was so like his own, he wondered if he would soon see
disdain there. His hands shook and he folded them together to disguise it. His
mom emerged with a tray of lemonade and cookies and he took a sip of the icy
beverage to try to ease his dry throat.
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