his husband. “What do you think? One more day?” he kept his voice low.
“Now?” The rubbing hand turned into a fist gripping Russ’s shirt.
Russ hooked his hand on the inside of Dave’s thigh. “Yes, but….”
“But your parents actually invited you, and this is the first time they’ve gotten to play with the grandkids?”
“Yeah. After a fashion.”
Dave resumed rubbing. “You probably have a better read on Austin than I do at this point.”
“Let’s see how he is in the morning.”
“Sounds good. You know socks are supposed to be in pairs, right?”
Russ threw the socks at him, but he followed them with a kiss. “Sergeant, you’re now in charge of Operation Socks.”
“As you wish, General.”
Russ grinned and reached down into the basket for the next item.
“R USSELL , WILL you come set the table, please?” Russ looked up from Ansel Adams’s biography to his mother. Doris stood in the hall to the kitchen, hands folded in front of her.
“I’ll do it.” Max started to get up.
“I asked Russell to. Besides, you helped with lunch, Maxwell. It’s only fair.”
Russ closed his book and met Max’s apologetic gaze. He’d avoided his mother by doing laundry, watching movies, and helping Randall move some heavy antique that Max considered taking home.
“We can both help. It’ll go faster.” Dave squeezed Russ’s arm.
“Don’t disturb Austin; he’s finally calm.” A dirty trick. Austin was on Dave’s far side, head on his father’s bicep as he played his game.
Russ turned to Dave, kissing him lightly. “Have the medics ready,” he murmured.
Dave caught his chin and kissed him again, sucking on Russ’s lip when they pulled apart. “Don’t be long.”
Russ got to his feet but did not follow Doris into the kitchen, instead heading to the hall bathroom to wash his hands. It was the small acts of defiance that got him through his teenage years, no reason to stop now.
Doris hovered in the kitchen when he came in to pull plates and silverware out of the cabinets.
He could only put it off so long. Already, expectation begat tension, coiling down Russ’s back. He rolled his shoulders to try to combat the tightness. “How was the park?”
“It was fine. Your father and I took a walk while Emily and Max played with the dogs.” She didn’t sound pleased.
“Nice morning for a walk.” Russ carried the pile he’d made over to the table and came back for the glasses.
“You promised me.” Russ took a deep breath and set, rather than slammed, the glass down. “Russell, you promised me that you and David wouldn’t—” She paused, fidgeting in place. “—that you wouldn’t….”
“Have sex?”
She flushed at the word and turned partly away from him. “Yes.”
“And as I told you, we weren’t.” He surveyed the table, setting the remaining glasses in place.
“What were you doing, then?”
“He was upset. He had some things he needed to tell me.” For several seconds, Russ positioned plates and forks in relative peace.
“Did he have an affair?”
The rest of the flatware tumbled to the tabletop. “Oh my God!”
“Russell!”
Russ leaned forward, arms spread wide on the edge of the table, and stared at the jumble of utensils as if they were a fortuneteller’s runes.
“There are women in the military now; maybe he went back to—”
“Stop talking, Mother.”
Russ made himself look at her. Doris frowned back, her mouth pinched shut.
“Is every straight man an adulterer?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Answer the question, Mom.” Russ moved to meet her line of sight. “Does every straight man commit adultery?”
“No.”
“Well, neither does every gay man. David and I have a relationship just like yo—we have a loving, committed, monogamous relationship. And if we didn’t, I wouldn’t be in it. And it hurts me”—he pushed ahead when Doris opened her mouth to speak—”when you automatically assume the
“Now?” The rubbing hand turned into a fist gripping Russ’s shirt.
Russ hooked his hand on the inside of Dave’s thigh. “Yes, but….”
“But your parents actually invited you, and this is the first time they’ve gotten to play with the grandkids?”
“Yeah. After a fashion.”
Dave resumed rubbing. “You probably have a better read on Austin than I do at this point.”
“Let’s see how he is in the morning.”
“Sounds good. You know socks are supposed to be in pairs, right?”
Russ threw the socks at him, but he followed them with a kiss. “Sergeant, you’re now in charge of Operation Socks.”
“As you wish, General.”
Russ grinned and reached down into the basket for the next item.
“R USSELL , WILL you come set the table, please?” Russ looked up from Ansel Adams’s biography to his mother. Doris stood in the hall to the kitchen, hands folded in front of her.
“I’ll do it.” Max started to get up.
“I asked Russell to. Besides, you helped with lunch, Maxwell. It’s only fair.”
Russ closed his book and met Max’s apologetic gaze. He’d avoided his mother by doing laundry, watching movies, and helping Randall move some heavy antique that Max considered taking home.
“We can both help. It’ll go faster.” Dave squeezed Russ’s arm.
“Don’t disturb Austin; he’s finally calm.” A dirty trick. Austin was on Dave’s far side, head on his father’s bicep as he played his game.
Russ turned to Dave, kissing him lightly. “Have the medics ready,” he murmured.
Dave caught his chin and kissed him again, sucking on Russ’s lip when they pulled apart. “Don’t be long.”
Russ got to his feet but did not follow Doris into the kitchen, instead heading to the hall bathroom to wash his hands. It was the small acts of defiance that got him through his teenage years, no reason to stop now.
Doris hovered in the kitchen when he came in to pull plates and silverware out of the cabinets.
He could only put it off so long. Already, expectation begat tension, coiling down Russ’s back. He rolled his shoulders to try to combat the tightness. “How was the park?”
“It was fine. Your father and I took a walk while Emily and Max played with the dogs.” She didn’t sound pleased.
“Nice morning for a walk.” Russ carried the pile he’d made over to the table and came back for the glasses.
“You promised me.” Russ took a deep breath and set, rather than slammed, the glass down. “Russell, you promised me that you and David wouldn’t—” She paused, fidgeting in place. “—that you wouldn’t….”
“Have sex?”
She flushed at the word and turned partly away from him. “Yes.”
“And as I told you, we weren’t.” He surveyed the table, setting the remaining glasses in place.
“What were you doing, then?”
“He was upset. He had some things he needed to tell me.” For several seconds, Russ positioned plates and forks in relative peace.
“Did he have an affair?”
The rest of the flatware tumbled to the tabletop. “Oh my God!”
“Russell!”
Russ leaned forward, arms spread wide on the edge of the table, and stared at the jumble of utensils as if they were a fortuneteller’s runes.
“There are women in the military now; maybe he went back to—”
“Stop talking, Mother.”
Russ made himself look at her. Doris frowned back, her mouth pinched shut.
“Is every straight man an adulterer?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Answer the question, Mom.” Russ moved to meet her line of sight. “Does every straight man commit adultery?”
“No.”
“Well, neither does every gay man. David and I have a relationship just like yo—we have a loving, committed, monogamous relationship. And if we didn’t, I wouldn’t be in it. And it hurts me”—he pushed ahead when Doris opened her mouth to speak—”when you automatically assume the
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