“Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick!” The kids bulldozed him before he could introduce them. He heard Bryce welcoming them all as a little voice asked, “Who’s Bryce? Is he your friend?”
Nick shot his gaze up to Erin. He didn’t know how to answer that. What they’d told the kids, or if they’d want him to keep the truth hidden.
“Remember what we talked about?” Erin said. “Uncle Nick loves Bryce the way I love Daddy.”
In that moment, everything was okay. It was more than that. Just like Bryce said, it was perfect—or as close to as he could get.
“Cool,” was the only reply the kids gave.
“Do you all want to go out and play? There’s a ball and a few things out back. You need toys. We should get you some toys here, Bryce,” Georgina said, and even Nick could tell she was in heaven with little kids running around. She led them all out back.
“Michelle?” Nick asked Karrie when he stood.
“She wanted to come. It’s not that she didn’t. She’s okay with it all, but Ken...he wouldn’t let her. He’s worried about the kids. He thinks... well, you know how he is.” Karrie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.
Nick nodded. He did know. He loved her and would miss her, but he did know how Ken was. That’s the way life went sometimes. It took some people longer to come around—if they came around at all. He had to be happy with what he had, and he was.
“Thank you, for being here for me, Karrie. For the phone calls and everything else. I appreciate it,” he whispered into her ear.
“You’re my brother. I’ll always be here for you.”
Nick pulled away and eyed his mom. She hung toward the back, looking obviously uncomfortable. “Can you show everyone out back, Bryce?” Nick asked him.
“Yeah, yeah I can.” He squeezed Nick’s bicep and then led everyone except his mom from the house.
“I still don’t understand,” she said.
He thought of how he and Bryce bonded so quickly. How close they got, how fast they fell and how real it was. He thought about the connection he felt. Hell, he even thought about Bryce’s dream. “You don’t have to. Maybe none of us do. Why does everything have to be so black and white? Boy or girl? Gay or straight? Why does everything have to have a reason? Maybe some things don’t have reasons. Maybe they’re destined to be for no other reason than the fact that they are.”
She nodded, looking down. “I won’t pretend this will be easy for me. It’s not going to happen overnight, Nick, but I’m trying. I love you, and I’m going to try.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Finally, she looked at him again. “He really loves you. I was so angry at him when he came to see me. I was so hurt that he turned you against me, that you’d stopped calling. He apologized, but it didn’t matter...then I talked to Karrie. She said you told her that you hadn’t told Bryce we weren’t speaking. That you felt guilty lying to him, but you felt strongly about it. That boy took the blame, risked me hating him even more because he loves you. That’s what got me here today.”
Nick smiled. He loved the man so damned much. He’d taken the blame for Nick. He’d gone to Nick’s mom for him, too. “That’s who he is. He’s a good guy. The best. You’ll see...and I love him. That’s never going to change.”
She gave him a single nod.
Nick led her outside. They all ate and chatted. He watched Bryce play football with the kids and pretend to trip or get tackled. They had a blast with him. Georgina spoke with his mom a lot, and Mitch and Eric seemed to get along well.
This was his family, his and Bryce’s. None of them were perfect, but they were his, and he was happy.
“You ever lie to me again and I’ll kick your ass,” Bryce sat down beside Nick, where he sat away from everyone else, watching them.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“I love you.”
“I know that, too.”
They all had a long way to go. He had no doubts that Michelle loved him and supported him; she just went along with what Ken said. Maybe Ken would eventually come around, too. His mom still had to adjust, as they all did in some ways. Regardless of how he and Bryce felt, they were still new, and still had things to figure out. Loving someone and being in a relationship was never easy, but they’d do it, they’d figure it out, together.
Nick couldn’t wait to keep on living his life with Bryce at his side.
EPILOGUE
There was nothing like the feel of cruising down an empty road, with nothing but the wind and the world around you. It was like flying. It was freedom.
