Unfortunate Son (26 page)

Riley lowered himself into the chair. “I just worry, you know? I’m trying not to hover, but Mikey’s been pretty sheltered. I didn’t tell you that whole story, but suffice to say when his parents moved to Florida, they were happy to get Mikey away from me.”

“What? Why?”

Riley huffed out a breath. “We lived next door to each other. Mikey’s a couple of years younger than me, and his parents are really conservative. His dad’s a preacher, and his mom was ridiculously protective, so he’s always seemed even younger. By the time we were preteens, it was obvious to everyone that I was not exactly straight. Mikey’s parents thought it would rub off or something ridiculous. His dad got an offer to help run a big church in Florida, so off they went.”

“Wow. That seems like a bit of an overreaction.”

Riley’s grin was evil. “The punch line is that it didn’t work. Mikey’s 100 percent gay, maybe even gayer than me.” He deflated. “But he’s hidden it for so long. He just turned twenty-five years old and dated women until about two years ago. He started working at an amusement park while he was still in high school and then got on at Disney and worked his way up some, so he got his own place eventually. But he’s still living under his parents’ thumb. Or was.”

“Until you got him out.”

“Yeah.” Riley gave a lopsided smile. “It took me years to convince him, first just trying to get him to admit to himself that he’s gay. He still acts a lot younger than he is. I hope getting him away from his parents will help with that.”

Evan smiled. “Well, Cory and Jimmy are good at helping with things like that. I told you they’re the ones who took me in after I got kicked out of the Marine Corps, right?”

Riley shook his head. “You told me a little, but I bet there’s a lot more to that story.”

“You know it. Hell, Jimmy not only got me into porn, he broke me in. When he found out I’d only been with one guy, he told me he’d help me practice.” Evan laughed. “I figured he was just trying to get into my pants, but he was for real. Cory helped convince me.” He smiled. “They taught me a lot about sex and a lot about my body, and a whole hell of a lot about how to have sex on camera.”

Evan realized at that point that he was telling the guy he hoped would be his boyfriend about all the sex he’d had before they met, and maybe Riley didn’t want to hear it. He bit his lip. “Sorry,” he said. “Probably TMI.”

“No,” Riley replied. “I’m glad to hear it. You always hear bad stories about porn. People getting forced into it, or not knowing what they’re doing and getting ripped off. Or getting sick.”

“It’s not like that for most people,” Evan said. “But I got luckier than most. Cory and Jimmy have been there for me from the start. I don’t know where I would’ve ended up without them.”
Dead on the streets somewhere, probably
, he thought, even though he knew that was probably an overly morbid conclusion.

“Well, then I’m glad you had them.” Riley cleared his throat. “So, have the doctors given you any idea when you might get out of here?”

Evan dropped his head back against the pillow. “Couple of days, is all they’ll say. I’ve been sleeping so much that it hasn’t mattered. This is the first time I feel almost human again.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “It feels like it should be Friday or Saturday, but it’s only Tuesday night, right?”

“Right.” Riley tilted his head. “What about your mom? Will she go home soon?”

“Same answer. A couple of days. I hope I can get out before she does so I can help get her home.”

Slowly, hesitantly, as if he thought he’d be rebuffed, Riley reached out and took Evan’s hand in his. “I’d like it a lot,” he said, “if you’d consider staying with me for a few days once you’re released.”

Just like that, tears sprung up in Evan’s eyes. He blinked them away and nodded. “I’d like that,” he answered, voice gone raspy. Riley smiled then, that wide, brilliant smile that had drawn Evan in from the beginning. And Evan felt himself returning it in kind.

W
EDNESDAY
AFTERNOON
,
Evan decided he was strong enough to go visit his mother.

Her room wasn’t far, at the other end of the same floor as Evan’s. Riley, who’d been by his side since their conversation the day before, except for a trip back home to shower and bring fresh clothes, insisted that Evan go in a wheelchair, which Riley pushed.

When they got to Gwen Day’s room, she looked so tiny in the big hospital bed that it made Evan’s heart hurt to look at her. Riley carefully navigated his chair to the side of the bed, and Evan lifted his good hand to lay it over Gwen’s. “Mom?”

Gwen’s eyes fluttered open, and when she saw him, she smiled. “Oh, my beautiful little boy.”

From the corner of his eye, Evan saw Riley slip out of the room, but he let that go for now and focused on his mother. “How do you feel, Mom?”

She smiled, a shadow of her usual self. “My head hurts.” She fluttered her free hand. “The obvious.” She laid her hand across her stomach, reaching toward him again. “How are you, dear? Charles tells me you had a bit of an accident as well?”

It occurred to Evan that neither of his parents likely knew the source of his injuries. If he had anything to say about it, they never would.

“I took a fall too,” he told her. “But I’m doing okay. I should be out of here tomorrow. I hope you will be too.”

“I think so. I had a tough time at first, couldn’t remember anything from one minute to the next.” She lifted her hand to her forehead. “But it’s all right now. Just the headache left.”

Evan shuffled forward in his seat. “I guess you know Dad came to see me.”

Gwen brought her hand down to cover his and squeezed. “He told me you’d talked. I understand you’ve worked everything out?”

“Mostly.” Evan bit his lip, choosing his words carefully. “It’s hard, Mom. I don’t…. It’s hard to believe all of this is real, you know?”

Gwen focused on him fully, her gaze piercing through him. “I understand, dear. We behaved terribly, and I’ve been just sick about it. It took me a while to wear your father down.” She shook her head. “I love him dearly, but he’s always been so very proud. He made himself out of nothing, and it’s very difficult for him to admit when he’s wrong about anything.”

Evan nodded. “We talked about that. I think he’s trying, but—”

“I’m more than trying.” Evan’s head snapped to the right, and he saw his father standing in the doorway. He held a manila envelope in one hand, very much like the one Evan had found in their dining room on Sunday.

“I’ve already set up the transfer,” Charles said. “You have an escrow account in your name alone, and it contains the full principal and interest from the trust fund. The total is just over $262,000.” He held out the envelope. “No strings. Just like I promised.”

Evan rose slowly, sliding his hand free from his mother’s, and took the two steps necessary to take the envelope from his father’s loose grip. He returned to his seat and pulled out the small stack of papers, skimming quickly over the basic information. Everything seemed to be exactly what his father said, though of course he wouldn’t have confirmation until he actually tried to access the money.

“Evan.” He raised his head and found his father had pulled up a chair close to him and sat perched on its edge, leaning toward him. “I swear to you, everything is exactly what I’m saying. I may have made many mistakes, including not telling you up front about this money. But I have never lied outright. I would never lie about something like this.”

“Please, Evan.” He turned his head to his mother, who held out her hand to him again. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Please give us another chance. I don’t want to lose you again.”

Evan swallowed back the emotion that made his throat suddenly tight. “I don’t want to lose you either.” He looked at his father. “Either of you.”

Charles smiled at him, and Evan found himself believing it would all be okay.

I
T
WAS
late afternoon on Thursday when the hospital finally let Gwen go. Evan had gotten his walking papers two hours earlier, Riley there to take him home—home to Riley’s—but he’d stayed with Evan in the lobby until Gwen could leave too. He needed to be sure she got home okay. He knew his dad could’ve handled it on his own, but he just… he needed to be there.

Once Gwen was loaded into his parents’ Town Car, Evan climbed into the passenger seat of Riley’s BMW and settled in for the drive. In rush-hour traffic, it could take a good hour to get to his parents’ home. Riley waited until they were stopped at a traffic light to talk. “Your mother is a real Steel Magnolia, isn’t she?”

Evan chuckled. “Right down to the football-helmet hair,” he agreed. “I think she always wished she’d had a daughter just so she could dress her up in lace like Shelby and send her off down the aisle.”

“In some ways,” Riley said slowly, “she reminds me of my mother. Putting on a good face even when things are crumbling around her. Being the perfect hostess and wife.” He gave Evan a wan smile. “I think my mother missed the part about still having a heart underneath it all.”

Evan reached over to lay his hand on Riley’s thigh. “Everyone has their own battles to fight.”

Riley lowered his hand to entwine his fingers with Evan’s. “Not necessarily, but we can hope that maybe they’ll eventually recover from their cases of craniorectal inversion.”

It took Evan a second to parse what Riley meant, and then he laughed. “Removing heads from asses would be helpful, yeah.” He lifted their hands to his mouth so he could kiss Riley’s fingers. “Working pretty well for us so far.”

Riley smiled, eyes on the road. “Clear skies as far as I can see.”

Clear skies and smooth sailing
, Evan thought, keeping Riley’s hand clasped in his.

G
ETTING
G
WEN
from the car and into the house turned into a production worthy of a sitcom. First she wanted to walk under her own power, but when she got out of the car, a wave of dizziness had Charles wrapping a strong arm around her waist to hold her up. Evan tried to do the same from the other side, but he managed to bang his bandaged arm into the doorframe, and it took all the self-control he could muster not to burst out in a string of curses at the jolt of pain.

Riley stepped in for him. “Mr. Day, if you’ll help Mrs. Day
inside, I’ll get the car closed up for you, and Evan and I will be right in. If that’s okay?”

“Yes, yes, that’s fine.” Charles’s focus was on his wife, and the two of them started up the walkway toward the front door, moving slowly but steadily. Evan stepped away from the car, his broken wrist resting in his good hand, and Riley leaned in to hit the lock button inside the door before pushing the door closed.

“All right,” he said as he turned to Evan. “Let’s see if we can get you inside without any more injuries.”

Evan growled under his breath, but he was smiling as he did it. He let Riley lead him to the door, though he walked under his own power. He had a broken wrist, not a broken leg.

The inner door stood open behind the storm door, so Evan reached for the outer handle and waved Riley in ahead of him. They got into the living room to find Charles fussing over Gwen, getting her settled on the sofa with pillows around her and a throw pulled over her legs.

“I’m okay, Charles. Good heavens. You’d think I’d had major surgery or something.” She waved a hand. “I’m fine! I’m resting! Watch me rest!”

Riley shot Evan a look, and Evan bit his lip to keep from
laughing. Steel Magnolia indeed.

Charles blew out an exasperated breath. “At least let me get you something to drink. I don’t know if there’s sweet tea, but I believe we still have a few bottles of that green tea you like.”

“Yes, fine, that would be lovely.” She fluttered her hands at him. “Shoo.”

Charles grumbled but disappeared around the corner toward the kitchen. Evan crept forward, hesitant to say anything. She turned her head and saw him.

“Evan, dear! Do come in. Is your friend…?” She caught sight of Riley. “Please, come in, both of you. Would you like something to drink? Charles would be happy to bring you something.”

“We’re fine, Mom,” Evan assured her. He slid into one of the side chairs, and Riley moved to stand behind him. “We won’t stay long. You need to rest.”

She gave him a glare. “And so do you, dear. You took a pretty nasty knock on the head, didn’t you? And your poor wrist.”

Evan shrugged. “It’s not that bad. I’m cleared on the head injury. It wasn’t nearly as bad as yours. And they sent me home with some pain meds, so I can take those if I need to.”

Charles reappeared holding a tall glass filled with ice and a golden liquid and moved to place the glass within Gwen’s reach, with one of her coasters under it. He retreated to his favorite chair but turned to face Evan. “Son, you know you’re more than welcome to stay here while you finish recuperating. I’ll be taking a few days off to stay home with your mother until she gets the all clear from her doctors, so it won’t put us out at all.”