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“So,” Britt stared hard at the tattoo she was inking on Ethan’s arm, “You gonna tell Ma, or what?”
“Tell her what?” Ethan asked, feeling his heart swell with pride as he watched his sister work. She was so talented and beautiful. If anyone tried to hit on her, he would jam that tattoo gun in his eye. Even Riley’s. Especially Riley’s, because Riley was his.
Britt looked up at him and laughed. “Oh, wow. I knew this would happen someday, but I had no idea it’d be a guy.” She went back to her work. “Though I guess I can’t really blame you for not wanting to live with any more girls. I’m really glad I’m straight. Believe me.”
“Huh?” Ethan stared at her. “Are you inhaling ink or something? What the fuck do you mean?”
Britt snickered. “Figure it out, genius. I’ll give you a minute.”
Ethan felt himself turn a dull shade of red as the implication sunk in. “Fine. So, what? Kelsey told you?” That his sister heard him getting—or giving—a blow job was not the way he’d wanted to tell them about him and Riley.
Britt fixed him with a sharp stare from behind her cat-eye glasses. “Oh my God, Ethan. No one told me! No one had to tell me. I just know you. Okay? You’re in love, and I think it’s sweet. He’s really hot.” She grinned at him. “Does he have a brother?”
“Yeah, but he’s boring. And he has a sister, but you said it yourself—you’re straight.” Ethan made a face. “You can’t—why—how did you—”
“Ethan,” Britt said with a smile that looked just like their mother’s—sweet and sly and full of affection. “It’s you. You’re as subtle as a tsunami.”
Ethan was still not sure what to say. “So Kelsey didn’t....”
“Tell me she heard you guys at it last night? Oh, yeah. She did.” Britt laughed very loudly. “Oh my God. You should see how red you are right now. Wow.”
Ethan wanted to crawl under the chair and die, so he dealt with his emotions by getting defensive. “What? She’s going to college. She’s smart. Like hearing two guys making out is gonna... what? Fuck her up?”
“Oh just admit you’re embarrassed.”
Ethan muttered under his breath. “Whatever. Fine. Maybe a little.” He looked hopefully at his sister. “She likes him, though?”
“Yup. Actually you might have crushed her dreams. She thought he was cute.”
“He is cute,” Ethan corrected. “But she can find her own tall, hot boyfriend. In ten years, when she’s old enough to date someone.”
“Boyfriend?” Her eyebrows lifted. “Damn.”
“Oh. Like you expected me to do... what? Casual?” Ethan snorted. “Come on, Britt.”
“True. True.” She glanced up at him and giggled. “You like him. Like, a lot, huh? Want me to tattoo his name and some hearts somewhere for you?”
“Stop,” Ethan said, sort of desperately. That was the last thing he wanted to do—get caught being all dumb about Riley in front of his sister. Girls were vicious. Jesus Christ. “He’ll hear you.”
“So what? Like he doesn’t know you’re crazy about him?” She snorted. “Like a tsunami, Ethan.”
Ethan groaned and fell back against the chair as Britt sang the “Riley and Ethan sitting in a tree” song. Just like she would if Ethan brought home a girl for the holidays. His family. Man. They were so awesome. Even if they were infuriating.
When it was Riley’s turn to get his tattoo, Ethan tried to go smoke a cigarette, but Riley wouldn’t let him. “You said you were quitting.”
“I said I was quitting when we were playing hockey,” Ethan reminded him. “We’re on vacation.”
Riley looked as if he were hewn from sheer stubbornness. It made so much sense that he was a goalie. “It’ll just make it harder to stop when we get back.”
Ethan tried to find something to say to that, but he failed. “Shut up.”
Britt looked up from Riley’s tattoo, which was a devil holding a trident—because that was way less silly and angry than the Sea Storm’s goofy water tornado. “Listen to your boyfriend and ditch the cigarettes, bro. No one smokes anymore. And it’s expensive.” She patted Riley on the arm. “I knew you guys were together, by the way.”
Riley blushed hotly, which made Ethan want to climb on top of him and kiss him. But that might fuck up his tattoo, and his sister would be pissed. So he just sat in the chair and watched her tattoo his boyfriend. He felt pretty goddamned pleased with life in general.
“She just guessed,” Ethan told Riley later, when they headed out into the cold afternoon. It was sunny but freezing, which didn’t seem fair. “About us, I mean. I guess ’cause I brought you home for Christmas.” Ethan started laughing. “Man. I should’ve known that was a dead giveaway. Guess everyone’s right when they say I’ve been knocked in the head a few too many times.”
Riley was very quiet, which made Ethan nervous. “You okay?” He bumped Riley’s shoulder with his own. “I mean, it’s okay they know. Right?”
“Yeah. Of course.” Riley gave him a sideways glance. “Just because I’m quiet doesn’t mean something’s wrong. Okay?”
“Okay.” Ethan took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. It wasn’t smoking, but it was close. Actually no. It sucked, and he wanted a goddamn cigarette. “You’ve been to New York before. Right?”
Riley nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
“’Cause if you don’t want me to smoke, I need something else in my mouth.” Ethan grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the subway. “Fuck sightseeing. I have a better idea.”
They were watching television when his mother came home. She smiled at them both and ruffled Ethan’s hair—there wasn’t much there to ruffle—and then did the same to Riley.
“You boys have a nice day?” Maura asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“Got some tattoos,” Ethan said. He wandered into the kitchen. It was as good a time as any to come clean about Riley. And he was kind of hungry. “Ma, we got any snacks? I’m starving.”
“You’ve been home all afternoon and you didn’t eat anything?” She gave him a suspicious look.
“Snacks are better when you make them.” Ethan hugged her exuberantly and lifted her off her feet.
“Oh, so now I have to make them too?” She made a noise and glared at him. It made her look like Britt. “Son, put me down before I kick you somewhere uncomfortable.”
“You like that,” Ethan reminded her as he set her on her feet. “Making me snacks, not kicking me,” he clarified quickly. “Like how you like doing my laundry and stuff.”
“What I like is my son having clean clothes,” she said and hit him on the side of the head. “And what is it? You know you let me do mom stuff when you have to tell me something I might not like.”
“What? No I don’t.” Ethan totally did that, dammit. “I’m hungry. I’m a growing boy, Ma.”
“Stop growing, or I won’t have anywhere for you to sleep.” She waved him out of the small kitchen. “I’ll make you some apples and peanut butter.”
“Sweet. Make some for Riley too.”
“Ethan—”
“Shh, Riley. It’s fine. I don’t mind making you a snack. You’re so polite. Maybe some of it will rub off on my son.” His mom expertly sliced an apple and smiled sweetly at Ethan. “Honey, are you blushing?”
“Ah—so, Ma. I was gonna—umm.” He cleared his throat. “Remember when I was in eighth grade and I told you I was gonna marry Deirdre Hudson?”
“Yes. And I told you to wait a few years, because teenage marriages never work.”
“Right.” Ethan grabbed for a piece of apple, and his mom swatted his hand. “I’m probably not going to marry her.”
“Oh? I’m glad to hear that, since I saw her aunt the other day at mass, and she’s going to Africa with the Peace Corps. I don’t think they have hockey there.” His mom didn’t look up from the apple. “Get me the peanut butter, sweetie.”
Ethan found the peanut butter in the pantry, opened it, and handed it to her. “Well, I just meant that I probably won’t get married. Soon. To a girl. I mean. I probably won’t get married soon, anyway. But—”
“Riley, honey, do you like apples and peanut butter, or can I fix you something else while my son tries to tell me you’re dating?”
“Ma,” Ethan groaned and covered his face with his hands.
“Sweetheart, I’m your mother. And you haven’t been able to hide anything from me your whole life.” She looked up and smiled at him gently, in a way that made his throat burn a little and his eyes sting. “He’s a very nice boy. You’re a very nice boy, Riley.”
“Thanks,” Riley said. “And yeah. I like apples and peanut butter.”
“So, umm. You’re not upset?” Ethan took an apple slice and ate it before his mom could stop him. He had good reflexes, even if they didn’t always translate best on the ice.
“Upset? Of course not. I’ll miss you, of course, when you’re in hell for committing a sin against nature and I’m in heaven singing in the choir.”
Ethan stared at her, mouth open in shock.
Her mouth twitched, and she started giggling. “Your face right now, Ethan.”
“That was mean, Ma,” he groused. He heard Riley laughing from the living room.
“It was funny, though.” Her eyes teared up. “Oh, Ethan. My little boy—all grown up.”
“Ma, shhh,” Ethan said. He tried to give her an apple slice. “Here. Have one of these and stop talking.”
She hugged him instead and then grabbed the plate of apples and peanut butter and took it to the couch, where she also hugged Riley. “What a relief to know my hotheaded son has someone taking care of him down there in Florida,” she said. Riley’s face was the color of the apple.
Served him right—being all respectable and easily liked by moms.
Riley hugged her back, and there was something on his face that made Ethan angry. Not at him, but on his behalf. Like Riley wasn’t used to hugs. That made Ethan want to hit something.
Kelsey came home an hour later, when they were all watching Wheel of Fortune and Ethan and his mom were shouting at the players, berating them for not solving the puzzle.
“Hey, Kels,” Ethan called, waving from his spot on the couch. “How was school?”
“You know. Last day before Christmas break. Sorry. Winter break. I don’t know why they call it that. It’s a Catholic school.”
“They’re trying to be accepting, honey. Are you hungry? I can fix you a snack if you want. Maybe some apples and peanut butter?”
“I know Ethan and Riley are dating, Mom. It’s cool.”
“Hey.” Ethan glared at his mother. “That’s my trick. No fair. Get your own.”
“Who do you think you learned it from?” His mom winked, and then looked up at Kelsey with a smile. “Your sister should be here in about an hour, kiddo. So we better get ready to go to dinner.” His mom stood up and took the empty plate to the kitchen.
“So,” Ethan said when his mom and sister were gone. He shifted on the couch so his head was in Riley’s lap. “Now they know.”
“Yeah. Now they know.” Riley rubbed his fingers over Ethan’s mouth, and Ethan bit at them, gently, and sucked on them until Riley’s dark eyes flashed, and some of his serene, unholy calm started to crack around the edges. “This is really weird.”
“You like it when I do this, though. You said it felt like I was sucking your—”
“No. Not that,” Riley said hurriedly, even though they were alone in the living room. “I mean, they’re so... they don’t even seem to care.”
Ethan shrugged. “They love me and shit. They’re glad I’m happy. Fuck. I want to beat up your entire family.” He glanced up at Riley. “They don’t even deserve you, you know.”
Riley stared at him. “How do you just say that stuff?”
“What do you mean? How do I just say shit without thinking about it? I dunno. I just do. It’s not that hard. Just try it sometime.”
“Okay,” Riley said, and then he said, “I love you.”
They stared at each other while the contestant on the show picked out letters for the final round. The iconic music played, which made them grin at each other. “See?” Ethan said. He reached up to grab Riley’s shirt, and his heart raced a million miles an hour. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Riley looked very serious. “Yeah, actually. It kind of was.”
“Oh.” Ethan pulled him closer. “Keep doing it. You’ll get used to it. I love you too.” He kissed him, soft and sweet, and then they both went back to watching the show.
“Problem solved,” Riley said.
“What?” Ethan blinked up at him, confused. “What’s a problem? Being in love with me? You should have stopped at the first—mmph.”
Riley gently put his hand over Ethan’s mouth. “That’s the answer,” he said, nodding toward the television. “To the puzzle on Wheel of Fortune. The show we’re watching right now? The answer is problem solved.” He took his hand away, and Ethan noticed it was shaking a little. His was too.
“I knew that,” Ethan said and smiled. Riley smiled back in a way that made Ethan feel like he’d won the game show. Like he’d won all the game shows. He wondered if this was how Sierra felt on The Price is Right with the dice game. Riley was better than a Mustang, though. Riley was better than anything.
Ethan pulled Riley down to kiss him again, before he actually said that out loud. “I’m probably not a very hard problem to solve, anyway.”
“That’s what you think,” Riley said and kissed him back.