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Jeremy stood up as Evan approached the table. “Hey, you. How was work?”
“Okay.” Evan shrugged. “Sorry I’m later than I hoped to be. I finally managed to escape, so that’s good. Hopefully dinner isn’t over.” He glanced over at the table.
“You’re fine. We just finished appetizers.” Jeremy brushed his lips across Evan’s.
Evan gave Jeremy a searching look as he pulled back. “You okay?” Jeremy had offered to wait for Evan to get out of work so they could arrive together, but Evan had coaxed him to go without him. Jeremy certainly wasn’t shy, but Evan knew he and Stephen were still working out their friendship.
Jeremy’s smile was genuine. “I’m good. I’m glad we came.” They were at Russ and Stephen’s favorite restaurant to celebrate Russ’ birthday. Jeremy had begged and promised to trade another manager two shifts for his one in order to work an earlier shift. Evan had arrived late, but hopefully, Russ wouldn’t be upset.
Evan turned to Russ, who had also stood. Evan smiled at him. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thanks.” Russ grinned and pulled him in for a quick hug. “I am so glad you guys could both make it tonight.”
“Yeah, me too. Thanks for inviting us.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get together,” Russ said. “My thirtieth birthday was as good of an excuse as any.”
––––––––
“Hey, quit monopolizing my boyfriend, Russ,” Jeremy teased. “I don’t care if it is your birthday.” Evan turned to face Jeremy as he heard Russ chuckle.
“C’mon, I saved a seat for you.” Jeremy held out a chair for him, and Evan smiled to himself at the gesture as he took his seat.
Evan glanced around the table. “Hey, everyone.”
In addition to Jeremy and Stephen, Monty, Emily, Addie, and Joseph were there to celebrate. Everyone said hi, and Stephen gave Evan a warm smile. “How have you been?”
“Great. Really, really great.”
Stephen’s gaze shifted to Jeremy. “Any particular reason?”
Evan smiled. “Maybe.”
“Hey there, cutie!” Evan glanced away from Stephen to see the waiter who’d served them on Evan’s birthday. “My name is Tod. What can I get ya for a drink?”
“Peach lemon drop martini, please. And, um, has everyone else ordered their dinner?” He glanced around the table to see his friends nodding. “Then I guess I’ll do that now. The shrimp and grits, please.”
“Sounds good! Back in a jiffy with your drink, sweetcheeks.”
Jeremy’s arm slid across the back of Evan’s chair, and Evan turned and smiled at him, knowing Jeremy was probably jealous of the waiter flirting. He could be a little possessive, but Evan didn’t really mind. “How was work?”
“Long and kinda tedious,” Jeremy said, the furrow between his eyebrows smoothing out. “Yours?”
Evan shrugged. “About the same.”
Russ spoke and Evan turned to face the table. “So, Stephen and I are looking at real estate.”
“Really?” Jeremy looked surprised. “What I saw of the apartment you were in looks great. Why would you want to leave?”
Stephen nodded. “It is a great place, but I bought it when I was single and had no family. Now, we have friends and family we’d like to be able to have stay with us. A one-bedroom place isn’t ideal.”
“It’s not so bad now that we’ve moved to Atlanta though,” Addie said. “At least, you don’t have Joseph and me crashing in your living room or having to get a hotel room every time.”
Russ laughed. “It is nice having you closer, but it really wasn’t a problem. Now if only we could get Dad to move closer, we’d be all set.”
“When did you move to Atlanta?” Evan asked Joseph, who was sitting next to him.
“Uh, October, I think? Yeah, must have been about mid-October. We both found jobs here, which was nice. We were looking to get out of Jacksonville, and we like Atlanta.”
“What do you do?” Evan asked. He hadn’t had much time to get to know Addie or Joseph, but they both seemed really nice.
“Addie and I are nurses. I work for Emory University here in Midtown, and Addie’s at Children’s Hospital. She does pediatric oncology, and I am in geriatrics.”
Jeremy leaned closer to Evan and spoke. “That’s old people, right? So the patients you can’t save, Evan ends up with.”
A snort escaped Evan before he could stop it. “That’s terrible, Jeremy.”
Joseph gave them both a vaguely puzzled look. “I’m sorry, what do you do, Evan?”
“I work as a funeral director.”
Monty laughed. “Nice one, Jeremy.”
Evan could see Russ shaking his head at both of them. “I can see why you never minded Monty, Stephen. Jeremy’s just as bad.”
Jeremy grinned and held out his fist for Monty to bump across the table. “It’s part of our charm.”
A moment later, Tod set Evan’s drink down in front of him. “Taste that and tell me if it isn’t the best thing to pass your lips ever.” He paused, shooting Jeremy a flirty grin. “Well, maybe not, ’cause I’ve never sampled your boyfriend there. He looks like he could be pretty tasty.” He winked at Evan, whose cheeks flushed at the innuendo. He took a hasty sip to cover his embarrassment.
“Oh, uhm, it’s really good. Thanks. I’ve had it before though.”
Tod gave him a thoughtful look. “Oh, that’s right, you were here a while back with those two, weren’t ya?” He gestured toward Russ and Stephen. “I never forget the hot ones, especially if they’re regulars here.”
Stephen shot him a wry grin. “It’s true; this is where we like to come for special occasions.”
Tod preened. “It’s because of the fabulous wait staff, isn’t it?”
Russ grinned and shook his head. “Something like that.”
Tod put his hand on Evan’s shoulder. “I’m a little sad this one got snatched up though.” He shot a glance at Jeremy and patted Evan. “Although you do have good taste, honey. I can’t blame ya for going after tall, dark, and handsome there.”
Jeremy cleared his throat, but his expression was amused. “While I’m all for spending some quality time talking about how great I am, I’m kinda hungry. Are we ever going to get our entrees?”
Tod threw his head back, laughing. “I suppose I am holding up your dinner with my flirting. I’ll check on that and be right back.”
He hustled away, and Stephen chuckled. “I would argue that Tod actually gives terrible customer service because he spends so much time talking, but he never fails to amuse me, so I always make sure to sit in his section and tip well.”
Addie piped up. “You know, I used to think all gay guys were like that. I mean all ...” She fluttered her hand as the words trailed off.
“Fruity?” Monty supplied, and Russ buried his head in his hands. “You know, I thought so too until I lived with Russ. He was all into baseball and shit though.”
“And it wasn’t even for the tight pants,” Stephen commented as Tod arrived carrying a huge tray filled with their dinners.
“Oh, it is for me,” Tod said, setting a plate in front of Stephen. “I watch Braves games religiously. Couldn’t tell you their names or stats, but I know a good ass when I see one.”
Russ chuckled. “I’ll admit Stephen and I both sat up a little straighter when Brandon Beachy was on the field.”
“No shit,” Jeremy said. “I was sad to see him go when he went to the Dodgers.”
Evan shook his head. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
“He was a pitcher for the Atlanta Braves,” Addie said. “And really, really hot. Looks great all scruffy.”
Russ gave Jeremy a thoughtful look. “You really have no type, do you? I mean, Stephen and Evan look nothing like Brandon Beachy. Or each other.”
Jeremy laughed. “Nope. I just like hot men.”
“Amen,” Tod said as he set Evan’s shrimp and grits in front of him.
“I’m afraid I don’t have a lot to contribute to this conversation,” Joseph joked.
Jeremy leaned in and whispered in Evan’s ear. “You do know there’s no one I’d rather be with than you though, right? No matter who I find hot.”
Evan turned and smiled at him. “I know.”
It was true. Evan might not have a clue why Jeremy wanted him so much, but he didn’t have any doubts that he did. He opened his mouth to continue, but his phone buzzed in his pocket. He groaned as he pulled it out. “Ugh, I hope I didn’t forget to do something before I left work.”
To his surprise, it wasn’t work, but his mother calling. He considered letting it go to voicemail, but she hadn’t called much lately, and he was a little worried about her. “Uhh, it’s my mom. I’m going to get this. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Jeremy frowned but nodded and squeezed Evan’s hand. He stood, answering the call as he walked away from the table and headed toward the entrance of the restaurant. “Mom?”
“Hi, honey.”
“Is everything okay?” Evan asked. She sounded okay. Actually, she sounded better than she had in a long time.
“Yeah, I think so. I have some big news though.”
“What’s that?” Evan was genuinely curious. Other than work, she didn’t have a whole lot going on in her life.
“After we lost the house, I think my manager was feelin’ bad for me, so she’d let me pick up some extra hours. I saved a little money that your dad didn’t know about. And I used it today to do something big.”
Evan’s brow furrowed. Good for his mom for keeping some of her own money because Evan was sure his dad would have blown through it, but he had no idea what she was talking about.
There was a shy, but almost proud edge to her voice as she continued. “I—I filed for divorce.”
“Wow.” Evan hardly knew how to take that in. He never thought she’d have the guts to do anything to stick up for herself.
“I was scared to do it, but there’s someone at church who talked me through it. She helped me with everything. I don’t think I coulda done it without her, but she’s been a big help.”
“I’m proud of you mom. That is a big deal, and I think it’ll be a lot better for you.”
She sighed. “I still feel real guilty about it, but my friend made me see that I needed to do it.”
“I think she’s right,” Evan said. “I know how hard you worked at the pharmacy, and you shouldn’t have had to lose the house just because Dad was addicted to booze and gambling.”
“I just wanted for us to be a family, Evan.”
He smiled sadly. “I know you did, Mom, but he wasn’t a good person. He made both of us feel terrible about ourselves, and that’s ... that’s not okay.” Right then, Evan felt like he was the parent, and she was the child. It was weird. He didn’t know when he’d grown up so much.
“What about you and me? We could still be a family, couldn’t we?” His mom’s tone was wistful, and it sent a pang of sadness through him. “I was thinkin’ about moving to Atlanta to be closer to you.”
Evan froze. That was even more shocking than the news she was divorcing his father, and he had no idea how to respond.
“I can transfer to one of the pharmacies there—my boss said she’d give me a good reference—and my friend at church has offered to help me find a place to live. I just need to know you want me there.”
He hesitated. “I dunno, Mom, a lot has happened. I need to know that you accept who I am. I need to know you’re okay with me being gay. Because that’s not going to change. Ever.”
The silence on the other end hurt. And when she finally spoke, it wasn’t much better. “I need to pray on that, honey.”
Evan closed his eyes against the sting of tears. “You pray all you need to. I’m going to be living here in Atlanta and enjoying my life with Jeremy. He’s the guy I’m dating. Did you know that, Mom? I met this really great guy who loves everything about me and makes me feel like the most wonderful person in the world. I have a good job and great friends, and I love Jeremy. I would like to have a relationship with you, but if you can’t accept him then it’s not going to happen.”
“You’d pick a man over your own mother?”
Evan let out a shuddering breath. “I’d pick someone who loves me without conditions every single time.” He hung up the phone before she could respond. He shoved his phone in his pocket and closed his eyes. There was a weird, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he didn’t know if he’d done the right thing or not.
The gentle touch of fingertips on his shoulder made him jerk in surprise. “You okay, honey? I was walking by the front of the restaurant and saw you out here looking like you were going to puke.”
Evan’s eyes flew open as he turned and saw Tod frowning at him. He let out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, uh, just dealing with some family stuff. I promise I’m not going to get sick on the sidewalk or anything. Thanks for checking though.”
He scrutinized Evan with worried, dark brown eyes. “Can I do anything to help?”
Evan shook his head and mustered up a half-smile. “Um, no, I don’t think so. But, thank you. I appreciate it. I just need a minute to pull myself together, and I’ll head back inside to my friends.”
“Sure thing. I hope whatever’s going on gets better.”
“Thanks. Me too.”
Evan sighed as the door closed behind Tod, and he took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm himself. When the door opened again, Evan turned, expecting it was probably Jeremy coming to look for him, but it was Stephen who gave him a searching glance.
“Tod came by the table and said you were out here with a family issue. Is everything all right? Jeremy wanted to come out, but he looked like he might combust, and I thought it might be better for both of you if he calmed down for a minute.” Stephen gave him a faint smile. “I had a feeling his temper might not help, but if I was wrong or I overstepped, I’d be happy to go get him for you.”
“No, it’s fine. I do appreciate Jeremy’s protectiveness, but you have a point about his temper. He really can’t stand my parents,” Evan admitted.
“None of us who care about you are very fond of them.”
Evan laughed sadly. “I know. It seems like most of us got a pretty crappy set of parents, except Russ. Alan is awesome.”
Stephen nodded. “I think Alan is ready to adopt all of us. I think I’d let him too.”
Evan smiled at the thought.
Several people left the restaurant, and Stephen stepped a bit closer to give them room. “Do you want to talk about your mom’s call? I’m more than willing to listen. You know my experience with my own family was somewhat similar.”
“Did you know my father had been arrested for drunk driving?”
Stephen nodded. “Russ mentioned it after you told him. I hope you don’t mind.”
Evan shook his head. “I don’t expect you guys to keep secrets from each other. And it wasn’t really one anyway.”
“I hope the experience gives your father some perspective on his addiction,” Stephen said, which was probably the most polite way anyone had ever talked about Jimmie Harris.
“Yeah, me too. Anyway, my mom’s been having a hard time. She’s been really lonely, and she’s been calling to talk to me occasionally.” Stephen nodded thoughtfully, but didn’t interrupt. “So tonight, she was calling to tell me she filed divorce papers.”
Stephen’s eyebrows flew toward his hairline. “That’s unexpected.”
“I know. It was strange,” Evan said. “She called to tell me about that, then told me she wanted to move to Atlanta to be near me.”
“How do you feel about it?”
“Confused, mostly,” Evan admitted. “I mean, she’s my mom, and I want to believe her. I can see that she’s changed in some ways. I never would have thought she’d divorce my dad, but I think it’ll be really good for her. And when he does get out of jail in five years or whatever, it’ll be a lot better if she’s far away because I’m sure he’s going to be pissed. But I don’t know if I trust her. I don’t know if I should trust her.”
Stephen reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “Believe me, I understand.”
Evan nodded, still reeling from all the information he’d gotten tonight. “I know. I’m just totally mixed up about this.”
“Take some time to think it through,” Stephen said kindly. “You don’t have to make a decision tonight. Talk it over with Jeremy, with Russ, with me. Any of us would be happy to listen, and we’ve all been there in one way or another. Russ reestablished contact with his mother, and while it didn’t work out, it did give him some peace about the situation. I never got that chance, and I regret it. It’s different for all of us.”
Evan nodded thoughtfully. “And Jeremy wouldn’t speak to his parents under any circumstances.”
Stephen sighed. “I think given what happened between them, that’s probably fair.”
Evan met his gaze. “I’m not a violent person, but I swear, I could kill them for what they did to him.”
“I feel the same way,” Stephen admitted, shaking his head. “They are real pieces of work for taking advantage of and abandoning him, but your situation is different. Don’t do what Russ, I, or Jeremy would do. Do what makes you happy.”
“When I asked my mom if she’d accept my relationship with Jeremy, she said she’d have to pray on it.”
Stephen’s jaw clenched. “I can’t help but feel that religion does more harm than good, but I hope I’m wrong in this situation. Maybe praying will help her figure out that her son is more important than her Bible.”
“I hope so,” Evan admitted, the words coming out in a rush as he realized a part of him still did want a relationship with his mom. “I would like to think she could love me and get to know Jeremy and see how good he is for me.”
“For your sake, I hope so too.” Stephen squeezed his shoulder once more, and Evan glanced up to meet his worried blue gaze. “Tell me if you ever want to talk more, okay? I am always here to listen if you need it, Evan.”
“Thank you.” Evan gave him a tremulous smile. “I still don’t know what I’d do without you and Russ.”
“The good news is you won’t have to find out.” Stephen’s answering smile was equal parts sad and concerned. “Now, you stay here, and I’ll go get Jeremy for you.”
“I don’t want to leave and ruin Russ’ dinner,” Evan said weakly, but a part of him was ready to crawl in bed with his boyfriend and ignore the rest of the world.
Stephen shook his head. “Please don’t worry about that. Russ will understand and so will everyone else. Go home with Jeremy, tell him what’s going on, and let him comfort you. I know this has to be a shock.”
It is a shock, Evan thought dumbly as he said goodbye to Stephen. A minute later, Jeremy appeared with his jacket and their dinners in takeout boxes. Rather than say anything, Jeremy pressed his lips to Evan’s forehead, took his hand, and quietly asked where Evan had parked. As they walked there, Evan was lost in thought, his brain still whirling with the conversations he’d had with both his mother and Stephen.
“You okay to drive?” Jeremy asked, and Evan glanced up at him. He realized they’d been sitting in the car for a few minutes without him ever putting his key in the ignition.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Evan started the car. “My mom gave me some weird news though.”
Jeremy frowned. “Something happen with your dad?”
Evan shook his head and fastened his seatbelt. “Sort of. My mom called to tell me she’s divorcing him and thinking about moving closer to Atlanta.”
He heard Jeremy’s indrawn breath as he pulled out onto the street, but Jeremy didn’t blow up as he expected. Instead, he put a hand on Evan’s thigh, and his tone was careful and measured when he finally did speak. “Tell me more.”
Evan loved Jeremy just a little bit more for trying to stay calm when Evan knew he must be ready to explode. Whatever Evan decided to do about his mom, at least he knew he had the best boyfriend and friends in the world.