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“Are you sure this looks okay?” Evan asked, frowning in the mirror at the dark red button-down shirt he wore.
Jeremy tugged at the back of the collar and placed a kiss on the back of his neck. “You look gorgeous.”
He shivered as he watched the reflection in the mirror. “Thanks.”
Jeremy’s hands landed on his hips, and he allowed Jeremy to turn him so they were facing each other. “Are you nervous about your mom coming over tonight?”
Evan hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, kind of. I mean, what if she’s rude to Russ and Stephen or something?”
“They’re big boys; they can handle it. And if you feel like she crosses a line, you can ask her to leave. It’s our house. Well, if you want to get technical, it’s my apartment, but you know what I mean.”
“I know. I’m just ...”
Jeremy gave him a sad smile and smoothed a thumb across Evan’s face. “Things are still new between you two.”
“Yeah.” Since she’d moved to Atlanta, they’d talked on the phone once a week. It wasn’t going badly, but it was tense. He wasn’t sure what to say to her. She seemed tentative and apologetic, but he hadn’t worked up the nerve to see her in person before now. Why he’d decided to invite her over for Christmas along with all of his friends was a mystery. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he was starting to regret it.
“It’ll be okay,” Jeremy reassured him.
“I hope so.” The doorbell rang, and Evan pulled away from Jeremy. He grabbed the discarded clothes he’d been trying on off the bed, threw them in the closet, and closed the door. Jeremy followed behind him as he left the bedroom and made a beeline for the front door.
Russ and Stephen were in the kitchen getting the food ready, and the lights on the Christmas tree sparkled in the front window. To his surprise, Monty, Emily, Alan, Addie, and Joseph were all on the other side of the door.
“Merry Christmas!” Several of them chorused.
Evan smiled. “Merry Christmas. Come in.”
“Did you guys take a bus?” Jeremy joked as Evan stepped back to let their guests in. “I didn’t expect you all to come at once.”
“No, we ran into each other in the parking lot,” Joseph said with a smile.
“Hopefully, not literally,” Jeremy replied as he grabbed Addie’s coat. Evan knew he should be helping, but instead, he peered outside to see if he could get a glimpse of his mom. When there was no sign of her, he reluctantly closed the door and turned to face the people clustered inside.
Joseph laughed. “No, but the roads are slick. It rained earlier, and I think it’s starting to freeze.”
“How are you, Evan?” Emily asked with a friendly smile.
“Good, thanks.” He smiled back. “I managed to keep that plant you gave me alive.”
She beamed. “I’m so pleased to hear it.”
Evan overheard Jeremy directing people to where food was set up and Russ and Stephen greeting the guests, but he couldn’t stop wondering if his mom had changed her mind about coming.
“How did you wind up hosting this shindig, anyway?” Monty asked. “Thought Russ and his man were doin’ it.” He snickered. “The party, I mean.”
Russ spoke up. “We’re in the middle of buying a condo. We wanted to host this Christmas party, but our old place is too small, and the new one isn’t ready yet. We’re buying an apartment in the same building, but Stephen wanted to update a few things before we moved in, and the contractor’s behind schedule.” Russ flashed Evan and Jeremy a smile. “These guys were nice enough to let us take over their apartment for the day when it was clear the renovations weren’t going to be done in time.”
“Hey, I have plenty of space and never use it. Might as well have a party.” Jeremy shrugged. “Besides, they hired a caterer to take care of the food. That’s all I cared about. Unless you guys were good with frozen pizza, I wasn’t going to be any use in the kitchen.”
Stephen chuckled. “It is reassuring to know that some things never change.”
“Hey, I do the dishes now,” Jeremy protested. “Evan does most of the cooking, and I clean up.”
“That is new,” Stephen said with a wry grin.
“Shut up, old man,” Jeremy teased. “I don’t remember you being such hot stuff in the kitchen.”
Russ smiled at his husband. “Oh, Stephen does all right.”
“Hey, we don’t need to hear about that shit,” Monty protested.
Russ shook his head and laughed. “Not at all what I meant, Monty.” The conversation devolved into friendly bickering as Evan wandered over to the food table. There was more food than he knew what to do with, so he stood with a plate in his hand for a moment as he contemplated what he wanted to start with. Everything looked good, but his stomach was in knots.
“How’ve you been, son?”
Evan turned to see Alan standing next to him. “Oh, I’m doing really well, thanks. You?”
“Good, good.” Alan cleared his throat. “Russ mentioned your mom was comin’ tonight?”
Evan nodded. “She divorced my dad and moved to Atlanta recently. We’re trying to get to know each other again. She’s different now without my dad around, so I’m hopeful. I don’t know. It’s weird.”
“I’m real glad to hear that. Family’s important.” Alan glanced around the room and gave him a small smile. “Seems like you have plenty of that already though.”
Evan swallowed back a lump in his throat. “I really do. I’m not sure how tonight will go though. She’s never really been around any gay couples before. She seemed a little nervous, but she said she wanted to spend Christmas with me, so ...” He shrugged helplessly.
“Think you could introduce us?” Alan asked.
Evan was at a loss how to respond. “Uhm, I don’t know that she’s looking to date yet.”
Alan let out a deep belly laugh. “Oh, son, I wasn’t lookin’ for you to play matchmaker. I’m datin’ a real nice lady in Cordele. She owns the shop where I sell my furniture. I would’ve invited her today, but she’s visiting her kids in Virginia. I was just thinkin’ maybe I could help her understand you and your relationship with Jeremy since we’re both parents and all.”
Evan let out an awkward, embarrassed laugh. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”
Alan shook his head and reached for a slice of cheese. “No harm done.”
“I would love it if you’d talk to her, actually,” Evan added. “I hope if she sees Russ and Stephen and Jeremy and me it’ll help, but I’m not sure that’s enough.” There was a quiet knock on the door. “That’s probably her. I’ll be sure to introduce you to her later.”
He set his empty plate down and moved toward the door, but Alan gently grabbed his shoulder. “It’ll be all right. Just relax and be yourself.”
“Thank you,” he whispered, smiling at the older man. Jeremy joined him at the front door, and he took a deep breath before he opened it. He was met by an older, female version of his own face. Sometimes, he forgot how much of his looks he’d inherited from her. She’d gotten a new haircut recently, and now she wore her blonde hair shoulder length and down around her face instead of tied back in a ponytail. It softened her features and made her cheekbones less sharp. She’d also gained a little weight and looked less pinched and tired. She gave him a tentative smile.
“Merry Christmas, Evan.”
“Merry Christmas, Mom.” He hesitated then leaned forward and held out his arms. She went into the hug with a surprised sound. He’d forgotten how short she was. Both their eyes were damp when they pulled back. “Um, come in. I’d like you to meet my boyfriend.”
Evan closed the door behind her as she stepped inside. “Mom, this is Jeremy Lewis. Jeremy, this is my mom, Lavinia Harris.”
Jeremy held out his hand and offered her a smile. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She let out an uncomfortable laugh but didn’t reach out to shake. “Lavinia is fine. And it’s—it’s nice to meet you. Evan’s told me how important you are to him.”
Jeremy’s smile faded. “He’s everything to me.”
Evan’s mother paused, blinking at him for a moment, and even Evan was taken aback. He knew Jeremy loved him, but that was the first time he’d heard him word it that way. He reached out for Jeremy’s hand. His mom’s gaze tracked the movement, and her mouth tightened for a moment, but she didn’t say anything.
“Please, come in, Mom,” Evan coaxed. “I’d like to introduce you to my friends.” As Evan made introductions, his friends all welcomed his mom, but she stared at them warily, and he wondered what she was thinking. “And, finally, this is Russ and his husband Stephen.”
“Husband?” His mom blinked in surprise, and Evan tensed, afraid she would say something rude. He felt Jeremy’s hand brush across his back in a gesture of reassurance.
“Yes.” Stephen’s tone was polite, but there was a firm edge to it. “We married in September in Hilton Head.”
“Oh. How—how nice.”
“Russ and Stephen were the ones who helped me out when I came to Atlanta,” Evan said. His mom flinched. He hadn’t meant it as a dig toward the fact he’d had to rely on virtual strangers to help him when his parents kicked him out, but she frowned anyway.
“That was kind of you to take Evan in,” she said stiffly. “I feel very guilty that I didn’t do more. Evan’s father was ... well, he wasn’t ...”
“We understand,” Stephen interjected. “Family can be complicated. I’m glad you’re here for Evan now. He’s a wonderful young man, and we’re very proud of him. I know Russ thinks of him like a brother.”
Lavinia tilted her head and studied Russ as he nodded. An awkward silence fell on the group for a moment, and Stephen cleared his throat. “Well, I’d like to make sure everyone’s all set for drinks. It was nice meeting you, Lavinia, and I hope to talk to you more.”
“You too,” she murmured faintly.
Evan turned to look at his mother as Stephen and Russ went to join the other party guests. She looked tense and uncomfortable. “Why don’t we get some food, Mom,” he suggested. Jeremy exchanged a glance with Evan, then nodded when Evan tilted his head, indicating Jeremy should give him and his mom some privacy to talk.
She nodded and followed him toward the food table. Evan made small talk with her about her job, and it wasn’t until they were seated on the couch that he broached the awkward turn the conversation had taken. “Look, I didn’t mean anything earlier when I said Russ and Stephen had helped me.”
“Oh, I know, Evan. I just feel so guilty.” She looked down at her plate. “I wasn’t there for you.”
“No, you weren’t,” he agreed. “But I made my own way with the help of all of these people.” He gestured around the room.
“Those men are married?” she asked quietly. “I knew there was a lot of talk of it in the news, but it seemed so ridiculous. I mean, they don’t really have a relationship like a man and a woman, do they?”
Evan sighed and tried to figure out how to explain it. “No, they don’t. They aren’t exactly the same as a straight couple, Mom. They’re both men. They aren’t trying to be anyone but themselves. But it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other just as much. That’s what you don’t understand. Russ and Stephen love and support each other like—like Jeremy and I do.”
“But the age ...”
Evan hesitated. “Do you mean the difference in age between Russ and Stephen or Jeremy and me?”
“Well, both, I suppose.”
He shrugged. “Does it matter if we love each other?”
His mom frowned at him. “I just find this all so confusing, Evan.”
“I know, Mom, but it doesn’t have to be. Just look around you. These are my friends, my family. They love me no matter what. They accept me for who I am.”
To his surprise, she burst into tears.
“Mom?” he asked, alarmed. “What’s wrong?”
She wiped at her eyes. “Where’s your bathroom, honey? I need a minute.”
He stood up and put his arm around her, leading her into the bedroom. “The bathroom’s in there.”
As the bathroom door closed, Jeremy peered in the bedroom. “Everything okay?”
He shrugged helplessly and lowered his voice. “My mom’s in the bathroom. She started crying and said she needed a minute.”
Jeremy nodded and crossed the room to stand in front of Evan. When he held out his arms, Evan sagged into them, feeling exhausted already.
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” Jeremy whispered in Evan’s ear. “I promise. I want this to go well, but if it doesn’t, you can step back and give her some time to process. Maybe this was too much. Maybe we should have just met her for lunch or something. Even if it goes badly tonight, we’ll find a way to fix it. We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
Evan smiled faintly at the ”we.” He loved knowing Jeremy had his back. Evan could tell how hard he was trying. He pulled away to look Jeremy in the eye and clasped their hands together. “Thank you.”
Jeremy leaned in to brush their lips together just as the bathroom door opened.
“Oh, I’m—I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Evan’s mom looked mortified, and she couldn’t quite meet Evan’s gaze. He gave Jeremy a dismayed look but squeezed his hand before letting go. He didn’t want Jeremy to think he was ashamed of their relationship in any way. However, he didn’t want to make his mom even more uncomfortable than she already was either.
“It’s fine, Mom, Jeremy was just checking on me to make sure I was okay.” He smiled tentatively at her as Jeremy left the room. “C’mon, let me introduce you to Addie and Emily. They’re really nice, and I think you’ll get along well with them.”
Please, please, get along with them, he pleaded in his head. Please, like my friends. Please, just once, try for me.