Recovery by Con Riley

Author:Con Riley [Riley, Con]
Language: eng
Format: epub

twelve

IT WAS just after eight, and they were still an hour from their destination, when the conversation in the car moved on to professional acquaintances Daniel and Alec had in common. Daniel described the business he’d built and how he’d spent the last year paring down his involvement.

“I used to hide behind my work. No doubt about it. I spent most of my time in the LA office. When Jo was young, Samantha kept herself busy in Bakersfield. She got involved in all that Mommy and Me stuff and then started coaching whatever sports Jo and her friends played.”

“Sounds like Mom,” Owen said. “She was always there for us at every game, cheering her head off like a maniac.” There was no reproach in his voice, but when Jamie looked over his shoulder, he noticed Alec’s frown. It deepened as Owen reminisced freely about a part of his life Alec had clearly played no part in.

Daniel nodded while focusing on the road ahead. “I told myself it was good for Jo to have one dedicated parent. Samantha was wonderful at that stuff, and she was real good with Mom. That’s one of the things I regret most about waiting so long to tell her.”

“That you’re gay?” Owen asked.

Daniel rolled his shoulders. “No.”

“Wait. You didn’t tell her?”

“No, Samantha knew about me right from the get-go. We might have only gotten divorced last year, but we’ve been separated for a long time. I just regret waiting to be out with everyone else. Because of that, I stayed away from home a hell of a lot when Jo was small. Said work kept me busy. I missed so much, and you never get those years back.”

“True.” Alec let out a sigh.

“It was my mom that made me hold back. I couldn’t make myself come out to her. I just kept imagining my dad’s face if I’d try to do it while he was alive. There’s no way he would have accepted it. Never. She didn’t do well after he died. But not telling her meant not telling anyone else either. I had more freedom in LA, but I still wouldn’t risk her finding out by chance.”

Owen said, “I didn’t give Dad a choice. I came out when I was fifteen, and I was kinda in his face about it.”

“You must have known he’d support you.” Jamie couldn’t imagine anything different.

Owen and Alec didn’t answer. Jamie swung his head round again, but both men looked out their respective windows, conspicuously silent. Jamie turned back when Daniel spoke.

“My father had been dead for years. I was in my forties when Mom died. Samantha agreed it was time.” His next silence was extended. “Jo’s been fantastic—once she got over the shock, that is. I’m not saying she wasn’t upset about the divorce, but kids know when something’s up in a marriage. Jo would have stood by me if I’d come out to everyone much earlier, and that did piss her off.”

Alec’s voice was clear and carried easily from the backseat.

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