Roger’s lips quirked as he glanced at Sev, then his expression turned serious when he looked at his youngest son. “Rogelio’s right, we did, and that’s how we learned that hanging around with people like your grandparents wasn’t a good thing. They don’t like their own son because he can do something they don’t understand. Do you think that’s right, for a parent to treat their own child like that?”
“And ’cause he’s gay,” Adela piped in, “they were yelling about that, too, and in school the nuns say—”
“What do they know?” Alma put a hand on Sev’s shoulder. “They just repeat what someone else said, they don’t think for themselves. And we told you, you, Martin, and Rogelio will not be going back to that private school! Your grandparents won’t be paying for it anymore, and we can’t afford it—and your father and I don’t care for a lot of what they are teaching you.”
“Thank God,” Rogelio muttered. “I hated that stupid place.”
“What’s gay?” Martin asked. “Why would it make you go to Hell if it’s not bad?”
Sev stood up slowly and patted Alma’s hand, still on his shoulder. “I think I’ll let you and Roger talk to your kids about this. I’ll just…” He gestured toward the front door. “Go water the plants, it’s about that time. I also need to see how much damage the frost did.”
“I’ll come with you,” Rogelio volunteered, bounding off the couch. “I already know all this stuff anyways. It’s just that Grandma and Grandpa have their claws sunk into Adela and Martin more than they ever did me.”
Sev cast a glance over his shoulder at Alma. “Well, if it’s okay?”
Alma’s expression shifted into one of concern but she nodded. “Yes, I think…I think Rogelio wanted to talk to you alone anyway.”
“Mom!” Rogelio yelped.
Sev’s head swiveled around at Rogelio’s indignant exclamation. His nephew’s cheeks were darkly flushed and his eyes were nearly bugging out of their sockets. Hm. What’s this? Maybe there’s more to the whole story than what Alma’s told me.
“Come on, let’s go check the gardens.” Sev caught Rogelio’s elbow and tugged. They grabbed their jackets and went outside.
When they were far enough away from the house that Sev was sure they couldn’t be heard, Sev stopped and turned to his nephew. Rogelio’s cheeks were still ruddy, though Sev didn’t know if it was from embarrassment or the wind that slapped at them both.
Rogelio huffed and dragged his gaze up from the ground to meet Sev’s. He shrugged and his cheeks went darker.
Sev watched the boy fidget with his hands before he tucked them in his back pockets. When it seemed Rogelio wasn’t going to speak, Sev figured he’d have to get this conversation started.
“Do you want me to guess the reason for that back there with your mom?” He kind of hoped Rogelio would say no, because if Sev did guess and was wrong, this could go badly.
Rogelio shrugged and went back to studying the ground.
Great. Where’d the talkative kid from a few minutes ago go? “Are you sure you want me to guess? I mean, I will if I have to, but if I do and I’m wrong, you can’t get mad at me, because that just isn’t fair, not when it’s obvious”—maybe—“there’s something you want to tell me but are too scared to. That’s a lot of pressure on me, Rogelio.” Sev cracked a grin that had no effect he could see on his nephew.
“Look, it’s already making me babble. I don’t want to screw this up, not when for the first time in my life, or at least since I became psychic, I have a chance to have a family again. I don’t want to blow that.”
Rogelio glanced back up at him but only for a second before muttering, “I won’t get mad.”
Well, that’s helpful! Sev touched the necklace his grandmother had given him. He caught it between his fingers then tipped Rogelio’s chin up with his other hand. Anguished brown eyes met his, and Sev knew he was right. His heart broke for the kid. It had to have been hell being around Sev’s parents—and the private school, too.
Sev looked intently in those eyes and hoped Rogelio could see how sincere he was, would know he had Sev on his side. “If you can’t even say it, Rogelio, then you won’t be able to accept it. That’s a hard way to live.”
Rogelio’s eyes filled. The young man swiped at the tears that spilled down his cheeks. He swallowed so loudly it made Sev’s throat ache with sympathy. He sobbed and Sev thought, Fuck it! He pulled his nephew to him and held him, each shudder and sob that shook the boy’s thin body hurting Sev deep inside.
“I take it your parents know?” he asked when he thought Rogelio was calming down.
“Yeah,” Rogelio croaked, his voice as raw as Sev’s emotions, “they know I’m— I’m gay.”
Alma was going to have to explain how they knew when Rogelio could hardly even say the word. Or maybe not.
“T-they… Mom got on my laptop to check some stuff, she said. I forgot I had some p-pages up…”
Sev’s eyebrows tried to crawl to the top of his head as his stomach plummeted to his ankles. “Porn? Oh my god, Rogelio, don’t look at that shit!” Whoops. Get your mouth under control! “That stuff isn’t real. I mean it is, but it isn’t like real sex with—” Shut up, shut up, shut up! Sev would have slapped himself upside the head if he hadn’t been hugging his still sobbing nephew.
Except, that didn’t sound like crying. He peered into Rogelio’s face and found the little shit laughing at him! Sev did his best to look stern. “It’s not funny. That sh—stuff will rot your brain and totally screw up your expectations!”
Rogelio chortled for a few seconds then slapped Sev on the back before putting a few inches between them. “I know that stuff is just acting—bad acting at that.” His cheeky grin was a big improvement over the mulish attitude or the crying jag, but Sev wasn’t happy knowing his nephew had already been trolling porn. Like you didn’t at that age! It’s just a lot easier for Rogelio now with the Internet.
“Anyway, that wasn’t what she found. And I don’t look at it much.” Rogelio shrugged when Sev gave him a doubtful look. “I don’t. It kind of grossed me out. Well, it was hot at first, until I started finding stuff like fist—”
Sev thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head. “Stop! I don’t want to know!” He took a slightly shaky breath then rethought what he’d just said. Someone has to be there for Rogelio. Oh shit. “Ugh!” Sev scrubbed at his forehead. “What I mean is, if you have questions, legitimate questions, I will, of course, do my best to answer them. But I won’t go into stuff that’s inappropriate just so you can get your jollies, and I will not talk about mine and Laine’s personal life.”
“Ugh back! I don’t want to know what you and your boyfriend—”
“Partner,” Sev bit out. “You would have a boyfriend. I, as an adult gay man in a committed relationship, have a partner.”
“Okay, partner. I don’t want to know about what y’all do, and I already know most of that stuff anyways. I don’t need sex ed, Uncle Sev, I just…” Rogelio sighed and rubbed his forehead in a gesture so familiar Sev couldn’t help but smile. “There were some places I would go online, chat rooms for kids who were trying to figure out who they were, you know?”
Sev barely stopped himself from starting in on Rogelio about that. Chat rooms were bastions of perverts looking for naïve boys and girls, weren’t they?
“They were run or recommended by very well-known gay support groups, so don’t look at me like that. There were moderators in each room and no exchange of personal information with other chatters, no personal IM’ing. It was safe, and I needed…I needed the help.”
“Okay, I can understand that,” Sev admitted. “I grew up in that family, too, at least until your great-grandma rescued me.” He nudged Rogelio playfully in the ribs. Even through the jacket the boy felt bony. “You know your grandparents—my parents—had me committed to a mental institution when I was years younger than you?”
Rogelio’s eyes widened dramatically. “No? You knew you were ga
y that far back?”
Sev couldn’t hold back a bitter laugh. “No, but I was psychic that far back, and even when I proved it by talking to the spirits of people they’d known who’d passed away, told them things no one but they and those people would know, they still didn’t believe me.”
“I bet they did,” Rogelio argued. “I bet that’s why they had you committed. You probably scared the crap out of them and they were terrified of what else you might find out. Maybe they murdered someone or sold drugs, or—”
“I think they’re just narrow-minded and can’t accept anyone different from them,” Sev said before Rogelio could go on. The kid sounded way too excited by the idea of his grandparents being criminals. “Anyway, they took me to a few shrinks, then had me committed. Your great-grandma had all the money back then. She told my parents to get me out or she’d cut them free. They did, and Grandma—my grandma—forgave them enough to let my old man inherit everything.”
Rogelio spluttered for a solid minute before getting his tongue to work. “But that’s crap! Why would she do that after what they did?”
Sev couldn’t deny he’d been hurt by it. He didn’t care about the money, but he’d have liked to have something other than just this necklace and his memories of his grandmother. “She was old-fashioned. Well, in some ways. She didn’t like me being gay, but she didn’t turn away from me because of it. My dad was her son, the first born and all of that, and other than the exceptions she made for me, Grandma was pretty traditional. Plus, it wasn’t like I was going to have kids to pass the money along to, right?”
“That doesn’t matter!” Rogelio practically shouted. “How could she…?” Rogelio trailed off at the sound of an approaching vehicle.
Sev grinned, happy to his soul to hear Laine approaching. He knew every click and growl of that engine. He turned and stood beside Rogelio to watch as Laine drove down the drive. Sev hooked his arm through his nephew’s. “Come on. I want you to meet my partner.”
Chapter Eight
“Mm, Chiles Renellos,” Sev purred, making the dish Alma set on the table sound like a pleasurable sexual experience.
Laine took a whiff and thought his partner might just be right. The spicy scent went straight to Laine’s rumbling stomach. He might have been embarrassed if he had been the only one whose stomach was demanding food. Alma set down a bowl of Spanish rice.
Adela, who kept looking at Laine as if he might bite no matter how friendly he tried to look, carried a tortilla warmer to the table. Along with the frijoles, tortilla soup, chips con queso and guacamole, Laine figured his and Sev’s table had never held such a mouth-watering meal.
“Are we going to say Grace?” Martin asked. Laine got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Sure enough, Alma nodded at him. “I think either your Uncle Laine or Uncle Sev should say Grace since this is their home.”
Don’t do it, don’t—
Sev grinned. “Laine, would you mind?”
He’d show Sev just how much he minded, later. Feeling like a hypocrite, and trying not to be one, Laine dipped his head, closed his eyes and folded his hands on the table. That was as good as it was going to get. Then he just got the whole prayer thing over as quickly as possible.
“Please bless this food and thank you for our guests. Amen.” It was good enough for him. He opened his eyes and peered down the length of the table. Sev was laughing quietly, the shit, and Rogelio was, too. That kid looked at Laine with a little too much interest. Laine was sure it was just a kiddy crush, but… Well he wasn’t used to anyone but Sev looking at him like that.
Roger was trying to smother a snicker, and Alma was busy explaining to Adela and Martin that, no, Grace did not have to take five minutes.
Laine shrugged and started fixing his plate. The others soon followed suit. Laine tried a spoonful of the tortilla soup. The spicy blend hit his tongue and Laine moaned.
Cilantro, some kind of peppers, garlic, tomatoes and several other flavors melded together in what he knew had to be ambrosia. He quickly spooned up some more, making sure he got a strip of fried corn tortilla. Alma beamed at him from her seat and Laine beamed right back.
“Alma, this is the best tortilla soup I’ve ever had.” Then he didn’t speak again, not much at least, until he’d stuffed himself with the feast she’d prepared.
Leaning back in his chair, Laine groaned and wondered if he could get away with popping the button of his pants. He rubbed his stomach and noticed the other men looking similarly sated.
“That was way better than pizza,” Sev muttered, drooping in his seat. “God, I’m so full I think Laine’s gonna have to roll me out of here.”
“I like pizza better,” Adela said, then followed that proclamation with another mouthful of Chiles Renellos.
“Me too, but this was good.” Martin looked at his mom. “What’s for dessert?”
“Flan,” Alma informed them.
Laine groaned again. He was going to get fat as all get out if Alma cooked for them the whole week she was here.
* * * *
“So, was it as bad as you thought it’d be?” Sev asked as Laine flopped onto the bed.
“No, they were great, but I’m so full I’m miserable.”
Sev eyed Laine’s trim stomach. “Can’t tell you packed away half the food.”
“Hey!” Laine pried an eye open to glare at him. “I did not eat any more than you or Roger!”
“Uh huh,” Sev teased as he settled in beside Laine. “And you sucked down that flan like nobody’s business.”
Laine’s other eye opened and before Sev knew what was what, he was grabbed and rolled onto his back, with Laine on top of him. He grunted, Laine about squashing the daylights out of him. Laine propped himself up on his elbows and gave Sev a stern look.
“You made me say Grace.”
Sev strived for his most innocent expression. It wasn’t one he was very familiar with. “Well, I thought with you claiming you were going to be the big strong man in the next life, Grace should be your responsibility.”
“Aw, shit,” Laine mumbled, “you aren’t ever going to forget that, are you?”
“Probably not,” Sev conceded. “It’s too much fun to tease you about it.”
Laine grinned, which caused Sev’s entire body to tingle. Too bad he thought he’d puke if he and Laine got down and dirty. “Next time Alma cooks I am not going to eat so much.”
“Me neither.” Laine dropped a quick kiss on his lips then rolled off Sev and flopped onto his back. He slung an arm over his eyes. “You know we’re both lying?”
“Yeah. Alma promised us chicken enchiladas tomorrow.”
“I’m not eating a thing until then,” Laine promised, then apparently reconsidered. “Or, I will, so I’m not starving by the time I get home. Got to be able to do more than waddle after dinner since that Wiccan ceremony is tomorrow night.”
“What time?” Sev perked up a little. The ceremony sounded…interesting.
Laine lifted his arm up enough to peer at him. “What time do you think? They want to get it started at midnight, on the dot.”
He should have known. “Of course. Well, I still want to go. I wonder if Alma will let Rogelio go?”
Laine took his arm away from his face completely and turned his head toward Sev. “Is he gay?”
Sev wasn’t surprised at Laine’s blunt question. Rogelio had all but drooled every time the kid looked at Laine. “Ya think? He’s having a hard time with it, though, and I suspect him being gay is a big part of why Alma and Roger cut ties with our parents. They’d insist Rogelio be sent to one of those scared-straight camps.”
“Idiots.” Laine glared up at the light for a second. “Weren’t you the last one in bed?”
The last one was supposed to turn the overhead light off. “Yeah, but I wanted to be able to see you clearly while you told me about your day. I’ve been waiting all evening to hear about your visit to Miriam. Well, I’ve been waiting ever since you texted me
and told me you were going. So what did she say?”
Sev listened while Laine talked. He couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope that the High Priestess would be able to bring the spirits back. Then Laine’s voice went low and soft, hesitant, which was so unlike him Sev’s senses went on alert.
He rolled to his side and propped his head up on one fist, but he didn’t interrupt, not once, while Laine told him about Chris and Miriam helping him to let go of some of the burdens he’d carried for so long. A small part of him wanted to be jealous that Chris and Miriam had managed to do what Sev hadn’t, but he ignored that petty little bitch in him.
Instead, he let the waves of joy roll over him as he took in Laine’s relaxed pose, the relief evident on his rough, handsome features. Then he held Laine as the man quietly broke down, years of guilt streaming free with every tear.
* * * *
A godawful racket woke Laine from a sound sleep. He sat up, Sev grumbling beside him, and felt around the night stand for his cell phone. Prying his heavy lids open was asking a tad too much just yet. His hand slapped the cell and he scrambled to keep from knocking the stupid thing to the floor. Folding his stiff fingers around the phone, he forced an eye open and cursed when the number was blurry.
Both eyes open wasn’t much better, but Laine found the right button to push and if he was a little growly when he answered, who could blame him? It was dark-fucking-thirty in the middle of the night.
Miriam’s voice penetrated his sleep-fuzzed brain and Laine sat up further. He turned the lamp on then took Sev’s shoulder and shook gently. Then not so gently. “Miriam, can you hang on a minute? I want to wake Sev up and put you on speaker so he can hear this.”
Miriam agreed and Laine set the phone on the night stand. He shook Sev a little harder and was rewarded with a hard slap to his arm. “Shhtopit.”
Even though he was nervous about what Miriam had to say, Laine couldn’t hold back a grin. Sev was so adorable when he was all sleepy and rumpled and grumpy. Not mad—then Sev was downright scary, but grumpy was just cute.
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