by Elise Whyles
“Not in the least.” Sean laughed softly. “They’re having fun.”
“How about you?” Luke placed a hand on his thigh, his fingers tracing over the inseam in time to the beat of the music.
“Me too.” Sean reached for his drink. “You think he’s going to object to the gifts we got them?”
“Not at all. Jack’ll laugh about it and move on. He’s pretty forgiving.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.”
Amid the laughter, Sean felt at ease. Luke’s slow caress did little to relax him, but he couldn’t help the sense of well-being, the acceptance that came so readily with his touch. He could feel the buzz of arousal swirling around him. Leaning deeper into Luke’s embrace, Sean watched the couples dancing. No one seemed uneasy or on edge as the laughter and beer flowed. Wrapping his arm around Luke, he smiled as Jack slid into a chair.
The sound of the door opening drew his attention, and he tensed. Striding into the bar, his father looked ready to start something. Every muscle tensed until they ached. His stomach dropped, twisting into a hard knot.
“What’s wrong?” Luke asked.
“Nothing.” Sean nudged him, the acrid bitterness of fear heavy on his tongue. He needed to get out before it became readily apparent what his shortcomings were.
“Sean.” Luke clung to his hand. “Trust me. Talk to me.”
“Dad.” Cringing at the croak in his voice, Sean inched away from Luke who pulled him back with a quick jerk.
“Let him start something,” Luke whispered in his ear. “Here, there’s nobody going to put up with it.”
“You don’t know…”
*
“Babe, Sean, look at me.” Luke cupped his jaw, concern and love warring with the rising anger at Sean’s father. He knew beyond a doubt if he didn’t handle this with care, he’d be losing more than he could ever afford to. If he let Sean back away, Sean would run, and he wasn’t going to let that happen. “You are safe here. You’re with me, and nobody’s going to take you away from me. I. Love. You.”
Fear and uncertainty faded beneath the warmth in Sean’s eyes, though they didn’t vanish. Fingers tangled with Sean’s, Luke turned to watch the advancing figure weaving his way through the crowd.
Stocky, with short graying hair, the older man looked out of place dressed in coveralls and rain boots. His face was twisted into a mask of disgust and fury as he stopped by the table. He appraised them like slabs under a microscope before turning to glare at Sean.
“Something we can do for you?” Luke noted the tightening of Sean’s grip as he spoke.
“I’ve come to take Sean home.” The man sneered. “It’s far past the time for this foolishness to end, Sean. You’ll be enrolled in treatment as soon as we get home. After which you’ll be…”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Sean snapped back. “I meant what I said at the farm. Why can’t you accept that and leave me the hell alone?”
“No son of mine is going to shame me. You ungrateful cur, you think for a moment…”
“Excuse me, but you’re intruding on our engagement party.” Jack rested a hand on Gillian’s arm as she slid down in the booth. Her face like Sean’s losing all traces of color.
“At least one of you has the sense God gave a rabbit.” Louis sneered with disdain.
“Maybe we should take this outside,” Sean muttered under his breath. “I don’t want to ruin the evening with my problems.”
“Nothing to take outside. You said you weren’t leaving. Now, since you’re over the age of consent…”
“What makes you think you have a right to say what that boy does?” Mister Tisman ground out. “He’s mine, he’ll do as he’s told.”
“He’s my partner.” Luke looked at Sean who offered a weak smile in return, his attention darting between the old man hovering at the edge of the table and him. Behind the man, Luke could see everyone staring. A subtle shift of atmosphere had settled, everyone waiting to see just what was happening. “And like you were told, he doesn’t want to go with you. So, you have two choices: you can leave under your own steam or we’ll call the cops and have them remove you bodily.”
“Now you listen to me.” Hands pressed against the table, the older man leaned in closer to Luke. “I don’t know if you’re aware of my son’s dysfunction, but I am, and I refuse to allow him to continue shaming us. He’s part of…”
“Is that what you’re calling it now?” Sean snickered. “I am gay! It’s not a dysfunction, a disease, or any of the other myriad of things you call it. There’s no treatment for it, and even if there was, I’m not taking it. I’m happy to be the way I am. I don’t need or want your input.”
“You ungrateful little bastard. As big a disappointment as your sister was. More, really. Don’t think for a moment I’ll be kind enough to forgive this trespass on the family’s honor.”
“Do you live in this century?” Luke ignored Sean’s gasp of dismay as he stood. Holding up a hand, he stared at the old man. “Look around you, old man, Sean’s got friends here that you’ll never understand. He’s a great guy, funny, sexy, honorable. And I for one will not sit here and let you shoot him down for something you can’t or won’t understand. Now, I’m asking as nicely as I can, leave. Don’t come back, either. Sean’s happy, he’s with me. And I’m not going to let you or anyone else hurt him again.”
“So you’re one of them?” Louis sneered.
“Yeah. I am.” Luke leaned toward him. “And I’m proud of it. Now fuck off.”
“Luke, hon, don’t…” Sean slid across the seat only to slap at Luke when he refused to move. “I don’t want…”
“No.” Luke turned to look at him. Pride warring with the need to ram his fist down the old man’s throat. “I love you, Sean, and I’m not going to let anyone, me included, hurt you again. I know you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for me to say or do something that shows I’m just biding my time. I’m not. I’ll love you forever, and an old man’s bigotry isn’t going to change that. I don’t care how many times he pops up and starts this bullshit, the answer is going to be the same. I love you, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, not even an ignorant old bigot.”
“There a problem here?”
Luke turned around at the steely tone and sighed. Rick stood, legs braced, hand on his firearm, a deadpan look on his face. Glancing around, Luke felt the heat rising in his face as he realized Jack and Gillian’s party had ground to a dead stop as everyone moved closer to the table. He turned to Sean who stood beside him, his gaze locked on his father. “Uh, Sean?”
“No, he was just leaving,” Jack said.
“I ain’t going anywhere without that worthless son of mine.”
Sean ducked his head, a red tinge to his face. Luke moved closer, pulling him against him and giving an encouraging squeeze. “I’m not going anywhere. We’ve been over this several times, he just refuses to take no for an answer.”
“Mister Tisman, I’m afraid you’re going to have to leave,” Rick stated. “Sean’s over the age of majority, so any attempt you make to remove him will result in your being charged.”
“Excuse me.” Sean slipped past Luke and Rick and hurried toward the back of the room. Ignoring the mottle-faced older man standing toe-to-toe with Rick, Luke followed him. He ducked into the narrow, dark corridor leading to the washrooms. He caught sight of Sean slipping into the men’s room and hurried after him. Closing and locking the door, he turned to Sean who was bent over the sink. He clutched the edge, his knuckles white, all color bleached from his face.
“Babe?”
“I thought this was settled. I told him I wasn’t going to do what he wanted, told him to piss off weeks ago. Why can’t he let me be?” His voice was tight, shaky, every line of his body screamed fear and shame.
“Because he’s a control freak.” Luke inched toward him, his palms itching to touch, to soothe Sean’s fears. “He isn’t worth the headache, babe.”
“No, but
he isn’t going away, either.” Sean turned his head and stared at Luke, a look of pain in his eyes. “Here’s your chance.”
Luke felt the barb sink deep and shuddered. Ignoring his pain, he moved over to pull Sean against him. He leaned forward to press his head against Sean’s shoulder. “If you think for a second I’m going to turn tail and run from us, babe, you’re wrong. So your dad’s an asshole, I’ve dealt with others who are the same. Bigots are bigots. I want you.” Luke sighed. “What do you want, babe? I’ve been trying to show you what I want, but if it’s not the same as what you want, then maybe…”
“You,” Sean whispered tightly. “I want what we had when we were at the park. I want to be with you, want to have it for longer than just a few weeks. I just don’t know if…”
“Babe.” Luke pressed a kiss to his neck. “If you want it, it’s yours. No question I love you, and I want forever. No matter what happens, you got me.” He stared at Sean, a single tear racing down his cheek with each word.
Sean wrapped an arm around him, his shoulders shaking with emotion. Holding him closer, Luke rocked him. Nothing worth having was easy, but Sean was the kinda guy you just had to fight for. No matter what, he had him a real good man, one worth it whatever it took to keep.
Both men jumped at the soft knock on the door a moment before the door handle wiggled. Luke pressed Sean back, turning to shield his body with his own. “What?”
“Luke? Sean? You okay?” Gillian’s hesitant voice filtered through the heavy door. “Rick removed that hideous old man. It’s safe to come out now.”
Luke glanced at Sean, squeezed his hand, and walked over to unlock the door. He pulled it open to see Gillian standing there with a concerned look. “Thanks. I, uh, think it might be an idea for Sean and I to head home. Don’t want to disrupt your party…”
“Why don’t you go help Jack.” Gillian stepped out of the way with a smile.
Casting a glance at Sean, Luke leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. “Go easy on him. He could break.”
Gillian nodded and waved him back toward the main room. Luke turned at the end of the hallway to see Gillian step into the men’s washroom and close the door. His heart beating wildly in his chest, Luke debated going back and knocking down the door.
“Let her help,” Jack muttered, his hand on his shoulder. “Gillian knows more about what Sean’s going through than you’ll ever understand. She’ll bring him back to you.”
Chapter 27
“You thinking I’m a coward?” Sean glanced at Gillian before focusing on the floor.
“No. I know what it’s like to have parents who think of you as less than human.” Gillian folded her hands together, a flush on her cheeks as she glanced around the room. She wrinkled her nose when she looked at the urinals before she focused on him. “You love Luke, it’s as plain as the hair on your head. That’s a good thing. I think he’s a pretty great guy, and I’m kinda particular on who I call friend.”
“I hear a but in there…”
“You’re still letting your dad control you. Luke’s willing to walk through fire for you. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have stood up for you. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but give the man a chance. Don’t be scared to love him. Life’s too short to let other people control your actions.” Gillian smiled and turned to open the door.
“Does he know about your past?” Sean slouched against the counter, his heart in his throat. “I mean Jack; do you ever wonder if he wants out? That your past…”
“No, I don't. Jack knows about it but not all of it. Enough though, and he still loves me.”
“I do love him, you know. More than anything or anyone I’ve ever met.” Sean looked at her square in the eyes. “I just had to learn to trust me before I could trust him.”
“You do. Come on, let’s get you a beer.”
“No, no beer. Just coffee or pop. If I never see another drink it’ll be too soon.” Sean groaned but allowed her to drag him from the room. He scanned the room carefully, every nerve attuned to searching out his father’s figure before he could relax. Spotting Luke standing talking to Jack and the bartender, he sighed, his heartbeat racing.
“Go on.” Gillian smiled at him. “Let him know you forgive him, you trust him. The rewards are worth it.”
Sean squeezed her arm gently. “Thanks.” Slipping through the crowd, Sean eased up behind Luke, his arm sliding around his waist. He leaned against him and snuck his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans.
“Hey.” Luke offered a weak smile. “So you wanna head out?”
Sean looked into his eyes, reading the love and the uncertainty there. With a slow shake of his head, he put the fears to rest. “Naw, you want to, uh, play a game of pool?”
Laughing at the slow flush on Luke’s face, he all but tugged him away from the groom-to-be. Slinking into the shadows, he rolled his hips into the taut curve of Luke’s ass. “Just so you know, I do trust you.” Sean pressed a kiss to his neck, his voice a low, sexy rumble. “And I love you. If you’re sure, so am I.”
Luke turned to look into Sean’s eyes. The slow smile spreading across his face told him he’d done the right thing. After pressing a quick kiss to his lips, Sean nudged him toward the pool tables as he caught Gillian’s eye and nodded slightly. Life was too short, and when you had something worth fighting for … well, then you didn’t give up.
The End
About Author
Born in a small northern community, Elise Whyles is the middle of three children. She learned to read and write at a fairly early age and hasn’t looked back. Currently, she lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, son, two dogs, a lizard, and four fish.
Two years ago, Elise decided she needed to start pursuing her dream of publication. After a lot of debate and inner reflection, she started a series with another author that has been contracted. Now with two books out and a third due out in October 2012, Elise is well on her way to reaching her goal of being a recognized name in the publishing industry.
For more information on Elise or to send her a note you can check her out on her website at www.elisewhyles.com, or through Facebook at www.facebook.com/elisewhyles.