Tommy used his thumbs to brush Tyler’s tears from his face. “I swear to God, Ty, he ever shows up again, I don’t give a flying fuck he’s Terry’s friend. I’m decking him.” Then he smiled. “I’m territorial. I won’t share you. Not even space in your head. Get rid of him, and Erin, because all that should be there is me loving you. Deal?”
Tyler sobbed and fell against Tommy, the cold, frozen barrier shattered.
For good this time, Tyler suspected.
Tommy slid down the cabinet with him and sat on the floor, holding him as he cried, his long arms securely wrapped around him.
“Jesus, Ty,” he whispered, “he’s gone. It’s okay, buddy, I’ve got you. You’re all mine, and he’s gone.”
Tyler finally lay still in his arms. “I’m a fucking arsehole,” he hoarsely cried. “I was so desperate.”
“He was, what, nearly twice your age? Jesus, he used you. It’s not your fault.” He pressed his lips to Tyler’s forehead. “If it means anything, believe me, my first time with you was fan-fucking-tastic. There’s only one thing I’d change about our first night together.”
“What?”
He smiled. “I wish it’d lasted a few days instead of hours.”
Tyler absorbed his words, then laughed, burying his head against Tommy’s shoulder. Once he felt steady enough to stand, Tommy helped him to his feet and hugged him. “Come on, let’s go introduce you to Maggie. If you promise not to run away, I’ll let you take your car so we can bring more of my stuff back here.”
Tyler grinned and tightly hugged him. “Absolutely!” He started following him out the door when he remembered something. “Blast. I’ll catch up, I promise.”
Tommy had already reached the stairs. Tyler dashed back into the condo and rummaged through the kitchen garbage. He found the key, quickly rinsed it under the tap, then dried it and slipped it into his pocket. Smiling, he exited the condo and locked it.
Chapter Fourteen
Tommy slipped on the jacket and nervously adjusted his tie in the truck’s side-view mirror. “I look like a monkey in a suit.”
Tyler gently pushed his hands away and adjusted the tie for him. “No, you don’t. You look quite handsome, love. Stunning, truly.”
“You sweet-talkin’ thang, you,” he teased. “You’re just saying that so you can get laid later.”
He smiled. “I’m sure I’d get laid later even if I didn’t say that.”
“Jesus, Ty,” he said with a laugh. “You know what buttons to push, don’t you?”
Tyler laced his fingers through Tommy’s and led him toward the large house. “I wouldn’t want it any other way, love.”
Tyler hadn’t admitted it to his lover, but the only reason they were attending the party was because they were invited. He didn’t want to go, had no desire to mingle, and would much prefer to spend the evening curled up on the couch with his head in Tommy’s lap, watching TV. But Tyler knew Erin and Robert would be there, as would most of the English department faculty and others, and he didn’t want to be thought of as avoiding the party because of Erin and Robert.
Word had eventually gotten around about Erin and Robert’s betrayal, as Tyler knew it would. The pitying looks had been far less than he imagined. He also noticed Erin and Robert weren’t entirely welcomed at as many after-hours functions as Tyler, even this long after their divorce.
This wasn’t the first event he’d brought Tommy to, but it was the first semi-formal one, and certainly the largest.
And it was the first Erin and Robert would also be attending.
No way in hell would Tyler pass up that opportunity.
Tyler refused to release Tommy’s hand as they worked their way through the crowd. Tommy acted more subdued than normal, but still pleasant and charming.
Tyler thought he caught the sound of Erin’s voice. He maneuvered Tommy toward the sound, past the crowd surrounding the buffet table. Sure enough, there were the lovebirds, chatting with a small circle of friends. He could go weeks without running into them at work if he tried hard. Tyler thought perhaps he’d feel something, a pang, hurt, to see them together like that, as he had in the past. Not this time.
Not with Tommy on his arm.
Tyler squeezed Tommy’s hand and led him over. Did Erin blanch? He hoped to bloody hell so. “Erin, Robert. Good to see you.”
Robert remained silent. Erin eyed Tommy. “Hi, Tyler. You look good.”
“As do you. Erin, Robert, I’d like to introduce my husband, Thomas Kinsey.”
Without coaxing, Tommy smiled, shook hands, then possessively draped his arm around Tyler’s shoulders and snugged him close. “Nice to meet you.”
Erin looked a little queasy. “Nice to meet you, too. Um, how’s the writing?”
“Going well,” Tyler said. “Just sent another manuscript to my agent. I’m waiting to hear back from him. There have been rumors of the movie rights being taken for one of them.”
That caught Robert’s interest. “Oh?”
Tyler smiled. “Yes.” He couldn’t resist. “Bet you regret that quickie divorce now, don’t you, Erin?” He forced a laugh. “Oh, Thomas, there’s Ronald. I want to introduce you.” He quickly caught Tommy’s hand and dragged him across the room before Erin could respond.
Behind him, he heard Tommy snicker. “That was pure evil,” he murmured in Tyler’s ear. “Oooh, there you go. Evil Genius. I like that. That’s your nickname. It’s perfect for you.”
Tyler turned to him and winked. “Are you saying I had ulterior motives, pet?”
Tommy snorted. “Um, yeah. You want to sell me some oceanfront property in Montana while you’re at it? Dude, I so know you better than that.”
Tyler pecked him on the lips. “I did want to introduce you to Ronald. And he is over here.”
Tommy playfully rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. Suurrre.”
* * * *
At one point, while Tyler became engrossed in a heated discussion about Shakespeare, Tommy’s stomach rumbled. Not that he didn’t appreciate the Bard, but buffet won out. He excused himself and threaded his way through the partygoers to the table, where he grabbed a plate. After filling it, he stepped out the back door to the less-crowded lanai to eat. A group of people were seated nearby, but before he could make his way over to an empty chair, he heard Erin’s voice float from the crowd.
“He recently graduated. I don’t understand what Tyler sees in him. He’s just a hick redneck. Did you see that junk truck he drives?”
Robert’s deep voice rumbled with laughter. “He’s found himself a meal ticket, that’s all. Did you hear him talk? He’s an uncouth Cracker. Does construction or something, I heard. Tyler must be desperate.” The people laughed.
Tommy stepped back into the shadows, his face burning. His appetite gone, he dumped his plate and headed inside. He found a bathroom and locked himself in for a minute, splashed water on his face to calm down.
“Uncouth Cracker.”
That about summed it up, didn’t it? He stared at himself in the mirror. What the hell did Ty see in him anyway?
After a few minutes he felt steady enough to return to the party. As he looked around, he realized he didn’t fit in with these people. They weren’t like Eddie and Pete and the rest of their friends, gay or straight. They were academics, their noses pointed so far up in the air they’d drown if they wandered outside in the rain. Clichéd, but true.
He walked out the front door and sat on the stoop. Thirty minutes later, he heard the front door open and Tyler’s relieved voice.
“There you are, love! What are you doing out here? I’ve been looking for you.”
“I needed air.”
Tyler sat next to him and took his hand, his face serious. “What’s wrong?” he quietly asked.
He forced a smile. “Just tired, that’s all. I’m sorry I’m a party pooper.”
Tyler’s deep blue eyes pulled him in, the way they always did. Tyler leaned in and kissed him. “The truth, love,” he said. “You p
romised me the truth. Always.”
Tommy felt his face redden. He couldn’t look Tyler in the eye as he told him what he overheard. When Tyler didn’t respond, he finally looked.
Tyler’s face had hardened, angry. Tyler laid a palm along Tommy’s jaw. “Listen to me,” he said. “You are my life. You are my love. I could not care less what those arseholes in there say about you or me or our love for each other.”
“He’s right, though. You’re better than I am.”
Tyler shook him. “Listen to yourself! That comment came from a man who had no compunction about fucking the wife of someone he claimed was a good friend, and less than six months into their marriage! Do you honestly think he is the best person to be making declarations about whether or not someone is trailer trash?”
He stared at Tyler, then finally harshly laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. No one in my family’s ever been eligible for Jerry Springer, that I know of.”
Tyler finally smiled, warming Tommy’s heart. “I am extremely proud of you. You won that design contest, did you not? You have already been written up in several trade journals for your designs. Love, he’s jealous, that’s all. I damn well know Erin must be. Remember, I know what they make. They’ll be stuck on teacher’s pay for the rest of their careers, while you and I shall be living high on the hog, as it were.”
Tyler leaned in and kissed him, gently tracing his lips and tongue with his. “You are my life. I can’t say that enough. Would I be introducing you to all of them as my husband if I felt any other way?”
Tommy blushed again, this time in shame. No, Tyler had never denied their relationship, never played it down. He’d always gone out of his way to proudly introduce him in a way to make it perfectly clear who he was—Tyler’s.
Tyler laced his fingers through Tommy’s and nudged him to his feet. “Now, no more nonsense about this, right, love? Let’s go inside and enjoy ourselves.”
Tommy noticed that for the rest of the evening, Tyler went out of his way to talk about Tommy’s achievements, the prestigious design contest that he won, his professional successes so early in his career. Nearly everyone was impressed.
He stood by and simply listened, nodding when appropriate, content to let Tyler toot his horn for him.
His guy.
His.
Dammit, he loved him so much.
He vowed he would spend the rest of his life showing him.
* * * *
Tommy pointed his truck up a clay dirt driveway. Tyler felt every nerve in his body tighten, on edge.
Tommy reached across the seat and caught his hand. “Relax, Ty. This’ll be fine.”
“Right. Easy for you to say. They’re your family.”
He abruptly braked and shifted the truck out of gear. “No, dammit, they’re your family, too.”
Tyler looked outside the truck at the woods. “Face it, love. They are your relatives, not mine. I suspect this will be a rather large shock for them.”
“I don’t care.” He grabbed Ty’s chin and made him look at him. “I love you. I know Momma won’t be happy about it, but she’ll accept it. She loves me. She’s always said, especially since Dad died, that life’s too short to not be happy. You make me happy. She’ll see that.”
“And your sisters? What of them? If they refuse to accept me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t care.” His face hardened. “I love you. They can shove their opinions up their asses.” He shifted into gear again, and Tyler tried to swallow his nervousness as they pulled into a large yard.
Tommy had five older sisters: April the closest to him in age, followed by Karen, Cheryl, Katie, and the oldest, Emily. Peggy Kinsey still worked as a nurse even though the insurance settlement and lawsuit from her husband’s death at the hands of a drunk driver meant their home was paid for and she could retire if she wanted.
April and Karen still lived at home. Tyler knew Tommy was closest to Karen. Emily was a bit of a prude. Tommy had already warned Tyler that he wouldn’t be surprised if Em gave them grief. The others, he wasn’t sure what their reactions would be but hoped for quiet acceptance if not outright congratulations.
An older woman stepped onto the porch as Tommy parked the truck. Tyler assumed it was Peggy. Tom’s reaction as he jumped out and bounded up the porch to hug her confirmed it.
Tyler climbed out and approached, trying to quell his nerves. They were only there for the weekend, just a visit, and would be staying there.
Tommy turned at Tyler’s approach but kept his arm around the woman. “Momma, this is Tyler Paulson.”
“How do you do, ma’am? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
When he extended his hand in greeting, she grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a warm hug.
“Well, hello, sugar!” Tommy’s soft accent paled in comparison to Peggy’s deep, rich Savannah drawl. “It’s about time I got to meet y’all. I’ve certainly heard enough about you. Well, come on inside. I’ve got iced tea, and I made brownies.” She looked horrified. “Y’all aren’t allergic to nuts, are you?”
Tyler shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’m not.”
She planted her hands on her hips and looked stern. “Okay, Ty, first rule. I am not ma’am. I’m Mom.”
He smiled. “Sorry, Mom.”
She grinned. “That’s better. That’s so cute, sounds like ‘mum’ the way you say it. Tommy, he’s adorable.”
She hooked her arms through theirs and led them inside the large, airy house to the huge eat-in kitchen and pointed them to the table. The men sat. Tommy looked at Tyler and winked while his mom’s back was turned.
Tyler nervously smiled.
Peggy brought them glasses of ice, a pitcher of tea, and the sugar bowl and spoons. Once seated, she smiled at them. “So, how was y’all’s trip?”
“It was good, Momma,” Tommy answered, fixing his tea. “It’s not a bad drive.” He cleared his throat. “Are any of the girls home?”
“Nope. April’s working late, and Karen’s at school until at least six. Why?”
Tommy took a deep breath and stared at Tyler for a moment. Tyler knew he dreaded this conversation. “Momma, I need to tell you something.”
Peggy frowned. “Sugar, what’s the matter? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” He met her gaze. “Momma, I told you I moved in with Ty.”
“Right. So?”
“Momma, there’s no easy way to break this to you but to say it. Tyler isn’t just my roommate. He’s my boyfriend. We’re…you know…together.”
Peggy stared at him for a moment, then smiled. “Well, Momma’s intuition strikes again.”
“What?”
“Tommy, every time I’ve talked to you for the past couple of months, every other word outta your mouth’s been ‘Tyler this’ and ‘Tyler that’ and ‘me and Tyler did this or that.’ Sugar, I’ve suspected it for a while.”
He stared at her, shocked. “You’re not upset?”
She laid a hand over her son’s hand, then looked at Tyler and laid her hand over his as well. “Do you love him, Ty?”
Shocked into silence, he nodded.
She returned her attention to Tommy. “Do you love him?”
He nodded. “I love him a lot, Momma. I’ve never loved anyone like I love him.”
“Are you happy?”
Both men nodded.
She squeezed their hands, then sat back, took her glasses off and wiped her eyes. “I can’t honestly say I’m in favor of this. But you’re my son. If you love him, and if he loves you, and if y’all are happy, then it’s not my business.” She blew her nose. “Your daddy died way too young, sugar. We shoulda had a lot of good years together. We had a lot of plans we never got to do. Life is too short to nitpick about stuff and lose sight of what’s important.”
The men nodded but didn’t speak.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet Adam, Tyler. I think he would have liked you.”
Tommy snorted. “I doubt Dad would hav
e been happy about this.”
“Why wouldn’t he? He didn’t have a problem with Bob Short. They were best friends for decades.”
Tommy’s eyes widened. “What? He’s gay?”
Peggy laughed. “Sugar, who the heck do you think that ‘cousin’ is he’s lived with for years? If they’re related to each other, then I’m Ronald Regan. They just told people way back when they were close cousins so people wouldn’t talk. Now it doesn’t matter, of course.”
“Bob and Lou are gay?”
“Everyone knows it. You never realized it?”
Tommy shook his head, apparently still in shock over the revelation.
Peggy looked at Tyler. “Bob Short was Adam’s second in command at his architecture firm, and his close friend, for years,” she explained. She put her glasses on and studied the men. “I won’t tell your sisters for you. You have to do that yourself.”
Tommy nodded. “Yes, Momma.”
She smiled at Tyler. “You take good care of my boy, you hear me? He’s my baby. He’s my only son.”
Tyler breathed a deep sigh of relief. “I swear I will, Mom. I promise. Forever.”
She nodded and reached for a brownie. “Then that’s all I can ask for, isn’t it?”
With that out of the way, and after they had their brownies and tea, Tommy stood. “What rooms do you want us in?”
She shrugged. “I figured you’d be staying in your old room, sugar.”
He blushed. “Where do you want Tyler?”
She knowingly smiled. “Well, I had thought about putting him in Em’s old room. Now I think it’d be best he bunks with you, don’t you?”
“You don’t mind?”
“Honey, I’ll give y’all the same talk your sisters have gotten. What you do when you close that bedroom door ain’t none of my business. But you’d best make sure I can’t hear what’s going on. Discretion, got it?”
Both men smiled. “Thanks, Momma,” Tommy said, leaning in to kiss her.
* * * *
Before Karen arrived, Tyler helped Peggy cook dinner while Tommy attended to a few minor chores and repairs around the house. Peggy stood at the stove, preparing a batch of cube steaks to fry up. He chopped vegetables and asked her questions about some of Tommy’s favorite dishes. After a few minutes she turned to him.