Page 50 of Down in Flames
"No, sir," Michael replied, holding up a hand when West made a startled sound in the back of his throat. His expression was solemn. "I love him. I want to spend my life with him. No foolin' involved."
"Oh, bless you both," Dorothy said, tearing up and spreading her arms wide to pull West into an embrace. “I’ve prayed for you, my darling. I knew God had a plan. A reason for you being gay. He found someone to take care of you.”
West cringed.
“He does more taking care of me, ma’am,” Michael said gently.
“Yes, of course.” West’s mother opened one arm and reeled Michael in on her other side. She kissed his cheek, laughing damply. “He’s always done his best.”
Michael’s brows drew together, and he shot her a strange look.
“I’m the baby,” West said, running interference with a forced grin.
“You’ll always be my baby,” his mother declared, squeezing him tight. “But your father might start taking over that role if you boys don’t get the bathroom finished. Lord, it’s been nothing but complaining all day! I had to send Susan out for more wine.”
“I can lend a hand,” Michael offered.
“You’re a guest in our home. You’ll sit down right here and tell me and Jasper about yourself,” Dorothy commanded, and even though her voice was all sweetness and light, there was something fierce in the undertow that made her impossible to resist. “We know all about you, of course. The ladies down at the Auxiliary have been trying to get you hitched to their daughters for years. But that’s not really friendly, now is it? I want to hear your story in your own words. And you brought your little girl too? Oh my, yes, I see her out there rolling around on a scooter. Full of energy, isn’t she? Just like our Bethie.”
Just then, something crashed down the hall, followed by Derek's vicious curse.
“West!” James hollered, sounding caught between laughter and fear. “I hear you out there! Get in here before he decides where to hide my body!”
If they were a different sort of family, West might have been nervous about leaving his new boyfriend in the clutches of his parents. But they weren’t the type to air their secrets in front of strangers. Hell, they couldn’t even bring themselves to discuss it privately. His mother did a good impression of being open and friendly, but she always kept it directed outward. As Michael folded his long frame onto the couch with the broken spring, hat settled casually on one knee, she began listing off the menu for the family dinner and asking if he had any special dietary restrictions. West’s father had already unmuted the television, giving every impression of tuning them out, but occasionally, he’d glance at Michael from the corner of his eye.
“You can thank me later,” James announced when West finally peeked his head inside the bathroom. His middle brother sat on the edge of the tub with a can of Blue Ribbon dangling from his fingers, looking tired but cheerful.
“Thank you for what?” West eyeballed Derek. His oldest brother was lying on his stomach, measuring trim and ignoring them. He grabbed a stubby pencil from behind his ear and scrawled a quick calculation on the plaster above the ruler.
“For getting you out of there before Mom whipped out the baby book. We all went through it. Remember when she gave Jennie a list of my favorite foods the first time I brought her home?” James snorted. “As if Jennie cooks.”
“What was that crash I heard?” West asked.
“Genius over there knocked my toolbox into the tub,” Derek muttered without looking up from his work. “Take those two lengths of trim out to the chop saw and cut ‘em at fourteen and a quarter. Cut the line.”
“You sure about that?” James asked, squinting at the wall where Derek was scribing a new line along the edge of the door jamb.
Derek gave him a disgusted look.
James laughed and held up his hands. “Forget I said anything.”
They worked together in good-natured silence, for the most part, with southern country playing low on a Bluetooth speaker from James' pocket. Between the three of them, it didn't take long to get the new vanity and sink installed. Susan had shopped fixtures online and chosen the slimmest fit to give their father more maneuvering room on his stiff days. His brothers held the safety rails stable while West drilled them into the wall, and he held the trim while they tapped finishing nails into the jamb. The happy sound of kids eating dinner came and went, but the brothers only took a break to crack open a round of beers from the garage fridge. Laughter occasionally drifted down from the living room where the adults sat with plates around the television.
West checked on Michael once or twice, but he shouldn't have worried. If there was a situation he couldn't handle, it wasn't meeting the folks. He had West's parents eating out of the palm of his hand.
The little window above the shower was pitch black before Derek finally asked, "So you're making this gay thing official?"
West was in the middle of knocking back a box of skittles, and he nearly choked. "I thought that was pretty obvious."
"You've never tried women."
"Nope," he agreed easily, leaning back against the wall and crossing his boots at the ankle. "Because I'm gay."
His brother just grunted and went back to applying an even layer of fresh caulk around the tub. His jeans were streaked with sawdust and plaster, and sweat dripped down the back of his neck. He didn't follow up with more questions, but he reminded West of a coiled snake. Just waiting to strike. His back was so tense that muscled ridges bulged beneath his thin T-shirt.
His body language didn't invite more conversation, but for some insane reason, West decided to poke at him.
"You ever tried men?" he asked impulsively.