Page 56 of Resisting You

Rex wriggled out of his arms and walked over to Frey, tugging on his sleeve. When Frey looked down, Rex asked, ‘Movie?’

Frey’s face fell, but only for a second. ‘Cancelled. We’re going to eat ice cream.’

Rex whooped and jumped up and down before taking off in front of them, and Frey gave Renato a tortured stare before walking off after him. They came to a halt near the arcade, where Rex was distracted again, and then Frey turned to Renato and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m so fucking sorry. You came here for yourself, and I ruined everything. Again.”

Renato’s heart was breaking for this man. He shuffled closer and shook his head. “You didn’t ruin anything.”

Frey barked a sharp laugh. “Oh yeah? Did you miss all of that a second ago?”

“Actually, I couldn’t understand most of it. I’m not as fast as you,” Renato admitted. “But the guy looked like he was being a real…” He hesitated. “First-year resident.”

Frey stared, then doubled over with laughter. “Oh my fucking God. Are you…did you just…” He collected his breath and stood up. “Was that a joke?”

“I guess it landed?” Renato chanced.

Frey’s smile was brighter than the sun, and God, Renato wanted to see that expression on him all the time. He had a profound and intense urge to kiss him, but he forced himself to breathe through it because casual kissing was not what they had.

“Look, I need to take this kid for lunch and ice cream since he can’t go back in,” Frey said after a moment. “I should let you get to your previews.”

Renato checked his watch, though he didn’t bother reading the time. “It’s well past time. Grady’s voice has been put to bed already.”

Frey licked his lips. “Grady. You said that before. That was his name?”

Renato realized right then he didn’t mind hearing his husband’s name on Frey’s lips. It was kind. It was sweet. It was the way Grady deserved to be remembered. “He hated it. He resented his parents for it, but I always kind of liked it.”

“I think it’s classic,” Frey said softly. He shuffled his right foot, then his left. “Do, uh…I mean. You probably have…but if you want to…”

“You’re not speaking in full sentences,” Renato said quietly with a smile to match.

Before Frey could clarify, Rex appeared and tugged on his sleeve. ‘Eat lunch with me? And ice cream?’

Renato looked up at Frey, who blew out a puff of air. ‘That’s what I was asking,’ he signed.

Unable to do anything except smile and nod, Renato held out his hand. Rex took it, then jerked his head for his dad to follow before pulling Renato toward the door and into what might very well be his future.

Chapter Fifteen

Frey couldn’t stop glancing across the table at Renato, who was engaging in a very in-depth conversation with Rex about the work that went into wedding planning. He wasn’t entirely sure Renato was following the whole thing, considering Frey barely followed his kid when he dragged Frey down the rabbit hole of matrimony, but Renato was definitely playing along.

He was nodding, he was smiling—which was still wild to Frey—he was asking engaging questions, and Rex was lighting up in ways that Frey hadn’t ever really seen him do. The dads in his group never, ever made Rex feel like he was unwanted or strange. They never patronized him or made him feel like a burden.

All of them had developed at the very least basic ASL skills and were getting better every time they came around.

But for some reason, Renato was different. He was the last person in the world Frey would have thought would be good with kids, and yet he sat there like a total natural. He had no problems asking Rex to repeat himself or to slow down, and Rex looked delighted.

Frey smiled, but that was followed by a rush of bitter bile because he thought about Jace. He thought about how Rex’s other dad—or the man who had planned to be—couldn’t be this. He couldn’t have just let go of his picture-perfect idea of what parenting should be.

He hoped to God Jace never tried to have kids again because the one thing Frey learned was that nothing would be perfect. Children were nothing but messy and complicated, and they deserved parents who loved every single second of it.

Frey’s own parents had been…well, fine. Not great, but not terrible. His childhood trauma was far less than several people he knew. But he’d always wanted better for his own child. He wanted to give them early memories of wild, unconditional love that he never quite had.

He startled when he heard Rex make an impatient noise, and he realized his son had been knocking on the table for a second.

‘Sorry,’ he signed quickly. ‘What’s up?’

‘Oz is here.’

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