Page 18 of Head Above Water

Bryce watched where his brother had gone, seeming kind of lost. “I can only deal with things one day at a time. Maybe he’ll cool off and realize he needs to pull his weight.” That was a pipe dream, and Hazard knew it, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

“Bryce,” Mrs. Maverick called as she came outside. “Can you come inside?” He nodded and turned away. “Bring Hazard with you.” Then she closed the door.

“What is this all about?” Hazard asked, and Bryce shrugged.

Hazard sat where Mrs. Maverick indicated, and then she left the living room. Hazard caught Bryce’s gaze, holding it as both Bryce’s parents came in and sat down, along with Hazard’s mother.Oh shit. This is so not good.He wondered if he and his mother were the first casualties of the cutbacks to come.

“What’s going on? Hazard and I have plenty of work to do.” Bryce seemed on the attack.

“Do you boys have something to tell us?” Mrs. Maverick asked, alternately looking at each of them.

“About what?” Bryce snapped. “Look, if this is about the ranch, I’m not going to be called in here to face an inquisition every time I make a decision.”

His father’s lips formed a straight line. “This has nothing to do with the ranch, but what you two were doing the other night under the tree in front.” Hazard felt himself pale, but he refused to look away. “We may be old, but we know the sound of people having… well, relations. And you two weren’t nearly as quiet as you thought you were.”

“You aren’t mad?” Bryce asked.

“You bet your damned ass I’m mad. You two cavorting in the damned front yard in plain sight. With each other….” He rolled his eyes. “What the hell are you thinking? That’s what beds are for, goddammit. You do not need to be doing that sort of thing out in the front of the house where anyone could see you… or hear you.”

“Dad… I…,” Bryce stammered, and Hazard turned to him.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hazard said, and took Bryce’s hand… in front of their parents. “You knew?” Hazard asked his mother, who nodded.

“We’re mothers, and we know our sons,” she told him. “Neither of you showed much interest in girls. Look at Bryce’sbrother. He chases every woman that crosses his path. And yet both of you have barely noticed the women around you. At first, we thought you were both serious guys, but that never changed….”

“And then you noticed each other,” Bryce’s mother added. “And everything seemed to change. You two have been inseparable for weeks.”

“I thought you were just becoming friends…,” Bryce’s father added. “Until the other night.” He leaned forward slowly. “I do not want to hear that again.”

“Lyle, there is no need to bring that up again,” Bryce’s mother said gently. “It was hard on all of us when we realized what was going on. But we’ve been talking, and we all realized that if you found each other and you make each other happy, then we aren’t going to stand in the way. Your father had the hardest time of it.”

“Helene, you don’t need to make me sound like someone from the stone age.”

“Dad, it’s okay. I understand if you have a hard time with it. Most fathers would. I mean, you all have dreams for your sons, and having one who’s gay doesn’t necessarily meet what you expected.”

“Son, it wasn’t that. I just know that the road is going to be harder for you. People aren’t going to accept you for who you are. At least not all of them, and….”

“I know, Dad,” Bryce said, and turned to him. “I think we both know that.”

Hazard nodded. “But….” He was more than a little overwhelmed. “Look, Bryce and I are just beginning to figure things out, and I don’t think either of us will be flying Pride flags or taking part in parades.”

“I know that,” Mom said gently. “But we’re worried about you—both of you. And if you are together, then it isn’t going totake long for the men to find out. And that’s going to be another matter. Some of them will leave, and a few might even cause trouble. You need to be prepared for that.”

Hazard swallowed hard. “Are you saying that we should keep quiet, hide who we are like it’s shameful?” He didn’t want that. “That’s like lying, and I can’t do that. I’m not going to yell it from the rooftops, but I won’t lie.” He stood and headed to the door. “Now, I think my personal life has been talked about for long enough.” Part of him was relieved that no one seemed angry, and he wasn’t being told to leave. But having parts of his life dissected was not something he was comfortable with.

“We just care about you both,” his mother said. “And we wanted to talk things over rather than create a ton of drama around your coming out.” She made it sound so reasonable. “Please don’t be angry with us.”

“Then stop talking about my life, our life. Just stop.” His head ached. “I’m happy that you’re accepting of the fact that Bryce and I are dating, I really am, but….”

“Hey.” Bryce stood and took him in his arms. “This is a good thing. Our parents may have been a little stalkerish in how they went about it, but they aren’t freaking that we’re seeing each other.” He leaned closer. “And we can use a bed instead of finding bark scratches on my butt in the morning. Okay?”

Bryce’s father cleared his throat. “I think it’s best if we bring this conversation to an end. As you said, you have work to do, and I’m exhausted.” He got to his feet, and Mrs. Maverick helped him out of the room and down the hall. Hazard’s mother stayed where she was.

“Is there anything else you want to surprise me with?” He tried to keep from smiling and failed.

“No.” She stood and went to the kitchen, taking the few dishes with her. “I’m going to finish cleaning up here and then head to our place and go to bed. I trust you two will be quiet.”She left them, and Hazard hugged Bryce, resting his head on his shoulder.

“I guess the only question to be answered is… your place or mine?”

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