Page 108 of A Whole New Trick

“Does he want to keep you on the team?”

“Yes.”

For some inexplicable reason, I find myself sharing, “Gianni doesn’t want to trade me either, but he’s using it as a threat to get what he wants, and I’m not interested in being manipulated.”

Dad frowns. “He’s threatening you?”

“Yes. Well,” I pause. “Not me. But Morgan.”

“What do you mean?” Mom asks.

I tell them about Vincent’s insistence that I either break up with Morgan or she quit her job. I tell them that we followed the team’s dating policy, emphasizing that we’ve broken no rules.

“That’s terrible.” Mom shakes her head. “What an incredibly unfair situation.”

“I know. That’s why I’m not giving in.”

“A man’s honor is invaluable,” Dad hums approvingly. “I’m proud of you for standing up for what’s right.”

My brows lift. Eli and I share equally shocked looks.

Dad notices. He huffs. “What?”

I frown. “I don’t know. It’s just been a while since you’ve said you’re proud of me.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is.”

Dad huffs again. “Well, I am proud of you. I’m proud of both of my sons.”

Eli scoffs. “Yeah, right,” he mutters under his breath.

Dad stiffens, and the full force of his attention lands on Eli. “Iamproud of you, Eli.”

My younger brother’s face is hard as stone, but I see the vulnerability in his eyes. “Maybe you were proud of me in the past, but we both know that changed when I told you I’m gay.”

And there it is.

The elephant in the room.

Eli’s reveal wasn’t the only thing that occurred around the time our family became estranged, but it was certainly the most memorable. And the one that still seems to hang over our family’s head whenever we are together.

My protective instincts roar to life, but I bite my tongue, determined to let Eli speak for himself.

Mom stands silently by, her eyes bouncing between the three of us. When Dad meets her gaze, I see her dip her head encouragingly.

Dad’s shoulders rise as he takes a deep breath. On his exhale, he says, “I haven’t been a good dad to you, Eli. And I’m sorry. It’s not an excuse, but when you told us about your…” His forehead furrows. “Lifestyle? Preferences?”

“The term you’re looking for is sexual orientation.”

Dad nods and clears his throat. “Right. Well, after you told us, I don’t know… I just didn’t know how to act. You and I were so close when you were a kid, and I struggled with how to relate to you after you came out to your mother and me.”

“Nothing was different about me,” Eli replies, gritting his teeth. “I’m the same man I was before you knew I was gay.”

“I know that,” Dad says, sounding sincere. “I do. But at the time, I felt like a failure. Like I was a shit dad for you not to have told me sooner. Like I must have made you think I wouldn’t accept you. I felt like shit. I didn’t know how to act.”

“And your solution to that was to ice him out?” I snap, unable to hold back the bite of my anger.

---