Page 67 of Painted

That smile, the touch of Rhys’s hand on their back, and the feeling of security that surrounded them made Early feel like they could accomplish anything.

“I’m happier than I ever thought I could be,” they said, beginning by smiling up at Rhys, then turning that smile first to their mum, then their dad. “I’ve found someone who cares for me and accepts me just the way I am.”

“We always cared for you,” their mum said.

“Yes, and I’m grateful for that,” Early said, feeling stronger by the second. “But you never accepted me, and that’s not something I can be okay with. I’m nonbinary. That’s not something you get to have an opinion about. At least, not an opinion that I have to conform to. I am who I am, and you’re more than welcome to be a part of my journey, but you don’t get to have a say in or control it.”

“What kind of left-wing nonsense?—”

“Mark,” Early’s mum cut their dad off before he could say anything else. When he looked at her, she said, “Early is twenty-one. He—they aren’t our…child anymore. They make their own decisions.”

Early was stunned at their mum’s efforts. Their throat squeezed and their eyes stung with potential tears as the first signs of their parents accepting them poked out through all the dirt that their relationship had descended into.

“It’s ridiculous,” their dad grumbled. “Gay I understand, but all this trans and nonbinary nonsense is?—”

“Mr. Stevens, do you have an invitation to tonight’s event?” Rhys interrupted him.

Early’s dad snapped his mouth shut and glared at him. “This one wasn’t answering his phone,” he said, pointing to Early. “We’ve been trying to get him to come home for weeks now. This was the only way we could reach him.”

Not only was their dad being stubborn, he was lying. Probably to save face in front of Rhys. Strangely, it didn’t impact Early the way it might have a week earlier. It simply didn’t matter anymore. Their dad was stubborn, but their mum was showing signs of hope.

Maybe they would all be able to reconcile one day, but that day was a while off. Early smiled, even though the situation didn’t exactly warrant it. It was okay. They would all be okay.

“I’ll answer my phone next time you call me,” they told their mum, deliberately not looking at their dad. “I’ll be here, at Hawthorne House, for the foreseeable future, so you know where to find me if anything happens.”

“Oh, so you’re just going to turn your back on?—”

“Mark!” their mum snapped, firmer than before. “Leave it be. We shouldn’t have come tonight, so let’s just go home.”

Part of Early wanted to extend an invitation for their parents to stay and see all the hard work they’d done. It was clear that their dad just wasn’t in the right place yet. As they marched off, the two of them arguing quietly, they didn’t stop them.

“Wow,” Rhys said, pulling Early closer and shifting his light hold into a hug. “You handled that brilliantly.”

Early let out a laugh that felt more like venting the tension that had built up inside them. “They certainly surprised me.”

“And you managed them so well. I’m proud of you.”

Early sighed happily, resting their cheek against Rhys’s shoulder for a moment. They’d done okay. It wasn’t the last battle they would have to fight, but they’d managed to take an important step toward being who they wanted to be.

“Don’t the two of you look adorable, standing there hugging in front of a wall of nudes,” Janice said, stepping over to them, a glass of champagne in hand.

Rhys tensed slightly before letting Early go and facing his mum with a frown. “I didn’t agree to having these paintings on display,” he said.

“Early did,” Janice said, nodding to them. “And the artists. That’s all that matters. Just because the two of you are dating now doesn’t mean you have a right to dictate Early’s life.”

Early felt their face heat, but they couldn’t hide a grin. They should probably tell Janice that they hadn’t actually agreed to the display, since they’d misunderstood the question, but the results were so positive that they weren’t sure they minded.

“It’s okay,” they told Rhys, keeping one arm around his back. “I’m impressed by how well they turned out.”

“They’re beautiful,” Janice said. “You’re beautiful. This entire event is beautiful, and I’m certain my darling Raina would have approved.”

She drew in a quick, shaky breath that told Early she was both overcome with emotion and a little bit drunk.

“Now,” she went on, patting Rhys’s arm. “Let’s get this program started so that we can all move on to supper, and then dancing after.”

“I’m still not certain dancing was the best idea for a somber occasion like this,” Rhys said, allowing Janice to tug him away from Early and toward the front of the room.

“Every occasion is a good occasion for dancing,” Janice said.

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