Page 104 of Born Daddy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Oh my.” His mom stared at Rogan with wide eyes, her elbow propped on the cabin’s kitchen table, her chin resting in her palm as she listened intently. “So, all he wrote about was how much he both hated and loved Jace. He never mentioned Cam, or you, or anyone else? Not even once?”

Rogan shook his head. “Not even once. It was some sort of bizarre testimonial dedicated only to Jace, not really a diary in the true sense of the word. The detectives postulated that if he hadn’t used the outlet of spewing his emotions on the page, many more men might’ve died.”

His mom flopped against the back of the Colonial style chair. “I can’t stop thinking about him coming over after school, or the times he’d sit with me and your father in the stands when you and Mitch would play football at school. He’d crack these jokes, give funny voices to those involved with a sarcastic running narrative that would have me in stitches.” She shuddered. “I can view it through a different lens now, though. It was as if he were the puppet master controlling them.”

Rogan snorted. “I’m viewing every interaction with him through that new lens as well. Not only his controlling nature, but how mean-spirited he was.”

“Oh yes, he really was.” She regarded Rogan with a furrowed brow. “So that entire time they had the diary? Why didn’t they clear Tate sooner?”

Rogan shook his head. “No. They didn’t discover it until right before they brought Tate in for questioning that final time. During the time they’d been cataloguing the mountains of evidence they’d retrieved from the house, it had ended up in a box with a few other items that had been stored incorrectly in the evidence room.”

“Uh-oh. I bet someone lost their job over that!”

Rogan chuckled. “Could be. And whoever stumbled over it, promoted.”

His mother covered Rogan’s hand with her own. “How’s Tate doing now? He seems happy.” She smiled. “In no small part thanks to you, I’m sure.”

Rogan smiled back. “He’s like a new man. He’s doing well, and honestly, I’ve never been happier either.”

His mom leaned back in the chair again, a serene expression on her face. “I can tell, honey. I’m so glad he’s a part of the family now.”

Rogan’s dad strolled into the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge. He pulled out a beer then elbowed the door closed. “I’ll be getting the coals started in a bit, as soon as this inning’s over.”

“Dad, you know there’s this invention called a gas grill, right?”

His father gave him a frown as he popped open his drink. “Sacrilege. Nothing tastes better than food cooked over coals.”

Rogan wouldn’t share that he and Tate had purchased a small gas grill for their apartment balcony. However, he had to admit that the food his dad cooked on that old barbecue tasted like heaven and always reminded him of his times growing up on the lake.

“Is Tate still in there watching the game with you?”

He didn’t want his boy to overhear the conversation with his mom. Not because he had anything to hide, but to shield him from any unpleasant memories while they enjoyed the Labor Day weekend.

“Oh yeah. He and Seb are in there yelling at the TV.” He took a swig of his beer. “You’ve really converted that kid. He’s obsessed with the Red Sox now.” His dad winked. “Good job.”

They shared an easy laugh, then his dad headed back to the den. His mom regarded him again.

“I’ve been meaning to ask about everyone else, too, but I didn’t want to call and have him overhear anything you said. He seems like such a sensitive boy.”

Rogan had never gotten into a discussion with his mom about the type of relationship he had with Tate, and he still held to the belief that he didn’t need to. It was their private business, but at the same time, they didn’t pretend to be someone else when they were at family gatherings. Tate had called him Daddy on occasion, and the way he doted over Tate couldn’t be missed. That, combined with the nature of Tate and Cam’s relationship that had been splashed all over the media, meant that his folks and siblings had likely already put two and two together.

“I appreciate that Mom, thanks. Were you wanting to ask about Mitch?”

Everyone asked about Mitch. His mom was the only one in his circle of friends and family who hadn’t casually brought up the subject at every turn. But he understood. So many lives had experienced upheaval since the news first came out about Cam.

“Well, yes. I can’t get all these images out of my mind of the four of you together all the time, the best of friends, hanging out at the house and using it as party central.” She chuckled. “Rod’s Pizza Palace probably stayed in business as long as it did because of the four of you.” Her brow creased. “But then it came to this. First Cam, and that awful fight you had with Mitch.” She regarded him with a pained expression. “Do you truly believe he’s been that bigoted all these years? That he’s been hiding his true beliefs all this time?”

Rogan ran his hand across the top of his head. “Mom… I don’t think it’s that simple. It could’ve been that weird thing I’ve run into with people sometimes where they don’t mind if you’re ‘one of those’ if they like you. But if someone’s a stranger, they’d better stay the fuck out of their way.”

“That’s so sad. Was he raised that way?”

“I have no idea, Mom. We became friends when we were kids. It was the eighties. Yeah, I heard his parents make some rather derogatory remarks over the years, but it wasn’t until I became more aware of myself, started stepping into adulthood, that I realized how ugly those words were. When I was ten, I wasn’t going to go up to Mitch’s Dad and tell him not to use homophobic slurs because they hurt my feelings.”

“Honey, it sounds like you’re making excuses for him, as if it’s okay because he didn’t know any better.”

Rogan rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not explaining myself very well, I don’t think. What I mean is that even if Mitch started out learning those beliefs from his family, and I used homophobic slurs so the other kids would think I was cool, that doesn’t mean it’s okay now. Mitch has been a grown man for a long time, and he knows better. Unless you’ve lived under a rock, we all know better now. At this point, you’re either filled with hate and prejudices or you’re not. I’m not saying people can’t change, but as it is with everything else, a person has to want to. They have to step up and use actions to prove they’re for equality and diversity and use those same actions to stand up to hate.”

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