Page 7 of Step Daddy

Gareth arched his eyebrows. “Are you sure? I’m guessing someone you’ve been subjected to for most of your life might’ve planted those ideas in your head. What do you think?”

Kit’s shoulders dropped. “Yeah. He never had a nice thing to say about you.”

Gareth snorted. “So, I’m not only a disgusting queer, I’m a killer queer.”

Kit groaned. The more they talked about Ted, the more ridiculous and deranged Kit realized the guy was. Not that he’d ever held any illusions about Ted being a decent human being. But clearly, his insidious lies and vicious running commentary had subconsciously taken root in Kit’s mind over the years.

“Hey.” Gareth reached over and laid a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you. You were stuck in that environment for years. You were brainwashed.”

Gareth let go then rubbed his jaw, considering Kit like he had something on his mind, something he was wondering about.

“What is it?” Kit became uncomfortable beneath Gareth’s probing stare.

“How’s your mom faring? I take it she’s still with him, that you’re all still living in that house?” He shrugged. “I assumed you hadn’t moved since you got all my cards, and you got my address through her.”

“Yeah. We’re all still there.” Gareth’s questions, his observations were already beginning to help clear the cobwebs from Kit’s confused mind, to clarify some of what he’d been wondering about. “I think…”

It might take him a while to untangle and properly verbalize all the twisted misinformation that had been shoved down his throat, but now was the time to start. Maybe he’d sensed all along that Gareth was the key to understanding the past ten years living with Ted and how those years had fucked with his head.

“You think?” Gareth held his gaze. “Tell me, Kit. Like I said, I’m here to support you however I can. Maybe together we can gain some clarity.”

Kit nodded. “Okay. What I was going to say is I think I know why my mom stayed with him this whole time. I used to wonder why she was putting us through all that. At first, I assumed it was a financial thing, that she figured it was better for us to be there because he makes a pretty good living.”

“Sounds as though that ‘living’ has gotten a lot better recently.” Gareth smirked. “Go on.”

“But now, what you said about the brainwashing? I think that’s closer to the truth. Because when I think about myself, that I turned eighteen almost two years ago and could’ve gotten away like you did, I realize how complacent I’ve become. I’ve given in to his bullying, to him telling me I’m worthless and won’t make it out in the real world because of how weak I am, that learning from him would make me better.”

Gareth gazed at him with compassion. “Maybe he thought he could control you. That you could be the son I never was. I’m sure that’s where all the over-zealous ranting about you being a so-called sissy came from.” Gareth shook his head. “God, what a jack-ass. And I didn’t see it at the time, either. I was a rebellious, angry teen who couldn’t wait to get away from him and start my own life. Whenever he’d pick on you, I felt a sense of protection, would defend you, but I didn’t see it for what it really was.”

Gareth regarded him with a soft smile. “You’re a sensitive, kind, quiet guy, which he automatically translated into meaning you’re gay. With me, I think I infuriated him because I was stereotypically masculine. Rode a motorcycle, worked on cars, played sports—all that bullshit that supposedly means you’re a man’s man.” Gareth let out a low growl and ran his hands over the top of his head. “If you give me permission, I’m going to help you fix this.” He regarded Kit with a wink. “Without bodily harm.”

Kit tilted his head. “Why are you saying it like that?”

Gareth drew his eyebrows together. “Like what?”

“Why do you need to ask my permission? I guess that’s part of why I said what I said. It makes it sound as if you’re going to do something really extreme.”

“Oh, right.” A flash of concern danced across Gareth’s features. “Uh, I’m the type of person who needs to know that I’m not bullying anyone. I…” Gareth rubbed the back of his neck. “What I mean is that I learned the hard way through Ted that being in a position of power over someone else, such as being a parent, that it’s easy to abuse that privilege if you’re not careful. Asking permission is one way of verifying someone has given consent. Make sense?”

Not really. “But why would a parent ask their child for permission? Aren’t good parents still supposed to guide and care for their children because they know best?”

Gareth let out a small groan and rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger. “Excellent point. Let’s just say that, in general, I never want to bully anyone into doing things my way based on what I endured from Ted growing up. I would never intentionally behave that way toward another human being.”

“Oh, I see.” Kit nodded. He chewed on his thumbnail without thinking, then yanked his hand away. He had a few nervous habits that he hated, and that was one of them. “I want you to know I don’t think bad things about you, I really don’t. I understand that Ted’s the villain here.” He bit his lip. “and I give you my permission. You know, like you asked.”

Gareth’s smile went to his eyes. “I appreciate that. All of it. You’re a lot more mature than I was at your age.”

Kit laced his fingers together to keep from chewing again. “Oh, uh, thanks. But I’m not sure I agree. I didn’t have the courage to stand up to him and leave the way you did. I kept letting him push me around.”

“I won’t press the subject for now.” Gareth’s smile hadn’t diminished, and Kit was beginning to feel the weight of his stare. Gareth continued, “But it takes a lot more emotional maturity to consider things from all sides as opposed to reacting to circumstances without thinking them through.”

“Oh.” Kit thought he understood, but still believed that Gareth had made the smarter choice. “So…what now?”

He didn’t want to come across as pushy, but all he had left after taking the bus from Lancaster to Vegas was a hundred and seventeen dollars in his checking account, fourteen dollars in cash and some change. The lodgings were cheap enough in Vegas that he could last a few nights, but after that, he’d be in even more trouble than he already was.

Gareth folded his hands under his chin, his brow wrinkled as if in deep thought. At last, he straightened.

“How about this? You hungry? Because I haven’t had dinner yet. I was just about to send out for a pizza. Whaddya say? Like the old days? We could even watch a movie.”

Laughter bubbled out of Kit. He wasn’t sure why the suggestion struck him as funny, but he suspected it had more to do with relief combined with doing something exceedingly normal. No stress or drama. Pizza and a movie. Damn, it had been so long since he’d experienced normal.

“Yes.” He grinned. “I say yes.”

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