Page 62 of Alpha & Omega

When Hudson said he would spend time with his mother, the anxiety surrounding Harley was palpable.

“I’m going, Dad,” Hudson said.

“No…” he said again, but this time not as forcefully as if he was giving in to the inevitable. “Please. She’s going to hurt you over again.”

Hudson nodded. “I know she’s going to leave again no matter what, but I need to do this… Not for her, but for me. I need my closure, Dad, and for her to finally say goodbye and let me go.”

Harley sagged into me, and I held him close. “I… okay.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

His son looked at his mother. “Let me get ready, and we can go somewhere to talk.”

Ava nodded and wiped her face with tissues she’d grabbed from her purse. “Thank you.”

The boy said nothing as he left the kitchen and headed upstairs to get ready.

“Leave and wait outside,” Harley said, gritting his teeth to hold back the emotions. “If you hurt him, so help me god… You have two hours with him, then I want him back, and you are done with him for good.”

Ava looked back and forth between Harley and me, saying nothing about him being with a man, but she must’ve known Harley was bisexual all along. She finally nodded and stood. “Thank you for this.” She left to wait outside for Hudson.

His son came rushing down the steps and ran out the door, which slammed behind him, making Harley jump.

He stood and went about cleaning the kitchen, putting away the uneaten food, washing the dishes, scrubbing the counters. I stood with him, helplessly watching as he stress-cleaned before sense took hold of me.

I reached for him and turned him to face me. He fought back his emotions until I pulled him into a hug. His body was warm and a little clammy. He gripped the back of my T-shirt and rested his head on my shoulder.

“I don’t know if I’m strong enough to go through this again,” he rasped. “The first time was so emotionally and mentally exhausting. Hudson and I finally found our peace and are happy. I’m… not a monster, King, and I’m sorry she’s dying, but fuck… we all would’ve been better off not knowing.”

“No, you’re not a monster. And, yes, she should’ve stayed away. It isn’t fair to anyone. I understand needing to fix things before you die, but all this does is leave more suffering behind.”

“Thanks. You get it. I… can’t tell you how much I appreciate this… validation. For years, I had to handle this alone. Yeah, I had therapy, but I was still alone.”

“You’re not alone anymore, Chef. And Hudson is so lucky to have you.”

Harley eased me off him, but gripped my shoulders. “I know you need to go see Tony.”

“I see him every week. Why don’t I call him and reschedule? I don’t mind staying with you. We can watch those rom-coms you wanted.”

“No. Don’t put your life on hold. Really, I’ll be okay.”

I sighed, torn between leaving and staying, despite what he said. He needed someone and not to be alone right now.

“You can come by later if you want. I have to work, and I’m sure you do, too, but… anytime, Skaterboy.”

His sheepish smile didn’t reach his eyes, but I smiled back. “Okay. Call me if anything changes or you need anything. I can come over after work, and we can stay up until dawn watching those movies or something.”

That pulled a small smile from him and called it a win. “I will.”

I drove down to Washington to visit with Tony. I’d texted him to remind him I was coming, but he never responded. Whenever he didn’t respond quickly, I always worried something had happened to him, or he slipped back into drinking. I needed to trust him, but Tony didn’t always do what was best forhim. While he’d been supportive and helped take care of me in foster care, he often forgot to take care of himself, not unlike Nacho. Although Nacho never fell into drinking or drugs.

An hour later, I drove through the city streets, seeing the buildings fall further and further into disrepair as I reached the less fortunate areas.

When I found parking, I headed up to Tony’s floor and knocked on his door.

There was no answer, and I mumbled a curse at myself. Did he forget? He never forgot. I almost always showed up each week.

I knocked again, but there was still no answer, and I couldn’t hear movement.

After pulling out my phone, I dialed Tony’s number to find out where he was and when he’d be back. I couldn’t wait forever because I needed to get back on time for work tonight.

---