Page 98 of More Than a Spark

“Art, I moved home from Flag and started dating Milo.” Ryder kissed my knuckles. “We’re boyfriends, actually.”

“What? But you’re not a…homosexual.” Dad scoffed. “You’re too uh…” His brown-eyed gaze darted to mine.

I lifted my brows, heat flooding my chest.Say it, Dad. He’s too masculine to be a fag. Say it. I knew him so well. He’d never directed the word at me as an insult, but I’d heard it out of his mouth enough times.

Dad rubbed his brows and lifted a fork from the black linen napkin on the table in front of him. “Damn it, I’ve told them to check the silverware a million times to make sure it’s clean.” Turning around he held up the fork to a young man in a black button down and black slacks, who scrambled over to him. “Bring me a clean fork and check all the silverware on the tables.” He handed the fork to him. “Make sure this never happens again.”

The young man bowed. “Yes, sir. I’m so sorry.” He scurried away, picked up a fork from another table, examined it, then set it down in front of Dad. “I’ll be more careful.” He left.

“Jesus, it’s impossible to get good help these days.” With a deep breath, he focused on me. “Anyways, you two are together, now, huh?” He gave each of us a thin-lipped smile. “That’s good. I’m happy for you.”

I rolled my eyes. At least he was sort of trying to not be a dick. Probably because we were in public. “I have more news.”

“Yeah?” Dad flagged down a waitress and ordered us all red wines and a tray of dessert samples. “Okay, what’s this news?” He folded his hands on the table and under his breath, he said, “I suppose you two are getting married next.” He huffed a soft laugh.

I glanced at Ryder, smirking back at me. I wasn’t even going to go there right now. “I got a job at AllAction. It’s a gaming company up in Seattle.” And I’d be leaving here…My heart squeezed. I’d be leaving Ryder just when we were getting started.

Dad’s eyes lit up. “Oh, really? Guess you’ll be off the payroll then?” He chuckled.

The server set down our wines and Dad ordered some desserts for us.

“Now this calls for a celebration.” Dad held up his wine glass to us.

I tapped my glass to his as Ryder did the same. It figured Dad would only think about the money aspect. He’d been supporting me through a college fund he’d set up. But hell, I couldn’t blame him for being happy about that.

“So, do you want to hear about Milo’s new job?” Ryder sipped his wine, then set it on the table. “One of the best game developers in the world liked Milo’s work so much, he had to have him.” With smile stretching his mouth, he ticked his head.

“Oh, come on.” I dipped my head and played with the edge of my napkin. It was sort of true, but it was hard to say it like that.

“Really.” Dad drank some wine. “I always knew you had greatness in you, son.” Leaning across the table, he squeezed my arm. “You’re creative, just like me.”

I stared at him. Shit, he wasn’t wrong. Being the kind of chef he was took artistry and talent. In his own way, he was paying me a compliment. “Thanks, Dad.” I offered him a warm smile, my shoulders relaxing.

Dad unfolded his napkin and set it in his lap. “When do you move to Seattle? Right after graduation?” His softened gaze met mine. “I mean uh, you’ll be here for the holidays, right?”

I swallowed hard. My graduation, since I’d taken some time off and wasn’t on a regular track anymore, was in the middle of December. It seemed so close all of a sudden. “Yeah, my offer letter gave me a start date of January third.” Wait, did that mean I’d be packing my shit over the holidays? Fuck, I hadn’t thought of that.

Dad focused his attention on Ryder. “I suppose you’ll be moving up there with him?”

Hanging his head and rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand, Ryder said, “Naw, I can’t just up and leave my new job.”

Dad knitted his brows and flicked his finger between us. “What’s all this then about you two being boyfriends? How’s it going to work with Milo living in Seattle?”

My heart stuttered. Even Dad saw it was a problem. “It won’t be forever.” I forced a short laugh. “In a few years, he’ll be able to transfer. Right, Ryder?” I threw a glance at him. “In the meantime, we’ll uh, we’ll see each other when we can.”

Shaking his head with a sigh, Dad said, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen a long-distance relationship work out.” He fingered the stem of his wine glass, then gave me a forced grin. “But you two will probably be different. I mean look at you.” He widened his grin. “You’ve known each other since Ryder moved into our old neighborhood and even with him living in Flag all those years, you came out strong.”

“Yeah.” My gaze swung to Ryder’s and he kissed the back of my hand. An ache in my heart swelled and threatened to swallow me whole. I didn’t want to leave him. Maybe there was still a way to reject the offer?

“We’ll make this work, Milo. We will.” He shook our hands between us.

The server set down a tray of bite-sized, colorful desserts in sauces. “A little bit of everything. Enjoy.” She walked off.

“There you go, boys. Dig in.” He drank some wine down, then patted his belly. “I’m going to hold off. Got to keep my boyish figure for the ladies.” He waggled a brow.

I picked up a fork, my mouth watering. Me and Ryder had time to figure out how we’d handle me moving. I had to trust in him that we’d make it work. “Looks great, Dad.” I dug into a small éclair, smothered in chocolate sauce.

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