Page 74 of More Than a Spark

“I hope he wasn’t waiting for very long.” I climbed out of Ryder’s truck, then met him on the walkway into the restaurant. The sun wasn’t as bright this morning. We were full on into September and finally, some cooler temperatures. Which meant, next week I’d be talking to AllAction about a job.

Ryder swung his arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his side, then kissed my cheek. “Remember what we told each other last night?”

With a growing smile, I said, “Yeah, no way would I forget that.” I opened the glass door for him, and he freed me to walk inside.

He halted just inside the door, leaned back, and in my ear, whispered, “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” With a giggle, I pushed him inside the restaurant. He was being silly Ryder now, which was one of my favorites. I scanned the diner, same old brown vinyl booths and mini blinds. The place hadn’t been updated in over twenty years.

Ryder’s father, Greg, as he’d always insisted I call him, sat in a booth by the windows and waved at us, a smile crinkling his eyes.

“There he is.” I waved at Greg and pulled Ryder along by the hand.

Greg stood up, his smile widening, and held his arms out. “Give me a hug, boys.”

Ryder greeted and hugged him first, then I did, his arms strong and lean. He always gave the best hugs, like his son. I slid into the bench seat opposite Greg’s and Ryder followed me in.

After sitting back down, Greg propped his elbows on the table and tented his fingers. Coffees and menus already rested on the table for the three of us. “So, how was the show last night?” He glanced at Ryder, then focused on me.

“It was insane. It’s the biggest venue we’ve played in yet. The place houses fourteen-hundred people and it was packed.” I poured sugar and cream into my coffee, then stirred it.

“You need to come see them sometime, Dad. They’re so good.” Ryder sipped his coffee, then held it in his hands.

“Maybe when you play a bar or something smaller, I will. You still do that, don’t you?” Greg chuckled. “Or are you too big for that now?”

I toyed with the edge of my napkin. “Naw, we’re not too big for that. There are some bars we still play at.” I chanced a peek at Greg. Was he going to say anything about mine and Ryder’s change in status?

“Did you call your mother?” Greg focused on Ryder and drank his coffee.

“I did.” He nodded, pursing his lips. “We’re supposed to have dinner with her this weekend.”

“Oh?” Greg flicked his gaze between us. “Both of you?” He lowered his brows. “Are you…did you come out to her?”

“No.” Ryder shifted in his seat, then threw me a glance. “I don’t know if we should.”

I snatched Ryder’s hand from the table and held it. “It’s okay if we don’t. You know I’d never push you into it until you’re ready.” Poor Ryder. This was still so new for him. I never really thought much about coming out anymore. I just was and people who didn’t know, would find out soon enough if they talked to me. It wasn’t a big deal.

With a frown, Ryder twisted his coffee cup on the table. “What do you think, Dad? Hazel said you’d know best.”

“Well.” Lifting his brows, he rubbed his chin. “That’s a tough one.” His gaze fell to our entwined hands. “I suppose if you go to dinner with her and behave the way you are here, it’ll be pretty obvious.” He sniggered.

Ryder glanced at me. “I thought maybe we’d hide it.”

With a shrug, Greg said, “What’s it going to hurt? Do you care if she doesn’t like it?”

Dropping his mouth open, Ryder said, “Yeah, I do care. I don’t need one more thing for her to harass me with.” He hung his head. “Shit, sorry, Milo.”

I squeezed his hand and leaned in, then brushed his bangs from his eyes. “It’s okay. I know how she is. It’s not like this is anything new for either of us.” His mother had always been nice to me, but would knowing we were together change that? Could it affect what we had? I didn’t want to see his already strained relationship with her fall completely apart because of me.

A waitress stopped by, and we perused the menu, then ordered eggs, bacon, and toast, while Greg ordered pancakes and sausage.

Greg refocused on Ryder. “So, son, what I’m hearing you say is you want her to know about you two, but you’re afraid of the impact it could have if she’s not accepting of it. Is that right?”

With a huff, Ryder said, “Yeah.” He twisted his lips. “I don’t even know why I care. At this point, I shouldn’t, right?” His gaze met his father’s.

“You’ll always care. No matter what, she’s your mother.” Greg leaned over the table to squeeze Ryder’s forearm. “She’s your blood. She birthed you.”

I swallowed hard, watching the exchange. It looked like things had gotten worse between Ryder and his mom over the years. He hadn’t said anything about it when we’d talked, but then, he didn’t like to talk about her either. I drank more coffee.

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