Page 121 of The Bro Pact
Of course, he starts a chorus of echoes because when one person compliments the chef, everyone else compliments the chef.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it, Nelson. If you’ve got something to say about Ren and I being together, I think you should just say it in front of everyone.”
I can’t help but feel antagonistic vibes radiating from him.
He laughs as if our announcement was of no consequence to him.
“Kyle, buddy. I really don’t care if you want to be a little gay orwhatever. We’re cool, and I seriously support you guys.”
What?
I’m taken aback, not going to lie.
Offended, too, but that’s par for the course with Nelson.
“If you wanna go to any parades, I’d be down.” Nelson glances at Warren’s sister with hope shining in his eyes. “Val? How ’bout you?”
“Um . . .absolutely!” She does her excited, clapping dance. “This is going to besofun.”
“I don’t know about that, dude,” I say, not really into the idea. Nelson’s an asshole, not an ally, and he clearly has an ulterior motive when it comes to Val.
“It could be fun,” Ren says with a mischievous grin. “Rainbow tutus?”
“Absolutely not!” I shout, way too loudly for the dinner table, and everyone laughs, even my dad.
“Fiiine.We can decide later,” Ren concedes, sweeping everything under the rug with a joke, and everyone digs into the peach cobbler that my mom just served.
We enjoy dessert, granted, my dad is a little quieter than his normal level of mute, but all in all, I think it was a success.
And the peach cobbler is delicious.
When everyone finishes, we help my mom clean up and say our goodbyes.
She squeezes me extra tight for a far different reason than usual. “It’s so good to see you happy again, honey. You know I adore Warren,” she whispers into my ear.
My mom pulls back, cupping my cheek, with tears in her bright blue eyes and an overjoyed smile on her kind face. “Your dad’s just an introverted man, and he needs time to process things. He’ll come around; Iknowit. Have a good night, honey. I love you so much.”
“Thanks for being there for me, Mom.For us.I love you too.”
She gives me a kiss on the forehead. “Now, go spend the rest of your evening with that lovely boyfriend of yours.”
I’ve really got the best mom in the world.
I chuckle, giving her an extra hug before I slip out of the front door with Ren, Val, and their dad.
“That actually went better than I hoped for,” I whisper to Ren.
“Completely agreed,” Ren echoes.
“You still comin’ into work at six on Monday morning?” Mr. Moretti asks Ren while we walk to our trucks like nothing’s changed. “I need you there early ’cause Raymond can’t make it in until eight.”
Ren gives him a big smile. “Yeah, Pops. You can count on me.” He pulls his dad in for an unexpected hug, and Valentina joins in next, wrapping her arms around both of them as best she can.
“Family hug!” she sing-songs, making her dad grumble, even though we all know he loves it.
Laughing, I grab Warren’s hand and pull him from the dog pile, racing for his truck.
I’m ready to spend some one-on-one time together in our new apartment.
