Page 75 of Bulletproof
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“You look wonderful.”Derek’s mom hugged him and pushed the hair out of his face, like she’d been doing since he was a teenager. “I wish you’d put this hair in a ponytail so everyone can see your handsome face.” She had given up on asking him when he was going to cut it years ago.
Derek gave her an exaggerated wide smile, showing off his mug. He missed her too much to be annoyed at her constant dislikeof his long hair. “Everyone knows how good looking I am.”
She smacked his chest lightly with her fingers. “You’re so silly.” Then she kissed both his cheeks and hugged him again. “I missed you so much.”
She smelled like apple pie and Windex.
“I can’t believe you’ve been home for two days and I didn’t get to see you until today,” she scolded lightly.
“I know. I’ve been busy.”
“Busy?” She gave him a teasing smile. “I can just imagine. I was so anxious to meet this new man of yours. I can’t believe he’s not here. Where is he?”
“We’ve been together since we got back from the tour. We made breakfast, went for a ride to see the Hollywood sign and . . .” A tingle fluttered inside his belly, and it reminded him of whenhe had come home from his first date and his mom wanted to hear all about it. It had been so long since he had that feeling that it made him stop speaking, mid sentence.
Derek was 15 when he came out to his parents. His mother had been unbelievably understanding. It had come as a big shock to both of his parents, but after the initial stop-kidding-around moment, they accepted it withoutquestion. They hadn’t needed a transition period. Their reaction had been simple. “Really? I had no idea,” was all they had said, and then moved past it.
It took a little more convincing for Derek’s brother, who had thought he was joking and playing a game to the fullest extent. He needed to show his brother the collection of guy-on-guy porn saved to his computer in order for it tosink in, and that’s all it took to persuade the eldest sibling of the MacAlister clan. Derek’s know-it-all middle sister hadn’t been impressed with the admission and had rolled her eyes at him. “I knew it,” she had said matter of factly. After that, life had gone on as usual, without any need for discussion.
He wished Travis was here now to meet his mom, and so he could show off hisfirst steady boyfriend in a long, long time. He wanted her to see how sweet and kind Travis was and how well they got along.
“Look at the way you’re smiling!” Her smile was probably wider than his. “I’ve never seen you so happy. Tell me about this man that has stolen my youngest son’s heart.”
“He really did steal my heart, Mom. I never thought it would happen. But itdid. I think he feels the same way, too. I can’t stop thinking about him.” Apparently he couldn’t stop smiling either, and his cheeks hurt.
“What do you mean you think he feels the same way? Didn’t he tell you how he feels?”
Derek and Travis had talked about everything, except how much they really meant to one another, and maybe they should have. “No. We didn’t reallytalk about that.”
“Why not?” his mom asked, with a disapproving scowl on her face.
“Because we went into this thing like two guys looking to have fun. Looking for a good time. Living the rock star life.” He shrugged. “We were looking for someone to have fun with who shared the same crazy lust for adventure.”
“It sounds like it turned into a lot more thanthat.”
“It did. We clicked. And we didn’t want to be with anyone else. We didn’t want the other to be with anyone else, either, so we agreed to be exclusive. And that’s it.”
His mother was beaming, her eyes shining like bright stars, and her cheeks plump with a wide smile. “Why don’t both of you come over for dinner tonight? I’ll invite your brother and sister. The entirefamily can meet him. Your dad’s excited to meet him too. When I told him you had a steady man, he said, ‘It’s about damn time that philanderer settled down’.”
Derek threw his head back and laughed at his mother’s impression of his father’s booming voice. The man had an incredible work ethic and still held a full-time job, even though he didn’t need to. It didn’t matter that therewas no mortgage to pay, Derek’s dad was an architect by trade and loved his job, putting in long hours when he really only needed money to cover the necessities.
Derek wanted to share his parents and his family with Travis. They could be the family Travis never had, and Derek knew that’s what Travis craved most – family.
Derek’s mother stared at him. She saw right intohis heart, always knowing with a mother’s intuition what was going on in his head. He was her youngest son, her baby boy, and she doted on him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, with a smile.
“Because I can’t believe my baby is finally in love.”
“Love?” Derek’s voice raised an octave. “What makes you think I’m in love? I’ve known the guy a month.”
“A month is all it takes, honey.”
“Really?” Derek raised his brow with skepticism. “It only takes a month to know you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody? Forever is a long time.”
She smoothed her dress down, pulled a chair out from the dining room table, and sat. She pointed to the seat across from her, indicating that Derek should join her for oneof her heart-to-heart talks.
She clasped her hands together and placed them on the table as she waited for him to sit. “Derek, no one knows what’s going to happen in 10 or 20 or 30 years from now. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. All we know is right now. And we need to make the most of that time. There’s no harm in loving someone for right now, or for as long as itworks. For today. For tomorrow. For as long as your hearts still share the same beat. Don’t miss out on that opportunity.” She paused. “Things happen. I’m not going to lie. It doesn’t always work in the long run. Relationships are hard work. You need to give it your all. If you try hard enough, and if you really love each other, you can make it through anything. Happiness deserves a chance.”
