Page 2 of Waiting For You

Joshua:

Sorry, Dad. Not going to be able to make it.

Well, at least there’s an apology. Still, my heart cracks and sinks. I had our trip through the UP—the upper peninsula of Michigan—all planned out. I know no seventeen-year-old wants to spend time alone with their parent, but I even bought a travel guide to make sure this would be fun and exciting. I didn’t want to disappoint him, didn’t want him resenting the few moments he spent with me.

But it was all for nothing.

This trailer I rented and my truck with a full tank of gas are going to be hauling my sorry ass around the UP—without him.

I’m going to spend the next two weeks alone—with my regrets.

Maybe I should get a dog so I’m not so lonely. We could have adventures. We’d be likeTurner and Hooch, only doesn’t the dog die in the end?

Maybe not then. I’d cry like a baby. Maybe I’ll get a tortoise. Those live for ages.

“He wants to spend his last few weeks with Hailey,” Quinn says, sounding apologetic.

He has nothing to apologize for. This is not his fault. He’s just a kid.

“It’s fine,” I say, closing the compartment and eyeing my son’s best friend, the guy who made an appearance when my son didn’t. But Quinn often seems to do that—showing up unexpectedly.

This isn’t the first time he’s come by my place without Joshua.

I think he feels sorry for me. I don’t blame him. I’m just a little bit pathetic.

“It’s fine,” I say again, swallowing roughly. “No biggie.”

Quinn takes a step toward me, those lips of his pulled between his teeth.

“It is, Grey. It’s a shitty thing for Josh to do…”

I shove my hands in my pockets and roll back on my heels, feeling my eyes sting. How does this guy get me so well when he’s so much younger? He’s always looked so intently at me, like he’s peering into my soul…like he knows things about me that maybe I don’t even know about myself.

“Look, what if…what if I go with you?”

My eyes snap to his, and he holds up his hands, shrugging. Like, no big deal, I’ll just tag along on your two-week trip. “I have nothing else to do. It’ll be fun.”

“Shit, Quinn. I can’t just tote you around Michigan without your parents knowing. You’re still a minor.”

He scoffs. “I’m nineteen.”

“Yeah, but still…your parents. What would they think?”

I’m thirty-three years old, for fuck’s sake. Yes, I’m an adult and capable of taking care of him along the way, but I’m a gay man. What would people think if they saw me gallivanting around with a kid half my age? Living and sleeping in close quarters? It would border on Creepsville. And no one likes Creepsville.

“You’ve met my parents, right?” He huffs a laugh, and when I only raise my eyebrow, he pulls his phone out and then dials a number. I listen to the ringing on speakerphone, and then a minute later his father answers.

“Heyo. What’s up, son,” his dad says, sounding…preoccupied.

“Hey, Pops, can I go on a trip with Joshua’s dad through the UP for two weeks?”

“Why are you asking me? You can make those decisions. You’re an adult.”

“Eh, he wanted to be sure it was fine…” Quinn says, his eyes meeting mine and a smirk pulling those red lips up.

“Well, no need to ask me. You do what you want. Just make sure you two have fun.”

Well, shit. I knew Quinn was independent, but I didn’t realize that the reason for that was because his parents gave him free rein. He’s always been…mature. More mature than Joshua, that’s for sure. I always wondered how the two of them became friends…and then stayed friends. Quinn always seemed to be the one picking up the pieces.

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