Page 59 of The Callahan Effect

Three familiar faces became noticeably more attentive.

"I wanted you to meet him because..." I glanced sideways at Jack before looking back into the camera. "He's my boyfriend."

Silence lasted no more than a heartbeat.

Dad exchanged a look with Mom before saying exactly one word.

"Finally."

Mom rolled her eyes affectionately.

"About time."

Emma practically bounced off the lounge.

"I knew it!"

I stared at all three of them.

"What now?"

Dad chuckled.

"We've suspected for quite a while but weren't sure."

"You never said anything to me. You never asked."

"No," Mom replied gently. "Because it wasn't our conversation to start."

Emma pointed triumphantly toward our parents.

"I've been telling them for ages."

"You've been guessing," Dad corrected with a smile.

"I was right."

"You were."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"So all this time..."

"We've watched you grow into a wonderful young man, Mason. Whether you brought home a future son or a daughter never mattered to us. We wanted you tell us because you were ready, not because you felt pushed," Mom answered.

Dad rested his coffee mug on the table.

"You've spent your whole life making difficult decisions under pressure. This wasn't one we were ever going to make for you."

The knot I'd carried in my stomach for years disappeared so completely I wondered why I'd been frightened at all.

"I honestly thought this call was going to be one of the hardest conversations I'd ever have."

Mom smiled warmly.

"The hardest part wasn't telling us. It was accepting yourself."

The relief flooding through me made it difficult to say anything for a few moments. I'd spent years imagining disappointment, confusion, perhaps even anger, yet the people who'd known me my entire life, who loved me the most, had accepted the truth with a few simple words and moved on as though nothing important had changed. In many ways, nothing had. I was still the same son and brother I'd always been. The only difference was that they finally understood why no girl had ever sparked my interest.