Page 75 of Robbin’ the Rich

I stared at the map spread across the table, at the tiny painted miniatures, at the character sheet I'd barely looked at all night.

"I want out of the church and all the family obligations that go along with it. I have for years, but I just don’t know what to do about it."

Saying it aloud felt strange. It was like I'd crossed some invisible line that I had only thought about.

"I don't believe what my family believes. I haven't for a long time." I swallowed and shook my head. "Every year it gets harder to pretend, to sit through sermons and conversations and church events and act like any of it feels right."

The confession settled heavily over the table. Nobody looked surprised. That should have been comforting, instead it was mildly insulting.

"You all knew?"

Jordan snorted. "Micah, you’re in the house of a gay couple. You married us for crying out loud. So, it’s not some big surprise that you don’t have the same beliefs as the people at your dad’s church. We know that because we know you… And Robin knows you too. You need to let her see all of you. Then she will see you just like we all do."

A reluctant smile tugged at my mouth. Then faded, because there was still one more truth waiting underneath everything else. One that scared me considerably more.

I leaned back in my chair and stared up at the ceiling. "I think Robin might actually make me brave enough to do it. I feel like I might be able to finally stand up to my family."

Nobody laughed. The seriousness of their expressions somehow made it worse, because now I had to keep talking.

"I can see it when I'm with her." My voice sounded quieter than before. "A life that doesn't revolve around Ascension. Where I'm not constantly trying to be who everyone else wants me to be. And I don't spend every Sunday feeling guilty for disappointing somebody."

The problem was that the woman I could suddenly imagine building that life with was also the person most likely to walk away once she learned the truth. I looked down at my hands and the dice I'd been absentmindedly rolling between my fingers all evening.

Then I exhaled slowly. "The thing is, I think there's a very real chance when I tell her who my father is she will leave, and it will all have been for nothing."

They were quiet for a long time until Nate finally spoke. "She might."

I looked up. He held my gaze steadily. "But it won’t have been for nothing. You have to do this for yourself, not for her."

The words landed with uncomfortable precision.

Every day I waited made the secret worse. Every day I delayed made Robin's trust more fragile, and I didn’t want to be that person.

By the time I left Nate and Jordan's house, it was well after ten. The campaign had continued after our conversation, but I'd spent most of the evening distracted. My character had nearly gotten the party killed twice, Eli had threatened to revoke my dice privileges, and Nate had spent the remainder of the session giving me meaningful looks every time I drifted off into thought.

All in all, a fairly typical Sunday.

Most of Briar Glen had settled in for the night, porch lights glowing warmly against the darkness. Normally, the drive would have helped clear my head. Tonight, I spent most of it replaying the conversation with my friends. Not because they'd told me anything I didn't already know. All they'd done was forced me to say it out loud. There was something uncomfortable about hearing your own thoughts spoken out loud. Ideas that felt manageable inside your head suddenly became real once they were given words. I couldn't pretend I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell Robin about my family.

The truth was simpler than that.

I was scared. Scared she would look at me and see Daniel Nottingham's son before she saw me. Scared that the trust we'd been building over the past month would disappear the moment she realized I'd been keeping something this important from her.

None of those fears changed what needed to happen. If anything, they made it more obvious.

I was so busy thinking about Robin that I almost missed the black Mercedes sitting in my driveway.

Fuck.

The car looked absurd parked in front of my modest little house. It belonged in the parking lot of Ascension Fellowship or outside one of the expensive restaurants my parents preferred these days. Under the glow of my porch light, it felt like something from another life entirely.

I parked beside it and sat there for a moment with both hands still on the steering wheel. Part of me considered backing out and driving somewhere else. I could leave just long enough for my father to get bored and leave. Unfortunately, my father never gave up when he believed he was right.

Sure enough, the front door of the Mercedes opened before I'd even killed the engine. My father stepped out and straightened his coat.

I closed my eyes briefly. Then I climbed out of my car.

"Hey Dad."