Page 80 of Dibs
“Tyler?”
He didn’t respond.
“Hey.” I rested my hand on his shoulder. “Please talk to me.”
It was killing me that my son was struggling, but I didn’t know how to help him because he was shutting me out.
He lifted his head, and he had tears streaming down his face. I leaned down and wrapped him in a hug.
“Why doesn’t Mom love us?” he cried into my shoulder.
Fuck. I may not have liked Lisa in the past, but right then, I truly hated her. My sons were hurting, and it was all her fault. I didn’t want Tyler to feel that way.
“Your mom loves you, but she’s also selfish.” I stood and took the seat next to him. I’d spent fourteen years being careful not to say anything bad about his mother, but I’d rather he knew that about her than believe she didn’t love him.
“She won’t love me once she knows the truth.”
My brow furrowed. “The truth about what?”
His body shook with each breath he took. “I’m scared.”
Worry prickled under my skin, but I tried to reassure him. “Son, you can tell me anything.”
He sniffled and looked down at his feet. “I’m … gay.”
At first, I wasn’t sure if I had heard him correctly, and I was tempted to ask him if that was all. Obviously, given who I was in a relationship with, he didn’t need to worry about my reaction. Then it dawned on me. He hadn’t been upset about what Miguel and Lisa said because I was dating Chase. Maybe that was part of it, but he’d been crushed because the hate his mom was spouting affected him directly.
“Hey.” I waited for him to look at me. “I’m so proud of you. I know the situation with your mom has been really hard, and I understand why you’ve been struggling. Unfortunately, we can’t control her thoughts or words, but I hope you know I will always love and support you.”
“Thanks, Dad.” He lifted his T-shirt and wiped his face. “I love you too.”
We sat together in silence for a couple of minutes before I asked, “Just out of curiosity, what’s the story with that girl Quinn you’ve been talking to?”
He chuckled, and it was the best sound I’d ever heard. “Quinn’s a boy.”
“Seriously?”
“When Dylan said I was talking to my girlfriend, I just played along. It was before you and Chase started dating. I wasn’t sure how you would react to the news, and Mom was being … how she is. It was easier to let you guys think Quinn was a girl.”
I couldn’t argue with his reasoning, although I was a little bummed he had been unsure of my reaction. But I also understood how it was only human to come up with worst-case scenarios.
“Does anyone else know?” I asked.
He nodded. “A couple of my friends know, and I’m not keeping it a secret, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
If he’d asked me, I would have kept it a secret for however long he needed me to, but I was relieved he felt confident enough in who he was to open up about it. I also hoped that given my own relationship, he felt as though I wouldn’t judge him. I wished he would have come to me sooner though, because I hated knowing he had been hurting for so long.
I gave him another squeeze and stood to go back inside. Tyler and I must have been outside longer than I realized because I could see Chase sitting on the couch watching TV with his kids and Dylan. And through the kitchen window, I saw Jamie pulling a stack of plates from the cabinet.
“Things with your mom may not be great right now, but I want you to look inside for a moment.” I pointed and he glanced through the sliding glass door. “You have five people in there who love you and want you to be happy.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
* * *
The last severalweeks had been nothing short of amazing. After Tyler and I talked, I could tell an enormous weight had been lifted from him. He smiled more and didn’t hide away in his room all the time.
