Page 50 of Irreconcilable Attractions (Westwend Boys #1)

Colton

Derek’s hand sat comfortably on my leg as we drove over the bridge separating the town.

Seeing it had a smirk rising to my face at the reminder that Derek believed there were factions based on this old hunk of concrete.

White fluffy clouds floated along in the blue sky above us as we made our way toward my parents’ place.

It was the first weekend after Derek returned from his trip seeing his family, which meant the summer had officially come to a close.

The streets once again were barren except for the few Westwendian residents that meandered along.

It probably looked eerie to Derek, who’d yet to live through an off season here.

There would still be some straggler tourists who’d pop in and out for the remaining warm months, but it’d look nothing like it had when schools were out of session.

I found myself waiting for a sense of dread to seep over me as we turned onto my parents’ street, but nothing came.

My brain should have been stewing over all the ways our meeting could go wrong, but surprisingly, I found myself grounded.

There had been a warm sense of security that had blanketed me the night Derek had returned from seeing Lucy.

And while I might have just been feeding off his confident energy, it felt like more than that.

Love didn’t fix people, but damn did it make dealing with what life threw at you easier.

There was something comforting in knowing that another person was willing to choose to go through the thick and thin of it with you.

For you. That the feelings you shared together made both of you stronger to face any obstacle.

Like announcing to your father you were dating his employee and living with him full-time.

Taking a slow breath through my nose and letting it out my mouth, I studied the home I’d grown up in as we pulled up the curb.

The wrap-around porch held so many memories for both Derek and I.

They may have been vastly different, but it was strange to realize this home had been the foundation for both our lives here in Westwend.

It was just another reminder that we fit together in ways neither of us could have predicted.

A soft squeeze to my thigh had me looking back toward the man I loved. “You ready to go in?” He asked.

I gave him a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Stepping out of the car, the heat hung heavy. I groaned softly, knowing the high humidity and temperatures were going to have me sweating through my deodorant just on the short walk to the door.

We made our way down the walkway, up the porch steps, and to the front door, where Derek laced his fingers through mine to give my hand a quick, firm squeeze.

Our eyes locked and the look on his face told me he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

A smile spread over my face, the same one mirrored on his.

Everything was going to be fine, one way or another.

Derek dropped my hand as we made our way into the cool entry hall of my parents’ home.

The smell of freshly baked cookies hung thick in the air, and I greedily took it in.

My mother had always been an incredible baker, but her cookies were one of my favorite treats growing up.

There were dense, indulgent orbs of pure love that had made even the hardest days just a touch better.

The sweet aroma enveloping the space had every warm childhood memory flooding back to me.

At the sound of the door closing, my mother’s blonde head popped from around the corner to the kitchen. A moment later, she came out, wiping her hands on a small dish towel.

“Charlie, the boys are here!” She called over her shoulder, then turned back to us, a large grin plastered on her face.

Her blue doe eyes scanned over both of us inquisitively as she greeted us with sugary, sweet hugs and tender welcomes.

My heart squeezed watching my mom hug Derek so affectionately.

I wanted this to be a sight I saw every holiday, get together, and family event.

After a moment, she motioned us into the living room while she grabbed the plate of cookies.

Entering into the space had my back stiffening.

The way my father stood, poised and staring out through the window overlooking the backyard seemed ominous.

When he turned back to face us, he was holding a glass of whiskey and my mind reeled again.

One of these things did not match the others.

His stance was intimidating with his shoulders squared back and his chest puffed, and he held an unusually blank expression on his face.

While my father was a good Southern man, formality was not something adhered to in his home.

Clients and guests alike were introduced to his carefree, kicked back style when they passed through his front doors, which made this whole situation beyond weird.

Tension was slowly creeping into my shoulders and I ached to hold Derek’s hand again.

“Come, sit boys. Ellie will be in shortly.” My father motioned to the loveseat across from where he stood. He swirled the dark amber liquid in his crystal tumbler absently.

Derek and I exchanged a glance, both of us clearly picking up on how differently my father was acting, but took our places as requested. Just as we situated ourselves, my mother came in, holding a large platter of chocolate chip cookies that were still steaming.

“Now, be careful, they just came out of the oven so they’ll fall apart if you take one, but I know how much you love them pipin’ hot, Colton.” She gushed, setting the tray down on the coffee table between us and neatly situating herself into a seat near my father.

She looked expectantly between all of us, clearly ready to discuss whatever had brought us over today.

Without much preamble, Derek took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine and situating them pointedly on my thigh.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush, Charlie.” He started, addressing my father with his shoulders pulled back. “You know I’m not good at that sort of thing.”

My father’s eyes dropped to our hands before he glanced at my mother, who had done a similar motion. When they both looked back at us, my father motioned with his glass for Derek to continue.

“I’m not here to ask for permission. I’m in love with your son and we’ve decided that we’re going to continue living together.

It’s unconventional, and I’m sure people in town will have a lot to say about it, but he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

I want to continue building our lives together, here in Westwend, regardless of what people think.

But, I think I can speak for both of us—” Derek’s eyes cut to mine for a moment, full of so much determination and affection.

“—that having your support would mean a lot to us. Both of you have done so much for us, in different ways, which is why we wanted to tell you before we made our relationship public.”

I could tell Derek was holding his breath, the same way I was, as I glanced back toward my parents.

My mom was holding a hand over her chest, her blue eyes watery with unshed tears.

My father still wore that blank expression which had my nerves fraying at the edges.

Any semblance of calm I thought I had walking into this room was slowly slipping away as the silence hung between us.

Derek’s hand tightened around mine, probably sensing I needed the reminder—we were a team and he had me, no matter what.

After what felt like an eternity of my father staring Derek down, his attention shifted to me. “That all true?”

Something about the weight of our hands locked on my thigh, and the reassuring presence beside me had me sitting up straighter as I addressed my father. “Yes.” My voice was steadier than I’d thought it would be, which made me feel more empowered. “Everything Derek said is true.”

“Do you love him?”

“I do.” There was no hesitation.

For a moment, my father stared back at me with the green eyes he’d passed on to me. Then a grin grew slowly on his face, his mustache bouncing as a booming laugh burst from his chest.

He quickly rounded the chair my mother was sitting in, who was openly dabbing at her eyes now, making his way to the cabinet that held all the decanters and glassware for his liquor.

He plucked two crystal tumblers from within, poured a healthy amount of whiskey into both, before dropping them onto the coffee table before us.

He clinked his glass against them before throwing back the little amount he had left.

“Hoo-wee!” He bellowed, standing up tall. “Damn, I surprise even myself sometimes.” He glanced at my mother over his shoulder. “Ellie, I think I need to take up match makin’ when I retire.”

“I won’t lie boys, I was starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen, seeing how y’all tiptoed around each other.

I told Ellie—tell ‘em I told you—” He motioned back toward my mom whose blonde head bobbed rapidly in confirmation.

“—that I was starting to think maybe I’d gotten it wrong somewhere, but here y’all are, and I couldn’t be more pleased as punch!

” He dropped heavily into his chair beside my mother, kicking his feet up onto the table.

I could feel my jaw hitting the floor and my brain was scrambling to keep up with whatever… that just was. One glance at Derek’s face confirmed we were firmly in the same confused boat.

“Come again?” Derek asked, finding his voice sooner than I did.

“Yeah, what the fuck?” I echoed.

“Language.” My mother tsk’d and I shot my freehand toward her husband. My father just bellowed another loud laugh, throwing his head back as it rocked his entire body.

“The whole reason I had you put Derek up for the summer was because I was hoping you two would end up together. Ever since I met the boy, I knew he’d be good for you!

I said ‘ That man would be perfect for Colton ’, so when he’d agreed to work for me, I got him out here as soon as possible.

I wasn’t sure the timing would end up working out, but the good Lord was on my side yet again!

Oh, my papa heart couldn’t be fuller!” He snickered, putting a hand over his chest and sounding far too much like some elderly women here in town.

My conversation with Bailey came rushing back to me, and I groaned realizing how blind I’d been to all of my father’s meddling.

“I’m just so happy!” My mother practically bounced out of her seat and had me looking over. “You two are just so sweet together. We were wondering when you’d be coming to see us, especially after all the dates you’ve had.”

“Dates?!” I squawked.

She flapped a hand, “Yes, dates. You can’t tell me your little basketball games were just games. Plus, we all heard about you skipping out on work early to take him out to Darby’s Wish for that meteor shower. It sounded very romantic!”

“I’m sorry, are you having me followed?” I felt like my eyes were bugging out of my head as they bounced between my parents.

“No, of course not!” My mother seemed scandalized at the idea but I wouldn’t put it past them at this point.

“Mrs. Anderson saw you picking him up and said he looked very nice that night. Leigh-Anne Adams, from my gardening club, you know her son Steven was in your grade? Anyway, she apparently went out to Darby’s Wish that night thinking it would be a good spot for watching the meteor shower and had heard y’all’s music.

She said she saw y’all dancing and decided to turn back. ”

I’d been surprised the swimming pool had been so devoid of people that night, but I’d figured it was a stroke of luck no one else had come by. Groaning, I pinched the bridge of my nose. All this sneaking around, and for what?

“Can I just point out that Derek thought he was straight when he moved here?” I said, a little annoyed my father thought he had just gay fairy god-mothered us into a relationship.

My father scoffed, “Well, he was wrong, wasn’t he?”

I wanted to argue and defend that the whole thing was fucked up but, beside me, Derek was chuckling lowly, putting my mind at ease that he wasn’t horrified by any of this. Taking a slow sigh, I shook my head, and smiled at my parents.

“You had me convinced you were firing Derek on the spot when we first came in. Just for that, I’m taking all the cookies with me.” My father shot forward, fumbling with his glass to snag a cookie off the tray, making a truly happy laugh bubble up from me.

“I wouldn’t be firing him over something like this, even if it wasn’t my idea. This town is too small for you not to be involved with someone that’s related to someone else. One way or another, it’d all tie back.” He shrugged, stuffing his mouth.

After that, we sat around talking for a while until all the cookies on the tray were gone.

Neither Derek nor I touched the whiskey, so my father ended up tossing them back himself.

By the time we were walking out the door, he was practically sobbing about how happy he was that his ‘baby boy was in love with a good man’.

“Fuck, he is a mess and a half.” I muttered once the door was shut and we were on the way to Derek’s car. “Are you sure you want to put up with that?”

He looked so intensely beautiful in the late afternoon sunlight, his hands in his pockets as he looked back at me. He let out a slow chuckle, “For you? I’d do anything.”

My heart swelled, love threatening to burst the organ open at the seams. I didn’t know how I’d lucked out having this man feel the same as me, but I was never going to take it for granted.

Closing the distance between us in a few short strides, I cupped his jaw to press a firm kiss against his lips.

I used it to convey every emotion I’d never be able to properly express out loud.

His lips pressing back against mine felt like a promise.

One filled with a future we’d both share in this town.

Because in our kiss, I saw it all—marriage, a bigger house, kids, growing old together.

It was like my future was laid out before me and I saw all the summer days and winter nights, loving this man with every cell in my body.