Page 25 of Promised Secret (Promises, Promises #3)
Chapter Twenty-One
DAN
When Clay told me about Atlas’ situation, I couldn’t shake off the concern for my friend, but I had full faith that Clay could protect him and figure out who was behind all this.
Until then, I’d try to convince Atlas to recruit Hector’s help.
It wasn’t that I didn’t think he could take care of himself, but why wouldn’t you want the extra help if you could have it?
Clay acted more clingy than usual after Atlas put in the report about his stalker. It was like he worried that since there was a stalker in town, he was going to end up targeting me as well.
Instead of my safety, I was more worried about our family dinner tonight.
It would be the first time the four of us would sit down together after Clay and I got together, and to say I was nervous was the understatement of the year.
Through the years, I’d learned how to act around Clay so I wouldn’t let anything slip. I kept my distance and my cool, but how was I supposed to do that now that I knew what Clay sounded like in the midst of pleasure?
How was I supposed to be around him and look like I didn’t want to kiss him?
I had to figure that out real quick, because before I knew it, we’d arrived at our parents’ home. They’d left the door unlocked for us as always, and the smell of chicken wafted in the air as soon as we entered.
“Is that my boys?” Sandra called from the kitchen.
I couldn’t help the grimace that came up every time she called us that. It was the reminder that, legally, she was my stepmom and Clay was my stepbrother.
What I was surprised at was Clay’s reaction. He stiffened beside me when he’d never had an issue with his mom calling us that before.
He found my hand and gave it a quick, reassuring squeeze before calling out, “Yeah, Mom. It’s Dan and me.”
He released my hand just as Sandra came out and pulled both of us into hugs. My lao-ba appeared moments later, wiping his hands with a towel. He swung the towel over his shoulder and clapped me on the shoulder in greeting.
It was the same as every other week. How could it feel like nothing had changed when everything was different now?
The smile I returned to my lao-ba was stiff.
Growing up, he led by example and taught me that family was the most important thing in this world, and now I couldn’t help but feel like I was betraying his teachings.
So, while he beamed at seeing all four of us together, I shrank back and pretended like nothing was wrong. It was what I was best at.
The four of us moved to the kitchen and finished getting dinner ready. Clay and I weren’t expert cooks, but we knew how to follow directions. On the other hand, my lao-ba and Sandra moved around the kitchen like it was second nature.
Sandra tsked when she saw the uneven potatoes Clay cut up.
“You’ve been around the kitchen long enough that you think you would’ve learned through osmosis or something,” she said with a shake of her head.
“What are you going to do when you find a nice girl and settle down? Don’t tell me you’re going to make her cook every meal? ”
“Keep stirring or the sauce will burn.” My lao-ba nudged me when he saw me freeze. I stirred the pot robotically, but my entire focus was on Clay and Sandra.
“We can just eat out. Dan and I survive just fine without cooking,” Clay responded, but his mom didn’t seem satisfied with that answer.
“I doubt your future wife will want to eat out for every meal,” she muttered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Clay’s tight grip on the knife. There was a stiffness in him that told me her statement bothered him as much as it did me.
Lao-ba continued humming a soft tune while he prepped the salad, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.
When Clay didn’t respond, Sandra sighed.
She bumped Clay’s hip to nudge him out of the way and took over the chopping.
She didn’t stop her expert chopping as she continued, “If you really don’t want to learn how to cook, I won’t force you, but you need to start thinking about the future, Clay.
Jessica is a perfectly nice girl, so I just can’t understand why you won’t give her a chance? ”
Sandra’s rhythmic chopping and the bubbling sauce in front of me were the only sounds in the kitchen for a second.
I had a feeling the blind date would be a topic of conversation at dinner tonight, but I had no idea it’d make an appearance before we even got to the dining table.
Clay crossed his arms. “I told you I didn’t want to be set up,” he grumbled, and Sandra glared at him. Clay sighed. “Look, Mom. Have you ever considered that maybe I don’t want to get married? That maybe I don’t wanna be with a woman?”
I didn’t even pretend like I could stay calm anymore. Thankfully, the sauce was thick enough to be ready, so I turned off the burner and placed the pot on a nearby trivet.
I turned around just in time to see Sandra’s scowl turn into concern. She placed the knife down and wiped her hands with her apron. I might have imagined it, but I swore she glanced my way with a panicked look in her eye, but she focused back on Clay too quickly for me to be sure.
Lao-ba stopped humming and was paying attention to the mother-son interaction now as well. Those dark eyes of his were so similar to mine, but I couldn’t decipher his thoughts.
“What are you saying? That you like men?” Sandra asked, looking a little pale. My lao-ba must have noticed too because he immediately went to her side and wrapped a safe arm around her waist. She leaned into his embrace.
Clay shrugged casually, but his fists were clenched on either side of his body. I wanted to go to his side and comfort him just like my lao-ba had for his partner, but I knew it would only raise questions if I did.
Sandra’s lips formed a smile, but anyone could see it was stiff and unnatural.
“That’s more than fine! How about I introduce you to my friend’s son?
I heard he broke up with his ex-boyfriend last year and is just getting back into dating.
He’s a lovely boy. I’m sure you’ll like him.
Or how about our neighbor’s cousin? You’ve seen him around before.
He’s a few years older than you, and I’ve seen him dating men around town. Don’t you think he’s handsome?”
Sandra’s words came out fast and choppy. Her knuckles were white from where she gripped Lao-ba’s forearm, and there was a crazed look in her eye.
“There’s no rush, Sandra. The boys will find their person in their own time,” my lao-ba said, but she didn’t look comforted. Then, she looked over at me, and the panic there was clear as day.
Certain moments from the past suddenly came to mind. How Sandra tried to persuade Clay to live at the dorms during college instead of off campus. She’d been so against Clay living with me.
Then, when Clay and I returned to Kither Springs, it was a similar situation. When we told them we’d found a place to rent, she insisted we both move back home.
She’d eventually dropped the matter, but until now, I never knew why she’d been so against Clay and me living together.
She knew.
She didn’t want us alone together because she knew I was in love with her son.
Sandra was never the forceful type, so she was acting really out of character as she continued to push, “I heard there’s a matchmaker in town. How about—”
“Mom, stop,” Clay interrupted her, probably having had enough. His eyes flicked to mine for a brief second before he faced Sandra. “I’m already in love with someone else.”
My heart was pounding so hard inside my chest that I could probably pass out from the impact. Sandra looked horrified while Lao-ba beamed.
“That’s great! When are you going to introduce him to us?
” my lao-ba said. By how genuinely happy he seemed about this news, I guessed he didn’t have the same concerns as Sandra.
My lao-ba was one of the smartest men I knew, but he could be dense when it came to matters of the heart.
He probably never even suspected me of being in love with my stepbrother.
Sandra shook her head hard, like she was trying to delude herself. “No, no, no. You’re probably just confused. If you’d just meet new people, date around, and expand your horizons, you’ll realize you’ve mistaken your love for being romantic when it isn’t.”
“Sandra, where is all this coming from?” my lao-ba asked, surprise clearly written on his face. Sandra had never spoken like this before. She always tried her best to support us—Clay and me—in our endeavors, so it made sense that my lao-ba was shocked by her sudden outburst.
Sandra looked my way again, but she nibbled on her bottom lip instead of answering him. It looked like she wasn’t going to spill my secret.
Clay looked between me and his mom, and I suspected he was fitting the pieces together as well. He sighed and looked a little defeated.
All my worries from throughout the years came rushing forward. This was what I’d been afraid of ever since finding out my lao-ba and Clay’s mom were together. I’d pushed my feelings for Clay down, ignoring the pain of suppressing them, all to avoid this right here.
“I love him, Mom,” Clay said calmly. “And that’s never going to change.”
He wasn’t coming out and telling them he loved me, but my belly fluttered nevertheless. The fluttering lasted only for a second, then turned into an entirely unpleasant sinking feeling.
“You can either accept it, or I’ll leave,” Clay stated.
Sandra’s face fell, too. “Are you saying…”
Clay took a deep breath, then confirmed, “If it really comes to it, I’m ready to leave.”
“Now hold on. Why don’t we all take a breath and talk this over calmly?” my lao-ba tried to reason, but I didn’t think anyone was listening.
I certainly wasn’t. Not when the ground was falling from underneath me. I probably looked as horrified as Sandra did right at that moment.
“You’re right. Let’s all take a step back and call it a night,” Clay replied. He walked toward me and grabbed my wrist.
I was still too stunned to react, so I could only let myself be dragged away. Sandra’s frantic calling followed us through the living room, but she didn’t follow us. My lao-ba probably stopped her.
I didn’t dare look back at them. I couldn’t witness their disappointment or face the damage I’d caused.
A crack had appeared in our happy little family dynamic, and it was all my fault.