Page 8 of Roll With The Punches

He got into the truck and followed them out of the parking lot, turning the opposite way to return to work. It took him less than ten minutes to fix the tire, and he was able to fit one more repair job into his day before knocking off for the evening to head home.

When he arrived, he parked in his usual spot and went to go get Emma’s keys from her so he could change the tire. When he opened the door, a delicious aroma hit him.

“Wow, what’s for dinner?”

“I made your favorite meatloaf.” She and Grace were busy in the kitchen.

“Thanks, but how’d I get so lucky?”

“For rescuing us this afternoon. We really appreciate it.”

“I need your keys so I can swap the tire.”

“Can I help? I want to learn how to do it.”

“Sure.”

Both she and Grace followed him outside. Grace watched while Jeff talked Emma through the process. She had a little trouble loosening the lug nuts, but once he showed her how to stand on the tire iron handle to break them loose, she was able to get them.

After the tire was replaced, he’d double-checked that the lug nuts were tight enough, and the spare, jack, and tire iron were stowed in the trunk, he offered her a high-five.

“Good job, kiddo.”

“Wait’ll Dad hears about this,” she said.

“You didn’t tell him yet?”

“I didn’t want to bug him since you were able to help us.”

“Eh, shoot him a text, please. I know it’s fine, but it’s a courtesy.”

“I will.”

He headed inside to shower and change, his stomach growling from the delicious aroma of meatloaf. Emma was a damn good cook, for sure. Grace, too. Plenty of times that summer the three men had arrived home to find the girls had prepared them a nearly gourmet feast as they experimented in the kitchen.

It was already difficult to remember what life had been like before he lived with Brandon and Stuart. His family had accepted the situation, even though he could tell his parents didn’t understand it.

Not about him being gay, that they’d had no problem with when he’d come out to them and his sister not long after graduating from high school. His parents were open-minded, and had likewise accepted his sister’s boyfriend, who was black, without hesitation.

But Jeff having two partners…that had thrown them for a little bit of a loop.

Fortunately, when they’d learned that Stuart’s parents had reacted badly when he’d come out, they’d stepped up and welcomed him as part of the family.

Emma having friends in school whose parents were also poly—and ironically fellow members of the Suncoast Society—had made acceptance a non-issue to her. They loved each other. They were a family. She didn’t care her dad had two guys instead of one.

They weren’t Pat, or like Pat.

To her, that was a total win.

The girls were sitting at the kitchen table with textbooks spread out around them when he walked in. “I might have to sneak a few bites of that meatloaf now. I’m starving.”

“There’s some fruit salad in the fridge,” Emma told him. “Snack on that. It’s healthy.”

He shot her a smirk. “Trying to watch out for me, huh?”

“Someone has to watch out for you three. You’d all be living on Chinese takeout and pizza if it wasn’t for us.”

He started to argue with her…except she was right.