Page 31 of The Paternity Puzzle
His father looked at Jo, and the couple exchanged so much with that single glance. It reminded Royce of the life he’d built with Sawyer. He turned and met warm, chocolate-brown eyes. Quicker than he could blink, Royce had expressed how hard he was trying, and Sawyer let him see his unabashed pride at Royce’s effort. A snarly growl interrupted the sweet moment when Jo tried to emphasize her support with a pat on Eddie’s shoulder.
“I’ll win you over, Dolly,” Jo vowed. “Just you wait and see.”
Sawyer approached Jo and extended his elbow. She looped her arm through his with a gracious smile. “This is how you treat people, Doll Doll. Notice I didn’t try to bite off a finger.”
“Dolly is pure Locke,” Eddie said. “It’s going to take a long time to retrain her bad habits.”
Sawyer and Jo laughed as they strode away, but Eddie wasn’t wrong. It was the entire reason Royce hadn’t wanted to submit his sperm for consideration.
Eddie peered into the trunk of Sawyer’s car with a raised brow. “Should I have brought something too?” He sounded unsure and embarrassed. That small display of vulnerability drew Royce closer to his father than any of Eddie’s previous past displays of toxic masculinity. “I asked Evangeline, but she told me not to worry about it. I really struggle to read social cues. Was that really a code for yes? Kind of like when a woman—er—partner tells you everything is fine when it’s definitely not?”
Royce chuckled and clapped Eddie’s shoulder. Dolly curled her lip as if to snarl, but Royce quelled her behavior with a single glare. “Evangeline is a straight shooter, Eddie. If she told you not to bring something, then she meant it. The Keys always make more food than necessary.”
Eddie gestured to the trunk. “Then what’s all this?”
Royce sighed, shook his head, and hoisted a massive tote with at least three types of Southern salads in there and one hoity-toity, super-healthy kind that probably only Sawyer would eat. “This is just my husband.”
Eddie shrugged and reached inside the trunk with his free hand to hoist an equally large bag holding desserts. “You lead,” he said.
Royce led him around the side of the house to the backyard, where the party was already in full swing. People chatted, sipped colorful beverages, and engaged in games on the expansive lawn stretching to the river. Royce turned to check Eddie’s reaction and was surprised to see an easy smile on his face. He followed his father’s gaze and smiled when Evangeline greeted Jo with a hug upon introduction. Royce nudged Eddie to get his attention and nodded toward the house. “Come on, Romeo.”
Eddie fell in step beside him and said, “I’m not a literary expert, but I’m almost positiveRomeo and Julietisn’t a love story.”
“It’s a tragedy,” Royce said.
“I want the love story.” Eddie halted suddenly, and Royce stopped too. “I want to be the kind of man Jo deserves.” He swallowed hard, and the color leached from his tan face. “To be the kind of man your mama deserved but didn’t get.”
Royce had talked to his father enough over the past few years to know Eddie deeply regretted many things about his life, and the way he treated the mother of his children topped the list. Believing Eddie wanted to change and trusting him to carry itout were two very different things. For the first time in decades, Royce believed Eddie might be capable of both aims. “I want that for you too, Eddie.” He continued to walk toward the house. “Jolene seems like a really nice lady.”
Dolly growled as deeply as a tiny dog could, and Eddie shushed her. Royce was pretty sure he heard his dad land a playful kiss on top of Dolly’s head.
“These bows,” Eddie said. “Does she have one for every holiday?”
“And season. I have a problem,” Royce admitted. “And that groomer recognizes a sucker when we waltz into her salon.”
“I’m sure she can use the support in this economy,” Eddie said. “It’s got to be rough owning a small business in this day and age. Between the DIY videos on YouTube and same-day delivery from Amazon, everyone thinks they’re an expert on everything, and they expect the tools to fuck shit up to arrive within hours.”
Royce nearly tripped over his feet when he stepped through the open atrium doors at the back of the house. He figured the price of gas and beer was the extent of Eddie’s economic knowledge, but his father had surprised him with thoughtful commentary. Royce had the sudden urge to explore Eddie’s opinion on other topics, but it wasn’t the time or place. There was one pressing thing he had to know, so after they dropped off the food in the kitchen, Royce led Eddie to a small sitting room that overlooked the backyard. Sawyer and Jo were still talking to Evangeline and Barron. Eddie watched their interactions for a beat too long because Dolly growled at him.
“Don’t be sassy,” Eddie gently scolded as he sat in a club chair that faced away from the windows.
“Pretty sure she was born that way,” Royce replied as he took a seat opposite his dad. “How’d you meet Jo?”
Eddie held his gaze long enough for the pause to feel awkward. Royce was a thousand percent sure he hadn’t pickedher up at one of his local haunts. “I met her at a PFLAG meeting.”
“A PFLAG meeting?” Royce repeated.
“Yeah, that’s what I said.” There wasn’t a hint of annoyance in Eddie’s voice. He sounded nervous instead. “It’s an organization for parents and allies of—”
“I know what PFLAG is, Eddie. I’m surprised to learn that you do. When did you become involved with the organization?”
Eddie puffed up his cheeks and huffed out an exhale while rubbing the back of his neck. “I went to my first meeting about five months ago. It was after our last argument.”
“The one where you disrespected my husband in his own home?” Royce hadn’t meant to raise his voice, but it occurred naturally when speaking to his father.
To his credit, Eddie remained calm and stroked his big hand over Dolly’s tiny back. Royce couldn’t tell if Eddie was comforting himself or the dog. “I didn’t mean to disrespect Sawyer—in his home or otherwise. You know I like him a lot. And I meant what I said earlier. The world would be a better place if we were all like Sawyer. I am sorry about what I said. I never meant to sound disapproving about you having kids with him. I think you’d make a wonderful dad. I just thought you didn’t want to have children.”
“That was true until I met Sawyer. Kids were always going to be a part of his future. I needed to get on board or let the train pull out of the station without me.” Royce thought back to the earlier days in his relationship with Sawyer when everything was so new and scary. He hadn’t known how they’d arrived at love or where they’d go next, but Royce had wanted Sawyer and would’ve done anything to make their relationship work. That meant a lot of healing and growing in ways that made Royce extremely uncomfortable at the time, but all the hard work became the tracks he laid so he could chug his way towarda beautiful life. “Eddie, you didn’t just express surprise that I wanted kids. You questioned why I hadn’t chosen an easier path since I’m bisexual. That’s the part where you disrespected my husband. There’s a lot of shit I’ll tolerate, Eddie, but never that. And it makes me question if you’ve ever truly known what love is.”