Page 31 of The Sinner's Son
“I’m sorry to hear it. Is there anything I can do?” It was strange for Eddie to offer his help and even stranger for him to mean it.
“Not really, but thank you.” He turned to Sal, who watched them with a smile on his face. “I’m sure you prefer this encounter to the one where Eddie and I got into an argument in your store.” It had happened after Royce came out as bisexual.
Sal chuckled. “For sure. Is there anything I can help you find?”
“I need to replace a circulation pump on a dishwasher.”
Sal didn’t bother telling him which aisle he needed since Royce knew the store almost as well as he did. Eddie and Sal resumed their conversation when he walked away, their voices a pleasant hum that followed him through the store. Royce didn’t pay attention to what they said as he compared the available pump models. But then Sal urgently called his name, and Royce immediately abandoned his search to jog toward the front of the store.
“Ed, do you want me to call an ambulance?” Sal asked anxiously.
Royce pumped his legs harder and rounded the endcap at a dead run. Eddie’s cup lay on the linoleum floor with a puddle of coffee around it. His dad leaned over the counter with one hand braced against the surface and the other clutching his chest. “Christ, Eddie. What’s wrong?” Royce slammed on the brakes, but not before his shoes slipped in the spilled coffee, making him plow into the counter with a loud bang. “Is it a heart attack?”
“No,” Eddie wheezed. “Acid reflux.”
“People mistake heart attacks for acid reflux or heartburn all the time,” Sal said. “Let’s be safe and call an ambulance.”
“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” Eddie said, waving off the concern as stubbornly as ever. But then he grunted as if the pain intensified. “Well, maybe Royce can drive me.”
Sal reached under the counter and pulled out a value-sized bottle of antacid tablets. “It’s probably the coffee. I bought some high-octane stuff off the internet. Chew some of these and see if it helps.” Sal shook several tablets into Eddie’s upturned palm.
With his heart in his throat, Royce assessed his dad’s vitals as best he could while Eddie crunched the antacids. His pulse was slightly elevated, but nothing too severe, and his breathing was steady. He could use emergency lights and sirens to get Eddie to the hospital fast, but he didn’t have a medic riding along to render first aid if Eddie lost consciousness. “Did the antacids help?”
“A little,” Eddie said, rubbing his chest. “But I think you should still take me.” That settled it. Eddie was scared shitless.
And so, Royce was too. “Let’s go.”
“Keep me posted,” Sal called after them.
“Will do,” Royce replied.
Eddie settled into the vehicle, reclining the seat back a little to get more comfortable.
“Seat belt on,” Royce said as he backed out of his parking spot. “And don’t you dare fucking die.”
Eddie chuckled, but it turned into a groan. “Don’t want bad juju in your fancy SUV?”
“No, jackass. I love you, and I just started to enjoy spending time with you.” Powerful emotions rose to the surface, but Royce couldn’t afford to give in to them. He stopped at a red light and looked over at Eddie, who watched him with a shocked expression on his face. Yeah, Royce couldn’t remember the last time he told his dad he loved him either. “And I have exciting news, but I’m not supposed to share it until the Labor Day party.”
Eddie grimaced and rubbed his chest. “Maybe you should tell me now. Just in case.”
“Fuck that, Eddie. You’re too ornery to die.” But how many people had thought that before and were proved wrong? Damn it. “I fathered a child you need to meet.”
“Does Sawyer know?” Eddie asked.
Royce risked a glance and caught him smiling. “Not cool.”
“Sorry. Please don’t stop talking to me. It just sounded like you were making a confession, and shouldn’t that be my job if I’m on my deathbed?” He patted the leather seat. “At least this is a comfortable place to take my last breath.”
“Fuck that and fuck you, Eddie.” But Royce’s mouth quirked at the corners. “And yes, Sawyer knows. He was holding the sterile cup when I jerked off into it.”
Eddie winced, but Royce knew it had nothing to do with his medical condition. “I deserved that.”
“Hell yeah, you did.”
“And to be really clear, I would’ve been uncomfortable hearing that no matter who held the sterile cup. Parents don’t like to think their kids have sex.”
“Fair enough,” Royce said. “Kids feel the same about their parents.” Eddie got an ornery gleam in his eyes, and Royce worried his dad was about to say something that no amount of therapy could cure. “Don’t make me pull this car over, Eddie.”