Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“It’s in the past. You’re home now, and that’s what matters.” She leans back. “Look at you! So handsome. Isn’t he handsome, Dusty?”
“So hot,” I tease. My dad chuckles, then makes his way over to Morgan too.
“Good to see you again, son.” Dad hugs him next.
“You too.”
“I’m not going to call you handsome, though,” Dad jokes, the four of us getting a good laugh out of it. They’re so fucking great. I know how much I lucked out in the parents department. All I have to do is look at Morgan to know how bad it can be.
“It smells good in here,” Mom says.
The four of us sit in the living room and talk. Mom and Dad grill Morgan about his life in Santa Monica and what he’s been doing the last ten years. It’s not hard to notice everything he says revolves around work, business functions, and things like that. What does Morgan do for fun? He doesn’t talk about hiking, or camping, or hell, the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the Santa Monica Pier.
He does mention his friend Spencer and the work he does at the LBGTQ Center in Santa Monica. In a lot of ways, he feels like the only bright spot in Morgan’s world there.
Eventually, dinner is done, and we sit down at the table, plates filled with meat, potatoes, and carrots.
We’re halfway through the meal, me laughing at something Morgan says, when Mom speaks. “I missed seeing the two of you together. It does my heart good. I can’t tell you how many times I would just watch the two of you play, or listen to you giggle half the night, and I’d just smile.”
“There’s always been a special connection between them,” Dad adds. “It felt like I had two sons…though judging by the way the two of you have been looking at each other all night, I’m assuming that’s probably not the best way to put it.”
Mom and Dad chuckle.
“Morgan can still be like a son to you.” Mom winks our way.
“Do you know what you’re going to do here? For work?” Dad asks, then scoops another bite into this mouth.
My throat tightens, words struggling to break free. Heaviness weighs down the air around us as my parents wait for a response.
“Actually, I’m going to California with Morgan at the end of the summer.”
Dad frowns. “What do you mean?”
Morgan reaches over and takes my hand, holding it on top of the table. “Dusty has agreed to move to California with me. I know it’s surprising and will take some getting used to, but we love each other and want to be together. We’ll come back often. I’ll organize things at work—whatever I have to do.” He looks at me. “We lost so much time. And I know that’s my fault. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused all of you, but I promise I’ll make up for it.”
“I can always come home,” I say. “But I’ve spent my whole life here. I’m curious what it’s like somewhere else. All I know is Birchbark. There’s a whole world out there to see.”
Neither of my parents speaks right away. They share a look.
“What about the shop?” Dad asks.
“I trust Easton. And I’ll also hire someone else with experience. Like Morgan said, we’ll come back often. Sometimes I might come back without him.”
The worry is clear in the wrinkles around their eyes, in the set of their mouths, the way they’re now holding hands like Morgan and I are.
“I’ll do what I can too,” Dad finally says. I didn’t expect any other kind of response from them. This is just how they are.
“I can’t pretend I’m not going to miss you like crazy. How will I survive without my favorite person? But we support the two of you and want you to be happy.”
The tension inside me eases.
“I want to make him happy. I have so much to make up for,” Morgan says, voice soft and full of emotion. I take him in, his dark scruff and brown eyes, the perfect bow shape of his mouth. It damn near stops my heart.
“I’ll make you a list,” I joke before I get too mushy at the table with my folks.
“You brat,” Morgan counters, but leans over and presses a kiss to my lips. That simple touch makes everything okay.
Dinner is slightly awkward after that, but we finish eating, and then Mom insists on helping clean up. We share more laughs, Mom and Dad talking about work and life, before Dad says, “We should probably head out.”
When Mom wraps her arms around me in a hug, her voice is low, mouth close to my ear when she asks, “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure about everything when it comes to him.” I can’t get any more honest than that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Morgan
We take County Road 550 toward Big Bay. I was probably a teenager the last time I’d been to Yellow Dog Falls, so it’s been on our list of things to do before we leave the UP.