Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
An umpf escaped me when Mom came out of nowhere and threw her arms around me. I wasn’t a big guy—small bones, sinewy, and only five eight, so basically the definition of the twink badge I wore proudly. I kept myself in shape, though, and was proud of my strong, lean muscles.
“You almost took me out,” I teased, hoping it pulled a smile out of her. Mom was only about an inch shorter than me, but she’d come at me full force when I wasn’t expecting it.
“Arnold cheated on me!” Her voice was full of tears. “I walked in on him having sex with someone else. Why me? Why does this always happen to me?”
I wrapped my arms around her and held her while she cried, right there on the crowded sidewalk while I was sweaty and almost naked. She didn’t care. Mom’s emotions were running high—that was nothing new, especially when it came to men—and if I didn’t hold her right then and there or suggested we should go somewhere else, she would think I didn’t love her or that I wasn’t supporting her.
Mom and I had a complicated relationship. We were close, always had been. She’d had me when she was seventeen, and we basically grew up together, struggling along the way. The difference was, in some regards she still had a lot of growing up to do. Growing up I’d already done, and by that, I mostly meant where men were concerned.
Mom fell in love with every guy she met, always getting her heart broken. I learned my lessons from her and wasn’t going to fall in love or settle down for anything in the world.
“He’s a dick,” I told her. “I always thought he was a dick. All men are dicks. Well, except me. I’m the best.”
I relaxed slightly when she chuckled, but then she said, “I thought he was special.”
She always thought that. She could know them for ten minutes, and she would decide they were unique. She’d hand them her heart on a silver platter, then come to me when they destroyed it. Things had been that way my whole life, and unfortunately, I didn’t see that ever changing.
I rubbed my hand up and down her back. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“I surprised him. I went to his apartment. The door wasn’t locked. They were fucking right there on the couch. He asked if I wanted to join them.”
“Ouch. I mean, if he wanted a threesome, he could have asked ahead of time. They can be fun.” Most people would think how I talked to my mom was weird, but it was just us. Like I said, we’d always been close. No matter what, we’d always been there for each other. She’d always accepted me for who I am, even when I was young and it was very obvious I was queer as fuck. She hadn’t let anyone give me shit, and even if it broke her heart, if a boyfriend was an asshole about me, she kicked them to the curb.
She tried her best to take care of my heart. She was just shit at taking care of her own, so I tried to help when I could.
Things hadn’t always been easy. Her emotional outbursts used to embarrass me as a kid, and there were times when I wanted to do other things instead of helping her mend after her newest tragedy, but we were a team, she and I. We always would be.
“Do you want to stay at my place tonight?” I asked. “We can drink wine and eat ice cream and talk about how all men except me suck—and not in the fun way.”
She pulled back and wiped her eyes. Her mascara was running, giving her raccoon eyes. “You shouldn’t have to ruin your night to take care of me. You probably have places to go after work or boys to bring home instead.”
The thing was, I knew she wanted to stay at my apartment. If she hadn’t, she would have gone home instead of coming here. When Mom felt hurt, she couldn’t be alone, so it was either finding another guy or coming to me.
“Nah, there’s no one in there I want tonight anyway.”
“If you’re sure…”
“Yep.”
“This is the last time. I promise you. I’m done with men. I’m staying single or…I don’t know. Maybe I’ll become a lesbian.”
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, a lesbian isn’t something you can become at will. You either are or you aren’t.”
“Well, let’s just say I’m open,” she replied, and I chuckled.
“Come in while I finish up.”
She nodded, and I led her into the club.
I found an empty spot for her at the bar, then made my way to Dane. “Hey, man, that’s, um…that’s my mom. Can you keep an eye on her for me?”
He frowned slightly but agreed. Jesse would have questions later, I was sure.