Whatever numbness or indecision he’d experienced in regards to his mother had just given way to a barrage of red-hot rage.
He walked to the restroom on wooden legs, then straight to the sink, where he splashed his face with cold water, fighting to calm down. He gave himself just a few minutes, not willing to leave Erin and Oliver alone with his mother for longer than that.
He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. It didn’t help.
Typically he was better at controlling his temper, but tonight…his blood was boiling, his jaw clenched, his shoulders tight. He felt the overwhelming urge to punch the wall.
Dammit.
No. No, he repeated to himself. He wasn’t going to give in to the anger, wasn’t going to lash out. Wasn’t going to be her.
He studied his reflection and fought to clear his mind of everything.
Once he’d managed to calm down, he left the restroom.
As he approached their table, he slowed down when he realized his mother was talking, and the outright anger in Oliver’s expression gave him reason to pause. Gavin was standing behind her, so she hadn’t seen him, didn’t realize he was close.
“…don’t know what your family did to him, but my son isn’t a fag like you. I’m back now, and I’m going to fix him. Even when he lived with you and those freaks you call parents, he never forgot me. Never. Gavin will always come back to me. Always. Because I’m the only one he’ll ever truly love.”
Gavin pulled out a handful of twenties and slapped them on the table next to his mother, causing her to jump in her seat.
“Come on,” he said to Oliver and Erin. “We’re leaving.”
Erin and Oliver didn’t hesitate to rise.
“Gavin,” Mom said, standing as well. It was apparent she hadn’t meant to be overheard. “Wait! Give me a minute to explain. You misunderstood.”
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t misunderstand a thing. But I’m going to explain some things to you, because this explanation is long overdue. You and I no longer have a relationship. Shit, we never had one to begin with. You manipulated, used, and abused me my entire childhood. I’m sorry for what happened to you. I really am. And I know there are some things that are off in your head, so maybe you can’t help how you are—but none of that means I have to stand by as a silent victim and take the shit you heap down on me.”
“Gavin, please!” Mom was crying, and while he wasn’t talking loudly, he could see they were attracting an audience from the nearby tables.
“You want to know what I consider the best night of my life? The night you cut my arm. Because that led me to the Collinses. To Ollie.” Gavin glanced at Oliver.
Oliver, his boyfriend, his foster brother, the best friend he’d ever had, gave him an encouraging nod and an understanding smile. “Don’t stop now. You’ve got this.”
“Those people,” Mom whispered. “The way they live. It’s not normal!”
Gavin laughed. “Jesus. Seriously? That’s not a good stone for you to throw, Cecilia.”
His mother winced as he used her real name. He would never call her Mom ever again.
He had a real mother, Lauren, who loved and supported him. That name was hers from this moment on.
“Gavin. You’re all I have,” she said through clenched teeth. “You can’t leave me.”
“Actually…” Gavin stretched out his hand to Erin, who took it and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
“Say it,” Erin prodded. “Don’t hold back. We’re here. We’re always going to be here.”
She’d stood next to him, offering the same quiet support as Oliver the whole time he’d spoken. Her words gave him the strength he needed.
He turned his attention back to his mother. “I can leave you. Because I’ve found a real family, one who builds me up rather than tearing me down, who supports me, cares for me. And I’ve got Erin and Ollie and a happy future, a lifetime of love and, God willing, a lot of kids. Kids who will never have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, never have to go to sleep afraid, never know what it feels like to be burned or beaten. I’ve got a full life now—and there’s no room for you in it.”
Before his mother could say anything else, Gavin reached out for Oliver, who took his free hand—Erin still clinging to the other—and the three of them walked toward the exit. He could feel the eyes of the restaurant’s patrons on them, but he didn’t care.
For the first time in his life, he was comfortable in his own skin. He was through with guilt, through with second-guessing everything.
The second they reached the sidewalk, Erin turned toward him, hugging him tightly. “That was awesome.”
Oliver tugged Gavin out of Erin’s arms to pull him into his. “You were amazing. You are amazing.” He backed that statement up with a kiss.
“Totally amazing,” Erin concurred.
“It’s over,” Gavin murmured, suddenly feeling empty. After so many years on a roller coaster of pain and emotion, he wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden lack of…everything.
“No, it’s not. It’s just the beginning,” Erin said, clasping his hand in hers as she pulled him toward the parking lot. Oliver matched them, step for step.
“So…” Oliver drawled. “Kids, huh?”
That damn goofy grin was back on his best friend’s face.
Gavin released his first steady breath since they walked into the restaurant, and rolled his eyes. “You can’t just let me have one thing without calling me on it, can you?” he joked. “Fine, Ollie. I was wrong about everything all those years ago. You, me, my sexuality, kids…your wild dreams.”
“They aren’t dreams anymore,” Oliver said, wrapping his arm around Gavin’s waist. “We’ve made them a reality.”
Oliver and Gavin kissed quickly as they reached the truck,
