Ethan (Alluring Indulgence #5)(121)
Author: Nicole Edwards

“Just to talk for a minute.”

There was a brief pause, followed by, “All right. Your father will be home in a few minutes. What time will you be here?”

Beau glanced up at the clock and figured he might as well get it over with. “Fifteen minutes?”

Again, another brief pause followed by, “Ok.” Then the call ended.

Beau sucked in a breath, let it out slowly.

He hated this. He didn’t want to do this, but he knew if he didn’t, he would be plagued with the questions for the rest of his life. And now that he was moving forward, it was time he overcame the last hurdle. No matter what the outcome was going to be.

Twenty minutes later, Beau was walking into his parents’ house, his mother closing the door behind him. He’d had to knock when he arrived because, as usual, the door had been locked and they had never given him a key since the day he moved out.

“Your father is in the kitchen,” his mother informed him, getting right to the point.

Beau nodded, making his way through the small, dimly lit house. It still looked the same as it did when he was a kid – same dull, brown furniture, same dingy, tan carpet; even the walls had taken on a yellow tinge over the years. Almost like his parents didn’t like change, so they kept everything exactly the way it had been.

“Dad,” he greeted his father when he stepped into the kitchen.

Ben Bennett glanced up at him, his hand stopping on its trek to his mouth. They were having dinner. Great.

“What are you doing here?” Ben asked gruffly.

Thanks, Dad. Way to make me feel welcome.

“Sit,” his mother said firmly, directing him toward one of the empty chairs at the table. She didn’t offer him food or even a drink, just told him to sit.

Without hesitation, Beau sat, his stomach suddenly churning from the idea of what he was about to do. This was not going to go well, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he could just move through the rest of his life without having to endure this final falling out. He knew it was coming.

A small – very small – piece of him prayed that it wouldn’t go the way he envisioned it would, but when it came to his relationship with his parents, Beau had learned not to get his hopes up.

His father continued to eat, not paying any attention to Beau, but that wasn’t unusual.

“What did you want to talk about?” Arlene asked when she lowered herself into the chair beside Beau’s father.

Swallowing, Beau remembered the words he’d been rehearsing in his head for days. He was going for casual, nothing blatant or in your face. Just the basics, so he began with, “I just wanted to let y’all know that I moved.”

That got Ben’s attention, albeit briefly. Beau wasn’t sure why because he honestly didn’t think his father even knew where he had lived for the last eight years.

“Where to?”

“I moved in with…” The words suddenly died on his tongue. His gut ached and rolled, and he wondered if he was going to be sick.

For days he had rehearsed what he would say. He’d even gone over and over the word he would use to refer to Ethan. There had been several options – lover, friend, partner, boyfriend. But now that Beau was presented with the chance to say the word out loud, he choked.

“Where did you move to?” Ben repeated, his words reflecting his impatience.

Sucking it up, Beau decided this was it. He owed himself this much. “I moved in with Ethan,” he told them.

“Who’s Ethan? Someone you work with?” his mother asked.

“No,” Beau said quickly, but any further comment dried in his throat.

“Ethan who?” Ben questioned, staring back at him.

“Ethan Walker.”

“I thought you were friends with Zane?” Arlene asked.

“I am.”

Ok, so now he was definitely chickening out. Beau knew he had to get on with it, but he was having a hard time forming words because his tongue was dry and felt too thick for his mouth.

“So why are you moving in with Ethan?” she asked sounding genuinely interested.

Maybe it was out of spite, but Beau waited until his father took his next bite of food before he said, “Ethan is my boyfriend.”

Ben choked. Arlene shrieked, her hand coming up to cover her heart like she was going to have a coronary right then and there.

Beau smiled. Strangely enough, he smiled. He wasn’t sure whether it was because he’d gotten the words out, or because he liked saying that Ethan was his boyfriend. Or maybe because some sadistic part of him enjoyed the startled reaction from his parents.

His smile disappeared abruptly when his father flew up out of his chair, causing the glass of iced tea to teeter and nearly fall over until his mother grabbed it just in time.