Free Will & Patrick Meet the Mob by Leta Blake, Alice Griffiths Page A

I’m saying I’m gay and I’m finally okay with that.”
    Kimberly reaches out to take his hand again, but Will pulls back. “I’ve always been okay with you being gay, honey.”
    “No, you haven’t.” He puts out a hand to stop her from interrupting. “Don’t disagree with me. You were okay with me being gay so long as I met a very specific standard of behavior in my relationships. A standard neither you nor Dad have ever come close to living up to, and it’s really unfair to ask anyone to aim for, especially a young person who’s trying to figure themselves out.”
    “I just wanted—”
    “To keep me safe. I know. And I’m telling you, I am safe with Patrick. I can finally explore this part of myself. I’m not going to give that up because, for some reason, he scares you. I deserve to be accepted for who I am, where I am, right here and now. And Patrick does that.”
    “But he doesn’t love you!”
    “I don’t want him to love me!”
    She stares at Will with her eyes shining with tears. “Baby, maybe you deserve to accept this…this side of yourself, but let me tell you: you also deserve to be loved.”
    “Sure. One day, I’ll want to the whole package with someone.” Maybe even with Patrick if he’s emotionally capable of it. God, how amazing would that be? It would be perfect. We could—
    Giving his head a mental shake to stop daydreaming about a future he can’t have, Will adds, “But for right now, I don’t want anything more than what I’ve got. I’m happy. And you’ve potentially ruined that. You’ve put my happiness and Patrick’s life at risk. For no good reason other than you don’t like him.”
    “You’re absolutely right. I don’t like him.”
    “That’s too bad. Because it’s not your choice.”
    “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
    “You always do, Mom. You have such a blind spot for your own actions. Just leave Patrick—and me—alone. Focus some attention on your other children. They’re the ones who need you right now.”
    Kimberly lowers her gaze. “What about your father?”
    “I’ll handle him.” Will hopes he can. He has a plan, but he’s not sure his father will believe him over his mother. He’ll have to get Eleanora’s help and hope for the best. God, he could really use a drink right now.
    No .
    No. He’ll be just fine once he’s back at the Tallgrass with Patrick in their cocoon. That’s all he really needs.
    “Will, I want to trust you, but it’s so hard.”
    “I know. I’ve let you down a lot, but at this point you really have to back off from my life. You’ve let me down a lot too.”
    The conversation falls into awkward silence. He gets out his testing kit and checks his blood glucose, frustrated to find it’s dropping too quickly again. He motions for the barista and asks for two bottles of apple juice, one for now and one to go.
    Kimberly watches him. “When do you see Dr. Anastasia?”
    “Tomorrow.”
    “Do you want me to go with you?” She sighs when he shakes his head no. “Well, at least let me know what he says.”
    Will shrugs. A childish, angry part of him wants to deny her, but the grownup in him wins out. “All right. I’ll text you.”
    “I miss when we didn’t fight.”
    Will smiles tightly. “Stay out of my business and we won’t.”
    The barista drops the juice by the table and Will pays her, screwing off the lid and taking a swallow. He stands, pulling on his coat and gloves, pocketing the extra juice. He hooks his murse over his shoulder and then stoops to kiss his mother’s cheek. “I love you. But if Dad hurts Patrick, I’ll never forgive you.”
    “You do love him,” Kimberly murmurs, looking up at him with confused astonishment.
    He frowns. “He’s my father.”
    “I was talking about Patrick.”
    “Oh, I don’t—” Will’s skin feels too tight. He clears his throat and shakes his head hard once. “No, but he is important to me. I expect you to treat him with respect.”
    Anger