Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves - K.A. Merikan Page 0,104
Radek smiled, letting Coal smell the cake before offering him a tiny piece.
“Yeah. But with the mountains and forests it’s such a roundabout way that we end up not seeing each other much,” Yev said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. If any of the wolves could have seen him now—declaring that he was in a gay relationship while visiting a male couple, the pack would have wiped his very existence from memory.
Adam sighed. “I understand. I’ve moved here two years ago, and my mother will only visit us for the first time this Easter.”
Radek shook his head. “My mom doesn’t even know I’m gay.”
“Mine does,” Yev said, and the silence that suddenly hung over the table made it clear he couldn’t just leave it at that. “She didn’t talk to me after it came out. But she sends me food, so I guess she doesn’t completely hate me.”
Radek’s only hand was occupied by cake but he still bumped shoulders with Yev. “You know she loves you if she sends you food.”
Emil gave Adam a quick kiss on the cheek, and Yev couldn’t have felt more both out of place and exactly where he belonged. Being able to talk about being gay and find understanding in others was such a new experience he still couldn’t comprehend it. He was close to forty, and this was the first time he’d sat down to have cake with other gay men and discuss family as if they’d been friends for years. He was grateful to Radek for this in ways he couldn’t express, because he wouldn’t have been invited in so warmly if it weren’t for Radek.
“Maybe you should send her some cake. We have more than enough,” Adam said, pointing toward the kitchen, but Yev shook his head, even though the proposition made him smile. “I’ll give her some when I visit.”
Because how could he tell them she wasn’t allowed to acknowledge his existence, much less accept gifts. His life would have been so different if he could’ve taken Radek to their village and introduced him to her. Then, listen to her comments about his choice of partner, like those he used to hear her make about Burian’s then-fiancée.
He didn’t even know if she’d ever accept him unless he changed.
“Can I take a loaf for my mom?” Radek asked. “We don’t exactly get along, but I know she’d appreciate it.”
Yev fought the urge to pat Radek on the head for the maturity of that effort, but he didn’t want to treat him like a kid in front of friends, so he squeezed his shoulder instead. “It’ll make a good peace offering.”
Emil sighed. “You’re fighting again?”
Radek shrugged. “We’re never not fighting. I couldn’t even tell you what we’re fighting over, but it’s always something. She doesn’t like that I’m renovating the farm, doesn’t like that I live in Cracow, and doesn’t like that I don’t have a job.”
“The farm? That’s where he’s from?” Adam asked, nodding at Coal, who’d fallen asleep in Radek’s lap like a house cat.
“Yeah. I’m trying to do something else with it, but many of the vixens are likely pregnant already, so I settled on adding more space and getting them better food. The Golonkos own half of the business, so I need to think how to deal with them, but I can’t let it go on the way it has.” He looked up at them. “I had no idea how it all worked.”
Emil chewed on that for a few seconds. “If you need any help, there’s people I could ask for advice.”
Heat pulsed in Yev’s temples, and he swallowed the last of his cake. “You’re not alone in this.” Seeing Radek smile again felt like the purpose of Yev’s life for a second.
“Thanks. For now I just want to make sure this little guy is happy,” Radek said about Coal. “He’s suffered enough.”
It seemed to be obvious to everyone but Radek that the usual goings-on of the farm couldn’t resume, even if the foxes had better food and more space to run. But he was already dealing with so much shit Yev didn’t want to throw that in his face too.
The remaining half hour of their visit at Emil and Adam’s passed in easy conversation, but as pleasant as that had been, Yev was glad to take his two foxes home. He’d expected Radek to chatter on the way, but the boy was unusually subdued, and a few minutes into the drive through the snowy