Hard Knox - Riley Hart Page 0,35

The way he said it, I figured I’d gone about this all wrong. “I don’t think anything, buddy. But if you were, that would be okay.”

“I’m not. I don’t notice boys that way, and I notice girls that way all the time. They’re really, really pretty. Did you think I’m gay because I’m friends with Callum?”

“I didn’t say I think you’re gay. I was just saying—”

“But why? You’re friends with Callum, Law, Remy, Chase, and Kellan, and you’re not gay.”

My pulse sped up, blood rushing through my veins.

He added, “That’s kinda like stereotyping.”

Which was what Callum had basically said too. My face heated, and I rubbed a hand over my beard. “I can see how it looks that way. I don’t mean it, but I guess it doesn’t matter how I mean it if it comes out wrong. You’re right. I’m friends with all of them, and no, I’m not gay. I didn’t mean to sound like I was assuming anything about you. It’s my job as your dad to make sure you always know you’re loved. That’s all I was trying to do.” Though from the sound of it, I’d fucked it up royally. “Can we pretend this conversation never happened?”

Logan chuckled. “It’s okay, Dad. You’re old. You don’t get it.”

“I’m not old, and you’re grounded,” I joked back.

“Whatever you say.” Logan typed out another message for Callum before giving me my phone back. Then he was on his, I assumed messaging with Dale, so we were quiet the rest of the drive. When we got home, we took Frankie Blue out, had a snack, having eaten dinner before the class, and Logan showered and took care of what he needed to do to get ready for school the next day.

We watched a show, and then it was bedtime. When he got to the stairs, he stopped. “Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?” I turned to look at him.

“Thanks…for everything, but also for what you said in the truck. You’re, um…you’re an awesome dad. I know Callum didn’t have the same thing, so it’s cool you wanted to make sure I know you’d always love me.”

“I…”

“Don’t get all emotional dad on me. It’s weird.” He laughed, then ran up the stairs, Frankie Blue on his heels. I sat there dumbstruck for a moment, feeling…hell, pretty proud.

I didn’t know what made me do it, but I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and called Callum.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. “Logan?”

“What? Yeah, he’s fine. Why?”

“Oh. You scared the crap out of me. You’ve never called before. We’ve texted but not talked.”

He was right. I hadn’t even thought of that. I hated talking on the phone and did it as seldom as I could, unless I was talking to my kids or Carol. “Is it an okay time?” I asked, this unfamiliar insecurity in my chest.

“Of course. You can call me anytime you want. I heard the class went well and Logan met a friend.”

“He did. Because of you.”

“I didn’t do anything. It was just—”

“You did,” I cut him off. “And thank you.”

There was a short pause before Callum replied. “You’re welcome.”

We were quiet again as if we didn’t know what to say. I still didn’t know why I called, so I said the first thing that came to mind. “Wanna hear how much of a dumbass I was on the drive home?”

“Duh. Is that even a question?”

I told him about the conversation with Logan, and he told me I was only a bit of a jackass. He asked what we painted, and I told him more about Dale and Amanda, and he was a little quiet when I did. “How was your day at work?” I asked, and Callum rambled about things he could tell me that didn’t break patient confidentiality, and about making dinner with his mom and how much he enjoyed it.

Then he told me about a movie he found on TV, and I turned it to the same channel so I could see what he was talking about. We laughed and watched it, poking fun here and there.

It was…nice. When the movie was over, I kept talking to him as I turned off the lights and went to my room. I didn’t know how we could have so much to say to each other—it hadn’t been long since we last spent time together—but we did.

“I should go,” Callum said a little while later. I was lying on my bed, trying to figure out why I felt a stab of disappointment at