Headlines (Prime Time #3) - Ella Frank Page 0,8
instead of being able to process it and give any kind of logical response, alarm bells began to sound in my head.
My parents wanted to come here, to Chicago. Where I had all but moved out of my place and moved in with Sean. Bailey’s straight, older brother, who was now my boyfriend.
The first part of that scenario was troublesome enough. But trying to imagine explaining the last part of it was, well, unimaginable. I’d thought I would have more time before telling my parents about Sean. Time to get Bailey on board and then tackle my family. But it seemed fate had a different idea for us. It was now or never.
“Uh, that sounds great. I can’t think of anything I’d enjoy more than a visit with you and Dad, but—”
“Don’t tell me you’re going out of town or on assignment. You said you were only going back to work this week.”
“No, no, it’s nothing like that. I’ll be here. But I…” I got tripped up on my words for a second—something totally unlike me—and my mother immediately caught the slip-up.
“Alexander? What is it? Is everything okay?”
Getting to my feet, I ran a hand through my hair. “Yes, everything’s fine. But I need to tell you something.”
How to best explain this? I could take the easy way out and tell her I was staying with a friend, but that felt wrong. It somehow lessened everything Sean and I had been through over the last few weeks, and cheapened what we felt for one another now.
No, I needed to be upfront. I needed to lay it out and let them know how things were before they showed up and found out firsthand. They knew the Bailey brothers, not to mention my history with them. So this was going to be quite a shock, to say the least.
“Okay,” my mom said. “Well, you know you can tell me anything.”
“I know.” I stopped by the small window and stared out at the rain running down the glass. “I’d love to see you and Dad next week, and you’re welcome to stay at my place, as always. But…” I swallowed, and then just ripped the Band-Aid off. “I won’t be there. I’m not living at the apartment right now.”
There was a long pause as my mother processed that information, and then the questions began. “What do you mean you’re not living there? What happened? Where have you been staying? Are you sure you’re all right?”
If anyone had ever wondered where I’d gotten my curious nature from, they need not look any further than my mother.
“I’m fine. It was just too difficult to be there after everything that happened, and finding out that lunatic had been in my place made me feel uncomfortable.” It was one of the things I was working on with my therapist.
“I didn’t know that. Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I didn’t want to worry you any more than I already had.”
“Alexander. When are you going to realize that it’s our job as parents to worry about you?”
“I’m okay. I’m just not ready to live there again yet.”
“That’s completely understandable.”
“That’s what my therapist tells me.”
“Well, she sounds very wise.”
I chuckled. “She is. Anyway, if you’d like to stay there with Dad, you are most welcome.”
“So where have you been staying? With Bailey?”
“Actually”—here goes nothing—“I’ve been staying at Sean’s house.”
“Sean? Bailey’s big brother?”
“Yes,” I said before I lost my nerve, and then just kept right on going. “We’ve gotten close after that night. I—we’re—dating.”
Another much longer pause stretched between us, and then she said, “Sean Bailey?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, wishing I could see the expression on her face “Yes.”
“I…I didn’t realize he was gay. He always had a girl on his arm, from what I remember.”
Shit. I’d known this would be something people speculated about when they discovered we were dating, and I probably should’ve had a response at the ready. “I guess my charming nature made him switch sides.”
“Alexander, please don’t be flippant about this.”
“I’m not.” I really was, but I wasn’t in the mood to get into this right now. Something she clearly wasn’t understanding.
“You’ve been through a traumatic event, and I understand Sean was the one to help you. But maybe now isn’t the right time to enter into a relationship. Maybe the two of you should put a bit of space between—”
“I don’t want space between us, Mom. That’s kind of the point.” The sound of the front door slamming caught my attention, and I