O Come, All Ye Kellys (Love & Luck #7) - Isla Olsen Page 0,24

door closed and trudging up the driveway toward my mom’s house.

“Took you long enough to get out of the car,” my step-dad grumbles upon opening the front door.

I let out a heavy sigh before stepping over the threshold. “Hey, Trevor.”

“What the hell were you doing out there?” Trevor demands, eyes narrowed.

Jesus, was he watching me through the blinds or something? Probably. I’m surprised he didn’t come out and rap on my car window.

“I was texting with Shay. He got engaged this morning so I was congratulating him.”

That prompts Trevor to let out a derisive snort as he turns and walks back through the house. “Engaged. Men like that can’t get married. Not properly.”

“Actually they can,” I say simply. I should really be saying ‘we,’ not ‘they,’ but I don’t have the energy to deal with that particular can of worms today.

“Don’t talk back to me, you little smartass,” he growls. “Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right. Completely unnatural…” he mutters, trailing off with a shake of his head.

I give a sigh of exasperation but say nothing. I feel like I’ve just rewound the clock a year and a half to before I went to live with Shay, when I was constantly walking on eggshells, constantly afraid of what Trevor would do if he found out about me being gay. He was never violent, but he had other ways of imposing his will, and the fact that my mom has always been such a fucking doormat meant that if Trevor ever found out about me I’d have been completely at his mercy. I have no doubt he would have convinced my mom conversion therapy was the best option. Thank god for Shay and Jamie is all I can say.

Trevor was fucking furious when it was decided I’d be going to live with my “fag cousin,” and only calmed down when he realized it meant I’d be out of his and mom’s hair and they’d no longer have to deal with me. I’m sure there was also a decent sized part of him that was reluctant to give up the control he had over me, but considering that at that point in time I was hell-bent on flouting authority at every opportunity, he probably figured it wasn’t a huge sacrifice.

“Where’s mom?” I ask unenthusiastically. I feel so completely drained already and I’ve only been in the house five minutes.

It was the same when I came home for Christmas last year. All I can think is, thank god I’ll be eighteen next year and won’t ever have to set foot in this house again.

“In the kitchen,” Trevor grumbles. “Don’t upset her with any of your fag wedding talk.”

I roll my eyes. Mom’s actually good friends with Shay; or at least, she was until she married this homophobic jackass. I can’t imagine her being upset by talk of his engagement, but whatever.

I follow the hallway through to the small kitchen area, finding my mom busy preparing lunch, which looks to be roast chicken with mashed potatoes. When she sees me, her face lights up and she rounds the counter to give me a hug.

“Hi, honey. I’m sorry, lunch is running a little late. Are you hungry?”

I smile at her. “I’m fine. I stopped on the way for some food so take your time.” I wanted to get out of the apartment early this morning to give Shay space for the proposal, but I was in no rush to actually get to Mom and Trevor’s, so I ended up wiling away about two hours at a roadside diner.

She pats me affectionately on the shoulder before returning to her work in the kitchen. “So, what’s news?”

I tell her about all the things that have been going on lately: my cousins settling down with their partners, Brendan’s baby, our rugby team’s near-win in the recent sevens tournament, and, yes, Shay’s proposal. Despite Trevor’s warning, she seems happy to hear all of it. I probably don’t talk to her as often as I should, but I know Shay keeps her up to date with the big things like how my schooling’s going. I just sometimes find it hard not to feel resentful at how easily she finds it to turn a blind eye to Trevor’s bigotry, and it’s just easier not to engage with her. Especially when I’m in New York, which has become my happy place.

“I was thinking maybe this afternoon the two of us could do something together,” I suggest. “Maybe see a movie