Coming Home- Rock Bay 1 (19 page)

T
ALLY
was humming while he wiped down the espresso machine. Sun was pouring into the windows of the shop, warming everything with the first real wash of summer. It was still May, but there were always days like this, when the air smelled like summer and the warmth was gorgeous but not intense. He’d woken early, right as the sun was poking its way up, and kissed a soft, sleepy Lex before heading down to open the shop. He loved that Lex didn’t even blink, just let Tally go with a smile like they’d been running the shop together forever.

The morning had been busy. Fridays always were. He’d been dishing up twenty-four ouncers since right after the doors opened at six. Sometimes he wondered if it would be more efficient to simply set up an IV drip so their customers could just inject the caffeine right into their veins. Or perhaps people could actually sleep instead of relying on coffee to keep them awake. Not that he’d been sleeping much. He’d been in
bed
early most nights but not actually sleeping…. Tally grinned and turned the sound system in the shop up just a little. It was always a little slow between the before work crowd and the people who snuck out to grab coffee at lunch.

He was dancing, not something he usually did, but the Latin beat on the radio was cheerful and sunny, and the permanent good mood he’d been in for close to a month wanted to flow out of his feet. Lex was out talking to the contractor who was going to work on their drivethrough window.
Their drive-through
. Tally stopped where he was standing. God, he didn’t even hesitate to think of the shop as theirs. He wanted nothing more than to blend their lives together, stay with Lex, live in his apartment, run the coffee shop together. Tally could barely believe a life like that was possible. He’d thought he would spend his life drifting, never belonging to anybody. It was a little scary how much he wanted to belong to Lex.

It took Tally a few minutes to realize someone was watching him. Not just
someone
. He felt the usual flutter in his stomach.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“A minute or two. I like the way you dance.” Lex came up and slid behind Tally, putting his arms around Tally’s waist and kissing the back of his neck. Tally melted, just a little, and covered Lex’s arms with his own.
“We’ve gotta stop meeting like this.” He felt the chuckle against his back.
“One of the customers is going to get the shock of their life someday soon if we don’t.”
“Wonder if any of them know?”
Lex shrugged. “It didn’t take Lacey long to figure it out, or Travis. My guess is a few others probably have our number too.”
“Do you care?” Tally turned in Lex’s arms to look at him.
“Not really. Well, actually, not at all. I don’t think it would be good for one of them to walk in on us like this, but that would be true no matter who I was with, even if it was a woman.”
Tally grinned and patted him on the butt. “Yes, that nice young man Lex Barry would never make out with someone in his perfect shop. It would be unheard of.”
“Shut up.” Lex said it with a smile and followed up with a kiss, so Tally didn’t take him too seriously.
“What’s the status on the drive-through window?”
Lex wiggled happily in his arms. “The contractor says he can start in two weeks. I can’t wait. Hey, I’m starving. I’m going to make myself a sandwich. You want anything?”
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks anyway, babe.” He let his hand slip slowly off of Lex’s hip as Lex turned to go to the refrigerator for sandwich fillings. He was still watching that sexy little walk when the bell on the shop door jingled. Tally turned to greet his customer, but the friendly hello he had planned froze on his tongue. He felt his stomach turn to ice water.
“Mom?”

His mother looked at him just like he knew she would: cold, superior, irritated by his very existence—and clearly not expecting to see him there. He was surprised by how much it still hurt. Lex had frozen behind him, head in the fridge, probably unsure of what to do. Tally had barely spoken to his mother since that god-awful day when he was eighteen, but he was already sick of her.

“I could ask you the same thing, Mother.”
“Since when do you call me Mother?”
“Since—” He broke off with a sigh. Tally didn’t feel like getting

into it with his damn mother. He’d been having such a good morning. “What do you want? You weren’t surprised to see me, so I’m guessing you’re here for a reason.”

She smoothed her expensive skirt and sat on the edge of one of the bistro tables. “I came to visit your grandmother for the day and was surprised to learn that you’ve been staying there for over three months without my knowledge.”

“Yeah, Mom. Grams said I could move in with her for a while. I ran into a tough patch back in Seattle.”
“Tallis, don’t you know how inappropriate it is for you to be in this town, what with your being—” His mother broke off like she couldn’t even stand saying it.
“My being what, Mother? Dad’s son?
Your
son?”
Lex came up behind him and put a comforting hand on the small of his back. All Tally wanted to do was lean into that touch and push his mother’s voice as far from his mind as possible.
“You know why I don’t want you here. Don’t make me say it.”
“And you came to the place where I
work
to tell me that? This conversation ends right now. If you’d like to continue it, I’ll come to Grandma’s house after I’m done today.”
“Of course you will. Where else could you possibly have to go?” Tally stiffened at her caustic tone and the implication that he had no friends… which might have been true a few months ago. But not anymore. Lex curled his fingers around Tally’s arm and slid them down until their fingers were threaded together. He had so much more than just friends.
“I’d be here. With Lex.”
The look of outrage on his mother’s face was almost funny. Almost. But it was too horrible to be funny. He hated that he still cared.
“You wouldn’t!”
Lex smiled at her, deceptively sweet. “He does. Regularly.”
Lex couldn’t have picked a more perfect thing to say. Tally had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. His mother, on the other hand, pointed one of her perfectly manicured talons at them before huffing through the front door, which she slammed so hard the bell fell with a clatter to the floor.
“Sorry if I goaded her. She just made me so
mad
. I know what she was implying.”
“It was fairly obvious, wasn’t it?”
“So what now?”
Tally rolled his eyes. “I have to go over there tonight and deal with her. Hopefully I’ll get her to go back to Seattle and leave us the hell alone.”
Lex kissed the hollow below Tally’s Adam’s apple. “Want me to come with you?”
“
Yes
. But I’m not going to put you through that shit.”
“Tal.” Lex squeezed his hand hard. “Are we just fucking around here, or are we for real?”
“You know we’re real.”
“Then standing by their guy is what
real
boyfriends do. There’s no way in hell I’d make you deal with her on your own.”
Tally crushed Lex in his arms. The back of his throat was suspiciously tight.
“Thank you,” was all he could manage to whisper.

L
EX
could’ve killed the bitch. To see Tally’s face go from teasing and happy to frozen solid in the blink of an eye. He wanted nothing more than to vault over the counter and break his long-standing rule of never hitting a female. As it was, he planned to stand quietly by Tally’s side no matter what she said to him. He was going to let Tally deal with his family, be respectful, and…
shit
. It was going to be such a pain to hold back when all he wanted to do was fight to protect the man he loved.

They were standing outside of Tally’s grandmother’s house. He was watching Tally breathe deep and try to relax. It sure as hell wasn’t the scene Lex imagined when he thought of the first time Tally would bring him to “meet” his grandmother. He’d imagined answering questions about how they realized they were interested in each other, maybe talking about the shop or trading stories about town. He’d never imagined being the fire buffer between Tally and his bitch of a mother.

“Do you really care what she thinks?” he asked Tally quietly. It sucked standing there and watching Tal tear himself apart.
“I thought I was years beyond caring. But it hurt this afternoon, the way she assumed that I wasn’t wanted.”
How long has he been carrying this thing around?
It hurt Lex to even think it. “Don’t listen to it. You’re
so
wanted, and not just by me. Think of how much Lacey likes you, or even Amy. She laughs at your jokes and tells me that she likes us together.”
Tally winced. “She told
me
if I hurt you she’d tear my balls off.”
Lex couldn’t help but laugh. “Amy’s never seen a pair of balls in her life. She wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“I am so telling her you said that.”
Lex rolled his eyes. “You want to go get this over with?”
“Yes, please. Let’s send the wicked witch back to the emerald city.”
The atmosphere in Tally’s grandmother’s house was nothing like it was the few times Lex had been by. It was like Tally’s mother had brought a wave of glacial air with her that permeated the entire place. He had a hard time reconciling the cold superior woman with his Tally or even Tally’s grandmother, with her opinions and frank, down-toearth nature. Neither of them seemed to match Tally’s mother at all.
When they’d gone in, she was sitting on the sofa reading, not “visiting with Tally’s grandmother” which was her supposed motive for being there in the first place. Tally’s grandmother was out in the kitchen, and from the amazing smells, Lex decided she must be making cookies. If she was anything like his mom, that meant she was worried about something. They stood there for a while before Tally’s mother deigned to acknowledge their presence. And then it was only with a snide look and a rude question.
“Why is he here? This is a family matter.”
Lex clenched his teeth.
“Let’s just get this over with, Mother. You can tell me all the reasons why I should disappear, I can tell you that I’m staying no matter what you say, and you can hissy fit your way back to Seattle where you belong.”
Other than a flared nostril, there was no reaction. She continued to sit, crossing her legs at the ankle.
How did Tally stand her all those years?
“Seattle is where you belong too. This town is no place for you.”
“What do you know about where I belong? I had nothing in Seattle. Here…. Here I have family, and—” He broke off and looked at Lex. The look Tally gave him was so tender and honest that Lex’s gut clenched.
He has someone who loves him.
“People here hate our family enough. What happens when they find out you’ve been carrying on with the coffee shop boy? Don’t you think you did enough damage to my name?”
“Me? What the hell did I do?”
“You were horrible! Do you think I had no idea how the people talked about you? Between you and your father I can barely show my face in this town. And now this… this
gay
thing. It’s unseemly.”
“It’s not a thing, it’s who I am.” Tally looked frustrated. “Why are we even bothering with this? I told you last time I was never going to change.”
“It’s disgusting. Go do it somewhere where nobody knows you— or me.”
“It’s not disgusting, it’s….” Tally’s voice faltered. Lex could see he was still a little scared of his mother, no matter how much he tried to stick up for himself. Lex decided he’d had enough.
“It’s love,” Lex said quietly.
“What?” Tally’s mother stood and walked closer, getting in Lex’s face as much as a pampered society madam would dare to do.
“I said it’s love,” Lex burst out. “Your son is… is
wonderful
and caring and kind, and I’m so in love with him that it’s hard to breathe sometimes! There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I can’t believe I just said it. Not how I wanted him to hear it the first time….
Apparently, it wasn’t what Tally’s mother wanted to hear either. Her face twisted into a genteel sneer.
“Do you think that little…
tirade
made me see the error of my ways? So you’re a filthy pervert. Just like Tallis. Maybe you two belong together. Just take your perversion somewhere far away where no one can see you.” Her words came out in a low, silky purr. It was the ugliest thing Lex had ever heard.
“Why do you care anyway, Mom? You don’t live here anymore.”
She shrugged delicately. “This is where I came from. It might be a bit common, but I do have to show my face every once in a while. I can’t have people talking about me.”
“No one gives a
shit
what you do anymore. Dad’s been gone for years! You’ve been gone for years.”
“And now you’ll be gone too. I want you to remove yourself from this… situation”—she gestured at Lex like he was some kind of parasite—“and pack your things. You’re leaving.”
“The fuck I am.
You’re
the one who’s leaving. Now get out.” Tally moved to stand between his mother and Lex, like he’d protect Lex from any more of the negativity that she spewed.
“You can’t kick me out of my own house.”
“No, but I can.” Tally’s grandmother came from the kitchen, where she’d been diplomatically avoiding the whole conversation. “I can’t believe a daughter of mine would treat her son so atrociously, even if there are things about him she disapproves of. I was hoping for more out of you. Unfortunately I was wrong. I’d like you to leave.”
“But,
Mother
—”
“Out.” Tally’s grandmother pointed to the door, her face leaving no room for argument.
Lex saw Tally wavering between horror and laughter, hurt and awe, somewhere close to the edge of a breakdown. Tally’s mother was stomping around the room, gathering her purse and her keys, cheeks pink with rage.
“Hey, do you want me to go outside? I can wait in the car.” Lex reached up and rubbed the pad of his thumb on Tally’s heated cheek. Tally shook his head as if trying to shed the shock.
“No, stay. Please. You… you love me?” His voice was happy and shy and scared and everything Lex was hoping to hear. The shadows behind his happiness weren’t good, but Lex could only hope he would be able to make them go away someday soon.
Lex smiled softly, the little nervous flutters in his stomach melting into a gentle warmth. “Of course I love you. I didn’t mean for you to hear it like that, but yeah, I do.”
“I do too. L-love you, that is,” Tally stammered.
Lex didn’t care where they were, he didn’t care that Tally’s mother was still stomping around, making a big show out of gathering her things. All he cared about was grabbing on to Tally and holding him as hard as he could, kissing him until they could barely breathe.
When they drew apart for air, Tally’s mother was gone, and Lex noticed that his grandmother was standing, arms crossed, looking at them placidly. Tally noticed too, and turned a bit pink.
“Uh, Grams, you know Lex, right?”
“Of course. How are you, Lex?”
Lex snickered. He couldn’t help it. Not the question he’d have imagined coming from the grandma who just caught them making out in her living room.
“Um, I’m good.”
I’m fucking amazing. He loves me.
Lex knew everything he was feeling was all over his face.
“Hey, Grams. Do you mind if Lex and I go? I have some things to think about.”
“Yes, dear. Go ahead. But I’d still like to see you two for dinner.” “Tomorrow?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Lex wondered how many times he and Tally would have to explain themselves. To their families, their friends, the town at large. All he wanted was to love Tally and live like everyone else got to and not wonder who was saying what about them behind their backs.
When they got in the car, it was quiet and filled with emotion. Not uncomfortable exactly, but different then it had been on the way there. The air was swirling with everything Tally’s mother had said to them. Everything they had said to each other. Lex was worried that the bad side was going to take over so that everything good about the past hour would come to mean nothing. Slowly, though, Tally’s hand crept across the gearshift until it was curled around his thigh. Lex hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he could suddenly breathe again.
“I’m sorry about everything my mom said. She’s awful.” Tally winced, his eyes pinching up on the sides.
“Hey.” Lex put his hand over Tally’s. “It’s okay. It’s not what matters about today.”
Lex looked over to see a slow smile spreading across Tally’s face. “No, it’s not.” He brought Lex’s hand up to his face and kissed his palm. “I love you,” he murmured, then he put his hand back on Lex’s thigh.
“I love you too, Tal. I really do.”
Tally fell silent again, and although he didn’t move his hand from Lex’s leg, Lex could tell he was still dwelling on what had happened with his mother. Lex let him stew in silence, thinking he might need a few minutes to think. Lex wasn’t going to let it go on for long, though.
When he unlocked the door of his apartment, Lex took hold of Tally’s hand and pulled. Tally followed him meekly to the bedroom where Lex stripped him down to his briefs and pushed gently until he was lying down. Then he stripped himself and crawled under the covers to wrap his arms around Tally.
“You okay?” he whispered.
Tally made a suspicious sniffling sound. “I feel like shit, and it sucks that I do because I should be happy, I should be
so
happy right now. Most of me is.”
Lex slung his leg over Tally’s hip and hugged him close. “I’m happy for us.” He kissed the side of Tally’s neck. “You can’t let her get to you, babe. I know she’s your mother, but sometimes that’s not all that matters.”
Tally buried his face against Lex’s neck. Lex thought he might feel dampness, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want Tally to be hurt.
“Why do I let her do this to me?”
“Because you’re human, and a good man who cares about people.”
“I want to be good.”
“You are. And you have people who love you. Me, your grandmother, my family soon enough if they don’t already. We love you
because
you’re you, not in spite of it. Don’t let her make you think less of that.”
Tally tugged Lex until they were lined up, chest to chest, forehead to forehead.
“I’ll never think less of that.”
“Good.”
Lex kissed him and dug his fingers into Tally’s hair, which had grown charmingly shaggy over the past few months. Then he let his hand drift down to rub up and down Tally’s spine, comforting and light, until he could hear the even sounds of Tally breathing in his sleep. Lex relaxed back against his pillow and stared at the ceiling. The afternoon had been awful and wonderful, and he couldn’t help but feel like he had his whole world right there curled up next to him, dented a bit, but hopefully not damaged.
Even though it was still light out, Lex figured they wouldn’t be going anywhere else that night. He set his alarm for the morning and draped his arm over Tally, hoping that, if nothing else, he could at least get some sleep.