Page 96 of The Way Home

With a heavy sigh, Caleb let his head fall back. “It’s my dad.”

“Again?”

“Yeah. He’s been trying to get a hold of me all week. And then, today, he set Bri on me.”

Jamie’s heart clenched. He didn’t know much beyond the fact that his father was a prejudiced wanker and Bri wasn’t much better. “What does he want?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t really care,” Caleb said on another sigh, palming his face. “I wish he’d stop ruining our night.”

“It’s okay.” Jamie gently traced the edge of Caleb’s ear with his finger, hoping the touch might soothe him. “If you need to take it, you can. I know you’re not super close to him…” He trailed off, hoping Caleb would see the opening and share.

“No. Not super close.”

“Because he isn’t accepting of Tay, right?”

“Yeah, that’s part of it.” Caleb rolled onto his back, pulling Jamie with him. After a bit of maneuvering, Jamie settled against his side, resting his head on Caleb’s chest

Lifting his head slightly, Jamie tried to read Caleb’s expression. He was staring at the ceiling, jaw tight.

“Hey.” He stroked Caleb’s cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just my dad.”

“Do you… wanna talk about it?”

Caleb ran his palm down his face and sighed. “I’ve told you what happened to my shoulder.”

“Uh, you said you got tackled in football. Right?”

“Yes.” His jaw clenched, eyes still fixed on the ceiling. “My football team back home was rough. When I came out as gay, they took it about as well as you’d expect. And Dad sort of… fueled it by letting them use homophobic slurs and stuff. It got bad…” He turned to Jamie. “I tried to ignore it as best I could. I guess I assumed it would stop, but one day, they ganged up on me. Took me down and pinned my arms and…”

Jamie’s heart hammered so hard it hurt. A sick, furious heat crawled up his throat.

“What did they do, Caleb?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“They dislocated my shoulder.”

“But…” Jamie’s eyes studied Caleb’s face, hoping to God this was some horrible joke. “But your father—”

“He wasn’t there.” His eyes went distant. “And he believed them when they said it was an accident. You know, once I got to the hospital…”

Blood rushed to Jamie’s ears, making him dizzy.

“He… he—” Jamie rolled away, trying to sit up. His pulse roared as the room tilted into blurred shapes. “Your… yourfather?!”

He managed to sit, swaying. Images of a younger, more vulnerable Caleb flashed in his mind. How was this real? How could a father let his own son behurt—?

Warm hands gripped his shoulders to steady him as Caleb spoke urgently in his ear, but the words didn’t register. All Jamie could feel was rage and nausea churning in his stomach. Caleb slid his hands down to Jamie’s shaking ones and squeezed.

“J, hey, I’mfine.”

Warm hands cupped his cheeks, forcing his gaze upward into worried eyes. Hot tears spilled down Jamie’s face. “See? I’m right here. Breathe.”

Jamie dragged in a shaky breath, forcing his vision to clear. Before he could feel guilty that Caleb was comfortinghimagain, he threw his arms around Caleb’s shoulders and buried his face in his neck.

“Caleb,” he sobbed. “Fuck. Caleb.”

Fingers slid into his curls, rubbing the back of his head in slow, grounding circles. “It’s okay, J. I’m right here. I’m okay. Everything’s alright now.”