Dragged to the Wedding(58)

“But it’s a sin...”

“No, it’s not, but cheating is, and so is changing the order for your daughter’s wedding dress, Mom. Pride is a sin too. And just so you know, that old ‘it’s a sin’ argument is a bunch of crap. I was made this way. I came down the birth canal gay. I didn’t choose it, and I’m certainly not going to deny that part of myself because it makes you feel better. And yes, Daniella is really Daniel, and he came to this wedding as my date because of you and your expectations.”

“You’re blaming this whole thing on me,” Grace pouted.

Daniel could almost see the high-and-mighty expression on Grace’s face. He couldn’t take any more and he stood, walking quietly across the carpet and into the kitchen. Grace looked up from where she’d been staring at the place mat in front of her.

“Your son loves you enough to ask me to be his date to make you happy,” Daniel said. “He didn’t want to disappoint you.” Daniel placed his hand on James’s shoulder. “You can be angry all you want at me, but all he wanted to do was please you.” He turned to Phillip. “Both of you.”

“I only want him to be happy.”

“No, Mom. You wanted me to be happy as long as it made you happy.” James pointed to the wall. “Those stupid commandments. That was your way of telling us what you expected, but what about us and what we expect? Most of your children are adults now, and that means that we expect things too. We expect to be loved unconditionally, whether we’re gay or not. We expect you to listen to us and value our opinions. You want respect? Respect is earned, not given, and it doesn’t come with some needlepoint sampler on a wall.”

“James, I think that’s quite enough,” Phillip said firmly. “She is your mother.”

“I know.”

Grace lifted her gaze. “What I really want to understand is why?”

“Why what?” James asked. “Why am I this way?”

Daniel tapped James’s shoulder. “I think what she wants to know is what she might have done to make you this way.” Daniel swallowed. “Grace, you did nothing at all. You raised a good son. There’s no doubt about that.” She needed to be reassured.

“But... I heard...” She really seemed confused.

“Most of what you heard was probably misinformation spread by people who don’t know anything anyway. There is nothing that either of you did to make James gay. You brought him up the best you knew how, and he turned out to be a kind, strong man.” Daniel half expected Grace to get angry, but she simply nodded.

“But what do we do now?” Grace asked.

“Just love him and accept him for who he is.” Daniel quietly excused himself and returned to the living room. James and his parents talked for a while more, their voices softer.

“I think we should go to bed. I’m talked out for tonight.” James joined him in the living room. “It’s after midnight. Do you want me to take you to a hotel? I can if you really want me to. Mom has calmed down a great deal, though.” James hefted a suitcase.

“Let’s just go on to bed.” Daniel stifled a yawn. This day had been a lot more than he ever bargained for.

“Okay.” James carried Daniel’s suitcases back to their room, closing the door behind them. “Thank you. I was running out of ways to try to make them understand, and what you said was perfect.”

“Actually, your mom and dad took it pretty well. They didn’t kick you out, and you even threatened to never see them again and they didn’t bite. That’s one thing in your favor.” Daniel sat on the edge of the bed, losing the battle with the next yawn. “On a bright note, you don’t need to hide your life from your parents any longer.”

James sat next to him. “I wish that were true. My mother may have seemed a little cowed tonight, but she never gives up anything that easily. I’m willing to bet that tomorrow she’ll be back at it again. It’s what she does. If the world doesn’t go her way, retreat, gather your forces, and then attack again...and again.”

“What does she think you’re going to do, turn straight?” Daniel chuckled behind his hand. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“She’ll push every woman she can find at me in case I haven’t met the right one yet. It’s just a matter of her regrouping.” James nodded. “But I think I can deal with it now. They know part of who I am that they didn’t before.”

“What about Holly and Margot?” Daniel asked.

James shook his head. “I expected Margot to come home with Mom and Dad, so I don’t know where she is, probably at Holly’s. They were shocked, and I didn’t have a chance to talk to either of them.” He lowered his head, and Daniel put an arm around him.

“I saw Weston when his friends took him out of the restaurant. He was pretty messed up.” Daniel smiled and lifted James’s chin. “Why did you do that?”

“He started in on you, and I saw red,” James said. “He could have attacked me all he wanted and I wouldn’t have cared, but the asshole went after you, and...”

Daniel closed the distance between them, sealing James’s lips with his own. Daniel pressed James back onto the bed, rolling slowly until he straddled James, kissing him harder, not wanting to break the connection between them.