Noel noticed how Keith had grown quiet during the drive, until he wasn’t answering questions in anything more detailed than monosyllabic grunts and head nods.
In the backseat, Scott was doing his best to keep up a hint of a conversation, but Noel could see the way Keith’s knuckles grew increasingly white as he gripped the steering wheel more and more tightly with every mile of blacktop rolling beneath their wheels.
She finally reached over and laid a hand on his jean-clad thigh. “We don’t need to do this,” she said. “We can turn around and catch an earlier flight home.”
He didn’t respond, but in the backseat, Scott fell quiet.
Noel had sent a Christmas card to Keith’s little sister, Aubrey, from the three of them. She’d located the woman via Facebook.
From there, it’d led to some discussions via chat, then phone.
And only then had Noel broken the news to Keith.
Which had first earned her a spanking for going behind his back, and then a long, hard cuddle with his face buried in her hair after he whispered, “Thank you,” in her ear.
Keith’s two sisters and brother didn’t share their parents’ views, and Aubrey was getting married tomorrow.
Aubrey had invited them to come over to Keith’s parents’ house today for a family dinner. Aubrey and her fiancé, along with Keith’s older sister, brother, and their spouses, would be there early, before the rest of the guests, to help act as a buffer between Keith, Noel, and Scott and Keith’s parents.
Aubrey really wanted Keith at her wedding. And hadn’t told her parents about his arrival. The siblings had agreed that they loved their brother and wanted him—and his significant others—to be there.
But none of them wanted a repeat of Indiana.
The question was if the Knepp siblings ganged up on their parents, would their parents relent and at least play nice for the day so Aubrey could have the wedding of her dreams with her entire family by her side?
Keith also had two nieces and two nephews he’d never met. They wouldn’t be there today for the initial reunion, no one wanting to subject young children to any tempers if their father and mother unleashed. They would be brought over later by other family, closer to the time everyone was scheduled to gather.
Noel was used to the vast, rolling farm landscape from having grown up in Indiana. Scott, who’d never lived anywhere other than Florida and had rarely ventured outside the state by car, was fascinated by the open miles of farmland.
As they drew close and the tablet they were using as a GPS chirruped they were nearing their final turn, Keith pulled over onto the shoulder.
When Scott tried to ask something, Noel waved him silent.
Keith stared up the desolate country road at the driveway a few hundred yards ahead. It disappeared into a tree-lined avenue separating two fields, one holding cattle, another appearing to be growing corn or something, Noel wasn’t sure.
He finally shifted the car into park and sat back, flexing his hands after peeling his fingers from the wheel.
“You know,” he finally said, “you’d think this would be easier for me than this.”
“You can do this,” Noel softly said. “We’re right here with you. Remember what you told me when we went to Indiana? It doesn’t matter what they say, because they’re viewing the world through their own skewed lens. It doesn’t mean shit in terms of our lives together. It doesn’t change how or what we feel for each other, and it doesn’t invalidate our relationship.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “That’s not fair, using my own words against me. Besides, look what happened in Indiana.”
“We’ve hit both ends of the spectrum already,” Scott said. “Her family being assholes, and my family accepting this. What’s the worst they can do, cut you out of their lives again? Well, their loss. My parents love you. We love you.”
Keith reached back between the seats. Scott took his hand and Keith squeezed. “Thank you,” he softly said. “I love you both, too. I never dreamed this was where my life would end up, but I wouldn’t change a thing if it means I get the two of you again.”
Then he reached over and squeezed Noel’s hand. “I have to hand it to you, sweetheart. If you were a fraction as scared as I am right now when we went to Indiana, you have bigger balls than I ever suspected.”
She laughed. “I was terrified. But I knew with the two of you next to me, what they said and thought didn’t matter. It was simply a final closure on something I’d long suspected, that they were more concerned with some fake family mythos than me as a human being.”
“They worst they can do is throw us out, right?” Keith asked.
“Right,” Scott and Noel echoed in unison.
“And the best that can happen,” Noel said, “is that you get to see your siblings again, and meet your nieces and nephews. If your parents decide to play nice, all the better.”
* * * *
When they’d pulled into the yard, which was already filled with several cars, a woman Noel knew was Aubrey from photographs rushed out the front door and flung herself into Keith’s arms as soon as he emerged from the car.
Noel rounded the car to stand next to Scott as the two siblings reunited, Aubrey softly crying against Keith’s shoulder as he softly talked to her.
Other siblings and their spouses appeared, walking across the yard to join them, waiting a few steps away until Keith and Aubrey finished having their moment.
When Aubrey finally let go of him, wiping at her eyes and sniffling as she did, she turned to Noel and gave her a crushing hug.
“Thank you for bringing him back to us. Thank you so much.” Then she hugged Scott. “It’s good to finally meet both of you.”
“How are they?” Keith asked, nodding toward the house. “They know anything yet?”
“Not yet. We’re ready for the showdown,” Aubrey joked.
Keith quickly made the introductions as an older couple appeared on the front porch.
His parents.
Keith took a deep breath and crossed the yard, stepping up onto the porch to speak with them, giving them both hugs. Although the hug with his father looked stiff and strained on both ends.
With all the siblings and in-laws flanking Scott and Noel, Keith motioned for his partners to come join them.
Noel knew she was squeezing Scott’s hand tightly, almost painfully, but she was nervous about how this would go down.
Keith drew them close, his arms around Noel and Scott’s shoulders. “Mom, Dad. This is Noel and Scott.”
“Thought you said you were gay,” his father said.
“Well, that’s…complicated.”
His mom looked terrified and hopeful at the same time, a combination of expressions Noel had never seen on anyone’s face before, but she could sympathize.
Aubrey stepped forward. “I invited them, Dad. We all know about them. It’s not a big deal for any of us. I want Keith at my wedding, and we all want the three of them here. Now, I know this might be shocking to you, but there’s a lot of nontraditional relationships out there—”
“Stop,” the man said, still staring at his son. “So are you gay or not?”
“I guess technically I’m bisexual, Dad, if that’s your question. Although I fell in love with Scott first.”
“And Scott and Noel are married? To each other?”
“Yes.”
He glared at Noel. “And you’re okay with this?”
She started to answer but Keith shifted position to stand between them. “Is this going to be a problem?”
She put her hands on Keith’s shoulders, peeking around Keith. “Yes, sir. I’m okay with this. Scott and Keith love each other, and they both love me. I consider myself very lucky.”
His father seemed to be considering it. “So you’re not totally gay after all?”
Noel finally realized the concession the man was looking to hear out of his son’s mouth, likely so he could claim some personal perception of victory over allowing his son back into his life without having to go back on his previous objections.