Gwen inwardly groaned at their mother’s high-pitched tone. That indicated tears would soon follow. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? She leaves, you leave.”
Gwen gave Liam credit for trying. He kept his voice gentle. “Mom, I moved out because it’s time for you and Dad to get your lives back. When he retires, you two can do everything you planned. Gee and I get along great—”
“And we didn’t? I thought you were happy living here. I tried so hard.”
Their father said nothing.
Gwen’s stomach rolled, but Liam continued, undeterred. “Remember how you freaked out when each of us left for college? Think of it like that. Only you should be glad it’s me and Gee sticking together. You always told us as kids that we should stick together.”
That mollified her a little. “Well, I do have to say I’m proud of you two for being so close. Now if I could only figure out where we went wrong with your sister.” She dramatically sighed.
“You didn’t ‘go wrong’ with any of us.” Liam took a bite of his peach cobbler as Gwen was suddenly seized by a really bad feeling her brother was up to something. He didn’t disappoint, either. “Being pregnant will do that to you,” he blithely added.
Gwen froze. Liam continued eating as if he hadn’t just dropped a Hiroshima-sized bomb on their parents.
Their father finally spoke. “What did you say?” His voice sounded tight and strained. She prayed he wasn’t close to having a coronary.
Liam took another bite of his cobbler as if nothing was wrong. “Pregnant. Amy had her OB appointment today.” He frowned a little. “Didn’t she tell you about it? Mom, this cobbler is great, as usual. Gee, do you have the recipe so you can make it for us at home?”
Gwen fervently prayed Liam had an exit strategy. Her stomach dangerously rolled again.
Their mother looked stunned. “Amy is not pregnant. She’s…she’s not married. She doesn’t even have a man in her life!”
Liam snorted. “Um, yeah, she is.” He faked innocent confusion. Gwen recognized that expression from when they were kids. “I could have swore she said she told you guys about the baby.”
Their father threw his napkin on the table. “What is going on? No one’s told us anything! What baby? What in Heaven’s name are you talking about?”
Gwen forced down the last bite of her cobbler and kept her mouth shut. Liam finished his and leaned back in his chair. “I’m sorry, Dad. I thought she told you.” The picture of Mr. Innocence.
“Who’s the father?” their dad demanded.
“Now that I don’t know. She didn’t tell us that.” Okay, technically that was the truth. She didn’t tell them. Gwen had figured it out on her own after catching Amy and Rat Bastard red-handed.
Oh, good, another man to nickname.
Their mother shook her head in disbelief. “No. I don’t believe it.”
Liam scratched his head. “Well, sorry to be the bearer of all this bad news tonight. Amy’s pregnant, Gee and I are moving to South Dakota, and I’m gay.”
Gwen closed her eyes, her lips pressed together, cringing, waiting.
Their father did not disappoint. “If this is some idea of a joke, young man—”
“Oh, it’s no joke, Dad.” She heard Liam push his chair back. She didn’t dare open her eyes yet. “We love you, but you two have been operating under some pretty unrealistic ideals for a long, long time. Gee makes a damn good living at what she does. Amy has a life to live, and so do I. I’m tired of being scared of hiding who I am around you. Now I don’t have to. I’m going to move out there and start a new life, and Gee is willing to pull up stakes and go with me.”
Gwen finally dared open her eyes. Her parents stared at her. Her father trembled with anger and jabbed a finger at her. “This is all your fault, young lady! You writing that…that…filth! You’ve corrupted your brother!”
“Stop!” Liam stood, holding on to the table for balance. Gwen felt close to tears, but the protective anger on Liam’s face kept her from breaking down. “Gee is the one person I felt safe coming out to. The first person I came out to. This isn’t her fault, it’s the way I am, the way I was born. So back off, Dad. I knew you’d react this way. It’s why I was afraid to admit the truth to you. Well, I don’t have to be afraid anymore. I love you, and I love Mom, and I’m grateful beyond words for your love and support and care when I got sick, but it’s time for me to suck it up and move on and be who I need to be. Now I’m not scared to take care of myself anymore.” He grabbed his cane and held his hand out to Gwen. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go home.”
“You’re not going anywhere!” their father screamed. “You’re going to stay here and discuss this, and then I’m calling our minister and have him come talk to you.”
Their mother didn’t rise from her chair. She sat there and cried. Gwen felt a little guilty about that, it coming down to this, but she trusted Liam and knew a confrontation would have happened regardless of how they approached it with their father.
Liam shook his head. “Sorry, Dad. This isn’t a demon you can say a few prayers over and exorcise. I’m gay, not possessed. Deal with it. You have a gay son, you have one daughter who makes her living writing erotica, and another daughter knocked up out of wedlock. The irony is, of course, that the knocked-up daughter is not the one who writes erotica, but the ‘good’ daughter, the one you’ve thrown in poor Gee’s face all these years.”
Gwen took his hand and stood, her own tears close to the surface.
Liam looked at her. “Come on, sweetie,” he gently said. “Let’s go home.” She let him lead her toward the front door.
Their father moved faster and blocked their exit. Liam still had a good three inches of height on him. “You’re not going anywhere!” their father roared. “You’re going to stay here so we can pray over you!”
Liam’s voice dropped, angry. “Get out of our way, Dad. We’re leaving.”
“I’m not moving!”
“Okay then.” Liam hooked his cane over his arm and, without releasing Gwen’s hand, reached into his pocket for his cell.
“What are you doing?” their father demanded.
“I’m calling 911 and telling them you’re holding us hostage and refusing to let us leave.”
Their mother finally stood and rushed to the front door. She grabbed their father’s arm. “Dave, please, just let them go!”
Liam’s thumb hovered over the send button on his phone. “What’ll it be, Dad?” Gwen never remembered hearing Liam sound so angry. “We’re not staying and being subjected to your abuse about our lives. We’re not backing down. Not this time. It’s time you see the truth about who your children are and learn to deal with it. You want to go after someone, go after Amy for scaring the crap out of all of us by disappearing the way she did and getting herself pregnant.”
Gwen clung to Liam’s arm, terrified he’d follow through with his threat to call. As pissed off as she could get at her parents, she didn’t want either of them in jail.
Their father finally let their mother pull him aside. Liam nodded and thumbed the end button to clear the number from his phone before he slipped it back into his pocket. “Mom, Dad, we love you. We are grateful to you, and we think you were good parents. But we are adults and we are tired of having to hide the truth about ourselves and trying to fight for your approval. We love you the way you are. We just wish you loved us for who we are and saw us for the functioning, successful adults we became. You did good. That should be good enough for you, and I’m sorry it’s not. No matter how much we love you, I’m not letting you bully us anymore.”
Gwen didn’t miss Liam’s particular phrasing, still the protective big brother.