Distraction (Club Destiny #8)(74)

Nate’s anger had been festering for some time now, and Dylan figured when the kid finally let the emotions out, it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Did you have fun?” Nate snapped, dropping into the kitchen chair, still glaring at him.

“I did.”

“At least someone did.”

Dylan paused as he reached for a glass. “Something wrong?”

“That’s a stupid question, Dad. When has anything been right?”

Okay, so maybe this wasn’t really about him like he’d thought. “Want to talk about it?”

“With you?”

Dylan didn’t bother to say that he didn’t see anyone else in the room. He simply studied Nate carefully, then moved around the bar and over to the table.

“Look, Nate,” he began as he took a seat. “I owe you an apology. I haven’t—”

“Why do you think everything’s always about you?” Nate bellowed, jumping to his feet.

Dylan was up in an instant, his hands on Nate’s shoulders. His son was shaking, clearly angry, but at what, Dylan wasn’t quite sure. He’d thought Nate had been angry with him, but now he had his doubts.

“What’s it about?” he asked softly.

“It doesn’t matter,” Nate snapped. “It never fucking matters.”

Dylan gently squeezed Nate’s shoulder. “It always matters. When it comes to you, it does, Nate.”

His son’s dark eyes met his, and Dylan held his breath, hoping his son would open up to him.

The next words that came out of his mouth weren’t quite what Dylan expected.

“I’m gay, Dad.”

Well, it was a start at opening up.

“Okay.”

Nate frowned, shrugging Dylan’s hand away. “Okay? That’s all you have to say about it?”

Dylan’s own anger came bubbling up. “What do you want me to say, Nate? Did you have this conversation planned out? Did you write a script that I should know about? You’re gay. Fine. Am I supposed to react badly? What do you want from me?”

Nate’s eyes widened momentarily. “You’re not gonna tell me that I’m not gay? That I must be confused?”

“Why would I say that?” Dylan didn’t understand what the hell was going on. “Do you think you’re confused?”

“No.”

“Well, then why would I think you’re confused?”

“Because your son is gay,” Nate countered hotly.

“So fucking what?” Dylan stared at his son. “Some of my best friends are gay. Does that mean they’re confused?”

That seemed to take the wind right out of Nate’s sails. He stood there, staring back at Dylan.

When his son’s face fell, Dylan finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Everything he’d witnessed over the past couple of years, the way Nate interacted with Jake, the way the two men acted toward one another.

This wasn’t about Dylan at all. Sure, he probably hadn’t helped the situation by becoming a raging alcoholic and ignoring his children altogether, but the weight on Nate’s shoulders wasn’t placed there by Dylan. He wasn’t sure that was a good thing or a bad thing. As a father, he wanted to fix his kid’s problems, but this was something he couldn’t fix.

“Is this about Jake?” he asked, making sure there was no judgement in his tone.

Nate dropped back into the chair. “He doesn’t want to see me anymore.”

Oh, hell.

His son was in love.

“Did he say why?”

Nate seemed surprised by the question. “He said we’re too young.”

Well, Dylan could hardly argue with that, but he knew that wasn’t what Nate would want to hear. “Have you been … dating him for a while?”

“It hasn’t been official. More like friends.”

“But you wanted more?”

Nate stared at the wooden tabletop. “Yeah.”

“And what did Jake say when you brought it up?”

Nate rolled his eyes. “I didn’t bring it up. I’ve been waiting for him to … accept it.”

Shit.

Dylan had no idea what to say to make this better for Nate. Young love was hard, and that was the case whether you were gay or straight. The heart wanted what it wanted, and everyone knew it didn’t always work out.

“Talk to me, Nate.”

“I don’t want to talk,” Nate growled, his anger returning. “I’m so fucking tired of talking. I just want…”

Ah, hell.

The second the tears began to fall from Nate’s eyes, Dylan’s heart constricted. He threw his arms around his son and held him, offering comfort, knowing it wouldn’t help.

Dylan hated that he couldn’t fix this for his son. He didn’t even know how to try.

But he could be there for him the way a father should.

Yes, Dylan had made a lot of mistakes over the years, but the one thing he’d never stopped doing was loving his kids, wanting what was best for them.

So, that was exactly what he did. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around Nate and he hugged him.

Didn’t matter that it was as much for him as it was for his son.