Side by side, we’re about to face our biggest fear after two years. It’s been a long ride, one that’s been rough from the moment it began, but it’s a relief to know that it’s finally all about to be over. Our parents always needed to find out eventually. It’s taken us two years to accept the truth and build up the courage to admit it to those who matter most, and now that the final hurdle is right in front of us, it’s impossible to back out now.
Exhaling from beside me, Tyler’s hand finds mine and tightly he interlocks our fingers. We exchange a sideways glance. Both of us are smiling.
“Let’s do this,” he says.
31
As always, the house smells like lavender. It’s Ella’s trademark. When you’ve been gone for a while, it always seems to be more noticeable when you return. As Tyler and I edge into the hall, we linger by the bottom of the staircase. We glance into the living room, but there’s no one there despite the fact that the TV is on.
Tyler drops his bag onto the stairs, relaxing his shoulders before he clears his throat and yells, “We’re home!”
For a few seconds, we wait. There’s some commotion as Ella comes rushing through from the kitchen at the exact same time as we hear footsteps upstairs, but Ella is the first to reach us. She’s in tears before she’s even said a word, a huge smile on her face as she grasps Tyler in her arms and pulls him against her. He’s much taller than her, but she rests her hands on his hair as he hugs her back. I watch them with a small smile on my lips, a smile that’s both sad and content. Ella and Tyler have always had a close bond, and I know first-hand just how much she’s missed her son over the past year. All the time, she would talk about him. Mention how proud she was. Ask if calling him five times in one day was too much. Dad would often roll his eyes and leave the room. I’d always stay. I’d always tell her that I missed Tyler too.
Ella takes a step back, cupping Tyler’s jaw in her hands as she gazes up at him with undying love and affection. “You’re really here!” Almost bubbling with joy as the tears continue to escape her eyes, she smothers his face in kisses.
“Mom, c’mon.” Tyler says as he turns his head to the side. Reaching for her wrists, he moves her hands from his face and lets out a laugh. “Gross.”
Ella sniffs, her smile sheepish as she wipes away her tears with her thumb. She’s just about to part her lips to say something else at the exact same time as Chase comes through from the kitchen, but Tyler doesn’t even get a single second to acknowledge his brother, because suddenly our attention is drawn to the pounding on the staircase.
Dad is definitely not thrilled to see us. He comes storming down the stairs, his eyes narrowed and his cheeks a flaming red. Before he even reaches the bottom, he’s already growling, “Is it true?” He’s not looking at Ella. He’s not looking at Chase. He’s looking at Tyler and he’s looking at me.
It’s perfectly clear what my dad is referring to. We both know it. My entire body deflates; my heart sinks in my chest. I can’t bring myself to answer, and neither can Tyler. We’re too taken aback by Dad’s question to even react.
“Dave . . .” Ella murmurs, stepping forward and turning to face her husband. Her expression is perplexed, her eyebrows knitting together. “What are you talking about?”
A figure moves at the top of the staircase, which immediately catches my eye. I glance up, looking past Dad, to find Jamie. He’s hovering on the landing with his lips pressed into a firm line and his arms folded across his chest as he watches the scene unfold. It’s not difficult to make sense of the situation, to know that Jamie simply couldn’t keep quiet until we got here, even when Tyler made it clear that we wanted to tell our parents on our own. Telling them ourselves would have been the right thing to do. Jamie being the one to break the news to Dad is quite literally the worst thing that could have happened. It makes it seem like we weren’t planning on telling him and Ella the truth in the first place.
Tyler must notice Jamie too, because he lunges toward the stairs with his hands balled into fists, muttering something under his breath that I don’t quite catch. Without a second of hesitation, however, Dad blocks him from going any further by grabbing his shirt and pushing him back across the hall. He slams Tyler against the wall, pressing his arm firmly across his chest as he holds him there. Ella sucks in a horrified gasp at the exact same time as she jumps forward, attempting to shove Dad off Tyler by pushing at his shoulder, but he’s too strong for her and doesn’t even budge.
“Is it true?” Dad yells again, his face only inches from Tyler’s as he leans harder against his chest. There’s suddenly a waft of booze in the air too, and I squint at my dad suspiciously when I realize it’s coming from him.
Ella takes a cautious step toward him and Tyler. Her eyes slowly widen as she quietly asks, “Is what true?”