Secret

“Man, we can’t be sittin’ here in a neighborhood like this in the middle of the night. The cops are gonna be called,” Darren said as another car pulled in behind him on the street.

“Turn off the headlights,” Tristan directed, trying to see who was behind him. The new car worried him. It wasn’t Dylan’s sports car, something bigger like a small SUV. “Can you see who’s driving?”

Dylan told him to stay behind. There was no doubt Dylan didn’t want him involved in any of this. What if he was already busted? The lights in the vehicle behind them dimmed, but it continued to idle.

“Nah, man, it’s too dark. I can make out one guy in the driver’s side, but I could be wrong,” Darren said, looking between his rearview and outside mirror.

“Keep an eye on him. Let me know if he gets out of the car,” Tristan responded, his focus immediately returning to the house.

Dylan came through the garage door and followed the sounds until he reached the middle living room. The formal room. Teri sat quietly on a sofa, Chloe tucked into her side. Chad was in his pajamas, asleep on the other sofa. Cate sat between them, looking uncertain, her big eyes going straight to him as if he had the answers they needed. He tried for a small smile, but it didn’t seem to ease her.

“Son, wake up, we need to talk.” Dylan reached down and shook Chad awake. Right about then, Chloe caught sight of him and busted out with a fresh round of tears. She jumped up and ran to him, hugging him tightly. He’d had to steady himself to keep them both on their feet with the force she hit him with.

“Dad, I’m sorry.” She gripped him tighter, crying openly onto his chest.

“Honey, it’s okay. Nothing’s this bad,” he said, holding her tight, searching Teri’s gaze. She gave nothing away. “Sit down with me. Let’s talk this out.”

“Chloe honey, let me handle this,” Teri said from across the room before Chloe had a chance to say another word.

“Honey, here.” Dylan handed her some tissue off the coffee table. The box was new. She never really let him go, so he guided them closer to Teri and took a seat. Chad now had the same look Cate carried. They both sat quietly, unsure as to what they were seeing, but Cate had moved over to sit closer to her brother. Chloe was clearly freaking them both out. Actually, he was on their side—he felt pretty freaked himself.

“Chloe, blow your nose and stop crying. We have to talk and you need to hear what I have to say,” Teri said, handing her the bundle of tissues she held in her hands. To her credit, she did what was asked, but stayed molded to his side. He held her there, trying for comfort as he waited for Teri to begin.

“Guys, I called this family meeting tonight after Chloe saw something she was unsure of,” Teri said. Her voice was different than he remembered before. She had compassion there, but resolve. Her tone strong and determined.

“Daddy, I’m sorry. I should have called you,” Chloe added, looking up at him, but Teri held out a hand, stopping Dylan from responding.

“No, honey, it’s not what you think,” Teri said, reaching over to calm her back down. Those words took a second to sink in, but they did stop the latest round of tears before they had a chance to form. “Dry your eyes. Your dad and I have some things to explain to you all.”

“Mom, what’s going on?” Cate asked, coming over to climb in right next to Teri. Dylan cocked his head to Chad to bring him closer. He wouldn’t come on his own because of his age, but he still carried that very big you guys are freaking me out look.

“Your dad and I have some things to tell you. We’d planned to wait until after Cate graduated, but regardless of Chloe’s discovery tonight, we were already going to have to change our plans.”

That confused Dylan even further, and he tucked Chloe in tighter as he felt her crying silently again. He patted Chad’s leg and he whispered softly down to Chloe. “Shh, listen for me, okay?”

“I’ve practiced this talk so many times. Now that we’re here, I don’t know where to start. So let’s go back to the beginning.”

“Fuck it!” The time ticked by slower than Tristan ever remembered. He kept his eyes trained on the small, opened curtain inside the house, praying for some kind of movement. Anything that let him know that Dylan wasn’t beating himself up for who he was as a man. Like any movement would help him identify what was going on inside that stubborn head of his.

Dylan’s resolve could break the rock of Gibraltar, and he knew that would leave him completely cut loose and left behind. Dylan would most definitely sacrifice their relationship in a heartbeat. He wouldn’t fight to keep them together, not yet. Not enough time had passed for Tristan to work his way inside Dylan’s heart, like Dylan had done so completely to his.

“Dammit!” Tristan whispered.

“Dude, you keep scaring the shit out of me. I’m already in this uppity neighborhood, stalking a private residence with a guy with no shoes and a wad of cash, and then you bust out with a curse word every three or four minutes in nothing but all this silence you’re making us sit in.” A quick rap of knuckles sounded on Darren’s side window.

“Shit! Goddammit!” Darren hissed, jerking his head toward the window as he frantically tried to get from his seat into Tristan’s.

“Get off me and roll your window down,” Tristan said, shoving him back toward the steering wheel.

“No fuckin’ way,” he hissed and scooted himself through the gap in the console, landing head first in the backseat. Tristan reached across the car to roll the window down. The driver gave a loud huff as he tried to correct his body’s position. “My rate just increased to a hundred fucking dollars an hour. This is crazy. These high-class cops shoot first and ask questions later!”