A Turn of the Screwed (25 page)

She turned her head and kissed Scott. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. So much, you have no idea.”

“I’m just glad we finally got this right and figured out what we needed,” she said.

“Me, too,” Scott agreed.

It was a beautiful June day, sunny, gorgeous, perfect. The night before, they’d checked into their hotel room thirty minutes away. Close enough to drive, but not so far away it would make their argument for a hotel improbable. They preferred the neutrality of the hotel, a place they could retreat to if things went badly.

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.

“No, Dad,” Keith said, sounding aggravated. “I guess I’m not totally gay after all, if that’s what you want to hear.”

He nodded. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” He looked at Aubrey. “If you want your brother here, your mother and I are fine with that.”

“What about his partners?” Aubrey asked. “I want them there, too. We all do. We all know about this.”

“Then I guess it’s okay with me.”

Noel fought the urge to burst into happy tears. If only her family had been like this, life would have been so much easier.

When Noel hugged Mrs. Knepp, she whispered into Noel’s ear, “Thank you, dear. I’ve missed my son.”

By the time they returned to the hotel late that night, they were exhausted, but happy. Keith had fun playing with his nieces and nephews, and his mom, Eloise, had quietly confided to Noel in the kitchen that she wasn’t as pigheaded as her husband, and that she even watched cable TV, but she had to live with the man.

She also made sure to give Noel her e-mail address.

It was a bittersweet win Noel would cherish.

Especially since none of her family had even sent Christmas cards. Not that she’d expected it.

She’d tried calling her mom on Thanksgiving, but reached her voice mail.

After three more tries over the next three days, with no calls being returned, Noel gave up until Christmas.

With similar results.

She’d written off her family permanently, but at least she had Scott’s parents and now the Knepp kin.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Keith said again as they were cuddled in bed and preparing to fall asleep after making fairly vanilla love, by their standards. “You were right.”

“You’re welcome, Sir.”

“I’m glad I get to see her get married.”

“Me, too.”

Scott chuckled. “I think your brother’s wife was still a little confused about everything.”

“Yeah, but at least she was polite about it,” Noel said.

“I don’t care,” Keith said. “Polite I can deal with. But…” He raised his head. “Tomorrow, please. Follow my directions. My dad is tolerating this situation. Let’s handle it like we did today, casually. Okay?”

Scott and Noel nodded. “Yes, Sir,” they echoed.

Keith let out a sigh. “And make sure not to call me
that
tomorrow, either.”

* * * *

Monday morning after their return from Oklahoma, Keith wished they could sleep in, or even call in and take an extra day off, but he had a lot of work waiting for him at the marina. He was already up and in the shower when he heard Noel come into the bathroom.

“Hurry up, babe. We’re going to be late for work.” He thought it odd for her to be moving so slowly, because usually she was the first one awake every morning.

He stuck his head out at the strange noise, just in time to see her dropping to her knees in front of the toilet and throwing up.

“Shit. Scott!” He got the soap rinsed off him and grabbed a towel as a half-asleep Scott, who’d had to leave for work less than an hour after their return from Oklahoma yesterday and had only gotten home an hour earlier, stumbled into the bathroom, nearly tripping over Noel in the process.

Scott knelt next to her. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t feel good,” she said. “I think I’m coming down with something. Must have caught something on the trip.”

That wasn’t the first thought to hit Keith’s mind. He wrapped the towel around himself and stood, grabbing Scott’s arm and levering him out of the bathroom as he whispered in his ear.

Then he returned to Noel’s side, dropping down next to her and gently gathering her hair in his hand, holding it back for her. “Sorry, babe. Let’s get you cleaned up, or do you think—”

Another round of vomiting later, she finally felt a little steadier and let him help her up and to the sink so she could rinse out her mouth.

“Where’s Scott?” she asked.

“He’ll be right back.”

“Where’d he go?”

“I sent him out to get something for your stomach.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Well, that wasn’t the only thing, but Scott would be back in a few minutes, anyway. There was a Walgreens less than a mile down the street.

When Scott returned just as Keith was helping Noel into bed, Keith got her up onto her feet again and back into the bathroom.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Scott handed him the box. Keith handed it back to him. “Open it and read the instructions, please.”

Scott ripped it open and did that.

“What?” she asked. “What is that?”

“A little wishful thinking on my part,” Keith said.

Now she was tracking, her eyes widening. “But I just went off them last month. Three of your sister’s friends were sick at the wedding. I probably caught whatever they had.”

“I know. Just checking. Humor me,
girl
.” On the one-year anniversary of the storm and her becoming Keith’s girl, she’d tossed her birth control pills.

“Yes, Sir.”

Ten minutes later, the three of them were staring at the tester, Keith in the middle with Noel and Scott flanking him.

Keith reached up, grabbed both of them by the hair, then kissed Noel, followed by Scott. “Guess we’re going to have to change a few rules around here pretty soon, aren’t we?”

Noel looked like she was in shock. “I can’t believe it happened that fast.”

“What, with the two of us throwing your ankles over our shoulders every chance we got?” Keith joked.

Scott laughed. “Sometimes several times a day.”

Keith leaned down and pressed his lips against her still-flat belly. “Guess now we’ll have to make good use of the next several months while we have you all to ourselves.”