Chapter Eight
Jack
Jack felt a strange sense of calm come over him as they parked and stepped out of the car. He glanced at the beautiful brick structure and realized this was the perfect place for his mother to be laid to rest.
Adam smiled before he reached for his hand and with the other, Jack messed with his tie, making sure it was straight.
“You look perfect, baby. As always. Are you ready for this?”
Jack nodded and with determination, they walked toward the church. With each step toward the entrance, he realized this was a random church his parents hadn’t attended, but his father would find it appropriate because of the size and beauty of the building. Jack managed, barely, to keep his eyes from rolling at the thought of how much his father had probably bulldozed someone in the church to get his way.
“What are you thinking about?”
Jack mentioned the church but continued with another thought. “I have never been close to either of my parents and when I went off on my own, my mom never called to see how I was or even to talk. It had always been my father who called if he wanted something. Their image was everything to them and this fits that image.”
“I know, Jack. But whatever happens, I’ll be right by your side.”
Jack smiled, his first genuine one since the news of his mother’s passing. “Let’s get this over with.”
They opened the door to the church and noticed a group of stately dressed men and women who were easily identified as his father’s colleagues and their spouses congregating at the front of the church. But before he could take another step inside, he noticed the familiar group standing off to the right, inside the entrance.
Caleb was the first to pull him into a bone-crushing hug and whispered his condolences. All of their friends; Ronan, Hawk, Sam, Ryan, Max, Dylan, Jessica, Jason, Ben, and Garrett surrounded both he and Adam and the sight of them brought tears to his eyes.
“Thank you, all of you, for being here.”
“We’re family, and family sticks together.” Ronan gave Jack a sad smile and pulled him close.
“It’s time.” Adam reached for Jack’s hand and all of them, those Adam and Jack considered their true family, walked down the aisle of the church and found seats in front and to the right of his father.
Jack could feel eyes on him and when he turned to glance at his father, he received a glare in return. Although the look might have intimidated Jack in the past, with Adam next to him, their past lay where it belonged. The glare intensified when he noticed Jack’s hand cradled against Adam’s and he couldn’t help but feel a flare of pride that Adam had chosen him to be his partner and damn what anyone else thought about them.
Jack turned toward Adam when he heard a choked laugh. “He looks like he might have a stroke.”
Jack suppressed a laugh and turned toward the preacher who had started the service. Although he wasn’t religious, Jack thought the service was beautiful. The preacher had obviously asked about his mother and her life, including her charity work and her love of her home. After the service, he watched his father walk out with the rest of his colleagues while Jack thanked the preacher for the service and the care he put into his speech.
Adam drove, making their way to Jackson’s home. He no longer thought of his childhood home as anything more. Jack chuckled as he watched his friends pile out of three cars, but nodded his thanks when they flanked him as they entered through the kitchen. Although it was inevitable that he would have a confrontation as soon as Jackson realized he had arrived, he decided to put it off for the time being and get some food in the process. Jack introduced the family cook, Maria, to his friends and she immediately fed them. As they sat down at the dining room table to eat, his father barreled into the room and his glare had Maria fleeing back to the kitchen. But he couldn’t intimidate the rest of them that stayed sitting and eating.
“How dare you embarrass me at your mother’s funeral.”
Jack looked at him, realizing that he hadn’t been scared or intimidated by his father in a long time. He had built the man up in his mind to be larger than life, and now when he realized everything Jackson Wright believed in was bullshit, his fear dissipated. Jack kept silent, not dignifying his father’s accusations with any response, not even a flinch, which angered his father more.
“If you hadn’t been a such a pussy, gotten married to a respectable woman, and came to work for me, you wouldn’t have driven your mother into an early grave. But instead, we had to be disappointed in our only son, who as it turns out, is gay.”
His father must’ve not realized his friends were in the room, but at his words, they surrounded both he and Adam for support. Jack watched in satisfaction as Jackson’s eyes widened as he took in the tall, powerful men and woman in the room. Jack chuckled when Garrett growled at Jackson, making him jump.
Jack stood and faced his father. “I could really give a shit what you think of me and my decisions. Yes, I am gay and I’m in a committed relationship with Adam, who loves me despite the fact that I’m your offspring. I have friends who support me and who I support back wholeheartedly. I have a successful business with wonderfully dedicated employees and a life I built that makes me happy. You and mom chose to be miserable, chose to care more about money and image than ever loving each other. And I realized I was on your path of making myself miserable, but I happened to meet Adam during our freshman year of college and everything changed. And I have never been so grateful to be not like you.”
Jackson had to regroup and the silence in the room grew uncomfortable. And as Jack truly looked at his father for the first time, he realized how unhealthy the man looked. He’d gained weight and he had a red tinge to his skin, probably caused by the amount of stress he exerted on himself. His eyes were waxy and his fingers were swollen. All in all, he looked miserable. Jack couldn’t find it in himself to fight with him any longer.
“You need to stop blaming everyone else for your problems. You already lost mom way before you needed to and you don’t have a son because you threw me away a long time ago. It’s time you grow up and take responsibility for your actions.”
Jack reached for Adam, who immediately linked their hands together, and they walked out with their friends and Jack planned on never coming back.
Jack glanced over at Adam and smiled. The tension in his chest relaxed as Adam smiled back.
“Sorry about cutting our lunch short. Why don’t you guys come over and I’ll order some food to be delivered?”
“Sounds good.” Hawk and Garrett were always up for food.
They watched as everyone scattered toward their cars and headed out to the home Jack and Adam shared. Jack pulled Adam close and kissed him until they pulled back breathless and Adam flushed with need.
“Let’s go home.”
Adam smiled. “Yes, home.”
Jack had known his father was going to find some way to make him even more miserable on this day, but Jack had the support of Adam and his friends and it made the day bearable. In all honesty, he doubted he would miss his mother, they hadn’t truly had a relationship throughout his life. Although he had given up vying for her attention long before he grew into adulthood, he was grateful for his life and he had to pay his respects to the woman who had brought him into the world.
And like Ronan said, he had a family, just not the one he was born into.