They shared a love for the job. Wearing the blue and a badge was all Connor had ever wanted. He’d stayed up late at night to watch his father come in after a long shift, peering through the window, then sneaking downstairs to watch him take off his gun belt and lock up his weapon for the night. He’d seen his parents dance in the kitchen and laugh over a shared midnight meal, catching up on their day and basking in each other’s humor.
He’d grown up wanting that… thinking one day he’d come home to a little boy and a woman who’d kiss him on the mouth while teasing him about his big feet. There’d not been a moment he’d doubted his future. Not the uniform. Not the badge. Not the woman. Then suddenly, his future tilted, and Connor couldn’t find his feet underneath him.
So he did the only thing he knew to do during one of those times: reach for his da.
“I’ve fallen, Da.” Connor snagged the bottle, hoping this time the whiskey would find his gullet instead of his pain. “Fallen in love, I mean.”
“And that’s got you worried?” The delight on his father’s face was too painful bear. “What’s wrong? Is she married? What’s her name?”
Connor took a deep breath and crossed a line he’d never thought he’d cross in his entire lifetime. “His name is Forest, Da. Forest Ackerman. I met him on a case and, well….”
“But… he? You said he.” If Connor thought his confusion had struck him mute, he’d not been prepared for the flurries of conflict consuming his father’s expression. Donal finally settled on a dumbstruck bewilderment. “But, Con, yer not gay.”
“Yeah, I know, Da.” The whiskey bottle was an ill-formed vessel to salute with, but he hoisted it up to his father anyway. “I know. Fucking hell, don’t I know that, but here I am. In this.”
If he could find some sort of peace at the bottom of a glass, Connor would have taken it. Instead, the whiskey started to taste like dust, and he felt himself grow colder as every second ticked away in silence between them. An infinity of bone-chilling quiet stretched out, and just when Connor thought he couldn’t stand it any longer, his father clapped him on the shoulder, shaking him firmly with a solid hand.
“Well then, I guess we’ll work through this,” he murmured, pulling his son into a breath-stealing embrace. “Ye and I… we’ll find a way to make it work. Because yer my son, and I’ll be damned if ye shouldn’t be happy in love.”