Hurricane Reese Page 19

  “And we’ll be compiling those stories into print, and the proceeds will go to the GLSEN organization to help young LGBTQ students feel safe in school,” Toby added.

  The audience cheered loudly, and Jude ignored the wetness on his cheeks. Onscreen, Ellen smiled at Reese and Toby. “And this show would like to be among the first to announce that, not only will we be sponsoring The Boy on the Corner and the book, but we’ll be debuting a song from the show here, today, just for our audience.”

  The crowd went wild over Ellen’s announcement. Reese and Toby walked over to the performance area, where a piano was set up, and Reese sat down to play while Toby stood next to the piano with a microphone. Jude immediately recognized the song as one they’d worked on back when Jude was still living with Reese, and his heart felt as though it were breaking through his rib cage.

  When the song was finished, Toby and Reese stood, bowed, and hugged each other. Jude was overcome with emotions he had a hard time sorting out. He was grateful Reese had Toby, heartbroken that he wasn’t there to hold Reese’s hand, and excited for their endeavors.

  How wonderful that they wanted to help LGBTQ youth. Jude never had to worry for his physical safety, but that was because he never shared his feelings, and he didn’t stand out when he was a kid. He knew he would never have been accepted by the staff at his school as they preached the Catholic belief that gay sex was a sin. Jude was able to accept that God still loved him, but he’d love him more if he quit having fantasies about men and if he never acted on his feelings.

  Well, he’d acted on those feelings. And he’d fallen in love. Now he wasn’t speaking to half of his family. That made it hard to believe he was doing the right thing, but it was also hard to believe that the people who loved him would stop loving him because he shared that part of himself with them. He was still Jude, right?

  He texted Germaine.

  I’m so happy for him. Thank you for sharing with me.

  And then he headed out to his truck to find a place to park for the night and let out the rest of his tears.

  SOME TIME in the wee hours Jude woke with a start when he heard scratching noises outside the truck. He’d parked in the lot behind the rehabilitation hospital so he could maybe sneak in and see Mr. Matheson in the morning before Reese showed up, but it was really dark. The light must have gone out in the parking lot. Jude sat up just as a crowbar came crashing through the passenger side window of the Pathfinder.

  “What the fuck?” he yelled, startling the person whose arm was opening the door from the outside. “Get the fuck out!”

  Jude scrambled over the back seat and grabbed for the guy’s crowbar, but someone grabbed him by his scrubs, pulled him out of the car, and threw him on the concrete. All he remembered from that point was boots—several of them—pummeling his back and his midsection. One caught him under the jaw. Then he heard shouts and was grateful when the would-be robbers ran off into the night. He rolled over onto his back as his co-workers came to his aid.

  Well, shit.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  REESE CALLED the rehab facility and asked them to tell Grandpa that he would be in late that day because he needed to do another interview and because he and Toby had to look at possible venues in Santa Monica and Hollywood. He hated it that he was being torn away from Grandpa already. His hiatus hadn’t been nearly long enough, but once they finished the show, there was a sense of urgency that the story needed to be told.

  When Grandpa heard the songs later that afternoon, he was overwhelmed. He couldn’t speak through the emotion for several minutes.

  “This is beautiful, son. You said everything I never could.” And that mandate sealed the deal. It was time, and the world was going to hear his manifesto, even if the person it was intended to celebrate was no longer in his life.

  Reese couldn’t bring himself to contact Jude. His sane brain told him he was stupid for asking Jude to choose him over his family, but his heart still hurt. And it was more than that. He’d thought Jude would stand by him, and when he sent him away from his uncle’s home… well, Reese’s ignorant pride wouldn’t let him acknowledge that he was just as guilty of breaking a promise. He’d told Jude he’d be there for him, take care of him and support him, and for that he felt terrible. He just had no idea how to repair the damage from the latest pass of Hurricane Reese, so he threw himself into the musical. He hoped and prayed that Jude would hear and understand… somehow.

  When he arrived at the rehab facility that night, it was after ten o’clock, but Grandpa was still awake. Camilla had just wrapped up a visit with him, so he knew the old man would be in a good mood. He thought he should give them a few minutes to themselves, so he told them he was going to grab a cup of coffee and he’d be back. As he headed toward the cafeteria, he saw a familiar figure in scrubs. A wave of fear, love, anger, and confusion passed through him as he realized that the guy moved all wrong to be Jude. His shoulders were pulled up and tense, and he walked with a limp—definitely not his Jude.

  “Not every guy in scrubs looks like him,” he muttered to himself, but as the guy turned the corner, Reese’s heart stopped. Reese ran after him, ignoring shouts from the nurses’ station. When he caught up, he grabbed the man by the arm, and Jude yelped. Tears filled Reese’s eyes as he looked into Jude’s beaten and bruised face.

  He brought his hands up to cup Jude’s jaw. “Oh my God. What happened to you?” He couldn’t hold back the sobs as he attempted to pull Jude into his arms, but Jude pushed him away.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked around a swollen lip. Reese’s sorrow turned to anger in a flash.

  “Who did this to you? What happened, Jude?”

  Jude looked around and pulled him into an empty room. He wrapped his arms around his midsection and Reese noticed one of his hands was bandaged. Jude didn’t speak. He just looked at the floor and seemed to try to get his breathing under control.

  “Jude. Please. What happened?” Reese asked in a softer voice when he realized that yelling at him wouldn’t help.

  “I got robbed.”

  That was it. He said nothing else. Reese shifted his weight on his feet and tried to be patient, but when Jude offered no other explanation, he had to fight the urge to shake him.

  “Robbed? Where? Have you been to the hospital? Did you file a police report?”

  “In the parking lot. Yes. And yes. Now can I get back to work, please?”

  The whole time Jude wouldn’t look at him. It hurt Reese to see his beautiful face so damaged and his body twisted in obvious pain.

  “You shouldn’t be at work. You should… you need to lie down, get some rest. Why don’t you go—” The fury inside Reese rose to an unprecedented level. “You were sleeping in your fucking truck again, weren’t you? Goddammit, Jude!”

  Jude finally raised his gaze, and he looked just as furious.

  “It’s of no concern to you,” he bit out through clenched teeth. “Get out of my way. I have a job to do.” He shoved past Reese, grabbed his cart in the hallway, and winced as he pushed it ahead of him.

  Reese stood frozen. It was all his stupid fault. If he hadn’t pushed things…. But he had, and he put Jude in danger. He couldn’t go after Jude, but there was something he could do. He took out his phone.

  “Hello, Germaine? It’s Reese. I’m sorry to call so late. I got your number from Kyla.”

  “Yes, Reese, what can I do for you?” Her tone gave Reese no clue as to how she felt about him. He hoped she wasn’t angry.

  “I need your help.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  REESE WENT back to his grandfather’s room to find him sleeping. He kissed his forehead and grabbed his coat on the way out. Then he went to meet Germaine. If he were going salvage the mess and make sure that Jude was taken care of, he needed the help of Jude’s family, so he needed to understand where he’d gone so wrong.

  Germaine and Paolo were very gracious to meet with him so late at night. They offered him a dri
nk, but he declined. He hadn’t touched the stuff since the night he’d mauled Jude, and he didn’t intend to. They sat on the couch with tea instead, and he began to explain himself.

  “It’s important to me that he be safe, more than it is for us to be together. I don’t think he’ll allow me to do anything, but I want to help.”

  Paolo took Germaine’s hand. The couple were about the same age as Reese and very affectionate. Reese tried not to let it affect his determination. He still ached inside from the loss of his partner, and that was never going to go away.

  “I knew he’d been sleeping here while we were gone. We told him that was all right. He’s been so helpful with baby Antony. Any time we asked him where he was staying during the weekend, he refused to talk about it. He just said not to worry, he was being safe. I told him I wouldn’t talk to Gemma and Rommel about it if he promised me he wouldn’t sleep in his truck again. It’s difficult to judge what’s my place. He’s an adult, but he’s my nephew. He’s so levelheaded and responsible, but he’s stubborn. And now he’s angry. I’ve never seen him so angry before.”

  Reese tried not to hang his head in shame. He’d given up trying to make excuses for his behavior at dinner. He was out of line. By trying to get Jude to leave with him, he insulted his family and his religion, for God’s sake. He did what any typical privileged white male would do in the same situation. He forgot about anyone other than himself and his needs.

  “So how can I—”

  “Marvin will be home in two days. It might be good if you go talk to him. My brother-in-law is a reasonable man, much more so than his brother. He loves Jude very much, and he’s very proud of him. He’ll be heartbroken to know that his son has been doing without to take care of his younger siblings. You do know that Jude has been paying for their school tuition so they can continue attending the Catholic school?”

  Reese cleared his throat and took a moment to get himself together. Paolo excused himself, and Reese appreciated the gesture.

  “I had no idea,” he said to Germaine. “He’s so private. I feel like I got to know him, the man inside, but he kept all of the details from me. And now I feel like I’ll never know….”

  Germaine reached across the table. “There’s always a way, Reese. My nephew is a forgiving person, and he loves you. Don’t give up hope.”

  SO THAT was how Reese found himself back at Gemma and Rommel’s home three days later. Germaine assured him through texts that Jude was working and wouldn’t be over. Reese knocked on the door and did something ironic. He prayed.

  Chapter Thirty

  CHRISTMAS EVE was normally a big party for the De La Torre family, but that year things were more somber. At least Jude’s mood was somber. The rest of his family planned to celebrate the homecoming of their eldest brother and his wife. Jude planned to pay his respects, and then find someplace to hide out—because that’s what he’d been doing. He didn’t want anyone else to see him with bruises, but there was no way he could escape at least one holiday evening. He tried. He picked up a double shift at the rehabilitation center on Christmas Day, but no one needed to be covered on Christmas Eve.

  Mr. Matheson had moved home. Jude had run into Camilla, and she told him he’d been discharged the previous morning. She beamed with pride that he’d healed so quickly and said she was planning to visit him for the holiday to bring him some Filipino food. Jude hid his pain from her, but couldn’t keep it all in. After she left he took a walk out back and cried. The man who had come to be like his own grandfather was now out of his reach, and who knew if Jude would ever see him again?

  As he approached his uncle’s house for what he hoped would be a quick visit, he planned out what he would say and how long he would stay. He raised his hand to grab the front door handle, but it was yanked open from inside by his enthusiastic mother.

  “My boy is here.” She held on to him for so long, he had to gently extricate himself as his bruised ribs screamed from the pressure. Her smile held until she saw his face.

  “My God. What happened to my beautiful son?” Tears filled her eyes immediately as she pulled him toward her to get a closer look.

  Jude cursed inwardly and wished he had mad makeup skills so he could have covered the bruises and avoided discovery, but makeup had never been his thing.

  “I’m fine, Mama. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  And thankfully he’d finally gotten his window fixed. The next night he slept out there he wouldn’t freeze his ass off. His insurance said they would pay for his computer and his stolen textbooks as well, but he hadn’t backed up his work, so he’d lost everything he’d done for his classes so far. Of course it could have been a lot worse. That’s what he kept telling himself to keep from total despondency.

  “You are not fine. Marvin, JJ is here. Come see what’s happened.”

  Jude groaned as he found himself surrounded by worried family. They all fussed over him as they pushed him into the dining room and placed a plate full of food in front of him.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine. I just surprised some guys as they were breaking in. That’s all. It’s taken care of.”

  His father entered the room, and Jude automatically stood to accept his father’s embrace. He couldn’t help the small gasp as his father squeezed tightly. And then the family shoved ice packs and bottles of painkillers his way, moved him to the couch, and forced him to put his feet up while his mother held his plate for him. It was all too much, but it went a long way to make him feel accepted—something he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel again.

  The room emptied casually, and soon it was just Jude and his parents, although he knew without a doubt that at least three or four family members were in the hallway right outside, waiting to hear what was said.

  “I’m sorry to come to you like this,” Jude began. “I wanted to see you and welcome you home, but—”

  “Reese came to see me,” his father began.

  Jude’s mouth dropped open, but he snapped it shut and hoped his parents hadn’t seen his reaction.

  “And?” Jude asked finally. He was tired of dramatic conversations. He just wanted to work and be left alone. He didn’t have it in him to keep up the façade that he was doing all right.

  “And I told him I was grateful that he had provided a home for you for the past two years while your mother and I have been away. We never wanted to be gone for so long, but I never worried while you were living with Mr. Matheson. I’ve been so proud of you for taking on such an important task for Reese while he was unable to care for his grandfather himself.”

  Praise from his father always meant a lot to Jude. He just wished he hadn’t disappointed him.

  “Mr. Matheson is back home now.” Jude tried to keep the emotion out of his voice. “Reese has hired someone else—my friend Kyla—to work with him, so I’ll be continuing on with the jobs I have now and going to school.”

  “That’s wonderful, JJ! Isn’t that wonderful, Marvin?” Jude’s mother left Jude’s side only long enough to lean forward and pat his father on the hand. He sat in the armchair next to the sofa to the side of Jude and his mother. The men stared at each other for a long time, until his mother obviously couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “That Reese is quite a looker. He sang karaoke with us, even. It was so much fun. But not the same without you here, my son.”

  Jude couldn’t picture that. As much as he loved to hear Reese sing. Karaoke?

  “I’m glad you got to meet him. Now Germaine tells me you’ve found an apartment? That was fast. When are you moving?”

  His parents looked to each other and then smiled at Jude. “We’ll move the day after Christmas. The movers will bring our things from storage. The apartment has two bedrooms and is close to the school, so Brianna will have no trouble getting to school.”

  Jude frowned. “Where will Bailey be? You can’t leave him here. He—”

  “Reese explained that he’s added on to the cottage so there’s a bedroom available for B
ailey with you until we’re able to get a bigger place. You can go back to your home.”

  Jude sat back against the couch with a huff. “What are you even talking about?”

  His father smiled. “Reese is moving out so that you can come back home and continue to work with Mr. Matheson. His grandfather misses you, and Reese thought it would be best.”

  “Oh Reese thought so, did he? Look. I just want everyone to stop trying to make decisions for me. Is that too much to ask? I love you both, and I appreciate all that Tito and Tita have done but—”

  “JJ, we thought you’d be happy! And it’s so nice of Reese to offer this. It’s only until we can afford a bigger place to live. We’ve been out of work for a long time, and we need to catch up financially. At that time Bailey can come home. We’ll have room for you then too, until you—”

  “Until what, Mama? I get married? I’m not getting married. You need to accept that. I have.” He stood from the couch, suddenly needing an escape route like he needed his next breath. “I’m sorry if that means you have to wait for grandchildren, but I’m not ever getting married. Is that understood?”

  “JJ, sit down.” Marvin’s tone was stern, but compassionate. “I will ask you not to speak to your mother that way. I understand that you’ve been through a difficult time, so I’ll let it go. This time.”

  Jude felt like the world’s most terrible son. He started to apologize, and his mother shushed him.

  “Of course you can get married. You can do whatever you want, and that means whatever you want. Your father and I may not totally understand the choices you are making, but we love you and we’ll support you.”