Inside Out - Lauren Dane [69]
“It’s going on four years now, Dad, that Ben’s been with Todd and Erin. It’s not a passing phase. This isn’t about Ben’s cock. Do you think so little of him that he would just make disastrous choices to get laid? Come on. As far as business goes? This is my business. My family is my business. You made a comment about your grandchild dying. How is that sense? That’s crazy and hateful. Even if Erin was bewitching Ben in some way, what’s it to you? This is nonsense, and you’re ripping the family apart.”
His father leaned close, but Cope stood his ground. “He’s my son. He’s meant for so much more than this. He’s not even gay. I could deal with that. But he’s got one of each and neither of them is worthy of Ben.”
“Are you even listening to yourself? He’s happier than I have ever seen him. Is he in a relationship you can talk about in the annual Copeland Christmas letter? Probably not. But so what? I’m with them all the time; I have zero doubt that he’s not just loved by Erin and Todd but adored by them. They’re making a family together. He doesn’t need your approval of where he puts his johnson.”
“Watch your mouth, Andrew.”
He rolled his eyes at his father. “He loves them right back, you know. They’re good together. They’re having a baby, and it’s theirs. Not Todd’s, not Ben’s, but theirs. I’m not asking you to think this is all great. I’m telling you, you have to find a way to deal with this. Mom is sick all the time. Holidays are the pits since you refuse to allow them in the house. We’re all in the middle, and you’re pushing everyone away.”
“Why are you here? This is between me and Ben. Your mother has nothing to do with it either.”
“Does she know you made that little crack about Erin falling down some stairs?”
Cope dodged his father’s fist as Mr. Keenan came charging toward them, hauling Cope’s dad back. “Billy Copeland! Stand down, man. This is your boy!”
“You’re tearing us apart, Dad. I hope you realize this before it’s too late. Some things you say can’t be taken back.”
“I should have said more a long time ago. Look at you! Can’t be bothered to do anything but hit on rich women and charge them too much for security services. Your whole life is about getting ass, Andrew. Your brother is wasting all his promise in this stupid whatever the hell he’s in. I failed the both of you.”
Cope felt it like the slap it was. He took a step back. “Yeah, you did fail.” He looked to Mr. Keenan. “I apologize that you had to get in the middle of this.” He turned and walked away, his good mood disappeared.
For a moment after he’d walked into the café, Cope watched the table where his mother was sitting and knitting. She’d aged a lot over the last several years. The estrangement between father and son had torn her apart. And it hadn’t just been their father who’d reacted so strongly against Ben’s choosing to be with Erin and Todd. Their older sister had taken their father’s side along with Todd’s oldest brother and his wife. Holidays, once boisterous and filled with Keenans and Copelands, were now a more subdued and careful event. He knew it had taken a toll on everyone. Even his father’s rock-solid friendship with Todd’s father had taken a huge hit. After that morning, Cope feared there’d be permanent cracks between them.
“Hey, Mom.” Cope kissed his mother’s cheek before sitting down with her at the table. They regularly met at the café for lunch or coffee. It made Erin feel better to see her there, and it helped his mother feel more connected to Ben and the baby to come.
Cope walked it like the minefield it was, just relieved one of his parents wasn’t acting like an idiot.
“You look good. I swear if I didn’t know it was impossible, I’d ask if you grew an inch or two. Tell me what’s putting that sparkle in your eye.”
“As it happens, I’m, um, I don’t know what to call it. Courting? Seeing someone in the early stages and trying to convince her she should take a