Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 10

you out of my office. Now!" He looked directly at Glenn.
    "Stop it, Dad. If Glenn goes, I go."
    Jason took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears that were brimming in his eyes. "I love him, Dad. I love him with all my heart. Please don't make me choose…"
    "Robert," Glenn spoke, "think about it. Think about what happened. I never stole anything from you."
    "Get out!" Robert screamed. "Get the fuck out of my office!"
    "Dad," Jason pleaded, "if I go, I'm not coming back."
    "Robert, please," Laura said. "Listen to your son."
    "He's not my son! No son of mine would ever do something like this to me. Go on, both of you. Get out. Get the hell out of my life."
    Jason's mouth dropped open. "Dad… how…?"
    Glenn's arm was around him as Jason raised his hands to his face, holding in a sob. "Come on," Glenn whispered. "Let's go." He turned to Robert. "You don't deserve him, Robert. And you sure as hell didn't deserve Chris. I just pray to God you wake up before it's too late… before you've lost everything."
    ****
    Jason stood in the doorway, staring at the empty apartment, shaking his head.
    "I can't believe this chapter in my life is over," he said, squeezing the hand of the man he loved.
    "Are you having second thoughts?" Glenn asked, leaning in to whisper into his ear.
    "No… no of course not. It's just … well, this should be one of the happiest days of my life, ya know. I should be celebrating, and really I am. I'm very happy, but sad at the same time."
    "Jason, maybe he'll eventually come around."
    "I can't worry about that anymore, though. I've done everything that can be done. I've emailed him, called, even gone to see him. He's cut me off, and I'm dead to him."
    "I'm sorry," Glenn said.
    "He'll probably get the letter today," Jason said. He was referring to his 'goodbye' letter, in which he'd returned the un-cashed check his father had sent him six months prior. It had been his 'severance'. Jason didn't want or need his father's money. He'd already accumulated his own nest egg, and now he had a new job. Glenn had hired him immediately, and he'd been working from home.
    But it was time to move on. The lease on the apartment had expired, and it was pointless to renew it. Besides, he and Glenn had decided together that it was time to make things official. They were in love, and they wanted to be together all the time. They were not just boyfriends. It was not just an affair. They were ready to declare their love publicly, to be joined officially and legally in matrimony.
    Glenn's proposal had been so perfect—so utterly romantic, just as Jason had always dreamed. They were in Corpus Christi at a restaurant along the coast, and when Glenn popped the question, Jason lost it. Right there in the Texas restaurant, he took his husband-to-be in his arms and kissed him passionately.
    "Yes! Oh god, yes, I'll marry you!"
    Same-sex marriage was not legal in Texas, but it didn't matter. They'd have the ceremony there and then fly to New York where they'd make it legal. Glenn had promised to make it special. He said Jason deserved the very best and he was going to spare no expense. Jason felt overjoyed, though he'd have been just as happy with something less spectacular. The important thing was the wedding itself—the vows they'd exchange and all that the ceremony represented.
    For now, their focus was to get Jason moved. Glenn had come up to help, and the moving van had just left. They were driving back together, and by the time they got there, all of Jason's belongings would be waiting for them.
    "Come on," Jason said. "Let's go start our new life."
    ****
    Teri had been Jason's friend since junior high. Back then they called themselves "BFFs", and she was the very first person Jason had told he was gay. After high school, Teri had gone to college out east and then graduated to take a job in New Jersey. He didn't get to see her nearly as often as he'd like, but they stayed in touch through social media, texting, and cell phones.
    She stood beside him in her silk taffeta bridesmaid's gown, gently rubbing the small of his back. "You okay?" she asked.
    Jason held his hand out to show her his tremor. "I can't stop shaking. So nervous…"
    "Aw," she smiled at him. "You look spectacular. Glenn's gonna shit when he's see you in that tuxedo."
    Jason bit his lower lip as he looked at his reflection in the full-length mirror. He squared his shoulders, straightening his posture, and took a deep breath. "It doesn't seem real," he