Love, Like Ghosts: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations Story

loved and supported him through his torturous teenage years and helped him emerge on the other side sane and whole. “Thank you both. For everything.”
His father studied his face with the patented Dad Look that seemed to see straight through flesh, bone and pretensions to Adrian’s core. “Your mother loves you, Adrian. Every bit as much as she loves Sean. She didn’t intend to leave you out.”
Adrian nodded in agreement, even as the still-bitter child inside him screamed about the injustice of it all. This wasn’t the time or place to complain about excusing unintentional discrimination. His dad and Sam understood that issue far better than he ever could anyway. Besides, he knew his mom. She’d changed since the old days. The second she realized what she’d done, she’d be overcome with remorse, and a new champion in the fight against subconscious homophobia would be born.
Which might or might not be such a good thing. Being a pragmatic woman, Adrian’s mother rarely got caught up in causes, but when she did she was relentless to the point of maddening.
Adrian’s dad glanced toward the kitchen. “I guess we’d better sign off now, they’re bringing the food in. But either Sam or I will be on the chat anytime we’re online, and we pretty much have our phones on all the time, so call us whenever you want to talk, okay?”
“Sure, Dad. Happy Thanksgiving. I love you.” Adrian turned to Sam. “You too, Sam.”
Sam smiled. “Love you, Adrian. Happy Thanksgiving.”
“And Happy Thanksgiving from me too.” His father gave him a wide smile. “Let us know about Greg. I love you, son.”
The picture froze. Adrian stared thoughtfully at it. In the hazy still, his dad leaned forward, one arm reaching toward the laptop. A bit behind him and to his right, Sam sat gazing at his husband as if he formed the center of the universe. Maybe for Sam, he did.
Adrian had caught his father and Sam looking at each other that same way many times in the past. For years, witnessing such unabashed affection pass between them had made Adrian feel very peculiar, like he had a nest of live worms squirming in his stomach. Now he finally realized why the naked emotion had bothered him so much as a youngster—he’d wanted that kind of love, so badly it rubbed his insides raw, yet he’d had no way to recognize such a thing in himself or to articulate it even if he had.
I still want that. I want someone to look at me the way Sam’s looking at Dad right now. I want to have someone I can look at like that.
He refused to wonder if Greg could be that person. It was far too soon to be thinking such things, no matter what his heart tried to whisper to him in his more vulnerable moments.

Chapter Twelve
Adrian pulled his Toyota hybrid into the shaded drive and cut the engine. “Well. Here we are.”
    Beside him, Greg gazed at the two-story cottage with naked terror in his eyes. “What if they hate me?”
“They’re not going to hate you.”
“But, what if—”
“Greg. Stop.”
Greg turned and regarded Adrian with a solemn trust that warmed him right to his toes. Smiling, Adrian reached out to cup Greg’s cheek. “Relax, okay? My family is going to love you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am.”
“You better be.” Greg unbuckled his seat belt, leaned across the console and wrapped both arms around Adrian’s neck. “Kiss me before we go in there.”
Chuckling at the nervous quaver in Greg’s voice, Adrian undid his own seat belt and tilted his head to press his lips to Greg’s. The soft moan Greg let out set off a minor explosion of lust deep in Adrian’s belly. He wound one arm around Greg’s shoulders and buried the other hand in his hair, pulling him as close as possible with the console in the way. Greg’s mouth opened, Greg’s tongue slid against his, and something in the dashboard rattled in response to the spike in Adrian’s powers. Adrian whimpered, his hand clenched in Greg’s hair.
They both jumped when someone rapped on the driver’s side window. Adrian tore himself from Greg and whipped around, heart in his throat. Sean grinned from the other side of the glass. “Hey. I’m not interrupting, am I?”
Adrian groaned. “Jesus Christ, I’m going to kill him.”
“So that’s the famous Sean Broussard, huh?” Greg leaned over and peered out the window. Sean waved at him. Greg waved back.
“The one and only.”
“Uh-huh.” Plopping back against the seat, Greg drew a deep breath and blew it