Love Means_. Freedom - Andrew Grey

softened as he saw the hand come down, and his anger shifted.
"I raised you and you owe me."
That was it. "I don't owe you shit!" Stone yelled. "You kicked me out with no place to go."
Stone didn't even realize he was yelling.
"I know you went to Pete's. You were fine."
    Stone wasn't about to be placated. "Fine! I was not fine! That perverted fuck raped me on his sofa." The shocked, disgusted look on the drunk's face was worth all the trouble. "That's right, your best friend is just as gay as I am." He hurled all the pain and hurt at the man he'd thought of as his father. The one person he should have been able to trust, and he'd found out the hard way he couldn't. Stone closed the suitcase, stacking it on the boxes. "You may be disappointed in me because I'm gay, but I'm disappointed in you as a human being. I guess that makes us even. At least I had the guts to tell you the truth." He knew he was most likely talking to a brick wall, but he was doing himself some good to get this out. Picking up the stack, he pushed the man against the doorframe as he stomped through the house and out the door.
    "You okay?" Geoff took the boxes from his hands as he approached the truck. "Buster's in the back and seems remarkably happy. I think he knows he's going with you."
    Geoff placed Stone's things in the back. "You ready to go home?" Geoff's eyes told him his words weren't said casually. Stone looked to the truck where Preston waited and then back at Geoff. "Yeah." He sighed to himself. "Let's go home."
    Stone got in the driver's side door, sliding across the seat so Geoff could get in too. The truck began to move out of the drive, turning onto the road. Stone managed to last until they reached the highway. By then the adrenaline had worn off, and he buried his head against Preston's chest and let the grief and loss wash over him.

    STONE felt so good leaning against him, arms around his waist, holding on for what felt like dear life. Preston could feel the shakes and gasps as he quietly sobbed against him. "It's behind you. You never have to see him again." He watched as they pulled away from the small farm, the smell of pigs finally fading in the distance. He let his fingers roam through Stone's soft hair, soothing as he comforted. "Did he hurt you?" He knew the revelation about his parentage had hurt Stone greatly, but he wanted to make sure the old drunk hadn't gotten physical. "Did he hit you?" Stone's head shook against him, and Preston continued comforting him as they picked up speed, moving down the two-lane highway.
    Stone's head pulled away, and he looked up at Preston, eyes red, face flushed, and Preston continued holding him, not wanting to let him go for anything. "He didn't hit me, not to say he didn't try."
    Preston felt his temper rise. "What did he do? I'll kill him, I swear." He looked deep into Stone's eyes and saw the last thing he expected: peace. "He set me free," Stone replied after a long deliberation. "I stood up to him, really stood up to him, and the old fuck backed down." Stone sat up, but Preston kept an arm around him. "Oh, he tried to hit me, but I threatened him right back, and the fucking coward didn't know what to do. Too bad it took me all this time to realize what a weasel he truly was. I could have saved myself a lot of pain and grief." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Did you mean what you said?" He turned to Geoff, who looked at him briefly before returning his full attention to the road. "About going home?"
    "Of course."

    Stone looked at Geoff in disbelief, and Preston had to admit he shared it. But he'd also come to learn that Eli and Geoff were extraordinary people with incredibly big hearts, and he had a feeling that Stone had wormed his way into theirs, just like he'd managed to worm his way into his. "Won't Buster be cold back there?" Preston asked, concerned as saw the snow swirling around the tires reflected in one of the mirrors. "No." Geoff answered. "He's got a blanket on, and I shut the vents so his own body heat will stay in the trailer and keep him warm. We'll stop every hour or so to make sure he's okay, just in case."

    Not knowing what else to say, Preston settled on the seat and pulled Stone closer. He felt so good that he didn't want to give up the contact. Then he felt Stone return the hug, an arm worming behind him as the truck became comfortably quiet.

    The miles ticked beneath the tires. They did indeed stop a few times, seeing to it that Buster was