Connected by the tide, p.24
Connected by the Tide, page 24
part #3 of Hawaiian Crush Series
He kissed her on the forehead. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He stood up with Coen and Sydney. She grabbed his hand. “Thank you so much,” she said with eyes full of tears.
He kissed her on the forehead again. “You don’t need to thank me, baby.” He turned and walked out with his friends, leaving Renee with her brother.
They walked back into the lobby and met with Nancy, Derek, and Jeremy.
“Renee wants to stay with him tonight,” Henry explained. “I’ll be back in the morning.”
Jeremy nodded. “I’m going to wait here. Hopefully, Dad changes his mind.”
Henry knew that was hopeless. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
They left the lobby and went outside.
Henry turned to them. “I need your help.”
Coen cracked his knuckles. “Are we going to track down those fuckers? I’m in.”
“Me, too,” Derek said.
“No,” Henry said. “I need you for something else—all of you.”
31
After researching for the next hour, he found the right house. His friends stood on the sidewalk and waited for him as he approached the front door. He stood on the doorstep for a long time, going over what he might say. He was more nervous than he had ever been.
The slight breeze didn’t cool the scorching temperature of his body. He thought the presence of his friends would help, but he was still frightened. He might make everything worse. Finally, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. A minute later, it opened.
“Can I help you?” The man was tall with blond hair and green eyes. He had extra weight around his stomach, but he looked like he was in good shape other than that. His mouth was set into a frown, like he was intimidated or annoyed. His arms were big, but contained the sag of old muscle after years of aging. When Henry looked at him, he didn’t see Ren. The only similarity they had were the eyes. His hair was blond, but not bright and glowing like hers was. She looked like she was as bright as the sun, hypnotic and alluring.
“Good evening, sir,” Henry said with a steady voice. “You don’t know me, but my name is Henry. I’m dating your daughter, Renee.”
His eyes widened. “My daughter has a boyfriend?”
“And I’m in love with her,” he continued, like her father hadn’t spoken. “I’m going to come back to this door and ask for your permission to marry her as soon as I’m done with school because I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Therefore, it’s my job to take care of her. I’m starting a little early.”
Her father stared at him and crossed his arms over his chest, wondering why Henry was saying this.
“You son was the victim of a hate crime, one that almost killed him. If it weren’t for me and another friend, he would have died. He was beaten until he was unconscious. Only by a stroke of luck did he survive. I don’t care what your beliefs are about homosexuality, religion, politics—whatever. He’s your son. You should be there.”
He said nothing, staring him down.
“Sir, I lost my dad a year ago. He died of cancer. When I went to say goodbye, he was so delirious on medications and pain he couldn’t even listen. He didn’t recognize me. Andre still has you, and you still have him. Stop pushing him away just because he doesn’t meet the ridiculous standards you have set for him. Let’s face it—no one meets any standard.
“My girl is down there, holding his hand, depressed that her own father won’t come and support her and her brothers. She feels alone and scared, even if she will never admit it. Be a man, a father, and a friend, and go down there and be there for your family.”
He said nothing, but he flexed the muscles of his shoulders like he was angry.
“I realize I’m not giving the best first impression, but I don’t care. You shouldn’t be in this house, watching television or doing whatever you’re doing. You don’t belong here.” Henry pointed behind him. “Those are his friends who came to the hospital to check on him. While they are supportive, they aren’t what he needs. I’m not what he needs. So this is what I propose. You pull your head out of your ass, get down there, and hold his fucking hand. I won’t say anything to Renee or Jeremy, that I came down here and said a word to you, so the decision is yours. I hope you make the right one.” He turned around and walked away. He stopped and looked at him one more time. “It was nice meeting you, sir.”
Henry went home and fed Perry, and tried to sleep in Ren’s bed, but he couldn’t. Without Ren lying beside him, he couldn’t even close his eyes. He stared at the ceiling and wondered how she was doing. He’d made an ass out of himself to her dad, but he didn’t care. If he’d talked some sense into him, it would be worth it. If he didn’t and her dad was angry, he knew Ren would still be with him. She wouldn’t leave him for trying to help her situation.
Eventually, he gave up and went outside and sat by the pool. Perry came beside him and sat down. The dog was just as tall as he was when they sat side by side.
Henry scratched the dog behind the ears. “I’m glad you don’t hate me anymore.”
The dog licked his face.
“Yuck. Thanks for that.”
Perry’s tongue still hung from his mouth.
“I don’t know why Ren likes kissing you so much. You drool a lot.”
The dog rubbed his head against Henry’s arm, then lay down.
Henry scratched his belly then stared at the sky. The stars were bright. When he looked at them, he thought of Renee. He wanted to text her, but he didn’t want to wake her just in case she was asleep.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. When he looked at the screen, he saw the message from Ren.
I wanted to say how much I love you. I know you’re awake.
He smiled. I love you too, baby.
You’re going to get some serious loving from me when this is over.
I like where this is going.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Okay, baby.
He put the phone back in his pocket then finally went to bed, able to sleep because he felt connected to Ren in some way. She was thinking about him and he was thinking about her. That was enough.
He went to the hospital with his friends the next day. His phone kept ringing in his pocket, and every time he looked, his brother’s name was on the screen. Even though he was concerned with his brother’s safety, he ignored the call, knowing he had to take care of Ren right now. If Bryce was really desperate, he would call Mom. Henry turned off his phone and put it in his pocket.
“Thanks for everything, guys,” he said to his friends.
“You don’t need to thank us,” Sydney said. “We’re family.”
“I’m still very grateful.”
Derek patted him on the shoulder. “If I were there, I would have gone bat-shit crazy and killed all those guys.”
“I know,” Henry said with a smile.
Coen rolled his eyes. “You would probably just scream for help.”
“Hey, I know a few moves,” he said.
“I’m going to check in with Renee,” Henry said as he walked away, ignoring the argument between Coen and Derek. He came to the door and knocked.
“Come in,” Ren said.
When he walked in, she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a big kiss.
Henry placed his hands on her waist and returned her affection, longing for her touch. Last night was the first night they didn’t have sex. He already missed it. “You doing okay?” he asked as he pulled away.
“I’m great,” she said as she smiled. “I want to introduce you to someone.”
“Who?”
She turned toward a man standing at the end of the bed. “This is my father, Joe Zeering.”
A silent moment passed between Henry and her father. Nothing was sad, but Henry saw the gratitude in his eyes. Henry stuck out his hand and grabbed his. “It’s great to meet you, sir.”
He nodded. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Henry pulled his hand away.
Her father was wearing slacks and a dress shirt, like he’d just gotten off work. He returned to his seat next to Jeremy and looked at Andre, who only had eyes for his dad.
“You need anything, Son?” he asked.
“No, Dad. I’m good.”
“Okay.”
Henry sat next to Ren and held her hand. He didn’t look at her father, just stared at Andre.
Andre finally looked at him. “You still look like hell.”
Henry laughed. “I should show you a mirror.”
“No. I always look hot.”
“Then I look hot, too.”
Ren leaned closer to Henry, then kissed his cheek. “How does your face feel?”
“Swollen.”
“Maybe you should get it checked out.”
“I’ll be fine, baby. Don’t worry about me.”
“How can I not? I love you.”
“I know you do,” he said as he kissed her on the forehead. When he pulled away, he met her father’s gaze then looked away. He was happy Ren was just affectionate with him as she normally was. It was clear she didn’t care what her father thought.
“Let’s go out to lunch,” Joe said.
“Now?” Jeremy asked.
“When they let Andre go.”
“Really?” Jeremy asked.
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “We just haven’t gone out in a long time.”
“Well, that’ll change.”
Henry was pleased that his ploy had worked, even though Ren had no idea he’d intervened. As long as she got her father back, he didn’t care if he got any recognition for it.
The nurse came in and removed Andre from all the machines and helped him get dressed. After all the papers were signed and he received his pain prescriptions, they left the hospital. Andre’s face was still bruised and scraped. It was impossible to hide. But he could walk, and he was eager to move around.
“What do you kids want?” Joe asked.
“Surf Taco!” Andre said excitedly.
“I love that place,” Ren said.
“Then we’ll go there,” her father said.
They all piled into the car together and drove to the restaurant near the coast. They took their seats in a booth by the window and ordered their food from the waitress. Henry looked out the window and stared at the ocean in the distance. His arm was over Ren’s shoulder, and she was talking excitedly with her brother. It was obvious how happy she was that Andre was okay.
“So, Dad, what have you been up to?” Ren asked. “We haven’t seen you in a while.”
He shrugged. “Just work.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, I started seeing this woman. I was hoping you would want to meet her.”
“Yeah, of course,” she said. “We would all like to meet her.”
He seemed surprised. “Oh. That’s great. I’ll arrange something with her.”
“Cool,” she said. “What’s her name?”
“Karen.”
“Where did you meet her?”
“At work.”
Jeremy nudged his dad. “She cute?”
He smiled. “She’s off limits, Son.”
Ren rolled her eyes. “Don’t be gross, Jeremy.”
“What? I like older women.”
“Does she have any kids?” Andre asked.
“She has a boy and a girl. They are around the same age as you.”
“Cool,” Renee said. “They should come, too.”
“I’ll ask.”
Andre took a bite of his taco then looked at his dad. “So what happened?”
“What do you mean?” Joe said without meeting his gaze.
“I didn’t think you were going to come.”
Everyone fell silent. Renee looked at her dad, waiting for him to speak.
“I realized I was wrong. You’re my son. I’ll always love you, kid.”
“Really?” Andre said.
“I’m sorry about the way I acted before. I was being—an ass.”
“Yeah, you were,” Renee snapped.
“Calm down, Renee,” Andre said.
“Sorry,” she said.
Joe sighed. “I’m sorry about everything. I made a mistake.”
“You don’t care that I’m gay?” Andre asked.
“I shouldn’t have made standards that couldn’t be met—for all of you.”
Henry smiled, glad he’d taken his words to heart.
“I would really like to make it up to you.”
“I would like that,” Andre said.
“And I’m sorry for what I said before—that you aren’t my son.”
Andre nodded. “It’s okay, Dad. I know it’s hard to have a gay kid. I get it.”
“That doesn’t make a difference. Don’t let anyone treat you poorly because of that—even me. I’m proud of you for standing up for what you believe in.”
Andre looked speechless. Tears bubbled under his eyes.
“You obviously have earned the love and friendship of everyone around you.” He stared at Henry then looked away. “You’re doing something right.”
Renee smiled. “I love you, Dad.”
He smiled, his cheeks turning red. “I love you too, Sport.”
“He calls you Sport?” Henry asked, amused.
“Yeah, what did you expect?”
“Princess, Cupcake, girly stuff.”
She laughed. “My dad has always treated me like a fifth son.”
Her father smiled. “When she was little I tried calling her darling, but she would pull her hair and stomp her feet in an angry tantrum. She wanted to be treated like her older brothers.” Her father laughed at the memory.
“You really were a tomboy,” Henry said with a laugh.
“Well, I’m a lady now.”
Andre and Jeremy both laughed.
“When Andre said he was gay, I was shocked,” Jeremy said. “I thought Ren was going to be the lesbian in the family.”
She rolled her eyes. “You guys are such assholes.”
“Hey,” Jeremy said. “I’m just saying. You were very masculine.” Jeremy looked at Henry. “At her fifth birthday party, someone gave her a doll, so she tried to burn it with the candles from her birthday cake.”
Henry laughed. “Wow. Baby, that’s hilarious.”
“Shut up!” she said to Jeremy. “Stop embarrassing me.”
“I got one,” Andre said. “In high school, she was nominated as a prom queen, but she didn’t even go because she refused to wear a dress.”
Henry raised an eyebrow. “You wear dresses now.”
“Yeah, but not those ridiculous, puffy dresses that make me look like a cooked marshmallow. I like plain, loose dresses. They are comfortable.”
Jeremy leaned forward. “In kindergarten, she had a Power Rangers lunch box.”
She glared at him with hate. “Stop talking!”
Henry rubbed her shoulder. “Baby, that’s cute.”
“Not when she had it until junior high,” Andre said.
She kicked him under the table.
“Ouch! I was just in the hospital, jerk.”
“Your legs were fine,” she snapped. “Why are you embarrassing me like this? You never said anything to my other boyfriends. Don’t scare Henry away.”
Jeremy smiled. “We’re telling him because we like him, Renee.”
“What?” she asked.
“It’s going to take a lot to scare me off,” Henry whispered in her ear.
“He’s part of the family,” Andre said. “He’s entitled to know the truth of your long and difficult progression to a woman.”
“Well, you’ve told him enough,” she said.
“Wait, I got one more,” Jeremy said. “In high school, she dressed as Jabba the Hutt for Halloween.”
“And I was Princess Leia,” Andre said.
Joe sighed. “I knew I had some weird kids on my hands.”
Ren’s face turned crimson.
Henry ran his fingers through her hair. “I think I love you even more.”
She stared at him. “You don’t think I’m weird?”
“I didn’t say that,” he said with a laugh.
“Henry,” she pressed.
“I think it’s adorable. You obviously blossomed into a woman. It just took a little while. And I definitely know you aren’t gay.”
Her cheeks flushed again.
Joe looked at him. “Henry, what’s your major?”
“Oh-oh,” Jeremy said. “It’s time for the grill.”
Henry smiled. “I can handle it.” He turned to her father. “I’m an English major like your daughter.”
“But he used to study zoos,” Andre said. “Or something like that.”
Henry continued, “I’m a junior at the university. I plan to be a professional writer or teach at the university level. I met Ren in our advanced composition course. I had the wrong book and she blatantly told me that, making me feel stupid.”
She laughed.
“I asked her out a few weeks later, hypnotized by her beauty, and we’ve been dating for several months.”
He nodded. “Everything looks good so far. Where do you work?”
“I work at the aquarium, and I write for the school newspaper.”
Ren touched his arm. “He’s perfect, Daddy.”
“It seems like it,” Joe said.
“And we like him,” Jeremy said. “We like him a lot.”
“Yeah,” Andre added.
“Well, I guess you’re in, kid,” he said.
“Thanks,” Henry said. “I love Renee very much—even if she’s a little manly.”
“I’m not manly,” she said.
“You do eat a lot,” he teased.
“You like it when I eat.”
“My wallet doesn’t.”
“Poor guy,” Andre said. “He doesn’t know what he’s gotten into. Dad, you should be happy that you got her off your hands.”
Joe glanced at Henry then looked away. “It looks like the better man won.”
Henry met his gaze then nodded, silently thanking him for the approval. He knew he had it last night when he came to his doorstep and risked his reputation to give Ren what she wanted. That incident could have backfired, and he was glad it didn’t. Her dad wasn’t a jerk like he thought. He was a good person who’d just made a mistake. He just needed someone to pull his head out of his ass.
