A Second Chance Love by T.K. Paige Page B

and her two teenage sons. While I wasn’t super close to them, I did like them and I was glad that they made my dad happy.
    “Why are you here, Dad? I told you I would be there for Thanksgiving?” I had called a few days ago to tell him. What I hadn’t said was I wasn’t coming alone in spite of him saying family only, and that we had a hotel room to stay in. We had realized there wasn’t going to be an easy way of telling him, so we would be there two days before the holiday and give him time to accept everything. And we could always stay at the hotel if we needed to and have a vacation.
    He gave me an uncomfortable look. “Maybe we should speak privately.”
    Oh, hell. “Dad, you know that Kyle and Jacob are very close to me so go ahead and talk to me, please.” Unless…oh, God. “You’re not sick are you?” My voice wobbled.
    “No, no, nothing like that, Kerri.” He shook his head. “But I could tell that something has been going on with you for a while now and I think you could use a change. I took the whole week to spend here to convince you to come back for good.”
    Oh shit!
    “Dad, I’m doing great, I promise.”
    “Kerri, you need to stop hiding out here and start living again.” Dad looked at Jacob and Kyle apologetically. “Your friends helped you, and I am grateful, but can you really meet new people living out here? Don’t you miss what you used to have?”
    I exchanged a glance with the guys. Oh, my God, it’s time.
    “Dad, I love my life out here. I truly do.” How the hell did I say this? I adored my dad, but it had taken him a while to relax his conservative upbringing when I’d started hanging around Jacob and Kyle in college. It was why I had been having a hard time with telling him.
    “Yes, but aren’t you ready to find someone to love again?”
    “I already have, Dad, and I am very happy.” I gave him a nervous smile. “I wanted to do it in person, so I was waiting to tell you over Thanksgiving. We were going to tell you together.”
    “But the only people you asked to bring were…” His voice trailed off and his face paled rapidly. He stood quickly. My dad was a large man and braced in a fighter’s stance, his hands clenched and partially raised. “What the hell? You can’t possibly mean that! They are gay.”
    The three of us quickly rose too, moving to stand together in a united front with me in the middle.
    Jacob replied in a respectful voice. “Technically, Mr Mullnex, Kyle and I have always been bi. We have been in love with each other since high school and we have both loved Kerri since we met her. But we never acted on it because she loved Caleb.”
    “But when she moved here you saw your chance, didn’t you?” He shook his head. “I am taking her home away from you. To take advantage of her grief like that was despicable.”
    “Dad, no! I am not leaving them. This is my home.” I almost yelled at him, but I knew it was partially my fault for not finding a better way of telling him. Maybe if I had been open about Jacob and Kyle being bi from the beginning—but it didn’t really matter now.
    I grabbed Kyle’s hand, knowing that he would need the physical anchor the most and I almost let out a gasp of pain at the power of his grip. I took my eyes off my father for just a moment to meet Jacob’s gaze, wanting the reassurance of his strength for myself, only for the gasp that I’d held back to escape when I saw the fear in his eyes. I wrapped my other hand around his and squeezed hard.
    “I am not leaving them. I love them, Dad.” I didn’t raise my voice, I didn’t have to. I just put every bit of feeling and conviction I had in it for him to hear.
    I watched as he realized just how serious I was.
    “They never made a move on me, Dad, I swear. I fell in love with them all on my own. I had no idea they had always loved me until I told them I was leaving because it hurt too much to see them together and never be a part of them.”
    “But three