Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 911(@200wpm)___ 729(@250wpm)___ 608(@300wpm)
“So…it’s possible to love more than one person at a time, right?”
“If you're talking about children, then yes.” Grace’s eyes narrowed.
“What about a partner? A girlfriend or boyfriend?”
“A single partner is perfectly fine. Normal. Natural. But not some girl who gets passed around like a…” Grace’s face reddened. “Like a sex toy. Besides, it doesn’t matter now that Gia is out of the picture, thank the Lord.”
Seth took a deep breath, knowing he was about to step into a minefield. “What if one day, down the road, Connor and Jack find someone new? Someone they both love? Someone who loves them back? Someone who wants to build a future with them?”
“You mean another easy woman who’ll let them—”
“I mean someone who chooses to be with them in a loving, committed relationship. Someone who wants what they’re offering.” Seth leaned forward, his voice gentle but firm. “Are you really going to disown your children because they love differently than you expect them to?”
Grace’s face closed up, but her voice got quiet. “I didn’t raise immoral brutes.”
“You didn’t, but you can’t expect grown men to let their mommy dictate the rest of their lives. Since Dad died, you’ve considered me the father figure around here. I was happy to try to fill those shoes for the other boys—while they were kids. But I won’t disown them for thinking or wanting something different. And I don’t want you to destroy our whole family over a disagreement.” Seth’s voice cracked slightly. “You’ve spent too many years and sacrificed too much to keep us all together, to keep us whole. Dad would—”
“Don’t.” Grace’s voice was sharp as a blade. “Don’t you dare bring your father into this. He would be just as ashamed of what those boys are doing as I am.”
“Would he? Or would he trust that he raised them to know their own hearts?”
Grace turned away, but not before Seth caught the shimmer of tears in her eyes.
Sensing that she was getting overwhelmed, he quickly changed tactics. “I know you don’t approve, but what gives you—or any person—the right to define what love is? Or what love is acceptable? And before you say God, remember—He’s the one who gave us the capacity to love unconditionally and without end. He’s the only one with the true authority to judge us.”
Grace didn’t answer, just stared at him with a mixture of hurt and fury.
“Love doesn’t follow rules, Mom. It might not look the way you think it should. It might not fit society’s norms or whatever preconceived notions we carry up here.” Seth tapped his temple. “And whether you’re ready or not, when love comes your way—when you find your person—it doesn’t really matter if it fits some predetermined mold or not.”
Grace’s voice was suddenly small. “I don’t want them to be ridiculed. Embarrassed. Hurt. Ostracized.”
Seth studied his mother’s face, seeing past her righteous anger. “No, Mom. That’s what you’re afraid of.”
The words hit their mark. Grace flinched as if he’d slapped her.
She sank into the chair beside him. “Their morality—or lack thereof—is a reflection of me as a mother, as a person, and as an upstanding member of the church. What will people think? What will Father Heasley say when he finds out I raised sons who share women like…like animals?”
“Do the opinions of others really matter that much? Do you care about that more than your own sons, especially when the fallout for their actions are on them, not you.” Seth reached out and took her hand. “Listen, Jack and Connor are still young, and they have a lot of growing up to do. But they’re the ones who have to decide what their lives will be. You let them pick their school and their majors, the fields they’re pursuing and their friends. If you trust them with those decisions, why can’t you trust what’s in their hearts?”
“Because it’s wrong.”
“In your opinion. Not in theirs.” Seth squeezed her fingers. “Do you want Jack and Connor to be happy?”
“Of course, but—”
“No buts. If they change their ‘wicked ways’ to make you happy—to keep you from being appalled or shunned by others because their love doesn’t look the way you think it should—will they ever truly be happy?”
“Seth…” she mumbled, shoulders sagging.
“They won’t. And they’ll resent you for the rest of their lives. If sharing their love with one woman is what they want, who am I, you, or anyone else to say it’s wrong? That they should be forced to conform to someone else’s wishes? Who are we to shame and disown them for following their hearts?”
Grace sent him a pleading stare, her carefully constructed composure finally cracking. “But the Bible… God… The church…”
Seth felt his heart break a little at the genuine anguish in her voice. “Your God. Your Bible. Your church, Mom. What about other religions? Take fundamental Mormons, for example.” Mentally, he excluded the sect Beck had grown up in; they were crazy. “Those men take multiple wives and have dozens of children. Do you think they believe God sees them as perverts?”