Fireside Romance Book 1: First Flames by Drew Hunt Page A

I’ve got someone staying with me this year.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah, he would have been on his own, so I invited him to stay.”
    “That’s nice. What’s his name? Where did you meet him?”
    My mother knew I was gay. Both Mum and Dad had accepted my coming out. However, accepted was about the best that could be said. I guess it was something to do with the ending of their dreams of having grandchildren. I was an only child.
    “He’s called Mark. We’ve known each other for a while now.”
    I wasn’t about to embarrass Mark by telling her any details. It really wouldn’t have helped any of us. My mother, although providing me with an excellent home, lacking for nothing including love and affection, was rather traditional in her thinking. Dad was a bit more broadminded, but would never go against her. So it was a case of what she didn’t know wouldn’t harm her.
    “Although your father has arranged time off, you know what will probably happen.” Dad was an inspector with the West Midlands Police Force. He would often be called in at short notice to deal with some emergency or other.
    “I know. It happens too regularly. He ought to put his foot down.”
    “I’ve been telling him that for years, but you know your father.”
    The conversation dragged on as it usually did, with mum passing on bits of gossip, which frankly didn’t interest me, but she thought I should know. At one point I turned to Mark and moved my fingers and thumb, imitating mum’s constant talking. Mark cracked up, but managed to keep quiet.
    Eventually the conversation died down, and I was able to terminate it without offending her. I had a few words with my dad, then we disconnected the call.
    “Phew, she does go on a bit,” I told Mark, collapsing on the couch beside him.
    “I’m sure her heart is in the right place.”
    “Don’t get me wrong. She’s a good mother, but why she thinks I’d be interested in what next door’s cat was getting up to on top of Dad’s garage with the Tom from across the road I’ll never know.”
    Mark chuckled.
    “I get on okay with them, but I can’t say we’re truly close.”
    “That’s a pity,” Mark said, no doubt remembering his relationship with his dad and late mother.
    “If I needed them, they’d be in the car heading back this way almost before the telephone receiver hit the cradle. We just don’t have that much in common. I’ll have to take you to see my gran sometime. She’s got a flat in Leeds. She’s a scream.” I related the funnier aspects of my coming out to her. Mark found it hilarious.
     “Tell you what,” I said. “When we go over to see Gran, we’ll take her to a gay pub.”
    Mark looked amazed. “Are you sure?”
    “Well, if you’d feel uncomfortable about going into such a place, I understand, I’ve only been in a few, and it wasn’t much fun on my own.”
    “No, no, it isn’t that. I mean us taking your Gran.”
    I laughed, knowing full well what Mark was thinking. “She’d love it. She’d probably end up inviting a lesbian back to her flat.”
    “Wow, she seems like an amazing lady.”
    “She is. I used to spend most weekends at her house. I got drunk for the first time when I was with her. Mum and Dad were furious when they found out. Didn’t bother Gran though. I’ll tell you the whole story someday.”
    “Look forward to it.”
    * * * *
    “No, Dad. Please, no!”
    Mark’s shouting and thrashing about woke me instantly. I’d never seen anyone have a nightmare before, so I was acting on instinct. I turned on the bedside lamp at my side and reached for Mark. We had somehow separated in the night.
    “Mark, Mark, love. It’s Simon. You’re having a bad dream. It’s okay, you’re safe now.” I squeezed his shoulder. This seemed to rouse him. “It’s okay. Just a bad dream, sweetheart.”
    “It was horrible.”
    “Did you dream about your dad?” I asked, pulling the still shaking young man into my arms.
    He nodded.
    “I don’t know how