1 Chapter 1

I hadn’t seen my mother in years.

We’d never been that close, I guess. It was hard to be close to all your children when you had seven of them. We used to joke that we were the Waltons from the television show, with me even being named Jason, and my younger brother being Ben. No John Boy, though.

But it wasn’t our lack of closeness that kept me from seeing her for so many years. It was more a matter of location. I lived in Hawaii and she in Connecticut. Worlds apart in so many ways.

And though she didn’t exactly disown me when I came out as gay, she would never have marched by my side at a Pride event either.

She and my father were registered Democrats all their lives and they tried to think of themselves as progressive, and she was supportive of all the right causes. On paper, that is.

When I explained to her as a teenager that I had accepted that I was gay, she had said one word, and that was “Oh.”

Dad had been a bit more understanding, but in the end, it became, basically, something the family didn’t discuss and I never brought home a boyfriend.

I hadn’t grown up in Connecticut. Our family lived in Van Nuys, California. But when Dad died, Momma decided she would sell the family home and move to Guilford, Connecticut. She wasn’t from there or anything, she just picked it.

She picked well. It was a beautiful little town by the sea with tons of old New England history. She bought a small two bedroom townhome just steps away from the bay where the boats were docked. Charming and quaint.

I’d seen it only the one time, when I helped her move there, along with my brothers, Ben and Louis. And then I had returned to California, then Hawaii, eventually.

I never got back to Connecticut, though at first I’d talked about visiting. Then it became her coming to visit me in Hawaii. I wanted her to see my little house just outside of Honolulu. It was rented, I didn’t own it, but it was spectacular with incredible views. I wanted her to meet by then boyfriend, a serious one, obviously, as he became my husband, Manny.

But she hadn’t wanted to make such a long trip. And it was from Connecticut. She didn’t like to fly at all, let alone such a thing. So it never happened. And we never visited her as the years went by.

And now she was gone.

Manny sat next to me on the plane to Connecticut. We connected through LAX, of course He was my quiet strength. He offered me a comforting touch or word as we made the voyage.

“Should have made the effort,” I mumbled. I had a mostly untouched glass of wine on the tray in front of me.

“You didn’t know she was sick.”

“I knew she wasn’t young, though. You think you have all the time in the world.”

Manny patted my leg. “But you don’t.”

“No. And you never got to meet her. I should have made that happen.”

“You can tell me all about her. As you already have.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back my head as much as it was possible in an upright airplane seat, anyway. “I can’t believe she left us the townhouse.”

“She wanted you to have the place, I guess. You did say you told her how much you liked it when you were there.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “But…she’s got six other children. Well. Five now.” I’d almost forgotten my sister, Moira, had died of breast cancer six years earlier. How could I forget something like that? A lump formed in my throat that wouldn’t go away no matter how much I tried to swallow.

“Have some wine,” Manny said gently.

I lifted the glass, took a sip. “Should we sell it and divide the money?”

“Your brothers and sisters said they didn’t want you to do that.”

“I know, but…maybe that’s fair.”

“I don’t think she wanted you to sell it, Jase.” Manny’s smile soothed me. “And they all said they were fine with you getting the place. She left all of you things she thought each would appreciate.”

“Yeah. I just…nobody’s ever left me a house before.”

He laughed. I loved that laugh. Warm and bubbly. “I imagine not. It was so sweet of her.”

I took another sip of the merlot. Eyed him. “But…that begs the question, doesn’t it?”

“What question, babe?”

“Do you want to move to Guilford? Give up our life in Hawaii?” I gazed at him fiercely. “I’m not leaving without you.”

He had tea. He always had tea. Even when it was hot out, muggy, and uncomfortable, Manny had his hot tea.