33. Avery

CHAPTER 33

AVERY

I sat on the couch in my apartment, watching the Chicago skyline stretch into the early evening. I couldn't help but think how lucky I was. Creed and I had found something real between us—something I'd never experienced before. For the first time in my life, I felt truly at peace. Safe. Loved. It was everything I'd longed for but never thought I'd have.

But despite that sense of fulfillment, there was still something gnawing at my conscience. When I'd left Michigan the last time, I'd done it under a cloak of silence, slipping back into Chicago without resolving anything with my family. That unfinished business had lingered like a shadow ever since.

Driving back just for one conversation didn't make much sense, though. The trip was too long for a single showdown, so I decided to make a call instead. It was time to confront the ghosts I'd left behind.

With a deep breath, I dialed my mother's number. The phone rang twice before she picked up. "Avery, my dear!"

"Hello, Mother." My voice steady, though my pulse quickened.

"I'm so glad you came to your senses," she gushed, her tone filled with motherly pride. "When Becca told me that Creed was just a fake boyfriend, I was so relieved! You know what they say—everything works for good to those who serve the Lord. Now you can finally look for a suitable partner to settle down with. I know?—"

"Mother," I interrupted, feeling the familiar tension tightening in my chest. Suddenly, I caught the low murmur of voices—voices I recognized all too well.

My jaw tightened. "Can you switch to video? I think it's time we had a real talk," I said, keeping my voice firm. "I want Nathaniel and Joseph to hear this, too."

There was a brief pause, the air thick with unspoken questions. "Alright, Avery," she replied, her tone shifting with unease as the video feed came on, revealing the familiar living room—and my cousins, sitting nearby, looking like they'd been caught off guard as they glanced toward the camera, their expressions unreadable.

"Hey, Nathaniel. Joseph," I greeted, my tone clipped.

Nathaniel arched a brow. "What's this about, Avery?"

I glanced at my mother settling onto the couch next to them, who appeared puzzled but curious. "I need to get a few things straight. And you both need to hear this too."

Mother's expression faltered, confusion knitting her brow. "Avery, what is this?—?"

"Even though Creed and I started as fake boyfriends, it's real now. We're committed to each other, and I don't want you to ever mention setting me up with any woman—or anyone else, for that matter."

The shift in the room was palpable, even through the screen. Joseph rolled his eyes. "Oh, so this is about your little rebellion?"

Nathaniel scoffed. "You really think you can just wave a magic wand and make us all accept your sexual preference?" His voice dripped with sarcasm. "That's cute."

Joseph leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, a smirk plastered across his face. "You've always been dramatic, Avery. Are we supposed to believe that your relationship with Creed is anything more than a phase? It's not like you'll ever be able to provide this family with an heir," he shot back, his tone condescending.

My jaw tightened at their dismissive tones, frustration bubbling to the surface. "You don't get it," I said, my voice rising as anger ignited within me. "You've never understood me. I've spent my whole life feeling unworthy of my father's love, like I didn't measure up to you two. He always wished he had sons who could carry on the family legacy—straight men who could provide heirs for Branson Resorts."

The words poured out of me, raw and unfiltered, as I gestured toward my cousin. "But you clearly don't realize that gay couples can have children, too. It's the twenty-first century, for crying out loud. For someone who thinks so highly of himself and his superior intelligence, it's astonishing that you haven't grasped that, you jackass."

My mother was obviously torn between the son she gave birth to and the sons she'd inherited when their father, her late husband's brother, passed. "Avery, please?—"

"Mother, no," I interrupted, frustration boiling over. "This isn't about trying to smooth things over. I'm finally taking a stand for myself."

I swung my gaze at my cousins and pointed an accusatory finger at them. "I felt like a shadow, and you both took advantage of that. My father is dead. I am his son, and I deserve to run Branson Resorts. Not you. I'm the heir, and I'm damn qualified to do it. I've been working my ass off, and I'm doing a damn good job."

Nathaniel straightened, disbelief and anger flickering across his features. "So you think you can just march in here and do whatever you want? You don't have the same vision, Avery. You're not cut out for this."

I leaned closer to the screen, every word laced with conviction. "You think my father's approval is what I need for validation anymore? You've had it easy your whole lives, playing the part he wanted, while I've been the one carrying this weight. I'm done shrinking back into the role of the family outcast. I'm keeping what's mine."

I turned to my mother, who looked stricken by the tension in the room. "Mother, I get that you want to protect me, but you need to see this differently. This goes beyond a job or title; it's about who I am and what I really want out of life."

Tears glistened in her eyes as she struggled to comprehend the shift in her son. "I only want what's best for you, Avery. I?—"

"I know you love me," I said softly, my voice dropping to a gentler tone. "But I need you to trust that what's best for me is not what you envisioned. I deserve to pursue my happiness, and if that includes Creed, then that's my choice."

Nathaniel and Joseph exchanged glances, their expressions revealing a mix of disbelief and contempt. "You're delusional if you think anyone will take you seriously," Nathaniel shot back, his tone venomous.

I locked eyes with one cousin, then the other, daring them to challenge me. "You've spent your lives clinging to Father's narrow idea of what it means to be a man—a Branson. But that's not me. If you ever speak down to me or dismiss my decisions again, you're out—out of Branson Resorts and out of my life. Consider this your only warning."

With that, I ended the call, my hands trembling slightly as the screen went dark. A strange sense of freedom washed over me, like I'd shed a weight I'd been carrying for far too long.

I looked up at the city skyline for the second time that evening, feeling lighter than I had in years. And for the first time, I knew exactly what I needed, where I belonged. In the warmth of my real boyfriend's embrace, where love wasn't conditional and my worth wasn't up for debate.