"So that's where I get it from," Patrick grinned mischievously after his mother ended her conversation on the phone.
"Get what?" she asked.
"My talent for making excuses."
Victoria looked mildly affronted. She had just turned down yet another lunch invitation- this one extended to her by a group of recently divorced society friends- in order to spend the rest of her day continuing to build on the relationship she'd recently developed with her eldest son, Patrick.
"I was being polite," she defended. "You don't know Miriam; she takes everything personally."
"Is she a friend of yours?"
"She used to be," Victoria mused, "Before she found painkillers and vodka."
"Fair enough," Patrick relented. "As long as you're not turning down invitations for my sake."
"Nonsense, I would much rather spend my time with you."
Patrick flashed her a smile before taking a sip of his coffee. Today marked exactly two weeks since he'd shown up at Grayson Manor with the intention of getting to know his birth mother. Conrad had flown off to Albany almost immediately after the night of the gubernatorial election, and his children had gone with him which afforded Patrick the opportunity to meet his mother without their interference.
As a child, he had always maintained certain expectations about the kind of person his mother was, and, in just the last few days alone, Victoria had managed to exceed every one of them. She was a remarkable woman- gracious, generous, kind... a far cry from the frigid socialite most media outlets made her out to be.
"Have you thought about where you'll be spending the holidays yet?"
With Christmas right around the corner, Patrick assumed his mother would be flying up to Albany to spend the holidays with the rest of her family. She had yet to mention it, perhaps out of courtesy to him, but Patrick wanted to know so he could plan accordingly.
"I'm staying right here," she answered, without skipping a beat.
This upcoming Christmas would be the first one Victoria didn't spend with either Daniel or Charlotte, but she had no desire to face Conrad at the governor's mansion any time soon knowing everything he'd done in regards to the Initiative and Declan Porter. Besides, she had Patrick to consider now. She had only ever gotten to spend one Christmas with him when he was three months old and she figured she owed it to him to stay in the Hamptons and spend every second she could by his side.
"You don't want to spend the holidays with your family?" he asked a little insecurely.
Victoria smiled, placing her hand over his as a form of reassurance, "Of course I do, that's why I'm spending them here with you. You're just as much my family as any one of my other children."
Her words meant a great deal to Patrick, who had never really had a family of his own.
"Unless, of course, you have other plans," Victoria added.
Patrick shook his head, "I don't, I just assumed you'd be leaving."
"Good," she said, "then I'll have you all to myself."
Patrick let out a laugh, "You know, I was thinking I could stay here another week if it's alright with you. The hotel rates aren't too bad, and I can drive into the city tomorrow to pick up some clothes."
"About that," Victoria cut in, "there are plenty of guest bedrooms at Grayson Manor, and I would be happy to let you stay in one of them."
Patrick cocked an eyebrow, surprised Victoria trusted him enough to invite him to reside in her home. He definitely hadn't expected her to take that step so early on in their relationship. Hell, it still amazed him she hadn't asked for any proof that he was her son. Although he supposed part of this confusion stemmed from the fact that he was still trying to reconcile the public's image of his biological mother with the woman he was currently getting to know. Most of the time they seemed like two entirely different people.
"You sure? I wouldn't want to intrude."
"Don't be silly," Victoria brushed off his hesitation, "I want you there."
Her words were all the encouragement Patrick needed to accept the offer, "Then I'll move in tomorrow. If you're free, that is."
"I am," she confirmed, "and if you're living with anyone right now, I'm sure we can make some arrangements. I wouldn't want to take you away from your family."
Patrick looked down at his coffee, "I'm not seeing anyone at the moment."
The revelation both surprised and relieved Victoria. On the one hand, she had hoped Patrick didn't have anyone to keep him from getting to know her over the course of the next few months, but on the other she found it strange someone as kind and handsome as he was would still be single at his age.
"Oh," she said casually.
Her feigned nonchalance was not lost on Patrick. He could see right through her well-intended pretense.
"Does that surprise you?" he asked, amused.
Victoria silently cursed herself for having led them to an awkward moment.
"A little," she admitted with a laugh.
"Well, the truth is I was married once. Her name was Lacey, and we were together for three years," Patrick hadn't intended to share his romantic history with his mother before they really knew each other, but he supposed now was just as good as any other time to be honest with her about who he was.
"What ended up happening?" Victoria asked before taking a sip of her coffee.
"She found out I'd been pretending to be someone I wasn't… called me a user and a liar and a whole bunch of other things. Our marriage had always been missing something vital and eventually she put the pieces together and figured it out."
Victoria furrowed her brow in confusion, "I don't quite understand."
Patrick shifted a bit in his seat before answering- "I, uh, I'm gay, Victoria."
He knew he had just taken a huge risk coming out to his mother before she'd formed any real attachment to him, but she had been nothing but supportive of him thus far, and he didn't want to keep any secrets from her.
"Oh," she breathed a sigh of relief, "for a moment there you had me worried."
Her reaction, or lack of one, caught Patrick off guard, "So you're okay with that?" he asked a little uncertainly. "You don't mind?"
Victoria instinctively leaned over to take his hand into hers, "Of course not, your happiness is the only thing that matters. Whether you find that happiness with a man or a woman is completely immaterial to me."
Patrick held back tears as he let his mother's words sink in. He had never been shown such kindness and understanding by anyone, and he was eternally grateful to Victoria for having taken his confession with such ease and acceptance.
"You have no idea how much that means to me," he told her, "I really appreciate it."
Victoria gave his hand a tight squeeze, "Thank you for trusting me. I know these things are never easy."
"They're not, but it's good to get them out of the way," Patrick admitted.
Victoria gave him a slight smile, "Well, if you end up being interested in getting out there, I can always introduce you to some new people."
Patrick couldn't believe how casual she was being about the whole thing. He had entertained the 'coming out' scenario a million times in his head, but not once had he expected the exchange to transpire so smoothly.
"I'll keep that in mind," he laughed.
Once they'd both finished their coffees, Victoria got up from her seat, put her coat on, and waited for Patrick to return from tossing out their empty cups.
"Ready to go?" he asked when he came back.
Victoria nodded.
They were both still trying to navigate their newfound relationship, but the milestone that'd been made today left them both feeling equally optimistic about the possibilities that lay ahead. Sure, it would take some time, and it wouldn't always be easy, but so long as they continued being open and honest with each other, there was no reason to believe they wouldn't be able to develop a close relationship sometime in the near future. At this rate, they'd be riding horses on the Grayson family trail and bonding regularly over their shared love of art by the time summer rolled around.
Victoria knew things would get difficult when it did, seeing as the rest of her family would be returning from Albany, but until then she was determined to make the best of her time with Patrick and ensure he felt safe and accepted in his new home. This was her chance to make things right between them, and nothing, and no one, was going to stop her.