Nicky's jaw tightened, but he looked his mother in the eye when he said, "Yes. Erik's career is there. I wouldn't ask him to leave it just for me, and I wouldn't want him to, anyway. I loved living in Germany. It's an amazing place. You should visit us sometime."

"Us," Maria said faintly. "You're still…"

She couldn't finish, so Nicky said, "Yes, we're still together. I came back to take care of Andrew and Aaron, not because things went sour with Erik. I love him, okay? I always have and I always will. When are you going to get that?"

"When will you accept that it is wrong?" Luther asked. "Homosexuality is—"

"Luther," Andrew said. That was all he said, but Luther sent him a wary glance.

"I love him," Nicky insisted. "Doesn't that mean anything to you? Why can't you be happy for us? Why can't you give him a chance?"

"We cannot condone sin," Maria said.

"You don't have to love the sin," Nicky said, "but you're supposed to forgive and love the sinner. Isn't that what faith is about?"

"Faith is following our Lord's creed," Luther said.

"But I can't be that black and white," Nicky said piteously. "I won't. Why did you call us down here if we're just going to have the same old fight again?"

Luther was unmoved by Nicky's heartbreak and said calmly, "Things have come to light recently that made us question our current situation. We have committed to repairing this family," he glanced at Maria, who nodded in happy encouragement, "but we understand it will be a long, uphill path. We brought you down here so we could decide on the first steps together."

"Enlighten us," Andrew said, leaning forward over his plate like he couldn't wait for the answer. "If the first step isn't tolerance, where does a pair of bigots begin in fixing a mess like this?"

Luther met Andrew's stare with a calm one of his own. "With reparations for past mistakes. That is why you are here."

"Oh, no," Andrew said. "I am only here because Neil whined at me until I agreed to come along. Leave me out of this."

Luther frowned. Across the table from him, Maria held up a calming hand and said, "Let's eat. This kind of conversation is too difficult on an empty stomach. We'll eat and try again, and then reward our efforts with dessert. There is pie in the oven. Apple, Nicholas. It used to be your favorite."