Page 67 of Sugar

“Is this Juno?”

He almost laughed. The man’s voice was deep, and it sounded so friendly. It wasn’t what he was expecting. “Yeah. Yes. Roe, right?”

The guy laughed. “Yeah. Seems like our dad had a thing for weird names, yeah? Though at least yours isn’t after fish eggs.”

Juno choked on a laugh. “I guess not. Uh…so. Dad?”

Roe was quiet for a long time. “My mom died about two weeks after having my sister, so I’m assuming you’re not hers. I don’t know if he ever mentioned anything to you, but…”

“No, I, uh…I don’t remember him,” Juno admitted. “I…” He never quite knew how to talk about his past. With Oliver and Miles, he could be blunt. He was a system kid. Life sucked, and then he aged out, and it sucked less. People who didn’t go through it never understood. “I was with my grandparents for a while—my mom’s parents—but they died when I was, like, two? CPS took me after that. I bounced around until I turned eighteen. No one came for me.”

“I’m sorry,” Roe said really softly. “My aunt took me and my sister in after my mom died. I never knew Dad. There were a couple of pics, but my aunt said he wasn’t a great guy, so?—”

“Yeah, no,” Juno said with a laugh. He rubbed at his eye and blinked against the small spot. “I don’t think he was. There’s probably more of us out there.”

Roe sighed. “I was expecting to hear from someone a lot sooner than this, to be honest. If nothing else, then for medical history.”

Juno’s laugh was tense. He knew Roe wouldn’t have the same condition. His was passed down through maternal genes, so Roe was safe. But for some reason, he wanted to tell him. “That’s…yeah. That was part of why I did the test.”

Roe was quiet for a beat. “What’s wrong?”

“I have a thing,” Juno said, then tried to cough some of the tension out of his throat. “I’m going blind.”

“Is it genetic?”

“It is. Fuck, I don’t…sorry for saying fuck,” Juno mumbled. “I can be kind of rough. I don’t mean to be. Jesus, I’m so sorry.”

“Relax. You’re okay,” Roe said softly. He very much had the voice of an older brother, and it was oddly comforting. “You can say whatever you want. This is a totally fucked-up situation our parents put us in.”

Juno burst into laughter just to avoid crying. “Yeah. It really, really is. But anyway, my thing is from the maternal line, so it’s nothing you have to worry about.”

“Oh. Is it fucked-up if I say good?” Roe wondered.

Juno laughed again. “No. I wouldn’t wish this on you.” He rubbed at his face and took a deep breath. “I’m glad you messaged me.”

“I’m glad you called,” Roe told him. “Where are you?”

“Like where do I live?” When Roe hummed in the affirmative, Juno shrugged. “East Coast. This small town in Virginia on the coast, kind of near Virginia Beach. But I’m in Michigan right now because my, uh—” Christ, he didn’t know what to call Piper. Ah, fuck it, he thought. “—my boyfriend and I are on a bucket list road trip. We’re here so I can see the northern lights.”

Roe hummed again. “I’m in Connecticut. That’s not too far from you.”

“Would you want to?—”

“Yeah,” Roe interrupted. “You?”

Juno rubbed at his eyes with his fingers and thumb. “Yeah,” he said, and he was surprised at how much he meant it, considering how adamant he’d been about not looking anyone up and not wanting them in his life. But he felt something between them—something he’d never felt before.

He’d always wanted to believe that blood family was bullshit, and frankly, he still stood by that because no one would ever, ever be more important than Oliver and Miles. But he wanted this. Maybe he was nuts. Or selfish. Or a giant hypocrite.

Right then, he didn’t care.

“When will you be back?” Roe asked.

“Couple weeks. We’re going to his brother’s wedding, and we’ve got a few more stops on the tour,” Juno said.

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Is there any way I can help?”

“Are you a geneticist on the verge of a breakthrough in inherited blindness?” Juno asked.

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