Page 71 of Sugar

And his friend had laughed into the phone. “Bitch, please. Do you even know me?”

It was business as usual, and Juno felt far more relaxed as the two of them started to chat about their lives. Everything was both important and unimportant the way it always had been. It was a small comfort.

With a sigh, Juno dropped down onto the bench and kicked his legs out toward the water. They were on a very rocky side of the lake, and off in the distance, he could hear waves crashing against boulders. It was probably the most peaceful he’d felt since they’d hit the road.

Not counting the way he felt in Piper’s arms, but that was different.

Silence lingered for a while, and then Oliver said, “You have something to tell me, don’t you?”

Juno had a feeling his friend suspected he was keeping secrets. During the pre-wedding sleepover and then into the wedding itself, Oliver and Miles both kept staring at him. He figured he was being obvious, but it was a testament to their friendship that neither of them had badgered him about it. But he knew they were waiting.

Still, now wasn’t the time for that.

“I found my brother.”

Oliver coughed. “I…uh. You what?”

“I took one of those DNA tests, you know? Where you spit into a tube? And a half brother popped up.”

Oliver was silent for far too long. “Is that…a good thing?”

“I think so.” Juno sat forward, resting one elbow on his knee while he rubbed at his eyes. Nothing was making it better. He’d lost more since yesterday. It was becoming more obvious now, and he was going to have to tell Piper. “We talked on the phone. He was really nice. He, uh…he wants to meet me. He lives kind of up near you.”

“Where?” Oliver demanded. Juno could hear him going into protective mode, and his heart swelled. He loved his friend so fucking much.

“Connecticut. I don’t know what city, but I thought I’d maybe bring Miles. And…” He hesitated.

“And?” Oliver pressed.

Juno closed his eyes. “And Piper. I think he and I are a thing now.”

“You think?”

“I called him my boyfriend. He was cool with it.”

Oliver burst into laughter, though the sound wasn’t cruel or mocking. “Amazing. Holy fuck, do you realize that the three of us hooked up with dudes who could literally be our dads. And I’m pretty sure Miles calls Emmett Daddy.”

“Oh my God, he so does,” Juno said, jumping to his feet. He started pacing along the walkway. “I heard him do it a bunch of times when I was visiting. He was trying to keep it quiet, but he’s so bad at it.”

“He is!” Oliver said with another laugh. “He’s so bad at covering the microphone when we’re talking. One time, he forgot to put me on mute. It’s fucking adorable.”

“It’s fitting. That man needed a Daddy,” Juno said. He stopped in the middle of the walkway and turned toward the lake. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and he knew he should probably go wake Piper, but he needed a few more minutes with his best friend. “I think I’m happy.”

“Yeah?”

Juno grinned. “Yeah. I want to bring him up to see you when I make plans with my brother.”

“Just don’t love him more than you love me,” Oliver said. His tone was joking, but Juno knew he wasn’t kidding at all.

“Not a chance in hell. He’s just some guy. I think I’ll like getting to know him. He never met our dad, and his situation wasn’t as fucked as mine, but I think he kind of gets it.”

“The orphan thing,” Oliver said, and Juno’s lip quirked up on the left side. “I’m happy for you, babe.”

“I am too. I felt a little foolish after I took the test. I guess I was looking for some answers, but even if all I get out of it is a brother, that’s something. Right?”

“Yeah. He didn’t have what you were looking for?”

The irony of that statement wasn’t lost on him, even if Oliver didn’t know it yet. “I guess not. Anyway, I need to go wake Piper up in a few. He’s taking me to this observatory that his friend runs so we can see the planets.”

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