Page 42 of His Middle

They hadn’t gotten too specific when it came to future plans and living arrangements, but Sawyer wanted to test the waters. It was still too soon for Noah to decide what he wanted to do with the family home, whether he wanted to still live in Sausalito or whether he wanted to sell—but Sawyer needed to get an idea of where Noah’s head was at.

Then there was still the matter of his townhome in Monterey. He couldn’t leave it vacant forever, and it didn’t make sense to pay for two residences. Especially since Sawyer hadn’t decided what his next career move would be. He’d only gotten as far as cashing out his import business and deciding to take a year off to travel. At four months in, his two geographical stops had been the Himalayas and San Francisco.

He honestly had no idea what was next, other than whatever happened, Noah would be by his side.

“Well, boys? What’s the decision?”

“Stay!” Noah yelled.

The guy had quite the set of lungs on him.

“Thank you Mr. Peterson!”

“You’re welcome, Arlen. Now both of you get inside and change. You can play your game until dinner.”

“Okay!”

They both jumped up from the grass and ran screaming inside. He could only imagine what the neighbors must think. Although, Oliver’s tri-level was surrounded with a lot of trees shielding them on either side from the nearby homes. The sound might carry throughout the neighborhood, but he doubted anyone could see what they were doing in the privacy of their own yard.

At least he hoped not. Not after the naked hot tubbing all week.

Once the boys had gone inside, Sawyer decided to take advantage of the peace to call his mom before he started on dinner. She had just retired the year before, so he could almost always get hold of her. His dad had divorced her when Sawyer was only two, which helped him understand what it was like to have one parent disappear during childhood. It had always been him and his mom against the world and they remained close because of that.

“Hi, sweetie. How are things going in San Francisco?”

His mom’s cheery voice always filled him with calm. She’d had a great influence on him when it came to his positive outlook in life.

“They’re actually going quite well. We’re making great progress at the club, and Noah seems a lot less stressed.”

“Poor thing. What an awful blow for him, to lose his father like that. Oliver would be so grateful for how you’ve stepped up to help him.”

Sawyer cleared his throat. “Yeah. About that.” Fortunately, his mom was very liberal and knew not only that he was gay, but they type of lifestyle he led. “Noah and I have begun a relationship.”

“Oh, I see.”

Sawyer winced, waiting for the other shoe to drop. What was it about moms that could make a middle-aged man still fear their disapproval?

“For some context, we’ve been secretly crushing on each other for a while. I never pursued anything, mainly because of Oliver, but regardless, it would’ve been difficult with me living so far away. I only drove into the Redwood City Port office a couple times a week, and Sausalito’s on the other side of the city and across the bridge.”

“Does that mean you’re planning on staying up there?”

His mom lived in Carmel, which was close to him in Monterey. He was certain she wouldn’t be too happy about him moving farther away, if that’s how it all played out. But also knew she’d never discourage him from following his heart.

“I honestly have no idea. This is still so new, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for Noah to make any big moves right now. He needs time to process all the changes of the past few months. He’ll also need to decide what to do about the club, and that will be its own quandary. Noah has an online store he’s had to put on pause and running a club hadn’t been on his radar.” Sawyer sighed. “There’s a lot for him to consider. He’ll need my support.”

She chuckled. “Well, hon. It sounds to me as if you’ve done what you always do, look at the situation from all angles. He’s very fortunate to have you watching out for him.”

“Thanks. He means the world to me. I’m anxious for you both to meet.”

“Oh my.” Sawyer could hear the grin in her voice. “Thisdoessound serious. Well, you know you’re both always welcome here. Give me a heads up and I’ll get the guest room ready.”

Sawyer hoped she could hear the grin in his voice as well. “Sounds great. I’ll be sure to let you know when we can get away.”

“Daddy! Arlen’s being a big poopy head!”

Sawyer pulled the phone away from his mouth. “I’ll be there in a sec!” He put the cell back to his ear. “I’d better get going. Noah has a friend over and I still have to make dinner.”

“Well, well.” She laughed. “More than serious. Don’t make me wait too long to meet him.”

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