Page 57 of Awakening the Sheriff

I loved being here with him, doing all the things I’d done with Tricia once upon a time. Though the days when we’d been this romantic and cozy were long, long behind us, even before our divorce.

“Are you ready to go public with our relationship?” I asked Keaton. “I hate lying to people, my daughters especially.”

“Absolutely.” He set down his fork. “I’ll tell my kids tomorrow.”

“I’ll tell mine. And with your permission, I’d also like to tell my parents and brother, plus Tricia, of course. And my friends. Marnin and Tiago already know, but they’re not saying a word until I give them the green light.”

I wasn’t anxious about the prospect of sharing our truth with those closest to me, just excited. They’d be happy for me, that much I was certain of.

Keaton sighed. “Yeah, Mandy will need to know as well, but I’d like to wait for a moment when she and I can talk in private without the boys listening in.”

“You’re expecting trouble?”

He hesitated. “Yeah, I am. A lot of trouble.”

Before I could respond, the main courses arrived. My duck confit glistened under the dim lighting, its crispy skin enticing me. I took a careful bite. It was delectable, with tender meat falling off the bone while the rich sauce added depth. “Wow, they’ve really outdone themselves.”

Keaton’s pan-seared salmon flaked apart with ease, revealing a moist center with a delicate pink hue. He took his first taste, closing his eyes. “Mmm, so good. Absolutely perfect.”

I hated to return to a contentious topic, but we couldn’t avoid it. “You said you’re expecting Mandy to react negatively?”

“She’s never made a secret of her dislike of my bisexuality.”

I sighed. “As if that’s something you do on purpose.”

“I think it felt like that to her, even though I’ve always been honest with her. She seemed to think that being married to a woman would somehow make it go away? Like, I don’t know, cure it?”

“That’s so sad, and I’m sorry for you.”

“You don’t think your parents will be upset?”

I chuckled.”You haven’t met Ennio, my brother, yet, but he’s the gayest gay that ever gayed. His words. He’s a sparkling personality, both in character and style, and they love him to pieces. I think we all knew when he was still young, so they had time to adapt before he came out, but it’s never been an issue. They may be shocked about my late coming out, but they won’t be upset. Ennio is gonna laugh his ass off, and so are my friends.”

Keaton seemed a bit down, barely smiling.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

He forced a smile. “My social circle has become so small since moving here. I realized that when you were listing everyone you wanted to tell. I mean, my parents live in Oregon, and they’ll be fine with it. They know I’m bi, plus they never liked Mandy much, which, in hindsight, should’ve alerted me. My mom is rarely wrong about these things, but I guess I had to learn the hard way.”

I took his hand and squeezed it. “You miss your friends in Atlanta?”

“I didn’t have that many there either. Being a single dad and raising two boys while working full-time is tough, especially when your ex-wife is barely in the picture. Mandy had them one weekend a month, and that was it. That left me with little time to socialize.”

“I can imagine. You’ve done a great job with them though.”

His eyes clouded with worry. “Did I? You know how much I already struggle to connect with Byron. It’s been a little better lately, but what if this news brings us back to square one? It could jeopardize whatever little relationship I still have with him.”

I rubbed my thumb across the back of his hand. “Byron’s a good kid. He’ll come around, eventually.”

The dessert arrived, stealing our attention from the weighty conversation. The plates held a delicately arranged chocolate fondant, its dark, rich exterior shiny as a mirror. A tiny scoop of hazelnut ice cream rested beside it, and the intoxicating aroma of warm chocolate wafted through the air.

As soon as the first bite hit my tongue, the gooey center of the fondant mixed with the cold, creamy ice cream, creating an explosion of flavor that made my taste buds sing.

“Isn’t this heavenly?” I sighed, savoring each bite.

Keaton’s response was a soft moan.

As we continued to indulge in our dessert, Keaton’s expression grew serious again. “I’m so frustrated that I can’t figure out what’s behind Byron’s animosity. Ever since moving here, he’s become so angry all the time. I thought it would pass, but we’ve been here for well over six months now, and I don’t see much improvement. Sometimes, it feels so personal, almost as if he hates me.”

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