Page 61 of Awakening the Sheriff

“Nah, it doesn’t bother me. You know how many non-straight friends I have. It was more of a surprise than a shock if that makes sense.”

She snorted. “Uncle Marnin is gonna laugh his ass off.”

My kids called him uncle. First-naming him had seemed inappropriate when they were younger, and he’d spent a lot of time with us over the years. Plus, there was the issue of him being their biological father, which they’d both known since they were ten. It had never bothered them, and they hadn’t treated Marnin any differently after they found out.

I chuckled. “Oh, he already gave me crap about it.”

Dani piped up, wide-eyed, “So, are you guys getting married? What should we call him now? Mr. Perry doesn’t feel right anymore.”

“Whoa, slow down, kiddo.” I laughed at her enthusiasm. “We’re not quite there yet. We’re enjoying our time together for now. As for what to call him, I think Keaton would be fine outside of school.”

“I don’t like that he’s our teacher.” Violet sighed. “He’s nice and all, but that’s a little…I dunno. It’s weird.”

“I know, kiddo, and I’m sorry about that. But you’ll let me know if you catch any flak for it, right?”

She shrugged. “No one’s gonna care you’re bi, other than that it’s weird it’s with Mr. Perry.”

It confirmed what she’d said about how accepting everyone in her school was. It made Byron’s reaction all the more puzzling, and I still hadn’t figured that out. Then again, I hadn’t scheduled his third community service yet, where I intended to confront him…and ask his permission to talk to his father. I needed to get on that. It had now become more important than ever.

“I wonder how Byron will take it,” Violet mused as if she’d read my mind.

You and me both. But I didn’t say that out loud. “You girls have fun with your movie night, okay? I’m gonna pop across the street and talk to your mom.”

“She’ll be happy for you,” Dani said.

I ruffled her hair. “I think so too.”

I’d texted Tricia earlier to check if she was home, and she was, so I’d told her I would stop by. As I walked in, she greeted me with a warm smile, and as always, we hugged. “Good to see you. Haven’t seen much of you lately,” she said as we sat down.

The familiar scent of her vanilla candles filled the air. She’d always had a fondness for them, and that was one thing I hadn’t missed after we split. “Jason’s not home?”

“He’s with his parents. His dad took a fall yesterday and broke his wrist, so Jason’s helping out for a few days.”

I winced. “That’s the part I hate about getting older, seeing our parents get older too.”

“Which reminds me, congratulations on your dad. Seventy-three, right?”

I nodded. “I’m heading over after this to celebrate.”

“You’re not taking the girls?”

“Nah, they wanted to do a movie night. Some new high school movie that just released on Netflix. They spent the whole day with my parents last week, so it’s all good.”

“Good.”

She looked at me expectantly, and I took a deep breath. “I’m seeing someone, Keaton Perry. The girls’ English teacher.”

She beamed at me. “Oh, Auden, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you. It’s still very new, but we wanted to be open about it.”

“I met him at the open house at the beginning of the school year. He’s very nice. The cute guy with the bow tie, right?”

My smile was probably sappy, but I didn’t care. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“How did you two meet?”

As I recounted the story of how my path had crossed with Keaton’s, her excitement grew. “I assume you didn’t realize you were bi until you met him.”

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