Page 81 of Awakening the Sheriff

“I know. Trust me, I get it.”

I couldn’t believe the whole mess this had become. The pain Mandy caused went so far beyond Byron—she had hurt me, Milton, Auden, and even Gabe and his family. The ripple effect of her hate had been massive, and I didn’t know where to begin processing it.

“Byron,” I said, my voice thick with emotion, “I can’t tell you how grateful I am you’ve come clean about all this. Now that I know, I can help you work through this. Because you’re perfect the way you are, you hear me? Bisexual and all. Or gay, if it goes that way. Or straight or pan or whatever label you end up identifying with. And I love you no matter what, and I’m here to help you figure it all out.”

Tears welled up in his eyes again, and he looked at me with a mixture of hope and fear. “Yeah? Even after everything I did?”

“Absolutely. And what’s more, I forgive you for everything, Byron. You should’ve known better, but I can see how you believed your mom.”

“Can I… Can you maybe hug me?”

I’d never hugged my son so tightly in my life, and he clung to me with all he had. Gone was the sullen teenager, and instead, for just a minute or so, he was my little boy again, the one who needed his dad. Enough had been said, so I held him close until he let go.

“I’m gonna…” He waved vaguely.

“Go spend some time by yourself. You could use it, I bet.”

He nodded and traipsed up the stairs, closing the door of his room behind him.

I sat back down on my chair, shaking. An immense weight had been lifted off my shoulders now that I knew what was going on with Byron. We still had a long road ahead of us, but we’d laid all the cards on the table, so now we could start rebuilding our relationship and heal from the pain inflicted upon us.

But even though my heart felt lighter than it had in months, a storm of emotions swirled within me—anger, hurt, confusion. I tightened my fingers around my mug of now-cold tea, the ceramic smooth in my grip. How could Mandy have done this? How could she have twisted the truth so cruelly, driving a wedge between me and my son?

And then there was Auden. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to see him, hear his deep, soothing voice, have him hold me close and wrap those strong arms around me. But I didn’t know what to think about him keeping secrets from me.

But I refused to make the same mistake Byron had made. I wouldn’t judge him based on one-sided information and allow it to poison what we had built together. No, I had to confront him and get his side of the story.

Yet another confrontation. Would they ever end?

29

AUDEN

The moment Keaton’s text came through, my stomach dropped.

We need to talk.

Those four words never led to anything good, and this time would be no different. Keaton had found out. He must’ve discovered how much I knew about Byron’s troubles and that I’d kept it from him.

Are you home now?

Yes.

On my way

My hands shook as I gripped the steering wheel and drove to his place. Dread weighed down on me like the heavy gray clouds that were about to unleash the brewing storm. Was this the end for Keaton and me? Would I lose him before I ever truly had him? My actions could’ve very well destroyed any chance we had at happiness together, and that thought clenched like an iron fist around my throat.

As I pulled up to Keaton’s house, I hesitated before stepping into the drizzle, watching the droplets splash against the pavement. Gathering my courage, I walked up. My feet felt like they were encased in concrete as I forced myself up the steps and knocked. The door swung open. Oh yes, he knew.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey. Can I… Can I hug you?”

He hesitated. “Yeah.”

I wrapped my arms around his slender frame, pulled him close, and breathed in the scent of his shampoo. We stood there, holding each other in the doorway. He clung to me, his arms tight around my chest, his face pressed against my neck. His breath warmed my skin, and hope tickled inside me. He was still here. In my arms. Maybe if he let me do that, if he needed the comfort of my embrace as much as I needed him, everything wasn’t lost.

We broke apart, and Keaton led me to the kitchen table. “Coffee?”

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