I look out the window now, blinking away the stinging of tears that are threatening to come out. I’m about to answer him when the bathroom door opens, and Ethan comes out, walking to us with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Mom.” He calls my name, walking past Beau, not even realizing that he just saved me. “Smell me.” He puts his neck next to my nose. “I smell like Uncle Beau.” I smile at him. “Can you buy me this from now on?”

“Aren’t you a bit too young for that?” I look at him, and he smirks.

“Mom, I’m going to be ten soon,” he says.

“In two years, buddy,” I remind him, and he looks defeated.

“Why don’t you go get dressed?” Beau says. “Your mom and I want to talk to you about something.”

“Okay.” He turns, walking out of the room.

“We are going to have maybe two minutes before he’s dressed,” Beau says. “So we are going to have to table this discussion.”

“I would rather not continue it,” I say, and he shakes his head.

“That isn’t an option.” I know just by his tone it isn’t a suggestion. “Things need to be said.” He walks away now.

My stomach rumbles, and I have to put my hand to it. “This should be fun.”

Ethan comes out of his room in less than two minutes, wearing his Spiderman pjs with a white T-shirt. “I’m ready,” he announces, so I get up and walk to the door.

“I’m downstairs!” Beau shouts up. Ethan and I both walk down the stairs and find him in the family room. A bottle of whiskey sits on the counter, and I look over at him, seeing that he has a glass in front of him. This is a mistake, I think to myself. There has to be another way to do things. There has to be something else that we can do if just the thought of being with me and only me has him drinking. I walk to the couch, and I’m about to sit down when Beau looks at me. “Come sit next to me.” I walk over to him and sit next to him.

“Is this a family meeting?” Ethan asks, and I just look at him. “I hear some of my friends say that they have family meetings. Is this what it is?”

“Yes,” Beau answers at the same time as I answer, “Kinda.”

“Ethan.” Beau leans forward. “Your mom and I have decided to get married.”

“Okay,” he says, looking at me and then at Beau, repeating it twice more.

“To each other,” I fill him in, just in case he wasn’t getting it.

His face fills with the biggest smile of his life. “I knew you guys loved each other.” He claps his hands.