And, as Bear pointed out, it seemed to be a mutual thing, though we were pretty sure neither had done a damn thing about it.

I was proud of Bear that day. He hadn’t freaked out in the slightest.

I had. A little.

Bear wouldn’t let me buy a gun to threaten Ethan with.

“So, Ethan,” I say, already knowing Bear’s going to be pissed that he wasn’t here for this. “He didn’t ask you for it, he didn’t pressure you for it—and wow, it sounds like we’re talking about something else.”

“Dad,” Noah hisses.

“Whoa,” Lily breathes. “That was awesome.”

“We’re talking about drugs,” I say rather gleefully. “Of course we’re only talking about drugs. Now, it does beg the question why you’d be asking your sister to ask JJ for weed if Ethan didn’t want you to get it or pressure you into doing so. So, I suppose that’s where we’re at now.”

“What are we talking about?” Caleb asks.

“Noah’s crush on Ethan,” I tell Caleb. “And trying to get drugs to impress him.”

Noah squeaks.

Lily chokes.

Caleb rolls his eyes. “Everyone knows that. That’s boring.”

Noah’s starting to tremble, and I think we’re almost at the point of too much. So I reach across the table and place my hand on top of his. His skin is clammy and his hands are shaking, but when I ask that he look at me, he does.

“We’ve known,” I tell him quietly. “Your dad and I have known for a long time about you, kiddo. And we’d be hypocrites if we were upset by it. The thing is, we’re not. We could never be upset with you for something like this. We don’t care if you’re gay or straight or somewhere in between. This isn’t about that. The only thing that matters to us is if you’re happy. And I can tell you right now that you don’t need to do anything like this to impress Ethan. Trust me on that one. You’ve already got him wrapped around your finger.”

“In between,” Noah manages to say, his eyes wet.

“Pardon?”

“I think I’m in between.” He coughs, clearing his throat. “Like, maybe both.”

“Okay,” I say, shrugging easily. “Bisexual, then. Or, if you’re not ready for a label or if that doesn’t feel like the right one, then that’s okay too. You do you, Noah.”

“Papa knows?” Lily asks, voice trembling.

“Yes. He does. He figured it out before I did.”

“And you’re not mad?”

I shake my head. “No. We’re not mad. Not about that. The weed thing, though. That’s another story.”

Lily laughs shakily before she punches her brother on the arm. “I told you they’d be chill about it!”