Page 108 of Every Move You Make

“Everyone,” he announces calmly. He holds up his hand which is laced with Robyn’s. “This is Robyn, as most of you know.” Then he holds up my sweaty hand that’s clutching him like a lifeline. “And this is Dell. The three of us are together.”

My eyes lock on his dad’s and I can see an older, somewhat slimmer, Isaiah in him. Inwardly, I smile knowing my boyfriend is going to age very fine indeed. But Neal has a pinch to his brow. “The three of you?”

Zay nods.

“Dad,” Angie says. “Remember when I told you about my friends Cora, Marco, and Jay? How they’re polyamorous? It’s like that.” Then she turns back to look at Isaiah. “Right?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re gay?” Jonah asks yet again.

Dane rolls his eyes, “He’s bi. We’ve been over this, bro. This is not new information.”

“Who else in this family queer?”

Neal raises a lazy hand. “I’m not.”

Jonah clicks his tongue. “Eh, jury's still out.” He hands the baby in his arms over to his dad and takes out his phone. “Maybe I should try dating men. I’m gonna download Grindr.”

“Oh god,” Rafael groans. He shifts the baby to his shoulder and rubs a gentle hand over their back. “What are you guys doing about the team? Is the Valor cool with the head coach and captain dating?”

“So here’s the thing…” Isaiah drawls, and everyone goes quiet. “No one can know outside of here.”

“Gasp,” Angie huffs.

He tucks Robyn into his chest, and I put an arm around them both before he continues. “If anyone finds out, it’s game over. Robyn will lose endorsements, maybe her position on the team, and I’ll definitely lose my job.”

“Jesus, son,” Neal mutters, now pinching the bridge of his nose. The following silence makes my heart drop in my stomach like a ton of bricks. They don’t even know my half of the story. Now’s not a good time to tell them I used to jerk off for millions of viewers.

“Listen,” he sighs. “I don’t ask for much from you guys, mostly because I don’t know how. But, we don’t have anyone else we can be ourselves around. Not here. Until we can figure out how to be public about what we are, this is what we’re left with.” Isaiah swallows hard and I’m blown away at the vulnerability he’s showing. “It would mean a lot to me if we had your support.”

Slowly, there’s a low chorus of assurances before Neal makes his way over to us, and my second-hand Old Spice fights for its life. He looks at me and then Robyn. And with a tilt of his lips, he wraps his arms around all three of us. “Of course you’re welcome here. I won’t say a word.”

The largest sigh of relief whooshes out of me. He’s not even my dad, this isn’t even my family, but the acceptance tastes just as sweet.

“Oh, that’s enough,” the beautiful Mexican woman with a long, curled ponytail says. She pushes Neal out of the way and squeezes us. “Welcome to our family, Dell and Robyn. I hope you two are hungry. We’re having tacos.”

“That’s my favorite food group,” Robyn says.

“Buena.You will all go home with some.” Ana grabs a plate and starts loading it up and asks Robyn, “Do you like spicy food?”

“Love it.”

“Perfecta. Though, no one handles spice like Angie. She’s a freak, that one.”

Rafael leans in for a chip next to us and says in a low voice, “In more ways than one.”

His hand is promptly smacked by his mother. “Wait your turn. Ladies first,mijo.”

Ana continues speaking to Robyn while she heaps food onto a plate, and Rafael takes me to the side. Isaiah hands me a beer, and I didn’t even realize he had stepped away long enough to do that. “Thanks,” I say.

“How did you guys meet?” Rafael asks. He shifts his daughter in his arms who is sucking her entire fist, drool dripping down her hand. “I obviously know about Robyn.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, Angie and I went to college with her.”

I look at Isaiah to make sure it’s okay and he bobs his head. “I was his personal trainer.”

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