Page 91 of The Geography of Happiness

He didn’t back down. “Maybe not. But I’vebeenHannah. IamHannah. So maybe you should askmehow it feels to livethatlife.”

We stared each other down until I finally grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him into my arms. “Damn, I’ve missed you, you interfering bastard.”

He chuckled and hugged me back. “I live to serve. And I love you too, by the way. Come on, let’s eat.”

Dinner and the rest of the evening passed in happy conversation that carefully avoided any mention of the MackenzieorHannah’s appointment. Judah was in excellent snarky form and my ribs ached from laughter by the time he left.

I really had missed him.

But not more than that, I realised once he’d kissed me on the cheek and headed home on his bike. The shared meal had been the first time we’d spent a whole evening together since I’d returned, and it had taken me a little while to work out that something was different. By the time he left, I’d figured it out, and it had nothing to do with Judah. It was me who’d changed. Or rather, my feelings when I was around him had changed.

That niggling, wistful disappointment was gone. Judah was my best friend, but he was no longer anything more than that. He wasn’t a crush. He wasn’t a wish. He wasn’t a what-if. That particular spot had been taken by a man with dark brown eyes and a charming, wicked smile.

Part of the change felt really good. The other part scared the shit out of me.

I needed to have that talk with Judah more than ever. I didn’t want to lie by omission any longer. But I had to get Hannah through her medical crisis first. After that would come the talk. I could only hope I still had my best friend at the end of it.

I set about cleaning the kitchen while Hannah got herself ready for bed. With her appointment looming the next day, I decided not to tackle Hannah about her unfortunate comment to Judah. It could wait. But Hannah had other ideas, and when Iwent in to say goodnight, she patted the mattress and asked me to sit.

I side-eyed her. “Why do I feel like I’ve been called to the principal’s office?”

She didn’t laugh. “What’s going on, Dad?”

“What do you mean?” I hedged.

“Don’t act cute with me.”

I bit back a smile. “Is this about the Spencer thing?”

“You know it is,” she said, sounding hurt.

I took her hands in mine. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I snapped at you... well, glared, anyway.”

She looked close to tears. “I was only joking... kind of. I mean, heisyour friend, right? And you do talk all the time.”

How the hell do I answer that?“Yes, he is. But it’s... complicated.” Then I remembered her choice of words and asked, “Explain what you meant by kind of?”

She blew out a sigh. “It’s just that I saw you guys hugging at the medical centre when you thought I was asleep and I might’ve heard a few things as well.”

Oh boy.“I was upset, and Spencer was very kind to me.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid, Dad. It was... cute. Spencer’s a nice guy and I can see you like him. I don’t get why the big secret.”

Dear Lord.“Is that why you asked about me dating that night?”

She nodded. “You know I don’t care if you’re bi, right?” She looked so damn earnest, I wanted to hug her. And so, I did.

“I do know that.” I kissed her hair. “Although I don’t know what label I’d choose, if any, right now. The point is that nobody else knows I’m not straight, honey.”

She stared, clearly shocked. “Not even Judah? What about Spencer?”

I couldn’t stop my smile. “Yes, okay, Spencer knows.”

She pulled back, a deep frown cutting her brow. “I thought it was just me who didn’t know. I’m sorry if I made things awkward.”

I shook my head. “Don’t be. I should’ve talked with you earlier. I should’ve talked to a lot of people, and I will. I’m just not quite ready. As I said, it’s complicated.”

She didn’t press. “I mean it, Dad. I really like Spencer.”

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