Page 65 of Burn It Down

I smile at that. “He is.” I turn off the main road, heading to Bowen’s house as I cautiously approach the next part. “But he is your teacher...”

“So?” And now hesoundslike Bowen.Great.

“So... well, I’m not sure if...” I huff, turning into Bowen’s driveway. I park the car and then swivel around to look at him. “I’m a little afraid he could get into trouble for dating me.”

“Oh.” His eyes light up. “So it’s a secret?” He looks far too excited about it being a secret.

“Well, I mean. It doesn’t have to be. It won’t be a secret forever or anything.”

“Okay,” he says, shrugging his little shoulders, and why do I feel like I’ve botched this? I try to think about what Spencerwould want me to say and about what my son really needs to hear.

“I don’t want you to think you have to keep it a secret.”

“Why would I tell anyone?” He looks curious, his eyes bright as he studies me.

“Well, if you want to.” Obviously, I don’t want him to, but like Spencer said—he shouldn’t have to keep secrets for us. I won’t put that on him.

“I don’t. Unless I get extra credit?” His eyes go even wider with excitement, and I laugh.

“No,” I laugh. “And do you really need extra credit? Do they even give that out at your age?”

He just cackles. “I don’t know,” he says comically loud, and I just shake my head at him.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I have to check, even though he does seem really okay with it. More than okay. He seems pretty happy about it.

“Yup,” he says, unbuckling and then pushing his door open. “I’m hungry.”

I chuckle as I follow him into the house.

Obviously, I’m going to have to talk to Spencer about this, and I hope he’s okay, but it’s a relief knowing my son is for sure on our side. It shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s not fair that it is. We’ve talked about it a lot off and on. We both want to be a couple wherever we go, but I think I might be even more hesitant than Spencer. I want to protect him like I should have all those years ago. I don’t want anything bad to ever touch him again.

But maybe, just maybe I’ve built it up a little more in my head. And just like telling Elijah—people knowing about Spencer being gay isn’t going to be any sort of big deal.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I’m nervous when I knock on the front door of Bowen’s house, but I’m not really sure why. It’s not like I’m meeting anyone for the first time—still, I know it’s a big step somehow.

I know tonight is a big deal. Eating dinner with my boyfriend, his brother, and his son. Something tells me Bowen is very well aware of what’s going on between his brother and me—he’s not at all subtle when he drops Elijah off at school or picks him up, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all.

Coming out at work—despite acting like it wasn’t a big secret for me—has secretly been my biggest fear since I started. But it’s easy to forget that fear when I have Kade. And when his brother—who was honestly the epitome of everything I hated and was terrified of in high school—seems totally, absolutely fine with me dating his brother...

That fact alone kind of blows my mind.

The door opens, and I’m grinning like a fool when I see Kade standing there, his own answering smile so damn beautiful, it nearly knocks me over. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I say, my heart racing. I wonder when or if that will ever change. Something tells me this man is always going to speed up my heart rate with something as simple as a look.

“Come on in.” I do, taking off my coat and handing it to him when he holds out his hand. He places it on the hook, and Elijah runs in to greet me.

“Hi, Mr. Bell!”

I want to tell him he can call me Spencer, but that might make things odd at school for him, so I just let it go for now. I see Bowen is kicked back on the sofa, giving me a wave from there. “Hi, Elijah. Bowen.”

“Hey, teacher.” Bowen looks a lot better than the last time I saw him. Seeing him in that hospital bed was frightening, and I’m glad he’s doing so well, even if I can see that hint of mischief in his eyes, which always seems to be there.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Kade asks me, and a trickle of worry pours through me. But he gives me a calm smile, and I nod my head.

“Of course.”

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