Page 52 of Daddies' Little Cubs

“Eli! It’s been way too long!” She replied pulling him into a hug he didn’t even know he needed. Leave it to the Mommy to know exactly how to help in that moment.

“Come in, come in. Jackson was just pulling the food from the warmer.” Eli said, directing her towards the dining room. Pulling out her seat, Cleo sat and greeted Jackson as Eli made his way towards his chair.

“Dinner is served.” Jackson dramatically said, taking a bow.

Eli laughed at his theatrics, “You dork. Sit down would you.”

“It smells divine Jackson. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.” Cleo murmured, leaning over to look at the pan he had placed on the table.

“It’s my famous baked spaghetti. My great aunt taught me how to make it when I was a wee boy.”

“I’m sure it tastes divine. Shall we eat?”

Eli plated her food first before passing it to Jackson. Taking his first bite, he groaned. No matter how many times Jackson made this meal, he seemed to outdo himself. “You’ve done amazing this time babe. It’s delicious.”

Cleo nodded in agreement, while reaching for the water glass Eli had placed in front of her.

“So where would you guys like to start?”

Clearing his throat, Eli laid it out for her. “We need help understanding what asexuality is and how we can best support Destiny. The last thing we want is for her to feel like we will throw her away like last night's trash.”

“Firstly, asexuality isn’t one single thing but rather that term is used as an umbrella to include many different people. It’s a spectrum which can be different for everyone.”

Eli pondered her words. It makes sense that it would be a spectrum since there isn’t a one size fits all for anything unless it’s a perfect world. “Okay, so if it’s not a single thing what falls among the spectrum.” He asked.

“Asexuality by definition means not feeling any or very little sexual attraction towards anyone no matter the gender. That’s not to say that the person can’t develop romantic feelings, they just aren’t accompanied by a sexual component. For some people they never feel that sexual attraction, while for others they might feel a little bit if they have a deeper connection with the person they are with. The latter people usually identify as grey-asexual or grey-a.”

“Okay, so what we need to identify first is where she falls onto that spectrum. Then we can develop ways to support her.” Jackson said.

“Correct. Based on the little bit of the conversation Eli told me, my thought is she will be someone who doesn’t feel any sexual attraction to someone. Talking with her and about the feelings that she has can help her figure out where she falls on the spectrum.”

Nodding his head, Eli looked at Jackson trying to gauge how he was feeling about everything. He looked deep in thought, which made Eli feel a little better about everything. It meant that he was taking this seriously.

“The best way to support her is to first believe her, don’t discount how she feels because her feelings are valid. Accept her relationship choices just as you would anyone else, just as you wanted people to accept you when y’all became a couple.”

“Of course! We would never want to discredit how she feels and there will never be a moment that she wouldn’t be accepted in this family.” Jackson shouted!

Eli reached over, placing his hand on Jackson’s arm. “We know that my love, but we need to make sure Destiny and Jessa know that as well.”

“Communication about wants and needs from everyone is important in any type of relationship, but especially here. Just because she’s asexual doesn’t mean she won’t have needs and desires. Your job is to find ways for you to still have intimacy and closeness, without sexual intercourse.” Cleo continued, as if Jackson’s outburst was nothing.

“The point is, relationships between people who have incompatible sexual needs can still be happy and fulfilling. It will be work, but all relationships require work. The question is, will you guys be willing to put in that effort?”

Tears formed at the corners of Eli’s eyes. Of course he would put in the effort, he wasn’t one to run when things became challenging and he wasn’t about to start now. “Yes! Yes of course we are willing to put in the work.” he replied, clearing the emotion from his throat.

“Perfect! I know that you guys have what it takes to make this work out with both of the girls. Remember that each of them have their own feelings, wants, and desires. They might not be the same either, but you will figure out the best way to navigate it all.”

“Thank you Cleo, for everything. We were clueless about how to best approach this, but I think with a little more research Eli and I can find ways to support our girl the best.”

“I know you can! I know that there are some great resources out there, but I highly recommend you start withHuman Rights Campaign! They have all sorts of information that would be beneficial to your situation. I’m always available to talk and help as well. Whether it is one of y’all or even Destiny. Trying to navigate one's feelings can be hard, but it’s not a journey anyone has to take alone.”

Cleo stayedfor a few more hours after their discussion. They enjoyed each other's company and caught up on all the excitement they’ve missed since canceling their membership to the club.

Eli crawled into bed after showing Cleo out, snuggling up beside Jackson who was scrolling on his phone.

“Whatcha looking at, babe?” he said, placing a kiss against his chest.

“I pulled up the resource that Cleo told us about,Human Rights Campaign. She’s right, there is a lot of helpful information on here. There’s a whole world of our community that I never knew existed.”

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