Page 48 of Loving Lauren
“I think we should stop letting fear make our choices for us.” Jett stood up and pulled Sierra to her feet. “Besides, if our families can’t handle our happiness, at least we know we’ve got each other. The Chaos Coven stands together, right?”
Sierra hugged him fiercely. “Right. So when are you going to tell your mom about Ellis?”
“When are you going to tell your parents about Lauren?”
They looked at each other and both grinned with the kind of nervous energy that comes before jumping off a cliff.
“I’m doing it tonight at our family dinner. Thalia and I already talked about it.”
Jett nodded. “I’m in, and whatever happens, we debrief immediately after.”
“Deal. And, Jett? For what it’s worth, Ellis looks at you like you hung the moon. If your mom can’t see that he makes you happy, that’s her loss.”
“Same goes for Lauren and your parents. They’d be crazy not to love someone who loves you that well.”
“You know what’s crazy? I can see how much Ellis has changed you. In the best way. You’ve completely hung up your... well, let’s call it your ‘social butterfly’ lifestyle.”
Jett let out a surprised laugh. “Yeah, he really has. I never thought I’d be the settling-down type, you know? I used to think variety was the spice of life and all that.”
“And now?”
“Now I can’t imagine wanting anyone else. Ellis makes me so happy that the idea of being with other people just... doesn’t appeal anymore. Never thought that would happen to me, but here we are.”
After Jett left, Sierra stood in her kitchen staring out the window. The conversation with Jett had crystallized something for her. She was tired of hiding, tired of letting fear dictate her choices.
It was time to trust that love was stronger than fear.
Chapter 28
Sierra kept walking back and forth in the hallway, her feet making weird squeaky sounds on the tile. Thalia’s enchiladas smelled amazing, but Sierra’s stomach was doing backflips.
Thalia hung out nearby, not hovering but close enough if Sierra needed backup. “You can do this. It’s not like you’re asking for anything crazy. You’re just telling them who you are.”
Sierra steadied herself and walked into the dining room before she chickened out.
Her parents were already eating, talking to Tobias about something boring and work-related. Dad spotted her first, mid-bite. “There she is. Come eat before it gets cold.”
Sierra sat down in her usual spot, hands clamped together under the table so no one would see them shaking. Mom passed her the enchiladas with the same smile she’d had since Sierra was five.
“You okay, honey? You look kind of freaked out.”
“I am freaked out.” Sierra’s voice came out way quieter than she meant it to.
Thalia caught her eye and nodded, like, go for it.
Sierra took another deep breath. “I need to tell you guys something. Something I should’ve said forever ago.”
Everyone stopped eating. Mom’s hand just hung there, reaching for the salad. Dad put his fork down.
“I’m pansexual.”
Dead silence. As in one could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen silent.
Then Tobias just shrugged and kept eating. “Of course you are. I mean, I distinctly remember you having posters of both Jensen Ackles and Emma Watson up in your room during middle school. Wasn’t exactly hard to connect the dots. I thought you were bi, but pan is like... bi with an even bigger heart, right?”
Her mom let out a slow, careful breath, clearly trying to process everything. Dad looked like someone had just told him aliens were real. “Pansexual? What in God’s name does that even mean? Is this some new internet thing?”
Sierra’s neck got all hot, but she pushed through it. “It means gender doesn’t matter to me. I can fall for people. If there’s a connection, if we understand each other, that’s what counts. Not their body parts.”
