There was a beat before Dani’s eyes went wide, Tom bit back a smirk, and Dirks’s dad lifted his brows just slightly before he busied himself with his coffee.
Dirks’s mom tilted her head with the fakest sweetness I’d ever seen. “Ohhh... I see,” she said slowly, like she was talking to a toddler who’d just admitted to drawing on the wall. “So you’re...allclose.”
The “all” landed like a wink without her actually winking.
I matched her tone. “Very close. Like family.”
“Well,” his mom said, picking her fork back up, “isn’t that... nice.”
Tom took a slow sip of his orange juice, eyes flicking between the three of us. “A family who sleeps in one bed... naked.”
Dani’s elbow shot into his ribs, but it was too late. Dirks froze mid-bite. Jeremy stopped chewing entirely, staring across the table like he was trying to figure out if murder was worth prison time.
I lifted my coffee to my lips and smiled sweetly at Tom. “At least we keep each other warm.”
His dad cleared his throat. “Well, winters are cold here.”
Dirks started laughing, that deep, unrestrained laugh that always made everyone else crack even when they didn’t want to. Jeremy’s lips twitched before he actually let out a chuckle.
Dirks wiped at his eyes, still grinning, and looked straight at his mom. “I know it’s unconventional and all, but?—”
She cut him off, eyebrows knitting like she was trying to line the pieces up in her head. “Are you guys... ?” She pointed between the two of them.
Jeremy blinked. “Uh?—”
Her face softened before he could even form a word. “Because you know, Iloveboys who love boys.”
Dirks choked on his coffee, and I nearly spit mine across the table. Jeremy’s ears went red.
“Mom,” Dirks groaned.
I was laughing so hard I had to grab my napkin and press it to my mouth. “I,too,like boys who like boys,” I told her with a wink.
Jeremy, deadpan as ever, cut in. “We’re together—with Luna.”
Dirks, not missing a beat, shrugged. “But sometimes boys are cool.”
His dad leaned back in his chair, totally straight-faced. “Well, sure. You’re on a hockey team. Surrounded by sweaty, half-naked men in the locker room—what’s not to like?”
That sent Dani into a choking fit, Tom actually slapped the table, and Jeremy broke and laughed. Dirks groaned again,muttering something about needing another cup of coffee to survive this breakfast.
“Do they love you, Luna? Both the boys?” his mom asked.
I glanced at Jer. We hadn’t said the words out loud, but the truth between us was there.
“They do.”
“That’s all a girl can ask.”
“Damn,” Dani chimed in, shaking her head with a grin. “I could only get one, and you’ve got two.”
I smirked into my coffee. “What can I say? I’m a generous sharer.”
That got the table laughing, and that’s pretty much how breakfast went—light teasing, hot coffee, and the smell of bacon hanging in the air—until we bundled up and stepped outside so they could show me the rink where Dirks used to pick up weekend hockey games.
“That was nice, right?” I asked Dirks and Jer, both up front in the car.
“Yes. Really nice. Thanks for coming. Both of you,” Dirks said earnestly.
