His nephew grinned. “You look awfully uncomfortable right now, Uncle Travis.”
“You’re an evil creature,” Travis told him dryly. “My kids are years away from having to have the birds and bees talk, and you want me to have to start already?”
“Please. We don’t need the basic sex talk. We’ve got the Internet,” Lance informed him before making a face. “And we’ve got my dad, who I will tell you is way too blunt.”
Somehow that bit of information about Daniel made Travis extremely happy. And totally confused. “Then it’s not about sex?”
“Oh, no. It’s totally about sex.” Lance’s smirk faded a little. “Honest, it’s nothing terrible, and we kind of already know the answer, but I think it would be good if Jeremy told you what’s up.”
This had all sorts of trouble written all over it, but there wasn’t much that Travis wouldn’t do for his family, and that included his nephews.
Still, he was going to be careful. “You’re going to be there, yes?”
Lance peeled himself off the stall wall and tilted his head toward the east where the coulee lay. “Yep.”
Wandering outside and down the trail was a bit of a shock as they left the warmth of the barns and the sweet scent of the animals behind. And yet it was fresh, crisp, and clear. The path between the house where Blake and Jaxi were raising their family and the one where Travis, Cassidy, and Ashley were raising theirs was well-packed.
Not only was it the route he and Cassidy took to get to work most mornings, Ashley and Jaxi pranced back and forth most days as well with the kids. Which was all kinds of mental fuckery when he stopped to think about the history of it. His wife and Jaxi as damn near besties. The girl next door who he’d once thought might save him, and the woman who truly had.
It was pretty much the most perfect thing, truth be told.
Down at the bottom where a bridge crossed the frozen water, another tall, lanky youngster twisted toward them. Jeremy’s gaze skipped over Lance and landed on Travis. Worry and hope clung to his expression.
What the hell. He was a teenager. Travis could deal with this.
He lifted his chin at the kid. “Jeremy. Heard you helped Lance get through his chores.”
The kid was all arms and legs with a hint of muscle coming on. He dipped his chin and flashed a quick smile. “Chores at my house mean dishes. I like working with the animals better.”
Interesting. “Well, next time we need to hire some help, we’ll see if you’re available.”
His green eyes lit up like Travis had plugged him into a high-voltage battery. “Yes, sir.”
Lance laughed then moved into position next to his friend. He nudged him with a shoulder. “Okay. Uncle Travis is here, so spit it out.”
A soft swear rose from the kid—young man, considering he too was in grade twelve.
Jeremy looked Travis straight in the eyes. “I’m ace.”
Okay. Not the opener Travis had expected, considering he figured the kid was going to pull something out of his hat about liking both guys and girls. “That’s cool.”
Jeremy nodded. “It was a bit of relief to figure it out, actually. I thought for a while I was broken because nothing seemed to turn me on.”
A little tidbit Travis was looking forward to sharing with Ashley. “My wife teases that people get real hung up on naming stuff, but at the same time, if it makes things easier, having a label for how you feel is a good thing.”
“That’s not the part I need—” Jeremy glanced quickly at Lance.
His nephew sighed dramatically. “You want to finish this before summer? I already told you it was okay to share.”
“So, yeah. I figured out that I was ace, because it didn’t matter what the guys showed me on the Internet or in books, I didn’t get turned on by any of it. But then Lance and I got to be friends, and now…” Jeremy stared determinedly down at his feet. “And I know he doesn’t feel that way about me, but it sucks that the first time I actually get turned on is with somebody who doesn’t want me.”
Damn, this plot just got more and more tangled. Although, Travis caught himself smiling. “Dude. You’re getting all tangled in knots because you now feel sexually attracted to someone you can’t have?”
Lance frowned. “It’s not funny.”
“Nope,” Travis agreed. “But it is pretty much life.”
Jeremy’s eyes snapped up to meet his. “What?”
Travis shrugged. “I’m sure, with the Internet, you’ve probably figured out—if you want a label for this one—that you’re still ace, but you’re probably demi-sexual. You don’t get turned on until you have an emotional connection with somebody.”
Lance slapped the back of his hand against Jeremy’s chest. “See. I told you.”
Jeremy rubbed his palm over where he’d been hit. “So fucked up.”
“No, it’s not,” Lance insisted. He turned his gaze back on Travis. “I really care about Jeremy, and he’s my best friend, but I don’t have those kinds of feelings for him. And he got all tangled up because I told him that, and he was saying some bullshit about us not being able to be friends anymore, and I think that’s crap. It does suck that he wants me that way and I don’t, but that’s not going to change.”
Travis was grinning now. He was no longer quite sure why he was in this conversation because his nephew and friend were pretty much right on track. “Yes, no, maybe. Sometimes the way we feel does change, but the two big things I see here—if you want me to tell you what I think’s most important?”
Jeremy nodded rapidly.
Travis stepped forward and met Jeremy’s gaze square on. “The cool thing about being demi-sexual? I mean, sex can be a lot of fun, but for most of us, it’s more than just fun with somebody you care about. Which means when you do find somebody, and things work out to the place that you end up having sex, it’s going to be way better than the average guy’s first time. Or second, or the rest of it.”
Both the boys stopped.
“I never thought about that,” Lance admitted. He raised a brow. “Good for you, J.”
Jeremy rolled his eyes. Then he looked back at Travis. “And what’s the second thing?”
Travis kept his body language casual. “It’s not fucked up for you and Lance to stay good friends. Truth is, most of us become attracted to someone inappropriate at different points in our lives. You just need to deal with it, Jeremy.”
He seemed to have shocked them again.
“But it’s not Jeremy’s fault that he feels like that.” Lance was frowning now.
“Nope. But it’s also not your responsibility to do anything about how he feels.” Travis went for the killing blow, considering he knew Lance had been seeing the same girl for the last three years. “You ever get turned on when Kim’s not around? You know, watching a show or while chatting with some other girl in your class?”
His nephew’s face went beet red, and he stumbled for a moment, mouth opening and closing until he straightened up. “I’ve never done anything about it, but yeah. It’s happened.”
“Of course you didn’t do anything about it, because you respect Kim, and the other bits are just physical reaction. It would be wrong for you to act on it, just like it would be wrong for Jeremy to hit on you when you’re with someone else. Plus, you’ve said you weren’t interested. So that’s it.” Travis slipped his hands in his pockets. “But there’s no reason why you guys can’t be friends.”