Where Nerves End

not unlike mine. As he turned off the engine, Michael took a deep breath.
“Well,” he said, “here we go.”
Daina met us at the door, and while we went into the living room, she went upstairs to get Dylan. We both sat on the couch, and exchanged uneasy glances. It would be just the three of us— Lee and the baby were out somewhere—so hopefully Dylan wouldnt feel outnumbered or any more overwhelmed than he needed to be. Lee knew what was going on, but wed all agreed this might be easier on Dylan with just the three of us. Hopefully.
Upstairs, a door opened, and when voices trickled down to us, Michael closed his eyes and took another deep breath.
“Youll be fine,” I said again, even though I wasnt sure how this would go at all.
“I know.” He sounded about as certain as I was.
Dylan came into the living room, and his eyes lit up. “Hi, Dad!”
“Hey, kiddo,” Michael said as Dylan hugged him.
Then Dylan looked at me and smiled. “Hi, Jason!” Then he paused, his brow furrowing just like his fathers often did. “Wait, whatre you doing here?”
“Dylan!” Daina said, scolding gently. “Thats no way to talk to a guest.”
His cheeks colored, and he smiled sheepishly at me. “Sorry.”
“Dont worry about it,” I said with a smile.
“Dylan,” his mother said, “why dont you have a seat? We all want to have a short little talk before you go with Dad and Jason.”
Dylans smile evaporated and his eyes widened. Eyeing us uncertainly, he sat on the armchair, hands tucked under his knees and his feet swinging from side to side behind the coffee table.
Daina joined us on the couch. The three of us exchanged glances, everyone silently prodding everyone else to break the ice and get this thing rolling. I sure as hell wasnt going to do it. A few times I wondered if either of them would figure it out. The longer the silence went on, the more Dylan fidgeted, and the more I had to struggle to keep from squirming myself. Awkward conversations, with or without children, were not my favorite thing in the world.
Finally, Daina took a breath and turned toward her son. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to the punch. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, no!” Michael and Daina both said.
“Not at all,” Michael said.
“Youre not in trouble,” Daina said. “Dad and I”—she paused, eyes darting toward me—“and Jason just want to talk to you about…some things.”
Dylans feet stopped swinging and his eyes widened. He looked around the room, and his voice was taut with panic when he said, “Is Lee going away?”
“No, of course not,” Daina said. “This isnt about Lee and me. Hell be home when you come back in two weeks, just like always.”
That relaxed the kid a little, but apprehension lingered in his bunched shoulders.
Michael cleared his throat. “Theres nothing bad going on. We just want to…tell you about a few things in case you have any questions or dont understand. Okay?”
Dylan nodded. His feet swung forward this time, first one, then the other, like he needed something to do with that restless energy that makes it impossible for a seven-year-old, especially a nervous one, to sit still. His heels hit the couch with rhythmic thunks , echoing my uneasy heartbeat.
Michael and Daina exchanged glances again. She nodded slightly, and he looked at Dylan again.
“You remember when Lee and your mom got together, right?” he asked. “When they first met and started dating?”
Dylan nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Okay, well, Jason and I…” Michael paused, slipping his hand into mine. “Were kind of doing the same thing.”
Dylans eyes shifted between his mom, his dad, me, and Michael and my joined hands. All three adults held our breath, waiting for him to say something.
Brow furrowed, he said, “So you have a…” His head tilted slightly. “Boyfriend?”
Michael nodded slowly.“Yes. He is.”
“Oh.” He was quiet for a moment. I braced against the barrage of questions, and his parents probably did too. How did kids react to this stuff? Michaels hand twitched in mine, and I offered a reassuring squeeze.
Finally, Dylan spoke again, “Can I have a pudding cup?”
All three of us burst out laughing.
“Of course you can.” Daina stood. “Ill be right back.” She ruffled Dylans hair as she walked past him.
While she was in the kitchen, Dylan looked at me. “So youre my dads boyfriend?”
I glanced at Michael to make sure I wasnt overstepping my bounds. He gave me a quick