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Shae: “No, it’s not!”

There’s a long pause before Drew finally speaks.

Drew: “You called him Uncle Lance.”

Next to me, Lance gasps.

Drew continues: “You can’t have him. He’s mine. He sleeps at my house, he wakes me up in the morning, he helps me withMYhomework. I waited my whole life for him, and you can’t steal him.”

Lance’s eyes water as he glances up at the ceiling. He’s taking deep breaths, trying to maintain his composure. I pat him on the shoulder and whisper, “Being a dad is hard. I feel like sitcoms lied to me.”

Drew continues: “Besides, you’ve got a perfectly good uncle.”

Ian: “He’s not my uncle, he’s my father.”

All the men in the hall whip their heads at me.

Ian knows.

My stomach flips, and I’m not sure how to feel. Relieved? Sad?

Drew and Shae: “Whoooooaaaa.”

Shae: “Does he know?”

Ian: “Yes, my mom told me before…” He trails off for a second. “He was always more of a dad to me than an uncleanyway. But we never talk about it. And he’s been so stressed for the last few years, I didn’t want to make it worse.”

His voice is quieter, his tone sad. I haven’t heard him talk like that in over a year, and it strikes me like a thousand bullets how far he’s come.

Maria: “That’s so cool. You have an uncle dad who’s a cowboy.”

The men in the hallway share confused glances with me and each other. Even the kids sound confused.

Shae: “What do you mean he’s a cowboy?”

Maria: “Why else would he have all that leather?”

Thiago glares at me. “How does my daughter know you have leather?”

I swallow. “Um, Ian accidentally brought my work bag to school. Maria went inside to get colored pencils.”

Thiago rubs his temples, Lance starts giggling, and Hadeon shakes his head with a chuckle.

Shae: “I don’t think that’s right.”

We don’t notice Alana coming until she’s standing between us. Her lips curl in the corners. Did she hear the conversation between the kids?

Drew: “But that doesn’t explain why you called him Uncle Lance.”

Ian: “Alana once said, if there was something I wanted and it would make me happy, then I should try it. Even if it means taking small steps. So I figured I would start with upgrading Lance to uncle to see how it felt before I started calling Dimitri Dad.”

Olivia: “I don’t understand. If he’s a cowboy, where does he keep the cows?”

Lance utters a laugh-cry-snotty sort of snort and Alana motions for all of us to go in.

Duncan enters and Shae jumps to her feet. “DAD!” She throws her arms around him, and he lifts her up and holds her.

“You ok, kiddo?” His voice is thick with emotion and his accent becomes more distinct.