Page 29 of Love Legacy

Sage

E ver since Thanksgiving, things have been going well with Naomi and me.

It feels good to finally call her my girlfriend, even if it is just in private.

Even though Naomi’s family is states away, and the likelihood of her parents finding out accidentally is slim to none, she wanted to keep things on the low until she was able to tell them.

Naomi’s going home to Georgia for winter break, so she’s planning to tell them in person toward the end of her trip.

I offered to go with her just to provide some backup and moral support, but she insisted on doing it alone.

She warned me that her parents are volatile and that this conversation might go south extremely quickly.

I think Naomi just wants to keep me out of their line of fire, especially after what they said about me during their surprise trip.

After she asked me to be her girlfriend, we got to talking more about her life and her upbringing.

That’s when she finally told me about how their little visit went.

Previously, when I’ve asked, all Naomi would say is that it went fine, but she’d dodge any further questions.

This time, she finally decided to come out and tell me exactly how it went down, including the choice words they had to say about me.

While I’m not entirely surprised, their words still stung.

I’ve encountered a lot of people in my life who share the same sentiments as Jackson and Adora Williams, but knowing it came from people that the love of my life holds close, it hurts.

I know I’m thinking far into the future, but I don’t want Naomi to have to make a decision between me and them, and I don’t have faith that they’ll be able to accept their daughter is gay.

Naomi told me her grandma is pretty liberal.

I think she’d have no problem accepting it.

I guess her mom didn’t become super religious until she met Jackson, so maybe there’s some hope she’ll come around.

Knowing that Christmas might end up being rough for Naomi, I wanted to do something special for her before we part for the holidays.

While our friends might not know we’re dating, my sister Theia does.

After making things official right before Thanksgiving, I couldn’t contain myself when we were at my parents’ house.

My mom picked up on the change in our energy almost immediately.

So we just decided to give in and tell my parents, and Theia, and my extended family. Everyone showed us so much love. I think they were all just happy to see me happy, happier than I’ve been in a long time.

Theia and I were currently at the mall, Christmas shopping. “So, where did you want to pop into Theia?” I ask as we scour the mall directory.

“Braserie Dearie,” she says with a sly smile, pointing to the store on the map.

Braserie Dearie is an underwear store similar to Victoria’s Secret but with a greater focus on affordable, size-inclusive lingerie.

The stores I wanted to shop at were in the same general vicinity, so we start making our way to that section of the mall.

“Braserie Dearie? I thought you and Aaron broke up?” I ask, bewildered. She finally dumped that abusive, piece of shit ex of hers, so it caught me off guard that she was shopping for lingerie.

She bites her lip, hesitant to answer. “We did. This is for… someone else,” she says, her face heating.

I stop in my tracks, turning toward Theia. “You bitch, you’re seeing someone new and you didn’t tell me?”

She laughs. “Because I know you’d act like this! Besides, we’re keeping things on the DL right now.”

“Is that because of Aaron or… ?”

“No, it has nothing to do with Aaron. Our relationship is complicated, and it could put our positions with the university at risk.”

“Theia, are you seeing another graduate student?”

She shakes her head.

“One of your students?”

She shakes her head again.

“One of your professors?”

This has Theia pausing, remaining silent.

“A professor? Theia, that’s so risky!” I say, my voice getting louder as I try to process the bomb my sister just dropped on me.

“Keep it down!” she hisses, shushing me. “He’s not my professor. At least not right now, anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I had him as a professor in undergrad. And so did you. He teaches English, including the mandatory freshman English Composition class.”

I comb through my memories, trying to think back to the professors I had as a freshman. My jaw drops once I make the connection. “No fucking way, T. You’re hooking up with Professor Hottie?”

Dr. Samuel Bennett, a.k.a. Professor Hottie, was one of the most talked about professors among the female student body population at Pinebrook University, and not for reasons related to his teaching abilities.

The man was one of the youngest, full-time professors at Pinebrook and very attractive.

I might be gay, but even I can appreciate that he’s extremely good-looking.

His upperclassman elective classes often end up being at least seventy-five percent female because a lot of them will request his courses just to spend the class ogling him.

Theia was living every female student’s fantasy.

Theia slaps a hand over my face, effectively silencing me.

“God, Sage, you’re such a big mouth,” she says, looking around to make sure there was no one she recognized around us.

“Yes, Sam and I have been… seeing each other for a little while now, and I’m going to spend a significant portion with him for Winter Break. ”

I follow her as we head into Braserie Dearie, hanging back as she searches the racks. “I have so many questions, Theia! Like when did this start? How did it happen? Why aren’t you coming home for Christmas? Does he treat you well? How’s the sex? And ‘Sam,’ you’re on a first-name basis now?”

She holds up a hand to stop my incessant questioning, laughing at my curiosity. “Yes, his first name is Samuel. Dr. Bennett seems so formal now, especially since we’re closer to peers now. I guess it technically started on Halloween,” she says softly, her face dropping.

“Wait, wasn’t Halloween the night that—”

“That Aaron tried to assault me? Yep. I know Maeve told Naomi what she saw, and Naomi talked to you about her concerns, but what you guys don’t know is the man that saved me that night was Dr. Bennett.

He pulls late nights at his office on campus a lot and I was trying to walk back to my townhouse.

We crossed paths, and he helped me home.

He was very respectful, but he helped me shower and change, and made me some food and water. When I woke up the next morning to a PB&J and iced coffee, he had also left a note, just saying that he was sorry for whatever I went through, and if I ever wanted to talk, I had his cell phone number now.

He was my secondary advisor in undergrad, so I felt comfortable speaking to him.

Going for coffee led to nights grading assignments together, and then dates at my place, and then one night, we just started hooking up.

And it’s been fantastic. Like seriously, better than anything I ever had with Aaron.

And not just the sex, but he treats me better than that jerk ever did.

Seriously, I’ve been missing out on so much. ”

I grin widely, pleased to see my sister happier than she’s been in a long time. “Theia, I’m so happy for you! You’re practically glowing.”

She smiles, picking out a couple of lingerie pieces from the rack. “He makes me this happy! So I wanted to get a little something for him since we’re spending the holidays together.”

“So what’s the deal with that? Why aren’t you coming home?”

Theia sighs. “Because Aaron’s going to be there and I’m trying to avoid him at all costs.

I’ll drop by for a few hours on Christmas Day, but the less time I’m in Trenton, the better.

Sam’s daughter is spending Christmas with him, and then she’s spending the rest of the break with her maternal grandparents.

So once she leaves, I’ll go over there, and we’ll spend the rest of the break together. ”

“Wait, so how old is he exactly? How old is the daughter? What about the mom? Is she still in the picture? Are you a side piece?”

She shakes her head, laughing. “No, I’m not a side piece.

Sam is forty-three. His daughter Hannah is eleven years old.

His wife, Lily, passed away about five years ago from breast cancer.

So, no mom in the picture, but Lily’s parents are still a big part of their lives, from what Sam has told me.

They’ve been trying to get him back out into the dating pool for a while. They just want him to be happy.”

I smile. “Sounds like he’s found that with you, even if he is eighteen years older than you.”

Theia winces slightly. “Don’t remind me of the exact gap. I try not to think about the fact that he’s close in age to Dad.”

I laugh. “Please let me know when you guys are doing the ‘meet the parents,’ I’d love to have a front seat to that exchange,” I say as Theia goes up to the register to check out.

Theia laughs. “Yeah, like hey Dad , meet my new boyfriend that you probably partied with in college. And no, Sam, I don’t have daddy issues. It just so happens that you’re close in age to the people who birthed me.”

“Does he know?”

“Does who know what?”

“Sam. Does he know that your age gap is that large and that he’s close to Mom and Dad in age?”

Theia smirks. “I’m pretty sure he does. I jokingly called him Daddy once and then he had a brief mental breakdown because of our age difference.”

I gasp. “Theia! Do you have a daddy kink?”

She laughs. “No, but I think we accidentally discovered that Sam does,” she says, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

“You’re so bad,” I tease, giving her a little shrug as we exit the store.

“That’s enough about me though. What about you? Nervous for Naomi to come out to her parents?”