(Kendall)
I walked my parents to the guest room, my heart still beating fast from dinner. The whole thing felt so intense. I kept watching Jaxon's face the entire time, trying to read what he was thinking. When my dad asked those hard questions, I wanted to jump in and defend him. But I knew Jaxon needed to handle it himself.
"So," Mom said as she sat on the edge of the bed. "That went better than I expected."
Dad was unpacking his small bag. He looked tired. "He's not what I thought he'd be."
"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting in the chair by the window.
"When you told me about him, I figured he'd be another guy who just wanted to have fun. Especially after what happened with that other boy."
"Jaxon's different," I said.
"I can see that now," Dad said. He stopped unpacking and lo
