Page 36 of Schooling Little Sage

“But this is your family. That’s different and family comes first.”

“Yes, family does come first and that includes you. Would you feel better if we did a video chat with them?”

“Maybe.” He plucked the pink bows on Cora’s ears. “Are they scary?”

“Not at all.” I pressed my lips to his head. “Daddy’s one of the lucky ones. I have a great family, and I know they’re gonna love you just like I do. When do you want to call them?”

“Now?”

Guess this was one of those do it while you have the courage times for Sage.

“You got it. Let me text them and make sure they’re awake. You know how early old people go to bed.” That got the giggles I sought.

“That’s not nice, Daddy.”

“Nope, but it made you laugh and that’s what I wanted.” I fired off a text to my parents who must’ve been sitting there staring at the phone waiting because they immediately replied. “Looks like now works for them too. Grab Daddy’s laptop for him, please.” Sage hopped off and snagged it off the counter. “Sit next to Daddy so they can see you.”

“How do I look?”

“Adorakable, like always.”

“Daddy”—those cute hands went to his hips—“I’m not a dork.”

“You’re my adorable dork and I love you.”

He kissed my nose which he’d never done before. “I love you too.”

I made sure we were both in frame then connected the call.

“Hey, Mom and Dad, I’d like you to meet my partner, Sage.” Sage gave a nervous wave. “Sage, these are my parents, Sherry and Mike.”

“Hello, Sage, it’s nice to meet you,” Dad said.

“Isn’t he just the cutest,” Mom was already in mom mode. “Look at those adorable curls and big blue eyes.” That earned a shy giggle from my boy.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Sage said. “You look just like your Dad, Da, err, Warner.”

“You can call me Daddy,” I whispered, or so I thought.

“Sage,” Dad began, “we may not understand our son’s, um, lifestyle? But we trust him and if you call him Daddy, then you go right on ahead and do it. We just want you boys to be happy.”

“Thanks, Dad.” It meant a lot that he said that. We’d never really talked much about my kink preferences outside of explaining what the Ranch was all about. From there, they came to their own conclusions though they never questioned me. If they ever wished to discuss it, I’d be open to that. I wasn’t embarrassed by it nor by Sage. My parents always told us kids if we were old enough to ask the questions, then they needed to be mature enough to answer them and that worked both ways in my book.

“How was your day, boys?” Mom asked.

“It was good,” I replied while Sage’s head bobbed beside me.

“What’s your favorite food, Sage?”

Ah, right into cooking. Mom would find her way into his heart through food and killer hugs.

“Um, I’ll eat anything but if I get to pick, probably dino nuggets and pepperoni pizza.”

Mom laughed. “What’s your favorite dessert?”

“Hmm,” he thought hard. “Ice cream, pie, brownies, choco chip cookies.”

I don’t know if she laughed again or was still laughing from the first time. “Basically, anything with sugar I take it?”