These Awkward Moments

Chapter 50 Declaration

Roe's POV
I had tried to have this discussion with Delilah in the past, but things always seemed to get in the way. Tonight, I figured 'what the fuck?' Might as well get this over with in front of the whole family.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "So, this is somethin' I been dealin' with for a long time. Even before Caroline. Ya see Lila girl, I've always seen myself as bi-sexual."

I paused and let this information sink in for a couple of seconds before going on. Delilah's face was unreadable. Daryl looked a bit surprised. Max just smiled and nodded. "When I was in high school I was just as attracted to some of the other guys on the football team as I was to girls I knew. It was a pretty fuckin' confusin' way ta go through adolescence. I realized that my attraction to people had a lot more to do with who the person was on the inside than what body that person came packaged in. I never acted on my feelin's for other guys in high school, cuz... well, it was high school... and cuz... well you know how Da was about stuff like this."

Delilah looked up at me with tears beginning to fill her eyes. "But why didn't ya tell me? Didn't ya trust me? Did ya think I was such a horrible sister that it woulda changed the way I feel about ya? I wouldn't a told Da."

I pulled her hand into both of mine. "No Lila. It wasn't that at all! I started ta tell ya at least a dozen times over the years, but stuff always happened. I had started to experiment a little bit when I went away ta college. I wanted ta tell ya then. But then I met Caroline and fell so in love with her that no other relationship mattered. I figured if I spent the rest of my life with her, then it really wouldn't matter what my past experiences were. When she passed it took a huge part of who I was. I didn't think I would ever find anyone again who I could care about as much as I could her. Female or male."

Delilah wiped away the tears, and Daryl stroked his hand gently up and down her back. "Did Caroline know?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I told her about it all when we first started dating. She said that as long as I stayed faithful to her she didn't really care about my past."

Delilah carefully removed the sling and the baby from her chest and passed him to Daryl. She stood up and pulled me to my feet, then stood on tip-toes and wrapped her arms around my neck. I picked her up in a bear hug. "Roe Casey, let's get this straight right now. I don't care if you have sex with women or men, just as long as you're happy. And nothing would make me happier than ta see ya find the kind a love that I've found. Is there really someone that you feel you can make a life with?"

She pulled back and looked into my eyes. I let her slide down to the floor. I smiled and nodded. My smile grew wider as she looked at me with a puzzled expression. Then I saw her face change as she realized who it was I had feelings for. Her grin grew almost as wide as mine. "Jesus! It is! Isn't it? Oh my God! Please say it's so! I can't believe I didn't see it before! You've been pinin' for Jesus! Wait! Does he know?"

I laughed at her. "Yes. It's Paul. And he better know. We've been... uh... 'seein' each other' for the last few months. I hope you're ok with it. I mean, I know y'all are friends, but I don't want it ta be weird or anything."

She giggled and threw her arms around me again. "Are you kiddin' me? I've been hopin' he'd find someone amazin' ever since we met him. And I guess you're about as close as he's gonna get to a male version a me! But... oh shit! Daryl? You gonna be ok with the new brother-in-law darlin'? I mean I know you and Jesus ain't exactly been close in the past..."

We both looked at Daryl who was looking down at the baby in his arms. He had been very quiet, even by Daryl standards. He looked up at both of us with a twinkle in his eyes. "Yeah man. This is pretty fuckin' amazin' news! I'm happy for ya both! You almost slipped and told me the time when I got snake bit, didn't you? I told ya, Jesus has always been like an annoyin' kid brother to me. This'll just make him an official part a the family." He stood up and shook my hand, pulling our shoulders into a bump for a 'bro hug'.