My mother introduced me to her boyfriend, Trey, for the first time when I was 18 years old. It was the beginning of my senior year in high school and I was pretty innocent in many ways. Even though I had started to date by that time and even had tried sex once or twice, I was a pretty naïve teenager.

Mom and I had been alone since my father died when I was 9 and since then, she hadn’t dated much. Actually, I don’t remember her dating at all until Trey came along. I’m certain that she grieved for my dad for way too long, which explains my extreme...