Page 144 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

Ben glanced over his shoulder and passed his phone to Gavin. “I took a bunch while you were bitching about the rhododendrons and asking what was wrong with hydrangeas.”

“It’s not my fault rhododendrons are ugly.” He scrolled through the pictures. Ben really had taken a lot. He’d also caught things Gavin had missed. Dark wood archways, big kitchen, spacious closets, a big deck… The backyard was just as ugly as the front, but he thought a swing set and nice grill would be good. Ben was right. They could make it pretty, probably on the cheap, really. “Maybe we can take Tina out there tomorrow?”

Joe had just pulled up in front of Ben’s shop. “Absolutely. If she likes it and you guys are still interested, we’ll make an offer.”

They said their goodbyes, and Ben crammed himself back into Gavin’s car.

“What should we have for dinner?”

Ben hesitated for a beat and then started to answer. “Whatever you—”

“Ben. Not that I don’t like getting my way all the time, but if you ever say those words again, I’m sticking my foot so far up your ass you’ll choke on my shoelaces.”

“You’re a kinky little thing, aren’t ya?” Ben laughed, which made Gavin laugh too. “I just…” Ben let out a deep breath and finally said, “How about we just grab some takeout and relax, watch some TV or something. Chinese, maybe?”

“Sounds good to me.” It really did, actually. They hadn’t done takeout in ages. Gavin had worked hard to get Ben out of the habit of eating out every night; now they rarely splurged on that kind of stuff. “Hey, what do you really think about getting a bigger car?”

Ben winced, but Gavin wasn’t sure if it was over the question or because his knees were pressed so hard to the dash it looked like he was about to bust through it.

“I don’t know, Gav. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a good idea. If we used yours for a trade-in or sold it, got something a couple years older, shopped around for a good deal… yeah, I think it’s a good idea. But I don’t wanna go out and just buy a brand-new car off the lot and land us with a huge payment every month while we’re trying to set up a house, ya know?”

The idea of driving around in some boring, boxy four-door was a little depressing, actually. His car was neon green. It had a big happy daisy painted on the roof. “My car is really cute.”

“It’s almost as cute as you,” Ben teased. He reached over and rested his hand on Gavin’s knee. “I promise we’ll find you the cutest used car money can buy.”

“Sounds like a good idea. Just, I mean, it really does have to be cute, okay?”

“Safe, but cute. We can start looking around after we get the house thing settled.”

This felt pretty good. This whole talking thing. Sharing in decisions. Working through and finding a compromise. Not bad.

For the first year of their relationship—once they’d gone beyond friends and Gavin had moved into Ben’s place—he’d let Ben make all the decisions. Things went smoothly, they always had what they needed, even had a little fun from time to time. But Gavin had wanted a say too. When he started expressing it, well, Ben tried to listen, tried to let him have his way, but more often than not, they’d argue, have sex, and then go with whatever Ben’s plan had been to begin with.

This? This felt like partnership. It seemed to Gavin they’d finally landed in the safe middle ground they’d both known was missing but maybe wanted all along.

“What’s up?” Ben asked, squeezing Gavin’s thigh. “You’ve got a funny look on your face.”

Gavin wondered if pregnancy hormones could rub off on someone. He felt like crying again, and wasn’t that weird? “Just thinking how lucky we are is all.”

“I know I am.” When Gavin didn’t say anything, only smiled at him, Ben said, “How about I call Teeny and see if she’s down with the Chinese food idea?”

“Yeah, good idea.” Ben calling his sister Teeny, Gavin’s childhood nickname for her… Wasn’t that just the cherry on the sundae?

Gavin listened as Ben took down Tina’s order and called it in, then made his way across town to their favorite Chinese restaurant.

When they got home, Tina had Gavin’s laptop in front of her—on her own user account; he’d learned his lesson. She grinned at them when they walked in. “I’m starving.” They laid the food out on the table as Tina shut down for the night. “I’m almost all caught up—took three of the quizzes and finished that Earth Science paper.”

Gavin couldn’t read Ben’s expression. Admiration, maybe?

“You’ve been busy, huh?” Ben picked out some chow mein and noodles with his chopsticks and sat down.

“Yeah, but it’s worth it. I think I’ll be done before the end of June.”

Tina fiddled with her chopsticks and looked confused as she tried to work them as deftly as Ben did. Gavin took pity on her and grabbed a fork for her.

“That’s awesome, kiddo. You’re doin’ one hell of a job.” Ben sounded like he really meant it. He paused and glanced at Gavin. “Babe, could you grab me—” He didn’t need to ask. Gavin set a beer in front of him before taking his seat. Ben beamed at him.

Tina laughed softly. “You guys read each other really well. You’re good together.”

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