Page 114 of Love It or List It
“I heard you,” Will sassed, “I just can’t believe you.”
Joe didn’t want to know.He didn’t want the answer.He should run away from this conversation right now.
Instead he asked, “Why not?”
“Joe.You live together with five dependents, four of which are ten-to-fifteen-year commitments.Austin is the emergency contact in your phone, which everyone knows now because that’s who Greg called when you had pneumonia.”Will kind of sounded like he was trying not to laugh.Joe steadfastly kept his eyes on the road and tried to breathe.“He has your mom’s phone number.You took him to meet Nonna.”Will wasdefinitelytrying not to laugh.
“That was….He didn’t have anywhere else to go at Christmas.I’d do that for anyone.”
“Right, sure,” Will said distractedly.
Another red light.Joe blinked and risked a look over.“Who are you texting?”
“Like I’m going to keep this to myself.”
In the cupholder, Joe’s phone lit up, and lit up, and lit up.
And lit up.
Oh Jesus.They had another five minutes of drive to go.Five minutes during which Joe couldn’t defend himself and the kids could roast him unchecked until he was nothing more than charcoal smoldering in the grate.
It wasn’t that Joe was unaware of the fact that he and Austin had skipped past a few relationship milestones on the cohabitation and joint-property-ownership fronts.But he hadn’t thought about what that meant for their relationship and its level of seriousness.
No, scratch that—he hadn’tlethimself think about it.Because after Paul, Joe was gun-shy.No one would have accused Joe of having had good luck in relationships.In fact, Starling would tell anyone, Joe included, that his taste in people sucked.Mostly because Joe had a tendency to read people wrong—crush on the lesbian, be serious with those who wanted one-night stands, fail to see the interest of those who were genuine.But Paul had been a truly spectacularly bad choice.Looking back, Joe could see he’d invested too much, held on too long.
Will kept his peace for the rest of the drive home, and Joe was almost grateful for that until he parked and realised Will’s nose had been buried in his phone the past five minutes.He left the truck without saying anything, and that fact had Joe reaching immediately for his own phone.
The chat was still firing—the kids typing so fast he could hardly catch up.
Gang, folks, siblings.Joe says he and Austin are taking things slow
What?
Huh?
More info, doesn’t compute
That is what he told me!No summer wedding because they’re quote taking things slow
….
What?
You told him that makes no sense right?
Joe, you know you shouldn’t smoke while at work right?Or before driving?
Or after having pneumonia?
He’s not high, just dumb
You own pets together!
More importantly
They own a house!
They adopted Will!
