Page 128 of Love It or List It
“I think you should come help me play host elsewhere, not near my loose-lipped parents.”Joe pushed Austin away from the food, and Austin laughingly went along with it.
They bumped into Marco almost immediately, but luckily for Joe and the secrecy of his youthful indiscretions, Marco was eager to talk about houses.
“The roof’s looking good.”
Austin didn’t have to know anything about houses to recognize a man admiring something he felt ownership over.He reminded Austin of some of his middle-aged customers admiring their dream cars.
Swallowing a smile, Austin watched as Joe joined him in conversation, unconsciously crossing his arms, a mirror image of his uncle.They leaned back to eye the house as Marco asked about the roof and then their future plans.If not for the imminent arrival of the fruits, Joe probably would have been persuaded to walk the property and show his uncle all the next-ups on the to-do list.Not that it would stop them from doing the tour later.Knowing Marco, he’d want to take another look at the en suite and admire the successful transformation.It did look even better after Joe let his mom help decorate.
Austin was eternally grateful for the extra bathroom, since Will’s morning and evening routines seemed to be getting longer the more comfortable he got living in the house.Not that he would be living there much longer.
A week ago, when gathered around the table for dinner, a knock had come on the door, startling Pepa and surprising the humans.Joe answered and almost slammed the door shut again, but he very manfully refrained, he told Austin later, and asked their visitor, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I was hoping to see my baby brother,” an unfamiliar voice responded, and all the color drained from Will’s face.
“Why?”Joe snapped.
“Because I want to make sure he’s okay and to tell him I love him.”
Sitting across from Austin, Will bit his lip and his eyes watered.
Austin had only gotten as far as standing when Joe, followed by an unfamiliar young man, returned to the kitchen.
“Henry?”
“Will,” presumably Henry sighed with relief and strode across the room to pull Will into his arms.
The story came out in broken pieces—how Henry had been forced to wait until after the wedding and he and Tilly were moved into their own place, independent from his parents.With his new wife’s encouragement, Henry had left the church, and now he was reaching out to Will.
The result was that, at some point during the summer, Will would be moving out to live with Henry and Tilly.No date had yet been set for the move.Austin wasn’t sure who was most nervous and worried about the upcoming separation, but neither Joe nor Will would commit to a timeline.
Austin was jolted out of his musings by the arrival of a car bearing Meg, Gavin, and Alex, Meg honking lightly as she pulled into the last available patch of gravel in front of the pole barn.“Sorry we’re late,” she half shouted across the yard, closing the car door behind her.“These two wouldn’t stop sucking face long enough to get in.”
But she was grinning when she said it, any trace of resentment from the past long gone.
“I’ve got the hose ready,” Joe said wryly, “just in case.”
They’d talked about offering Gavin one of the bedrooms upstairs for the summer, given how early Joe’s crews started work, but the potential of having to deal with teenagers’ sex noises kiboshed that immediately.
Alex sniffed.“Please.We’re just as likely to need it for you two.”
“Nah,” Joe said cheerfully.“We’ve got a room.”
Meg and Gavin made dramatic retching sounds.
“Now that you’re here,” Austin interrupted, “I think we can officially start the party.”He caught eyes with Joe.“Right?”
“Oh, aren’t we fancy,” Maria teased as she eased herself down into one of the patio chairs.Julio put a hand on her shoulder.“I didn’t realize this was such a formal affair, with a start time and everything.”
Joe’s cheeks went ever so slightly pink.Someone who didn’t know him might’ve thought it was just the summer heat.“It’s notformal,” he protested.
“Your shirt has a collar,” Meg said judgily.“It’s eighty-five degrees out here.In the shade.”
“Austin made me give Pepa a bath this morning,” Will put in.“And then he blow-dried his hair after his shower.”
Gavin looked around the yard at the assembled group.Linda and Starling were in the shade under the oak tree, with Pepa between them, gazing up adoringly at Nonna, who had Davide’s plump little girl on her lap.Half a dozen other Romano cousins whose names Austin mostly remembered were milling around too, with their own families, poking around the partly renovated pole barn, stuffing themselves with Joe’s homemade biscotti, and chasing their kids around the yard.
“Holy shit,” Gavin said, almost bouncing in excitement.“They’re finally going to do it.”
Alex looked at him, then at Joe, then Austin.They nudged their shoulder into Gavin’s.“Maybe we should let them tell us.”
“Yeah, Gavin,” Will agreed.“Don’t be such a know-it-all.Let them tell us.”
Joe caught Austin’s eye again, and they both smiled.Austin took Joe’s hand.“Guess we better tell them before Gavin does it for us,” Joe said.
Austin took in the sight of it—their kids, their house, their pets, their extended family, everything he’d been too afraid to admit to wanting, never mind try to build—and found himself suddenly, overwhelmingly grateful to DeeDee Mitchell and her batshit matchmaking plans.“Let him,” he said, tugging Joe close enough to kiss.“I have better things to do.”
