Page 86 of Love It or List It
Also, they hadn’t told the kids they were dating, but given that Austin had slept in Joe’s bed last night and not his own, which was in the room next to Will’s, it certainly wasn’t going to be a secret for long, and he didn’t know how that was going to play out considering he was 95 percent sure Will was sweet on him.
Joy.
But he couldn’t freak out.It wasn’t his place.Will, who’d basically been disowned last night, got to freak out.Joe, who was going to be Will’s primary point of support and parent and whatever, got to freak out.Austin, whose participation in this situation was basically “roommate,” did not get to freak out.He just needed to be there when Joe and Will did.
It was a lot to suddenly shoulder when he’d spent so much of his life alone, but he wouldn’t trade it, so he’d have to figure it out.
He woke up sore, Joe still passed out next to him.The critters weren’t stirring yet, so it must still be early.He didn’t hear anything from upstairs either.
He hauled his ass out of bed and went to find something to eat so he could grab a couple Advil without upsetting his stomach.Then he took Pepa out for a pee, fed the cats, and put the coffee on.He might not be a morning person, but Joe would need the sleep this morning more than Austin did.
To his surprise, Will stirred before Joe.He crept down the stairs almost silently, then paused at the bottom, like he wasn’t sure if anyone else was awake.
“In the kitchen,” Austin said softly.“Coffee?”
A moment later Will shuffled in, puffy-faced, hands stuffed in the pocket of his oversize hoodie.
“Hey,” Austin offered when Will didn’t say anything.“Uh, Joe’s not up yet, but there’s bread for toast and cereal in the pantry.”
Will nodded wordlessly and helped himself to a bowl, a mug, cereal, milk.He was putting them on the table when Austin realized they were going to eat breakfast together at the table Joe fucked him on the night before.“He’s not, like, getting sick or anything?”
“No, no, just, uh… long couple days, you know?With all the cooking.”And fucking.And emotional upheaval.Austin spotted a splash of white on the table and had a second of pure, hysterical panic before he realized it was milk.
Another nod.Will picked up his spoon.Then, finally, he raised his eyes and looked Austin in the face.
Or, well.AustinexpectedWill to look him in the face, but his eyes sort of stopped when they got most of the way there, on the side of Austin’s neck.
The side Joe had fastened his mouth to in the shower last night.
Austin had never checked if there was a mark, but from the expression on Will’s face, he didn’t need to.
Will’s eyes went wide—or as wide as they could given the amount of crying Austin suspected they’d done last night—and his face paled as he put together the pieces.“Oh my God.I didn’t—um.I didn’t want to like—interrupt—”
Of all the fucking days for Joe to sleep in.“Hey, no,” Austin said.“You definitely didn’t.”Will was several orgasms too late to interrupt, but he didn’t need to know that.“And even if you had—it’s not like we’d be mad about it.”
We, like him and Joe, a unit.Was that the wrong thing to say?Was he, like, rubbing it in?
Was he being pretty ridiculous, because Will obviously had bigger things to be upset about right now than Joe and Austin?
“Right,” Will said after a moment, giving Austin absolutely nothing.He pulled his cereal toward himself.
The encounter gave Austin hope.Living with a teenager would be weird, but ultimately everything would work out.They’d have some awkward moments, but they were all adults or mostly adults and they could get through them.
The optimism lasted until Will’s sulk wore off, which was about day three.
Austin didn’t mean to sound callous.Will was certainly entitled to a whole range of emotions right now, and most of them were negative.Austin had been there himself.
But on day three the grief turned to anger, and with no appropriate targets around, Will snapped at Joe and Austin instead.Of course he did—Austin understood.For the most part, he let the hostility wash over him.Austin had grown up in the system.Will couldn’t say anything Austin hadn’t heard in a group home.He and Joe and the kitchen could weather a few slammed cupboard doors.
There were other challenges too.More than once, Joe went to the refrigerator to start making dinner only to find the ingredients had been consumed by a hungry teen.They would have adjusted to that with no problem if not for the sudden increase in the grocery bill.Austin had always been frugal, shopping sales and discount grocery stores, but Joe had grown up with money.When he cooked, he liked his creature comforts and fancy ingredients.
Finally, Austin had to wonder what was going to happen when it came time to sell the house.Three guys and four pets—would they find a rental that could fit them all?Or would he and Joe go back to living separately?The ugly apartment over Austin’s garage had never held less appeal.
Austin didn’t know what would happen.But he did know that something had to change.They couldn’t afford to live like this.
A WEEK AFTERWill moved in, Joe curled up with Austin in bed and asked, “Do the fairies ever swap eighteen-year-olds with changelings?”
Austin snorted.“It hasn’t been that bad.”
