Page 94 of Love It or List It
Because the curiosity was definitely killing Austin even if the cats didn’t give a fuck, he couldn’t help but ask, “Us?”
Alex tensed, looked around cagily, and then slumped.“Me and Gavin,” they whispered.
Austin did not jump up and shout,I knew it!because he was an adult who could restrain himself and also he could read the room.“Ah,” he said instead.“Does, uh, Gavin know?”
“No, because if I tell him then he’ll react and thenI’ll know!”Alex warbled.
Okay, so, add Gavin and his reaction as components of this Schrödinger’s pregnancy stress.
“Right.”Figuring it was best to leave that aside for the moment—and seriously, how many issues could he just sidestep?—Austin returned to the other thing Alex had said.“Joe’s not going to be disappointed.”
“He’s going to ask us about condoms.”Alex pouted.
“Probably, but only because he’ll want to know you’re being careful.”
“We were.But what if he doesn’t believe us?”
If this cycle kept up, Austin was going to down the rest of Joe’s NyQuil and crawl into bed with him.He was getting a headache.“Have you given him reason not to trust you?”
Alex wiped their nose on a napkin.“No, but—”
“So he’ll believe you,” Austin said.“And look, it doesn’t matter, okay?”
Alex regarded him through watery eyes.
“If you were careful or if you weren’t.It doesn’t matter.If you’re pregnant or aren’t.If you have an abortion or don’t.Joe is still going to love you.You think anything could stop him?Will’s been an asshole on purpose for the past three weeks and Joe would still walk into traffic for that kid without thinking.So just—you can worry about all the rest of it.Your mom, your stepdad, Gavin,people.But you don’t have to worry about Joe.”
And if, on the odd chance Alex’s parents reacted badly, well, it wasn’t like Austin planned to use his bedroom much once Joe got healthy again.They’d make it work somehow.
Alex squished their face up like they were in pain, and a few tears squeezed out.They dabbed them away with the napkin and took a deep, loud breath that turned into a single sob.
Then they buried their face in their hands for a second and then raised their head.“Okay,” they said, voice surprisingly steady.“Okay, that’s—yeah.You’re right.”
“I know.”
That got a wet chuckle.Austin pushed another napkin across the table before Alex could reuse the first one.“You’re weirdly good at this, you know.”
Austin’s cheeks heated.“Nah,” he demurred.“It’s notweird.It’s just—I know what I’d want someone to say to me.And it turns out I can say it to you because it’s true.”
They nodded and balled up the second napkin.“Well, anyway… thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”He paused.“Uh, do you… want me to go buy you a pregnancy test?”
But apparently he hadn’t worked an actual miracle, because Alex shook their head.“No, uh, I’m still not ready for… that.But thank you.I should probably get back to school.I asked Will to borrow the truck during my spare period, but I’ve gotta get back because we’re doing exam prep in chem.”
Right—the kids had exams next week, on top of everything else going on.
“You want to wash your face first?I can find you a cloth.”
“Thanks.”
JOE HATEDbeing sick.He hated feeling weak, he had never gotten the hang of lazing around in bed, he didn’t sleep well when he couldn’t breathe, and the feverish flop sweat?Awful.
But Joe had never beenthissick.He could barely muster the energy to be miserable.
He slept a lot.Every once in a while, Austin coaxed him to eat some bread or Cup-a-Soup or down some orange juice, which burned Joe’s throat.Joe didn’t like being looked after either, but he had the feeling he wasn’t much work at the moment because he couldn’t evendoanything.He spent the days with his eyes closed, more passed out than asleep.He coughed up great, disgusting green globs of phlegm.
Thursday morning—was it Thursday?The days had all run together—when Austin woke him up and pulled the covers back, he hissed.
