Page 24 of A Really Gay Book
“You’re letting me pick? It seems to me like you have everything all mapped out already.” Adam sounded like he was trying to suppress a laugh, and I knew he was mostly convinced, so I pressed on with Project Backpack.
“Absolutely. Partners share in the decision-making process for all the big things.”
Adam nuzzled his face against my neck. “Okay. But I want to go home first and take a shower. I’m not going to the courthouse smelling like sex.” He frowned. “And neither are you.”
“Whatever you want, my love,” I conceded generously. Adam could have everything I had in my power to give him. All he had to do was ask.
ChapterTen
ADAM
Icalled a house meeting as soon as Apple and I got back from dealing with paperwork at the courthouse. In three days, Apple would be mine forever. Though he was already calling me his husband because he was Apple, and he was spoiled rotten. But it felt so good to hear the owner of my heart call me his husband, that I didn’t correct him.
Vale wasn’t there, but Gareth, Vix, and Baz had shown up. I wasn’t surprised by Vale’s absence. He spent most of the time in his lab. Once a week, we all got together and pried him out of it for his own good, and since we’d done it for the house meeting a few days ago, we’d decided to leave him alone this time.
“Wow, our house is dirty, we should get someone to clean it. I can’t believe I only noticed now,” Apple said as he drew a finger across a dusty lampshade sitting on a table (an uncollapsed one!) next to the chair we were sharing.
Apparently, we only needed one chair between the two of us now. I was comfortable with this new shift in my reality. Apple was really warm and smelled like sin. Who wouldn’t want that in their lap all the time?
“No cleaners, house rules,” Gareth said gruffly. He was the house enforcer. Whatever rules we’d agreed on collectively, he made sure got followed to the letter. I wondered how Apple’s luck would fare against him.
“That’s an odd rule,” Apple said, twining his fingers with mine.
“It’s necessary.” Gareth was a stone wall in the face of Apple’s cuteness. It was his default setting. As long as I’d known him, Gareth had never shown an interest in anything other than his job, his people, and his knives.
“So if I want it clean, I have to do it myself?”
“No, but your new boyfriend might since he lives here,” Gareth said.
“It’s husband, actually, and I live here too.”
“Um…” Vix’s eyes were wide.
“Um…” Baz’s face matched Vix’s. The two weren’t related, but they were closer than identical twins and looked and acted the part.
“Apple lives here now,” I said to my suddenly tense housemates. I had to back up my, ah… husband. I guess I had a husband now. Or would very soon. It was way too fast, but I liked that the world would know Apple was mine and that they should keep their fucking hands off him.
“Fine. Husband, then.” Gareth waved the matter away with a hand. Very little fazed him. Whatever weird thing our household had to deal with, Gareth was there front and center, bulldozing through it and making sure we all made it out in one piece. “If you’re going to live here, Apple, you need to learn the rules.”
“I already live here,” Apple reminded him.
“Um…” That was Vix again.
“Um…” And, of course, Baz as well.
“Then you should have already been taught the rules.” Gareth pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to Apple because he had them on him at all times. He wasthatanal about the rules. Classic Gareth. “Memorize them.”
Apple took the paper and scanned its contents, reading out loud. “No bothering Vale unless you are Gareth. Our insurance won’t allow for any more explosions?”
“Vale has volatility issues with his experiments. His lab is as reinforced as we can get it, but not interrupting him when he’s in the zone helps minimize accidents,” Vix said.
“And Vale is nearly always in the zone,” Baz added helpfully.
“I could probably help with the insurance thing,” Apple murmured to himself, then said to the group, “It would be easier if I owned this place. I tried to buy our house, but-”
“That was you?” Gareth interrupted.
“You noticed?”
