Uncle Zac, an older version of Riley, was topping his hot dog mac ‘n’ cheese with bread crumbs and throwing it in the oven when Josh had an unwelcome thought.
That could be Riley in thirty years, working on dinner in his and Josh’s kitchen, their kids running around and waiting to share a meal with their dads.
Holy shit.
Josh thought his life was only supposed to flash before his eyes when he was facing death, not bisexuality. And wasn’t it supposed to be his past that flashed before him, not his future.
It wasn’t a bad future, that was for sure. What could be better than spending the rest of his life with his absolute favorite person in the world? It was like fate had brought them together.
Zac and Allison Hanson became instant friends with his mom and dad, Leigh Anne and Eddie Brown when they moved next door to each other a little over thirty years ago.
They loved telling the story about their lives leading up to Josh and Riley. It was a shame it ended in so much heartbreak, but they had each other, and that was a comfort they all relied on.
Allison and Leigh Anne had been at one of their mailboxes on the curb in front of their houses discussing their growing bellies. They were delighted to get pregnant at the same time so they would have someone to share the experience with. Apparently, that was different than having their husbands there.
The two of them had been discussing the coupons in the mail that they’d need for baby products when a noise from across the street broke their focus. They turned to see Josh'sMamachecking her own mailbox, her back to them as she pulled out the mail.
When Leigh Anne and Allison called out hello to the new neighbor, she turned to reveal her own baby bump, and the three of them giggled like children as they realized they were all pregnant together. Leigh Anne and Allison quickly broughtMamaandBàbainto their little bubble.
Yù hóng, hisMama, told them to call her Jade, and the trio became the best of friends.
A couple months later, Leigh Anne lost her baby and had to watch her two best friends go on to have healthy baby boys. They were all devastated, soMamaasked if Leigh Anne and Eddie would be Josh’s guardians if anything ever happened to them.
No one could have guessed that five years later they’d be gone from this world. It was a big adjustment for everyone. Leigh Anne gracefully walked the linebetween the sorrow of losing two of her best friends and the happiness of having her own child. Josh still didn’t understand where she got the strength.
The six of them heard the front door to the house open and slam closed, followed by a small crash and loud footsteps.
Sophie entered the kitchen with more noise than one could think possible for a woman of her size, her messenger bag still hanging over one arm wide open, papers spilling out and leaving a trail behind her.
“He said yes!” she shouted into the kitchen, leaving everyone waiting for more information. Josh was pretty sure Sophie was single, so he had no idea what she could have been talking about.
“Who said yes to what?” Riley asked.
“Tobias Moyer said yes!” she shouted. “He’s going to play in the alumni game this year and my boss is soooo happy that I’m on the short list for the next promotion!”
The room erupted in cheers and hugs for Sophie, who was still talking a mile a minute.
“He gave us like a million conditions, and he made me promise to be his liaison during the whole thing and help him deal with the press, and I get to hang out with him now even though he’s kind of grumpy, but it’s okay because he’s so hot, and he wants to keep his privacy, which will be hard, but I’m going to do my best, and ohmy God thank you Riley and Josh for talking to him for me!”
She swamped the two of them in hugs and kisses, leaving Josh feeling like he went toe to toe with a steam roller. That was the typical after-effect of Sophie “Taz” Hanson.
Once the excitement of Sophie’s announcement plateaued, they were able to finish making dinner and finally sat around the table.
The conversation flowed from one topic to another. Things were rarely ever quiet with their family.
And Josh saw them as one big family. He’d called Riley’s parents Uncle Zac and Aunt Allison his whole life, Riley doing the same for Josh’s parents. When Josh’s biological parents were killed, he started calling Leigh Anne and Eddie mommy and daddy. For him, it was completely different fromMamaandBàba, so he didn’t mind calling them that. His mom and dad were his American parents, and hisMamaandBàbawere his Chinese parents. And all of it was totally normal for him.
Except for one thing that he couldn’t stop thinking about.
“What do you all think of gay people?”
The cacophony that once filled the room died, and everyone looked at him like he’d grown a second nose.
“You mean like… Wait, what do you mean?” Sophie asked.
Riley’s gaze was bouncing between everyone at the table except Josh. He hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but he wanted to get a feel for their reaction. He decided to take a different route.
“We were talking about Tobias and it turns out one of the guys at the gym he runs is bisexual, and I was wondering what you all thought of that,” he said, trying to keep his voice from wavering. He wasn’t technically outing Cole, but he could be talking about anyone at the gym. Although, he did know both Hunter and Chase were gay. Josh figured it was better to ask about someone else rather than himself. At this point, at least.
