“Thanks,” Flynn whispers.
We all sit.
Mum stares between Flynn and me. “You’re together.”
“That obvious?” I ask.
“The first giveaway was that you walked in here holding hands.”
My cheeks flush with heat.
“And the second was how happy you look.”
“Where’s Billy?” Dad asks.
“Oh, yes. We dropped him off at yours,” Mum says.
“He wasn’t thrilled that Flynn and I are together,” I say. “He said some pretty horrible things.” I don’t often throw Billy under a bus, but maybe it’s something I should start doing more often.
“We didn’t get together to upset him,” Flynn says. “Or you.”
“Of course not,” Mum says. “It never crossed my mind.”
“It’s been a while since you and Billy broke up,” Dad says.
“You don’t mind?” Flynn asks.
Mum raises her brows. “Mind? Why would I mind?”
Flynn glances at me, his brow pinched. “Because Jimmy and Billy are brothers and?—”
Mum reaches over the table and puts her hand over his. “And things didn’t work out between you and Billy. That doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to be happy. You got married when you were so young. You gave it your best shot. It's not your fault it didn't work out.”
Flynn stares at the table.
Despite what I thought, Billy can't have spent the past year bad-mouthing Flynn to our parents. Or, maybe, they know Flynn well enough not to listen.
“How long have you been together?” Dad asks.
“Since before finals,” I reply.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Mum sounded disappointed rather than upset.
“We weren’t sure how you’d react and wanted to figure out how we felt about each other before complicating things,” I say.
Mum nods. “I understand.”
Does she?
“Are you happy?”
Flynn and I trade glances before smiling and nodding.
“Then that’s all that matters, but you must both promise me something.”
“Anything,” Flynn and I say in unison. We laugh, before sobering up to wait for Mum to set her terms.
“Don’t be strangers. Either of you.”
