“Kinda yeah!”
Perplexity promptly pierces his stare.
“You can’t just make major, life-changing decisionsfor usby yourself! That’s not how an ‘us’ works! That’s not how relationships work! There’s a reason that both Marvin Gaye and Rob Base sang about it takingtwo.”
He struggles not to grin over the music references.
“Look, dragging me to a team event – without consulting me first – was one thing, but this is a whole other. Think of that like signing me up to spontaneously do karaoke andthislike signing me up to record an albumanddo a world tour.”
Culpability noticeably crumples his shoulders.
“Moving Bronny here – apparently forusto raise – isn’t a call in an audible sort of play, Thayne.” Letting my hands fall to my lap precedes me completely facing him. “It’s like final leg of The Cup shit. Something youplan and prep and practicefor.”
“You don’t want me here?” Bronny unexpectedly questions, voice so meek it melts me further into my seat.
Shifting my attention back to the teen swiftly occurs. “Of course, I want you here.” The ease at which I rebut seems to only take me by surprise. “I love having you around.”
“When I’m not eatin’ all your craisins.”
“You don’t eat ‘em, you inhale ‘em,” pokes my boyfriend.
“Even then,” I sweetly soothe. “It’s just having you here for a few weeks in the summer versus something full time is vastly different.”
Ignoring the pain in his tone is impossible. “Why?”
“Because there’s a lot more responsibility and pressure that goes with it. You’re apersonnot a stray puppy.”
“Do you want a puppy?” Thayne unexpectedly inquires, recollecting my glare.
“Seriously?” Bewilderment bursts through my expression. “You don’t think to ask me do I want to help parent the teen, but you have no problem asking me do I want a pet?”
“GASSSPPPPP,” Bronny enthusiastically states forcing our attention back to him. “Can we get a dog?!”
“Oh, sonow, you wanna stay?” his big brother challenges.
“More so if we can get a dog.”
“Okay,” my hands are lifted in surrender prior to me refocusing on the patient, “back to what I’mpaidto do.” As soon as his eyes are on me again, I instruct, “Open.” Slipping the tool inside a second time allows me to proceed with the exam along with my interrogation. “When exactly did you make this decision for us?”
“It’s not exactly carved in ice.”
Rather than respond to the comment, my fingers slide around to begin inspecting Bronny’s gums.
“She called yesterday askin’ would I take him shoppin’ for clothes and supplies when I brought him back ‘cause she’s fightin’ this chest cold that’s got her wheezin’ and feelin’ exhausted and the cold meds she’s on have her forgettin’ basic shit, and it got me thinkin’ that maybe it’d be better for her health if she didn’t have to run herself so ragged all the time trying to take care of both of ‘em. So…I said somethin’ and she said somethin’ and next thing I know we’re talkin’ about movin’ him here to be with us fulltime.”
As much as I wanna hate him for sayingusinstead ofhim, I can’t.
Because it’s not that I’m an afterthought with him.
We’re just alreadyonein his mind.
One unit.
One team that already has the “us” mentality when it comes to decision making.
Which I adore.
I just don’t want to lose the voice I’ve been working really hard to have.
