“Oh, Moon.” Kelly set her slice of pizza on her paper plate. “I was wondering if I could pay you to make a stained glass piece for me. I really like the ones you’ve made so far.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Me? Really?”
“Uh, yeah, who else?”
“I mean, yeah, sure. Definitely. But you don’t have to pay me or anything, it’s just a hobby.”
“I’ll pay you, anyway.”
Crescent made a noise before chewing through the rest of his bite. “Hey, I saw a couple of them. They’re really fucking cool. Remind me of home.”
I smiled because, yeah, they reminded me of home, too. “I know. I really like doing it. It was expensive to start, but nowthat I have all the equipment, it isn’t too bad. I’m glad Em made me go to the intro class.”
“Oh, doesn’t Elio paint?” Em asked.
Elio nodded. “Sure do. I do commissions, usually for large pieces. I do it full-time.”
“I’ll have to show you a painting he did for Mom.” I set my plate on the coffee table and leaned into his side. “He’s really fucking good at it.”
“Speaking of, Mom and Dad want us to come over for a family dinner. Cres and I were supposed to pass the message along.”
“Oh, why didn’t they just text me?”
Crescent huffed. “Because you’ve been MIA for so long, they didn’t think you’d answer if they did. They want you to bring your new boyfriend.”
I glared at him. “You told them about Em?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You literally just moved in with the dude. It’s obviously serious.”
“Mm,” Elio tilted his head. “You told them way before we knew they were this serious, to be fair.”
Crescent gasped. “Why are you calling me out like that? I thought we were sworn by boyfriend secrecy now.”
Shaking my head, I sighed. “I am your big brother. I would’ve found out, eventually. But even if I hadn’t, Elio loves me enough not to keep secrets.”
“Moon is right. I do love him enough.”
“See? I always knew you were my favorite brother, El.”
Crescent’s jaw hung open, staring at me in shock. “Oh, but if I even slightly disagree with you, you argue that I don’t love you anymore?”
“You make me sound so dramatic. I don’t make the rules, I just abide by them.”
Emerson kissed the top of my head, whispering. “You are a bit dramatic, brat.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. So, when do they want us to have this dinner?”
Crescent picked a piece of pepperoni off his pizza. “This Saturday, if you guys are off work.”
It was literally Thursday. Our parents were so free-spirited, they apparently didn’t care about giving us time to prepare. I looked up at Emerson, who was already smiling and nodding. I guess Emerson was meeting my parents on Saturday. “Is Star coming?”
“What part of family dinner didn’t you understand, bro?”
“Don’t be an asshole, Cres. I can still tell our mother on you. I was just curious because I need to know what Em and I are getting into. Our family isn’t the most normal bunch, you know.”
Elio shoved Crescent’s shoulder, scolding him with his eyes. “Yes, Star will be there. We could all stay over for the weekend or something like last time if you guys have the availability.”
Emerson squeezed me close. “Staying the weekend sounds great. I’m excited to finally meet your parents.”
