18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

To say Enzo was nervous was an understatement.

Already he'd guzzled down two cappuccinos and every time he eyed Rocco, standing at the counter, by the espresso machine, Rocco eyed him right back, like No way am I giving you another one.

"You ready?" Will said, spotting his parents approaching from one side through the windows that lined the street side of Sweetie Pie's. They'd taken the same table they had the other day, when they'd all had lunch.

They'd debated having this conversation somewhere private, like Cherry's before it opened, but Enzo had staunchly argued that they needed to do it in public—hopefully to contain the fallout. Besides, Enzo barely considered Oliver's bakery public , because he'd spent so much time in it over the years.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Enzo said and watched as his mom approached from the other side. Enzo realized he was holding his breath—not from anticipation, but sheer, unadulterated dread—as they met at the Sweetie Pie's front door, exchanging what seemed to be basic pleasantries.

Okay. So they hadn't met yet. But as they walked into the bakery, Enzo could see they were eyeing each other, and when they all ended up walking towards the same table, Carla Johnson turned to his mom and said, "I'm sorry, but are you Enzo's mother? You look so much like him."

Giana beamed. "Do you think so? Everyone always says so, but I always wonder, if he'll turn out to be just like his father."

"And who's his father?"

Ugh , Enzo really didn't want to go down this road. Not now. Not today. He liked Will, and he liked Will's parents, and they seemed reasonable but it never seemed to go over well when he mentioned that his father had probably been part of the family and was probably lying dead somewhere, which was why he'd never met the man.

Just because he was okay with it didn't mean other people were.

"Mom," he said, walking over and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "meet Will's parents. This is my mom, Giana Moretti."

"Oh! Oh!" Giana looked thrilled. "Of course you are Will's parents! You look just like him."

Carla put out a hand and said, "Carla and Patrick Johnson. It's so nice to meet you. We had a chance to talk to Enzo yesterday and he's wonderful . And the mural! So beautiful, already."

Giana, not surprisingly, bypassed her outstretched hand and pulled her into a big hug, instead. Carla looked surprised but pleased. Next she hugged Patrick, who seemed equally as surprised, but a hair less pleased.

"We will be family now," Giana said firmly. She glanced over at Enzo. "Now that our sons are family."

"Oh, they told you too?" Carla said. "Were you surprised? We were surprised they were so serious, so quickly."

Will's eyes went wide. Enzo considered interjecting, before their mothers could go into more raptures about how they were about to get married. But Will put a hand on his arm, and okay, they could let this play out. For at least a minute or two. But that was it.

Giana smiled. "Oh, I wasn't surprised at all. I knew they'd be serious about each other. A perfect match if I may say so myself."

"Hardly perfect, if they're in a long-distance relationship much of the time." Patrick's voice was calm, but there was a sternness in his eyes that worried Enzo.

"Patrick, we talked about this," Carla said under her breath.

"We're gonna work this out," Will interjected. "I know it seems sudden and soon, and a lot, but it's gonna work out."

"Honey, you have to understand. We don't want you to be married to someone who's never around!" Carla exclaimed.

"Good news," Enzo said, unable to help himself for one more minute, "he won't be."

" What ," Giana exclaimed.

"Let's sit down," Will said hurriedly and gestured towards the table.

His mother slid in next to Carla. Patrick sat next to Will. Enzo didn't move. Maybe if he didn't sit down, he could still run away.

Avoid that betrayed look in his mother's eyes.

"Does anybody want any coffee?" Enzo asked.

"Coffee! Coffee! He asks about coffee right now. You need to tell me what's going on," his mom demanded. "Explain what you meant."

But before he could, she turned to Carla, dark eyes wide and upset. "See what you just did! You put all these doubts in them, when they were perfect before! I made sure of it! And now they're going to break up!"

"Mom, you didn't do anything. In fact," Enzo winced a little as the truth came out, "you did less than nothing. We didn't even start dating because you suggested it."

Well, Enzo supposed you could make the argument that they had . Because they'd fake-dated because of Giana, and they'd real -dated because of the fake dating.

"But you said you did! I showed you what you could be! I'm the one who suggested you date in the first place. "

Will was right; Giana was the queen of exclamation marks. Even if they weren't written down, they were right there anyway, in her dramatic delivery.

"When we first started dating," Will said hesitantly, "we weren't actually dating for real. We just thought if you . . .if you thought we were, you might . . .uh . . .get off our cases, a bit. But uh . . .no worries? 'Cause we're actually dating now."

Her jaw dropped.

Carla and Patrick looked equally as stunned.

"And," Enzo added, because they were in for a penny now, might as well be in for a pound, "we aren't engaged either. We're dating, yes, but we're not going to get married anytime soon. Sorry. It seemed the easiest way to convince you that Will couldn't leave town, right now."

"But you can," Patrick said a little bitterly.

And okay, that was fair. Sort of.

"Enzo has a job that isn't in town, that he's very good at, that he's famous for," Will said, and he put an arm around Enzo's waist. Showing a united front. "And yes, maybe I will go with him. When my own business hasn't been open for only a few months. When my manager isn't brand-new on the job."

"And because he wants to. He's spent all these years working for you. He wants to work for himself now. It's time," Enzo retorted.

It was Patrick's turn for his jaw to drop.

For a moment, everyone was stone still and silent.

Absorbing what they'd just said, no doubt.

"Your first date," Giana said hesitantly, "it wasn't at Rudy's? The first week you came to town?"

Enzo shrugged awkwardly. "We did go out to dinner that night." He looked over at Will. "What do you think? Should that count?"

"I don't think it matters when it happened, for real. Only that it did," Will said steadily, meeting Giana's dismayed gaze straight on.

"I suppose I can accept that," Giana said. "But Patrick is right! You can't leave Will here all the time. You don't even live here, Enzo! You don't live anywhere. How can you be together if you're not together!"

"And uh, that's the second part of it," Enzo said, rubbing the back of his neck. A few people had come in to order coffee and if he wasn't mistaken they were all listening to the family drama play out. He supposed he couldn't blame them, really. It would've been entertaining, if he hadn't been a part of it.

"I moved into Enzo's apartment," Will said. "And he's going to be coming back to Indigo Bay more."

"Between every job," Enzo added.

Will's parents only looked partially mollified at that. But clearly, they wanted the best for Will, even if, just like Giana, they were apparently the ones who decided what that was.

"It's not going to be easy for sure," Will said, glancing down at Enzo, and it was so easy to fall into the resolute certainty in his eyes. The steadiness. The ride-or-die loyalty. Everything he loved about the man—though it wasn't like his gorgeous body wasn't a good enough reason on its own. "But I don't care. I love him. That's all that matters, in the end."

There was chaos then.

Giana cried.

Carla hugged him, then Patrick shook his hand—and that was slightly awkward; Enzo hadn't made it a habit to meet his hookups' parents, for exactly this reason—and then Giana embraced him over and over.

"It's alright," she said, right before she pulled away the final time. "I know you'll marry him someday."

"Mom," Enzo groaned.

"I mean it," she said. "And we're going to talk more about the fact that you felt like you needed to lie to me."

He'd already known that was the case. And that wouldn't be a conversation that would happen around Will or his parents. He nodded.

"I'm working today, or trying to anyway, but I'll find you later tonight, alright?"

Giana just waved a hand. "Of course."

"You'll be at home?" Enzo pressed. It seemed like she was never at home anymore.

"Naturally, where else would I be?" He knew she was lying. He could see it in her eyes. And that baffled him more than anything else. He'd been honest; what was holding her back?

Well, he'd be sure to find out.

They didn't need any more secrets between them.

"Alright," Enzo said.

"I'm just gonna grab a coffee to go. Maybe two. I'm meeting Joy," she said, as Enzo watched Will saying goodbye to his parents out of the corner of his eye. He was hoping they would actually leave and go to Tybee Island this time around.

"Have fun," Enzo said. He turned to say goodbye to Will's parents, too, because that was a thing he had to do now. Being in a relationship was sure an adjustment. A good one, but an adjustment nonetheless.

"Enzo," she said, and he turned back. She cupped his cheeks with her palms and looked him deep in the eye. "I'm so proud of you, you know?"

Enzo swallowed hard. He did know it. Or he mostly did. But sometimes he forgot, or that feeling got consumed by all the other bullshit.

But he knew it right now and whenever he got frustrated with her or sick of her bullshit—and that would happen, because even though they loved each other, they were family, and it was inevitable—he'd remember this moment.

"Thanks, Mom."

She gave him one last squeeze. "Of course. And I'm sorry you didn't know it."

"I do now," he said.

Smiling, she turned towards Rocco at the counter, and after he'd hugged Carla and shaken Patrick's hand one last time and they were gone, along with Giana and her two coffees, Will looked at him.

"Well, that's done," he said.

"You look relieved," Enzo said. "Did you talk to them about it?"

"A little," Will said. "But we'll have to talk more, later. They're off to Tybee, finally. But I do know it's not over. They're still getting used to the idea that I'm not a doormat or an employee they can order around. When they do . . .we'll talk. But for now, I gotta go to work. Kate came in early to do the prep instead of me, but . . ."

Enzo didn't need Will to explain. He understood. "I get it. I have work to do, too. I told my mom I'd find her later, tonight, and we'll talk too."

"Alright." Will looked even more relieved then. He tucked a hand around Enzo's waist, and he tilted his face up towards Will's. "You okay?"

"Happy the truth's out, to be honest," Enzo said. "I didn't realize it was bothering me, until it was, until . . ."

"Yeah," Will agreed. He leaned in and brushed a lingering kiss against Enzo's mouth. "I guess I'll see you later tonight, at home?" He flushed, like he wasn't used to saying it, and Enzo had to admit that he wasn't used to hearing it.

"Yeah," he said. "At home."

Will smiled. "That's gonna take some getting used to, isn't it?"

"In the best kinda way." Enzo kissed him again, a little longer this time, ignoring Rocco's semi-outraged squawk across the bakery.

"Yeah." Will looked bashful and sweet about it, and Enzo didn't think he'd ever get tired of that look. Like he couldn't quite believe that he'd be coming home to Enzo—or that Enzo would be coming home to him.

Once upon a time, Enzo had imagined that feeling would be the death of a relationship. But instead, with Will, it felt like the beginning.

Enzo was going to see a thousand shades of blue in his dreams, tonight.

His hands were splattered with royal and indigo and sky and every color in-between, but when he finally climbed down from the scaffolding, the swirling sea between Eliza's perch and the town was almost done.

When he gazed up at it, the colors still vibrant even in the growing dusk, pride swamped him. This never got old, seeing his vision come to life. The story in his mind taking solid form, hopefully lighting up the imagination of everyone who walked by this and saw it.

Tomorrow, he'd just need to add a few final touches, and he'd get to move on to the tall-masted sailing ship, and Nathaniel, floating on a broken-off spar.

Enzo leaned back, stretching out his back and then his hands, beginning to pack up his supplies.

A few minutes later, he stuck his head into Cherry's, saw the long line nearly reaching the door and stepped right back out. He'd talk to Will later, when he wasn't slammed.

After he walked home and he ducked into his own apartment for a shower, he glanced over at the main house, which was, as it often seemed to be these days, dark.

"Ugh," Enzo muttered. He shed his paint-stained clothes, throwing them right into the washer before heading to the shower. Right before he got in, he texted his mom, but sure enough, when he was done and dressed, he'd gotten no response.

"Fine," he said out loud. "Fine, I can go find her." He needed to find some food anyway, so he'd cross two things off his list while he was at it.

She'd mentioned seeing Joy earlier—admittedly, hours and hours earlier, but Enzo decided, after swinging by the deli and picking up a sub, that was probably the best place to start.

But tonight, the wraparound porch was empty. No Giana. No Joy. Enzo was about to turn and leave, maybe eat his sub in the park, when he heard voices inside.

He pushed the door open, and s topped, right there in his tracks.

Because just inside, in the dim light of the reception area, was his mom.

And Joy.

And they were kissing.

Splat.

His sub fell out of his suddenly numb fingers, and they both looked up, surprise and trepidation written across both their faces.

Enzo didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything at all.

Just stared.

At where Joy's arm was still wrapped around his mother's waist.

Giana spoke first, but not before doing the opposite of what Enzo expected. Instead of disentangling herself from Joy's embrace, she leaned in closer. Like she didn't want to let her go. Like they were partners, a team .

Enzo had felt that way with Will, just this morning.

"Enzo, darling," she said softly, "I wanted to tell you the truth. I was going to tell you, actually, tonight, but we got . . ." She hesitated. Clammed up.

Enzo swallowed hard. "Please don't say you got carried away, Mom," he said.

It was easier to banter with her like he always did than face head-on the truths that were currently, blatantly, in front of his face.

His mom was not straight.

Oliver's mom was not straight.

And they were not straight together.

"I won't then," Giana said. She glanced up at Joy. "I do need to talk to him, though, and you said—"

"Yes," Joy agreed, nodding. "I'll talk to Oliver. Tonight."

They kissed again, briefly, but thoroughly enough Enzo felt his whole world re-aligning around him. He swallowed hard. "I'll just be . . .uh . . .outside then." He turned, nearly tripped over his sandwich, picking it up in its paper-wrapped bundle at the last second, and managed to get outside, to the far end of the patio, with no more accidents.

Because he really wasn't thinking right now.

If he thought . . . well .

He just wasn't going to think about it. No good could come from him doing any thinking whatsoever right now.

Of course, with the way his mom approached, wringing her hands and looking like she wanted to bare her soul, Enzo had a feeling the opposite was in the cards for him.

He settled down on one of the long couches and she sat, right next to him.

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way," she said quietly.

Enzo had seen his mother a whole lot of ways. Since his dad had never been around, he'd only known her. He thought he'd witnessed every possible mood she possessed but he didn't think he'd ever seen this one before. Almost like she was diminished.

Ashamed.

And holy hell, that was not going to work. Not now, not ever.

"Mom, you know I don't care right? I don't care if you go around kissing a hundred women. A thousand. Or . . ." Don't think, don't think . "Whatever you want to do with them." I only care that you didn't care enough to tell me.

"I know you don't, but it's . . .it's a huge adjustment," Giana said. "And it's new. So we're still working our way through it. It's why we didn't tell you or Oliver yet. Or anyone. But it's one of the reasons I pushed so hard to have you come home. When I did tell you, I wanted to do it in person."

And not only why she'd pushed so hard to get him home, Enzo realized.

Why she'd pushed so hard with Will.

She was happy; she wanted him happy.

It was hard to be so frustrated and hurt, after that particular realization crossed his mind.

"You're happy?" Enzo reached out and grasped her hand, squeezed it. "That's all I care about. You happy."

"I am. Happier than I've been . . ." Giana sighed then, and there were those Moretti heart-eyes, the ones he liked to tease Luca about all the time. The ones he probably shared with them now, whenever he looked at Will. "Probably in forever." She paused. "No, the happiest I've been, period."

"That's all that matters."

"Your father . . ." Giana trailed off.

But they didn't need to talk about him. He'd never been present in their lives. Giana had raised him entirely on her own, and whenever he'd asked, as a precocious and inquisitive kid, where that half of the family was, she'd told him firmly that they were better off not knowing them.

He'd always believed her—and he believed her now.

"You don't need to explain to me," Enzo said.

She looked surprised. "No?"

Enzo had always known that things might've been a lot different if he hadn't grown up in his idyllic town—admittedly a town that had driven him nuts, but still, he couldn't complain about his childhood—if she'd allowed his dad's family to be a part of their lives.

"No," Enzo said firmly.

Some of the anxiety in her eyes dissipated. "So you're not upset."

"How could I be? What did you say to me when I came out to you? I was, what, twelve? Thirteen?"

"I said okay, I love you no matter what ."

"Exactly," Enzo said. Paused. "Okay, I love you no matter what."

She beamed, and there was the woman he knew.

"I mean, it's going to be a little weird," Enzo continued, giving her a wry grin. "Did you have to date Oliver's mother?"

Giana laughed then. "I suppose it's good you didn't end up with him."

"For many, many reasons," Enzo said.

She patted his sandwich. "Eat your dinner. You're practically wasting away in front of me."

He hadn't thought he'd want to, but his stomach was grumbling so he unwrapped half and began to eat. Between bites he said, "You know, Mom, just because you're happy doesn't mean you get to dictate other people's happiness."

"I didn't," she said, all false bravado. "You're the one who fell for him."

"I did, and I probably would've no matter what. But. But . You got lucky, Mom. You interfered and it could've been a total disaster."

"But it wasn't!" she interjected.

"But it could have been. And we could've been running around town, pretending to be in love but not even liking each other, because you wouldn't quit hounding us about it."

Enzo hated being so harsh with her, but he was going to be around Indigo Bay more. Around her more. He needed to re-establish their boundaries. Because he couldn't risk her meddling in his relationship again. Not when Will meant so much to him. Not when he wanted it to work out so badly with him.

"I suppose . . ." Giana trailed off and sighed. "Joy told me I should leave you alone, that she left Oliver alone and he found Luca and it all turned out. I just worried that you wouldn't find someone. Or you'd find someone and they'd be three thousand miles away and I'd never see you."

"It could've happened that way," Enzo agreed. "But it didn't. You can't always force things to happen the way you want. You've got to let me figure things out on my own. When you don't—that's when I stay away, Mom. You know that. We've talked about it." He said it gently, but he could feel the words hit her and her gaze grow solemn as she absorbed them.

"I know. I'm sorry. I got carried away. I shouldn't have, but . . . ugh , he was perfect for you, Enzo, darling. He is perfect for you."

Well, he'd known he probably wasn't getting out of this conversation without a little I told you so, but he'd take that, as long as she understood the boundaries he was setting.

"Yes, he is," Enzo agreed.

She sighed again, but happier this time. "All's well that ends well. I shouldn't have pushed, I know. I am sorry. Well." She laughed. "Mostly sorry. Also happy to be right."

"You know what?" Enzo wiped his hands on a napkin and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. "I'm really happy you were, too. And one more thing. I'm happy you were going to tell me about you and Joy. That you wanted to tell me about you two."

"Well, of course." Giana beamed at him. "You're my beloved son. I just wish I'd managed to say it before you saw."

"Well, how about we just . . .make sure there's no more seeing," Enzo said.

Giana batted her eyelashes innocently. "And I'm sure you and Will won't be engaging in any PDA whatsoever."

Enzo groaned. "I take it back. I don't approve at all."

Giana just laughed though. "Oh, you can't take that back. Any of it, actually."

And he knew then that they'd be okay.

"And then ," Enzo continued, "I walked inside the Inn and there was my mom and Joy. Kissing."

Inside the shower, Will made a gratifyingly surprised noise. "What?" he exclaimed. He dropped the soap as punctuation, just like how Enzo had dropped his sub sandwich. At another time, Enzo might've made a joke about how if he'd been in there, he'd have taken advantage of that fact, but he was too occupied telling Will what had happened next.

"They were kissing. And then, thank God, they stopped kissing."

"What happened after that? Did they tell you what's going on?"

"Apparently they're in love. Or dating. Or whatever." Enzo wiped a hand across his face. He didn't want to think about the whatever. Giana wasn't old; she still deserved happiness and companionship. He just didn't want to think about it. "My mom told me she'd wanted to tell me about it, she just didn't have time before I walked in on them."

"But she did talk to you," Will said. He flipped the shower off and Enzo reached over, handing him his towel.

He'd meant to tell him all about their talk. But then Will stepped out, towel wrapped around his waist, chest still damp, droplets of water snaking their way down his tanned chest. Enzo wasn't proud of it, but okay, he still got a little distracted whenever Will was naked around him. Even when Will was partially naked around him. Just a little flash of skin and his blood went hot and his brain power slowed to a sluggish crawl.

"Enzo? You okay there?" Will asked, chuckling under his breath.

"Sorry, you're just . . .you're just really distracting."

Will laughed out loud. "I've finally figured out the secret for shutting up a Moretti. Get naked."

"This Moretti isn't going to argue with that technique. Not in the least."

Will ran a hand through his hair, shaking droplets all over Enzo, even though he hadn't moved from his perch on the counter. "But you did talk to her?"

"Yeah." Enzo hesitated. "It does make sense that she was working overtime to find someone for me, if she was happy and worried that I wasn't."

"It doesn't excuse it, but it does explain it," Will agreed.

"I told her she can't interfere anymore. She promised she wouldn't. I didn't say this, but next time, if she breaks her word, you know who I'm going to tell." Enzo waggled his eyebrows.

Will laughed again. "Your cousin?"

"Luca's disappointed face could make anyone regret their choices," Enzo said, nodding. "Ask me how I know."

"You didn't change your life because he disapproved of you," Will argued loyally.

"No. Not entirely, anyway." Enzo pressed a kiss to Will's damp cheek. "But thank you for believing the best of me."

"Of course."

Enzo leaned in, and there was that butterfly-fluttering, blood-moving-hot-and-slow, feeling again. But this time he tipped his head closer and was angling for more than just a peck when the sound of someone knocking on the front door echoed through the bathroom.

"Who's that?" Will wondered.

"No clue," Enzo said. "It better not be my mother. I made her promise she would leave us alone. Apparently she's in a bit of honeymoon phase of her own. You'd think she'd have a lot more respect for ours."

"You'd think," Will said dryly.

Reluctantly, Enzo jumped down off the counter, forgoing what had been shaping up to be a very promising makeout session, and maybe even more, considering that all he'd have to do to strip Will bare was tug on a corner of his towel.

"I'll get dressed," Will said as the knock echoed again.

Enzo walked to the front door, thinking that he was going to have to have a peephole put in, so he could decide if he actually wanted to talk to the person on the other side. It had never been an issue before; but now that Will was living here and Enzo was going to be around a lot more . . .well, he was going to do whatever he could to protect their hard-won privacy.

Maybe if this worked out for the next year or so, they could buy a house together. Away from his mother. On the other side of town, preferably.

But when Enzo pulled the door open, it wasn't Giana.

It was Oliver.

His tanned cheeks were ruddy and his eyes were narrowed, upset.

It took Enzo a moment to realize why.

"She told you, didn't she?" he asked, pulling the door open wider.

"You look pretty calm about it," Oliver said, striding in, hands shoved in the pockets of his jean shorts, a frown marring his expression.

Enzo shrugged, following him into the living room.

The bedroom door stayed closed, and Enzo supposed he couldn't blame Will for staying out of this mess. It was their mess to deal with—his and Oliver's.

If he hadn't already been involved, he'd have avoided it, too.

"I guess I am," Enzo said, sitting down on the couch. But Oliver continued to pace. Clearly he was not calm about it.

"I couldn't believe it, when she told me."

"At least she told you," Enzo pointed out dryly. "I found out because I saw them kissing."

" What ," Oliver exclaimed.

"Yep." Enzo nodded. "You definitely had the better revelation."

His confession seemed to have taken the wind right out of Oliver's sails. He dropped down onto the other side of the couch.

"I just don't . . ." Oliver took a deep breath. "I don't understand."

"Don't you?" Enzo said as kindly as he could manage.

"She never , not before my dad, not with my dad, not . . ." Oliver took a deep breath.

Then Enzo realized what the issue was. Unlike Oliver, he'd never known his father. He'd likely been dead before Enzo was even born. But Oliver's dad had been a presence in his life, for most of his life. He'd only died ten years ago, from a quick-moving cancer that had claimed him almost as soon as it had been discovered.

"Doesn't mean this isn't legit, that her feelings aren't legit," Enzo said gently. "You know that. Queerness isn't a thing that always goes in a straight line. It doesn't always make sense."

"I know. I know ," Oliver said. "But she's my mom." He paused. "With your mom."

"Believe me, nobody was more surprised than me. And if you want my advice, just don't . . . think about that part very hard."

Oliver barked a laugh. "Probably easier for me, since I found out different than you."

"Probably. But I got the impression they're not wanting to hide it anymore. So I can't guarantee what you're going to see in the future."

"I know," Oliver said with a short groan. Then he smiled and glanced over at Enzo. "I guess it's good we didn't end up together."

It was good— so good, finally—that they could both joke about this. It had taken a lot of years and two happy relationships. Though it wasn't like Enzo had been pining after him, before he'd met Will. He'd long since acknowledged that he and Oliver had been doomed from that first date. Probably even before.

"Yeah," Enzo agreed. "You talk to Luca about this?"

Oliver shot him a look. "What do you think?"

"I think if you have the kind of relationship I wanna have with Will, then yeah, you told him."

"He actually told me to come talk to you about it," Oliver admitted.

"Yeah?" Enzo was more pleased about that than he'd thought he would be.

"He said you'd get it. And I guess you would. I think he probably knew that I was overreacting."

"If there's one thing a Moretti knows about, it's overreacting," Enzo said.

Oliver laughed, lighter than he'd sounded since he'd arrived.

"Listen," Enzo continued, "it's easier for me. My dad never really existed for me. My mom never dated anyone else. Not that I knew about anyway."

"Might've been good for her—and you—if she had," Oliver observed.

And yeah, that was true. Enzo nodded. "It's not like I told her not to. You don't tell a Moretti to do anything," he said.

Oliver smiled. "Being married to one, I'm intimately aware of that. And I told Joy that she could date, of course. Dad's been gone for ten years. I don't want her to be alone forever, that's not it at all. It's just . . .an adjustment."

"Yeah, it is. But a good one." Enzo hadn't realized that he thought so until he said it. Until he was worried that Oliver would say the opposite.

"You really mean that."

"Yeah. I do."

"Ugh." Oliver wiped a hand across his face. "I'm being very stupid, aren't I?"

"I don't know. I think you're allowed to be once in a while. And you basically never were, before."

"You're saying it's my turn, Moretti?" Oliver asked wryly.

"Sure."

"I can agree with that. But I do think yeah, it's the way I have to think of it differently. Think of her differently."

"She's still your mother. She's never gonna stop being your mother," Enzo reminded him firmly.

"Oh, no, no . I know that. I just . . .with your mother." Oliver shuddered a little. "I guess I didn't think of her like . . .like a sexual being."

"Please don't. I'm begging you not to keep going down that road. I keep trying to stop myself from doing it."

"Alright. I think that's fair."

"They're happy. She's happy. You know what? That's all that matters." Enzo paused. "What did your mom say to you when you came out to her? Did she think you were a different kind of person?"

Oliver let out a sharp sigh. "No. No, she didn't. Which you know."

"I do. Joy's a great mom. A great person. And she deserves to be happy. However that happens."

"I know you're right," Oliver said with a sigh. "This is a me thing. I'll adjust, and I'm sure in a few months it'll be like they've always been together."

"You think they're serious?"

Oliver shot him a look. "Do you think they're not serious?"

"Point taken," Enzo said wryly.

"Exactly. At least I won't be the only one around to witness it," Oliver teased. "You're gonna be around a lot more, enjoying your own relationship."

"That's the plan."

Oliver reached over and gave him a quick hug. "Well, if I had to be a stepbrother with anyone, I'm happy it's you," he said.

And that wasn't something that Enzo had ever thought he'd hear, but he realized he agreed.

"Yeah. Me too."

Oliver smiled. "That settles it then. I . . ." He trailed off as he stood. "I'm glad I came. Luca said it would make me feel better talking to you, and I thought he was full of shit, but I'm happy that I was wrong."

"And he will be too. Happy enough he probably won't even say I told you so ," Enzo pointed out.

"Probably," Oliver said, smiling now. "Well. Thanks for listening to me rant."

"Anytime."

A minute later, the front door was closing behind him, and almost immediately, the bedroom door opened and Will walked out, wearing only a pair of navy blue boxer briefs. "He okay?" Will asked, putting his arms around Enzo and tugging him close.

"Yeah," Enzo said. "Or he will be. It's a bigger adjustment for him. He knew his dad."

"Right." Will looked like he wanted to say something else, but then he smiled, slowly. "You wanna come to bed?"

Enzo didn't need to have it suggested even twice.

"Yes," he said and lifted his head to kiss Will's mouth.