I frown. “I mean, I told you that my parents are funding my tuition and housing. I thought it was implied.”
“Yeah, but, I mean, my dad can only afford my tuition and housing because he started putting money away in an account before I was even born,” Oliver counters. “And I don’t know if there’s enough for me to stay on campus all four years.”
“Oh,” I mutter. “Well, surprise.”
Oliver gawks at the house, and I take a moment to see it from an outsider’s perspective. Honestly, yeah, it’s a lot. The perfectly manicured front lawn leads to a brick, multi-story home with a three-car garage. Four cars have already lined the double-wide driveway—two minivans, one with a Tennessee license plate andthe other with a Florida license plate, and two rental SUVs. Dread pools in my stomach like acid.
“Hey,” Oliver says softly, reaching across the console to hold my hand. “We’ve got this.”
I nod. “I know.”
“If at any point we need to leave, we can,” Oliver adds.
Squeezing his hand, I shake my head. “That’s not going to be necessary.”Or an option, really.
“That’s the spirit,” Oliver says with a grin.
We climb out of Ripley, and Oliver retrieves my crate full of homemade desserts from the backseat. As we make our way up the driveway, I hear the distinct sound of children’s laughter.
“Hey, it’s Auntie DEADNAME!” a child’s voice calls out from somewhere out of sight.
“Auntie who?” Oliver asks.
Shit, I should have prepared him for that. “That’s my deadname,” I mutter.
Oliver’s face scrunches. “Really? Oh.”
Three young boys and a girl emerge from the garage and run toward Oliver and me. “Auntie DEADNAME!” the tallest of the boys shouts.
“Hi Liam!” As the kids come closer, I recognize them. “Aiden, Brooke, and Mason, too!”
“Who is that?” Brooke asks loudly, pointing at Oliver.
“Pointing is rude, Brooke,” Aiden says.
“He’s a stranger, I’m allowed to be rude to strangers,” Brooke replies.
“Nuh-uh,” Aiden argues.
Brooke pouts. “Yes-huh! That’s stranger danger!”
Stifling a laugh, I lean down to Brooke’s height. “It’s okay, Brooke! This is Oliver. He’s my boyfriend.”
Brooke’s eyes go wide. “You have aboyfriend?”
Aiden looks confused. “My dad said you stopped having boyfriends.”
I roll my eyes, picturing Cody’s stupid face. I’m sure he had more than that to say, and I can only hope it went over Aiden’s head. “Well, your dad?—”
“But he has long hair!” Brooke interjects. “Long hair is for girls!”
“It’s okay,” Oliver says with a grin. “Boys can have long hair, too.”
“Nuh-uh,” Brooke argues. “Daddy said Aiden always has to cut his hair because he’s a boy.”
Oliver glances at me, then back to Brooke. “Well, my dad said it was okay for me to have long hair.”
“And Oliver is a grown-up,” I add. “So, he can grow his hair long if he wants to.”
