Harper peeks around Taylor at me with her big blue eyes, then shakes her head.
“Aww, Bunny–”
“It’s fine,” I reassure Taylor. “I think this is like the fifth time we’ve ever met. I’d be shocked if she did remember me.”
“I know, but still,” Taylor says with a grunt as she straightens back up.
“Hi, Oliver,” Stephanie says as she approaches. Brooke follows close behind, still watching Oliver warily. “I’m Steph, DEADNAME’s sister.”
“Hi, Steph, nice to meet you,” Oliver shakes her hand.
“Mommy, that’s him,” Brooke whispers loudly. “See? You see his hair? It’s long.”
“Yes, honey, I see,” Steph says to Brooke, then shakes her head as she looks back to Oliver and me. “Apologies in advance for anything my little gremlins have to say. There are three of them—you’ve met Brooke, but Aiden and Cooper are mine, as well.”
Oliver nods. “Yes, I met Brooke and Aiden outside.”
“That’s Megan and our Aunt Lisa,” Steph continues, gesturing to my sister-in-law and aunt who are actively grilling over the stove. “And this is Ashlynn.”
“I hope you remember all those names—there will be a test later,” Ashlynn teases, swishing her glass of wine.
“Well, it’s a good thing I studied!” Oliver replies with a wink.
Ashlynn laughs. “I like this one, DEADNAME. You should keep him.”
“Right?” Taylor says. “So, Oliver, what is your major?”
Oliver hesitates. “Well, technically?—”
“Psychology,” I blurt. “That’s how we met. We have a class together.”
Oliver clears his throat, then nods. “Yep.”
“It’s only his first semester,” I continue. “He’s a year behind me.”
“Ooh, you like ‘em young, huh, DEADNAME?” Ashlynn says with a chuckle.
“Aww, psych is fun!” Taylor exclaims. “When I first started college, I was a psych major, too! But at some point, I switchedit to Elementary Education. I couldn’t imagine not being a teacher.”
“That’s cool,” Oliver replies.
“Do you know what you want to do yet?” Ashlynn asks.
Oliver glances at me before answering. “Honestly, not really,” he says. “But I feel like psychology is the right place to start. I want to help people, so I think learning how people tick would definitely help.”
“That sounds like DEADNAME,” Taylor says with a smile. “Aren’t you pursuing something similar?”
Oliver smirks at me, but I ignore him. “Kind of—I’m going for a social work degree.”
“That’s basically the same thing,” Ashlynn says.
My eye twitches. “Not exactly. Social work is actually?—”
“Hey, Ash,” Austin’s deep voice rumbles from nearby, and then he appears in the doorframe of the kitchen. “Mason wants you, and no one else will do.”
“Of course,” Ashlynn says with a sigh. “But, hey, this is DEADNAME’s boyfriend, Oliver. Have you met yet?”
“No, not yet,” Austin replies, extending a large hand to Oliver. “I’m Austin. Nice to put a face to the name.”
