Page 96 of More Than My Hometown

My insides loosen, unraveling enough for me to be able to breathe again, while still holding tight. That’s better news than I thought. But it’s still not the answer.

Click…

Like a puzzle piece snapping into place, in an instant, I know what is the answer. The one I’ve been searching for so hard these last few days. The decision that Ewan has been so insistent that only I can make.

Well, sir, I’m making it.

“Gus, I need you to do something for me.”

“Okay…”

“And I need you to keep it a secret.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Gus mutters, throwing his hands up. “Are you two incapable of talking?”

“Gus…” Auggie warns.

“Please,” I beg.

I turn to look over at Ewan, who is still at the table with my grandmother, but facing my dad, the two of them deep in conversation about who knows what. My heart squeezes, ready to burst as I watch them, my two favorite men, sitting back having a drink. The sight solidifies my answers, making what was already clear even more so. Leaving no room for wondering. Just like grandma said.

“It’s my turn to make the move. But I’m gonna need your help to pull it off.”

Gus is quiet for a second, his permanently stoic expression cracking ever so slightly.

“Okay. But you gotta move quick. He wants to sign the papers Monday before Munch.”

Munch? Damn, that is quick. But I think I can do it. Just depends on…

“You know, if we’re talking grand gestures, we do happen to have a self-proclaimed ‘expert’ with a whole library full of them in the family,” Auggie tosses out, finger quotes and all.

Gus and I look at each other, our devious grins matching each other, mind clearly going to the exact same place.

This just became a family affair.