Romeo stood at the stove, stirring something in a huge pot and teasing Portia, who was trying to reach around him to get something from the cupboard.
Teddy wanted to hug himself for the undiluted happiness that permeated the entire building. “I’d take your home over anything in a fancy magazine,” he told Wanda. “Any day of the week.”
She nodded. “Good. Romeo found himself a smart boy. Someone who knows what’s important. One thing I always told him—Romeo Valentine! What are you doing to my rolls?” Wanda rushed over to intervene in the bread crisis.
The meal meant all the adults and a couple of the oldest kids crowded around a dining room table, while younger children sat at card tables in the living room. Wanda had prepared enough food for all of Cook County: bean soup, ham, greens, rolls, buttered carrots, and a host of other side dishes. Teddy sat between Romeo and Reagan and learned that dentists had more adventures than he’d imagined. Everyone talked a lot, gently making fun of one another and bringing up old family in-jokes without making Teddy feel excluded. They asked him questions too—nothing intrusive, but they really seemed to want to know the answers. Things like what movies and music he favored. Titania and her husband loved musical theater, so they had a good conversation with Teddy about that, and one of the nephews wanted to know more about marketing as a career choice.
As Romeo had predicted, his family also had questions about fashion, so by the time Portia and Reagan distributed slices of hummingbird cake, Teddy was happily giving wardrobe upgrade consultations. Two sisters, a brother-in-law, and a niece all made him promise to go shopping with them.
And throughout it all, Romeo sat at Teddy’s side, joining in the repartee and beaming as bright as a lighthouse. Teddy felt that light inside himself, warm and comfortable. A little bittersweet, maybe, because this friendly chaos was something he’d been missing his entire life. But as Wanda said to a niece who was disappointed over a recent exam grade but vowed to try harder next time: a little salt makes things taste sweeter. And you appreciated a thing more if you knew what it felt like to go without.
Teddy helped clear the table but wasn’t allowed to wash or dry. Apparently there was a complex system of rules in place about household chores. Romeo, who was also off the hook for the time being, took the opportunity to bring Teddy downstairs to his bedroom. “You holding up all right?” he asked.
Teddy was doing wonderfully. Being around the Blues made him feel energized and optimistic. “I love your family.”
“They’re not too much?”
Teddy pulled Romeo flush against him. “They’re perfect.”
“I’ve witnessed some of my sisters’ prospective boyfriends run screaming out the door, never to be seen again.”
“Well, then they weren’t worth dating, were they? Seriously, Romeo. If you and I weren’t a thing, I’d ask your family to adopt me.”
Romeo wrapped his arms around Teddy and bent down so their noses touched. “But we are a thing, aren’t we?”
“A really good thing.”
Teddy ducked out from Romeo’s embrace and walked the width of the bedroom, which wasn’t far. A particleboard bookcase, its sides plastered with old stickers, was crammed with well-worn books. Including, if Teddy wasn’t mistaken, the one about deserts. He stroked the spine with one finger but didn’t pull it out.
When Teddy turned around, Romeo was waiting patiently. That was something else to cherish about Romeo—the way he gave Teddy time and space to think when he needed them.
“Can I say something?” Romeo had the same expression he’d worn when boarding a plane: terror mixed with a dose of determination.
Time for Teddy to draw on some of his own courage. “Go ahead.”
“You don’t have to look at me like that. It’s nothing awful.”
“Just scary?”
Romeo gave a tiny grin. “Yeah. So here goes. Um...so now you’ve seen our humble abode.”
“I like your home.”
“Good.” Romeo’s smile widened. “Because the thing is, there’s always room here for more people. Sometimes we have to squish together a little, but squishing’s not always so bad.” He patted his mattress.
“Are you proposing we have sex right now? Because I think your family—”
“Teddy. Listen.”
“Okay.” And Teddy kept his mouth zipped while Romeo appeared to marshal his thoughts.
“I’m offering something here. Promising something. Teddy, we’re going to land on our feet no matter what. I can feel it. But if you end up needing a place to stay—a place to live—we have room for