Page 1 of Various Intentions

Chapter One

Staking out your pseudo-child on their last day of exams for their final year in high school was a parental right-of-passage. And if it wasn’t, it should have been.

“Has he texted you?” I asked Vincent, as we waited in the car for Taylor to emerge from the red brick building.

“Not yet,” Vincent said, leaning forward to keep an eye out. “He was planning to catch the bus home, so I want to make sure we don’t miss him.”

“There he is,” Matteo said with composure from the back seat.

Taylor had burst forth from the double doors of the alternative secondary school and bent down to tie his shoe, his puffy blue jacket unzipped.

“I can’t believe he wears runners in winter,” I said. “He’s going to fall and break his little neck.”

I reached past Vincent and slammed the middle of the steering wheel, causing the horn to blast and Taylor to spasm and glare at the source of the alarming sound.

Vincent had lowered the window and now leaned his head out. “That was Nic. Blame him.”

Taylor made a gesture of resignation as he stood and ambled to the car. “What are you doing here?”

“Why aren’t you wearing boots?” I asked. He ignored me.

Matteo leaned forward from the back seat. “It’s your last high school exam, Taylor. We’re taking you out for supper.”

I leaned over Vincent, ignoring his long-suffering expression. “We have reservations at Moxies. Not super fancy, I know, but the servers are hot and I know you—”

“Yes! I love Moxies!” Taylor pumped the air and opened the back door of the car, passing his backpack to Matteo then sliding in beside my other romantic partner. “Hi, Dad. I mean, Dads.”

“I’mnot your dad,” Vincent said, starting the engine and pulling into the road. Vincent was Taylor’s cousin and my live-in boyfriend. Matteo had insinuated himself into the relationship just after Taylor had joined the household to escape his uber-religious parents.

“You act like my dad. And it’s just easier to call all three of you ‘Dad’.”

“Fine.” Vincent shrugged. “Whatever.”

“But who’s your Daddy, Taylor?” I said, waggling my brows. Taylor and I had a weird relationship.

“Ew, gross.”

I smirked at him. “You used to be intrigued by me and what I got up to with the other dads in private. What happened?”

He made a face. “I got a glimpse of the reality. God, I almost threw up in my mouth just now, thinking about it.”

“Careful,” I said.

“Why? You gonna punish me?”

“I’m sure I can think of something not sex-related to make you watch your tongue, brat.”

“Matteo, Nic is being mean to me,” Taylor said, opening a bottle of water he’d pulled from his bag and tipping it to his lips.

“Don’t bring me into this,” Matteo sighed.

“You’re in this car, aren’t you?”

“Yes, and I’m starting to wish I wasn’t.”

“Nice. That’s really nice. Don’t you want to wish me a happy graduation?” Taylor said, snuggling into Matteo, who put an arm around him and kissed the top of his head.

“Of course. Happy graduation, Taylor.”