Page 35 of Lush Curves

Jax stared at his friend, knowingexactlywhat King was thinking.

“You aren’t leaving Noah on a fucking hotel roof except over my dead body, Kingston, so just forget it!”

King rolled his eyes, bit back a cocky grin.

Evil, genius plan thwarted by my mind-reading brother-from-another-mother. Shit.

**

“OK, sweetheart.” Annie accepted the tea that Noah had made her, bitterly regretful that it didn’t have a shot of whisky in it, but Noah didn’t drink and so his apartment was devoid of any and all alcoholic support. “You want Callie to move in here. With you.”

Noah nodded, sat down next to Sarah who was nursing her own cup of tea, looking tense and pale. “Yes. Here with me.”

Annie took a fortifying sip of sugary tea, prayed for strength and serenity. Yes, she adored Callie, loved her like her own daughter, and she was nothing but grateful that this sweet, funny, smart young woman had appeared in her son’s life. Callie had managed to coax affection and protectiveness out of Noah, things that he’d never shown anyone besides his mother and twin sister, and Annie would be forever grateful to Callie for opening up Noah to a whole new way to love, a whole new kind of love.

But… living together? Even if Noah and Callie weren’t autistic, Annie would have some serious reservations about her son taking such a huge step. But reality was reality – and theywerean autistic couple. This introduced all kinds of unique challenges to the situation, and Annie hoped that they were all up for it – whatever the hellitwas –because one look at the stubborn set of Noah’s jaw told her thathismind was made up. And once Noah made up his mind about anything, it was nothing short of hell on earth to get him to even consider an alternative perspective, course of action, or possibility.

She looked over at Sarah, saw Sarah looking back at her. She knew that the worry and trepidation so plainly present in her daughter’s features were visible in her own, and she tried to smooth her face into a semi-not-panicked state.

“Noah,” Sarah said now, her voice very clear and calm. “Could you please tell us what you think it would be like, living with Callie?”

Annie shot Sarah a grateful look; Sarahalwaysknew how to approach Noah, how to speak to her brother without being condescending or dismissive, but in a way that forced him tothink.He then had toexpressthose thoughts, and if he hedged or hesitated, Sarah gently called him out. In this way, Noah was compelled to talk about his feelings, his hopes, his wants, his worries – even though he had no ideathat’swhat he was actually doing. He thought he was simply relaying information in a factual, dispassionate way… but it was far, far more than that.

“Oh. Well.” Noah blinked his blue eyes, the clear, beautiful eyes exactly like his sister’s, and shifted a bit on the sofa. “Well… we’ll wake up together in the same bed and I’ll get up and make us coffee and Callie will make us breakfast. I like eggs and bacon, and she’s good at making them, but she makes terrible coffee so I’ll make that. Then we’ll eat and wash the dishes and shower and get dressed, and Callie will put on makeup that I don’t think she needs, and then we’ll get our bags and leave. We’ll lock the door, always. Then we’ll go across the street to the bus stop and we’ll go to the Art With Heart Centre and I’ll paint and she’ll sculpt. But that’s not strictly about living together because we already do that almost every day. The painting and sculpting, I mean. The bacon and coffee and locking the doorisabout living together, so I’ll get back to that stuff now.”

Despite herself, Annie felt a smile starting to cross her face.Damn, her son was the most endearing combination of coldly logical and disarmingly sweet. That thing about Callie not needing makeup, for example… classic Noah. He was saying that he found Callie beautiful the way that she was, that he thought she was perfect the way that she was – but he didn’t use those words, he didn’t evenknowthose words in some ways. The trick with him had always been to see the good, pure heart behind the sometimes brutal words… because that heart was astonishing.

It also hadn’t escaped her notice that although Sarah had asked in the hypothetical – whatwouldit be like living with Callie? – Noah was answering in the affirmative – Iwill; shewill; wewill.

Yeah. For Noah, this was done. Mind made up, done and dusted, game over.

“After we finish painting and sculpting,” Noah continued. “We’ll get back on the bus and go grocery shopping for healthy food at the grocery store on the corner. Then we’ll go home and cook then clean up. Maybe some nights we’ll order pizza, but that’s not healthy so we won’t do that often. We’ll watch TV or a movie. Then we’ll shower and go to bed and sleep.”

Annie fought down the urge to applaud. Sarah, though, didn’t look satisfied.

“Listen, sweetie,” she said to her brother. “That’s all great, OK? Those are things that you and Callie woulddoif you lived together. Day-to-day routine stuff, which is important… but living with someone else isn’tjustabout taking the bus and washing the plates. It’s – well. It’s aboutliving together. Making a home with another person, not just inhabiting a house with one.” She paused. “You understand me, Noah?”

“Yes. Can I try again to answer the question?”

“Of course.”

“I think – no, wait – Ihopethat living with Callie will be like you living with Brother Jax.”

Sarah cocked her head, her red curls falling over her one shoulder, warm and lovely. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that we’ll laugh and tease each other. I’ll kiss her by the sink when she’s washing the dishes. She’ll look happy as soon as I walk into the room. I’ll be somewhere and look in a store window and see something that I know she’ll like, and I’ll buy it for her, just to see her smile when I give it to her.” Noah opened and shut his hands, pondering, the he shrugged. “Lots and lots of things like that, too many to count or name. But I know how I want it tofeelto live with Callie. Like how it feels to see you and Brother Jax live together. Warm. Happy.” He frowned, groping for the words. “It feels like a blanket or arms around you all the time.” He paused once more. “I think it’s love.”

Annie and Sarah exchanged glances again, saw nothing but admiration and acceptance this time. They also saw something else: the realization, both happy and tearful, that it was time to let Noah go. He was an adult with challenges, that was still a fact, but he was ready to tackle them – and with Callie by his side, he’d tackle them with dignity and fortitude.

God, to think that just three years ago, Noah couldn’t even handle having his cereal poured into the wrong-colored bowl. Yes, he still needed plans, routine, and agendas, and any major deviation from expected events was stressful and could lead to a breakdown or lashing out, but he’d learned how to self-soothe and he was much better at allowing himself to be distracted from his own panic and fear. He’d come so, so far, and this was the next step.

“Besides, it isassistedliving here,” Noah said, abruptly veering back into the practical. “Doctors and counsellors and staff, and everyone is specialized in adults with autism. We’d have help with everything that we need, as long as we ask. And we always ask.”

“And us,” Annie said, her voice catching a little. “We’ll all be here for you both, any time that you need. Me and Sarah and Jax and King… and so many others, honey. Youknowthat, right?”

“I know that you’ll be here,” Noah replied, puzzled. “I mean, it’s not like any of you aregoinganywhere. Of course you’ll be here in Denver.”

The women laughed.

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