“Let me help you with that,” Dante
says, taking two heavy shopping bags from Mrs. Talonovich as she
tries to lift them from the cart. She bought so much
stuff—he still can’t quite believe all of this is just for
himself and Ryan. What are they going to do with it all?
But Mrs. Talonovich shakes her head and
swings the bags easily into the open tailgate of her van. “I’ve got
it, dear,” she tells him. Glancing into the back of the van, Dante
sees Ryan already inside and turned around in his wheelchair,
watching them, and from behind his mother he blows his boyfriend a
kiss. “I can get it from here,” she says. She smiles at Dante, who
flashes her a quick grin. “Why don’t you climb on in and keep Ryan
company?”
Good idea. Dante doesn’t need to be
told twice—he squeezes between th
