Suddenly Del’s heart was bouncing, and he realized he was anxious about what Justin thought of the idea.
“I mean…of course I’ve thought about it,” Justin admitted as he pulled away enough to be able to see Del’s face.
“And w-what do you think?” Del swallowed hard.
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
The expression on Justin’s face was one that had become familiar to Del in the last months. There was hesitant kind of hope there, but also a boatload of fear and what Del now knew was fierce independence.
Justin didn’t want to be reliant on anyone, but at the same time, he was already reliant on Del in some ways. Sure, he could cope, but—Del suddenly realized Justin was taking his thinking the wrong way.
“No, hey, babe? I wasn’t thinking about whether I want you here. Of course I do. You’re family already. It’s…I just don’t want you to feel trapped, okay?”