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“Mr. Dameron-Hux,” said Armitage.
Poe reached for his hand and twined their fingers. He smiled. “Mr. Dameron-Hux.”
Together they glanced across the table at the young girl awaiting the conclusion of this odd yet endearing ritual. She never questioned it, but played along as though every family in the country held roll call at dinner.
Poe offered her his other hand at the same time as Armitage. “Miss Dameron-Hux.”
Their daughter Ginger complied and bowed her head. “Force bless us, every one,” she said, and broke contact. “Pizza’s getting cold.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Poe motioned for her to hold out her plate, and he doled out the slices while Armitage pushed her toward the salad bowl to her right. It was Friday night, and talk of weekend plans dominated conversation in between bites of pizza and Caesar-drenched Romaine. Ginger would be participating in a district-wide Quiz Bowl tournament with other members of Cloud City Academy’s team, coached by teacher Poe. Honorary grandparents Han and Leia Solo were driving down from Naboo Lake for moral support.
“And you, Dad?” Ginger prompted Armitage.
“I,” Armitage said, sipping his wine, “will be seated as far away from the quiz tables as possible, trying my best not to mouth the answers.”
“Good.” Ginger gave a smug smile while picking off black olive rings from her second slice. The memory of Armitage’s near slip at last year’s competition lingered, but at least they could laugh about it now.
Forks clattered. Parmesan snowed down from the clogged holes of a transparent shaker. Armitage’s expression darkened the longer he sipped his Cabernet, inspiring a number of concerns for Poe. It wasn’t unusual for his husband to have a glass of wine at dinner, for one, but an oenophile like Armitage wouldn’t drink red with a vegetarian pie.
“You alright there, Arm?”
Armitage snapped to attention and nodded. “I was thinking, if we had time on Sunday, of another family outing.”
“Oh?”
Ginger slowed her eating as well, watching as Hux planted both elbows on the table and steepled his hands over his plate.
“An open house.”
Poe finished chewing, and reached for his beer. “This something to do with a client?” he asked. Silly question. Armitage handled discrimination and civil cases, not real estate law.
“More like the beginning of a search for a new place to live, actually.” The way Armitage cringed after he said it meant he anticipated a blowup. Ginger didn’t disappoint.
She slammed down her water glass. “Why do you want to move?”
“Sweetheart, it isn’t that I want us to move–”
“I like living here, next to Uncle Ben and Aunt Rey.” Plus her older “cousins” Leia, Junior and Ami, who treated Ginger well despite the five-year age gap. “Did you and Uncle Ben have another fight?”
Poe arched an eyebrow. “Another fight?” More news. Armitage was long divorced from Ben when they first met, and save for one disagreement about their shared son, Han, the two men were friendly.
“Nobody’s fighting, and nobody wants to move, but given recent circumstances it may become a necessity,” Armitage said, his expression weary. He gestured toward the door in the kitchen that joined their side of the duplex to the Solos’. “Ben talked to Han today. He’s been accepted to Hoth for their MFS program.”
“That’s great.” Poe didn’t get the glum over such happy news. Han had always been a bright kid, since the year Poe taught him in fourth grade. Han aspired to work in forensic science and Hoth had a great program. Close to home, too, which meant they’d see him more often. “And because of that we have to leave?”
“Han’s moving back full-time to save on housing.” Han had split his time between both sides of the duplex in his youth, but that changed after Ginger.
“So?” Ginger stacked her empty plates. “He comes home every summer from college and it’s never been an issue before.”
Armitage winced at the noise their daughter made, and took over clearing the table. “We have to account for how little room is left on that side of the duplex,” he said. “Han’s looking at a three-year program. Leia and Ami are older than they were four years ago, and may stay put if they go to Hoth or another nearby school. It would be different if Han had an apartment, and the girls could have their own rooms, but right now it’s a tad crowded there.”
Poe held Ginger’s gaze, basking in their shared guilt. They were acting selfish, yes, but in their defense they enjoyed the closeness to their found family next door. Armitage co-parenting young Han kept the connection intact, and now that the boy was grown maybe it was time to move forward.
It didn’t prevent Ginger from one last stab, however. “What if you converted your home office into a bedroom, Dad?” she asked Armitage. “Then Leia or Ami could move there.”
The debate continued through dessert, and all through the night’s streaming binge. For every one of Ginger’s propositions, Armitage countered with the sad truth. Uncle Ben’s twins were too close to want separate residences, and they weren’t able to build on the property without paying huge fines to the city.
“You realize, too,” Armitage added, “Han has a car and the twins will want their own rides as well. It’s why I wanted to talk to you both, to discuss selling our half of the duplex to them.”
Ginger sulked. “Where are we supposed to live? Under a bridge?”
“Anywhere we want, actually,” Poe said. His silence seemed to oppose Armitage, and he realized he needed to be an adult and support his husband. “You attend a private school, so moving to a new district is moot.”
To Ginger, moving across the street was akin to fleeing the country. She gave the movie they largely ignored five more minutes before excusing herself and stomping off to bed.
When they were alone, Armitage lay his head on Poe’s shoulder and moaned. “I’m a bad father.”
“Arm, you’re a great father,” Poe said, and kissed Armitage’s hairline where his once ginger roots now aged into a fine blond. Over a decade since their first kiss, and the uptight lawyer he loved had matured into a handsome DILF. “You’re just ridiculous to believe that.”
“This is the only home Ginger’s known. She grew up spoiled with us and Ben and Rey and the kids passing her around like a doll…” Armitage rolled his head back against the couch. “And you’re not entirely correct about changing districts,” he added. “We move too far and she may have to switch Scout troops.”
“So we’ll stay in the neighborhood.” Poe pulled out his phone and called up home searches within a few miles. After a long, concerned hum he said, “Wow, home values around here have spiked.”
Hux pouted. “Did I mention this open house is over by your old place?”
“Quite a drive.” Ginger would hate them forever. “How do you feel about van life?” he asked. “We could park in the driveway and come in to eat and shower–”
Two knocks on the other side of the divider door interrupted him. Ben let himself inside, carrying a large cardboard tube. “I can see by your expression Armitage told you the news,” he said to Poe as he took the recliner opposite them.
Poe focused on the tube. “Here to change out the wallpaper already?”
“I wanted to show you something. It’s still rough, but Rey and I worked on it all afternoon.”
They helped Ben straighten out the curled sketches. Poe thought it quaint that the husband and wife architect team used paper blueprints instead of digital renders, but he supposed that was a selling point for their firm. Details mattered.
“Both floors of the main house have a full kitchen and laundry, and the top floor has a separate entrance in the backyard,” Ben said as he traced his finger along the design. “The space over the garage has a kitchenette and half-bath, and we were thinking of a pass-through to the top laundry room here. This is going to be our new house.”
Oh. So the Solos planned to leave. That made sense. They were the larger family and they’d have no trouble selling their half of the duplex. It only meant he and Armitage couldn’t pick their new neighbors.
He forced a smile. “Nice.” Poe pictured the structure in his mind and saw Armitage nod in agreement. “This looks like something you’d put up at Naboo Lake by your parents. Is that what you’re thinking?”
Ben rolled up the plans. “You don’t get it,” he said, shaking his head. “This is our house. All of us. We each get a floor and Han gets the efficiency. Rey and I found the perfect lot not far from here, and it’s available for a song. Dad’s offered to put up a loan and once we sell the duplex that’ll be enough to cover the rest.”
Poe felt a tightness on his thigh from where Armitage gripped him. Clearly this was news to his husband, who spoke up first.
“You would actually have us come live with you?” Armitage asked, incredulous. “I get we are still Han’s father, but he’s in his twenties. It isn’t necessary for–”
Ben cut him off. “The girls need all of us.”
“Yes, but…”
Poe heard the words, without Armitage’s voice. Rey had been Ginger’s surrogate, but she took on an aunt role as opposed to mother. Either way, she was a good role model for the girl, and Poe considered they’d want Rey to assist when puberty hit.
Ben eyed them hard, more specifically Armitage. “You were about to say we aren’t blood, huh? We are still family, Arm, so long as we have Han. I really hope after all these years you’re not thinking Rey and I wouldn’t take you all into consideration in an important decision.”
“I’m not thinking that at all.” Armitage sputtered. His cheeks pinked and Poe rubbed his neck. The moment overwhelmed him more than he realized, Poe guessed. Same for himself, too. Both families pitched in for all manner of favors over the years, but this was the first home design.
“We were just discussing selling this side to you,” Armitage said, “but it’s clear you were thinking further ahead.”
Ben smiled. “It’s not just my idea, either. The twins are on board, and of course Han gave input on his new bachelor pad.” He straightened in his seat. “We’d love your feedback, too.”
“Can we have a pool?”
Everybody turned their heads toward the top of the stairs to where Ginger sat on the top step, barefoot in her flannel pajamas, chin in hands and grinning.