Love Rents A Room
Chapter 72: His Happiness

Chapter 72: His Happiness

JD walked past Veronica, who was still brandishing the knife at him. She looked serious, waving it slightly, but her head remained bowed—unable to meet his eyes.

He should have been cautious. If it had been a real knife, he could have been seriously injured. But that thought never even crossed his mind.

Joanne had said it wasn’t real, and that was enough for him.

Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed it. The blade retracted instantly, just as Joanne had said.

Veronica stiffened, her hands twitching slightly before falling limply at her sides. She scuffled uncomfortably, her entire posture screaming frustration. JD knew autism made things difficult for her—eye contact, tone detection, emotional regulation—but still, waving a fake knife at him? That was something else entirely.

"Come on, let it go," JD said, chuckling as he pried the knife from her grip. "Oh, and by the way, Jo’s angry at you. She asked me to tell you that."

Veronica flinched.

The way her head dipped lower, the way her fingers twitched against her skirt—JD realized too late that he’d said the wrong thing.

Her world revolved around Joanne. To hear that she was upset with her, even as a joke—

JD sighed, but before he could say anything, Jason stormed forward.

"Man, watch what you say to her!" Jason’s voice was sharp with reprimand, his previous terror now replaced with something fiercer—protectiveness.

JD blinked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"You’re hurting her by saying that!" Jason pushed past JD and crouched slightly, lowering his voice to a softer tone. "Hey, don’t listen to him. You know he’s lying, right? He’s a liar. Ms. Smith isn’t angry at you."

Veronica didn’t respond, but her fingers curled into fists, gripping the fabric of her skirt.

Jason exhaled and grabbed her purse. "Come on, I’ll drop you home."

"Seriously?" JD shouted again. It was Jason who was afraid of Vernica just a few minutes ago and now he had turned into the bad guy for "hurting" her?

What a cruel world!

Veronica hesitated for a second before following Jason toward the door. But just as she reached the exit, she turned back slightly, her gaze still lowered—yet a smirk tugged at her lips.

JD scoffed, shaking his head. Evil. She was evil. And somehow, everyone still pitied her.

As Jason and Veronica disappeared, JD let out a sigh and checked the time. His night was already ruined. He had wanted to grab a drink at the pub, but now...

He glanced toward the bar across the street. It was busier than usual.

Then, he spotted Sam Smith.

That wasn’t surprising—Sam was a known gambler, always running around wasting Joanne’s money on all the wrong things. It was either at the pub, or the gamblers den or in strip clubs.

But tonight, he wasn’t alone. He was walking beside a man in a suit and tie.

JD frowned. That was odd.

Who the hell was that?

He wanted to investigate but it was odd that he received a phone call from Joanne. He decided to go home first.

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Bottom of Form

Joanne called the kids for dinner earlier, watching as they gathered around the table, their small hands eagerly reaching for their plates. Fiona had made herself at home, sitting cross-legged on the floor with the little ones, laughing and playing with them like she belonged there.

Of course, Fiona stayed for dinner.

And, of course, with no shame whatsoever, she packed some to take home for Liam.

"Oh, I want to take them home with me..." Fiona sighed, watching the kids curled up on the couch with their glasses of milk, their little faces content and drowsy. Milk had quickly become their comfort, a small, familiar luxury they indulged in any time they wanted to.

Then Fiona turned to Joanne with an impish grin.

"Can I stay here tonight, Jo? I want to stay here. We can have a sleepover... I’ll ask Liam first..."

Joanne knew exactly how this would play out. Fiona would call Liam, sweet-talk her way into staying over, then curl up with the kids and pretend this was her home.

Joanne liked Fiona, but no.

Practically shoving her out the door, Joanne shook her head. "You can visit later," she promised, and Fiona, half-heartedly, dragged her feet and left.

Hannah was already sleepy, rubbing at her eyes, and Joanne sent Timmy upstairs with her to read before bed. He was a surprisingly good reader for his age, and he loved books. Having stories again—having a safe home to read in—made him light up in a way that tugged at Joanne’s heart.

Just then, JD’s car rolled into the driveway.

She barely had time to turn when he strode inside, his movements quick, his gaze locking onto hers with unsettling intensity.

He didn’t say anything at first. Just stood there, eyes scanning her face, reading her in that way of his—like he saw too much.

Joanne shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

JD’s brow furrowed slightly. "Did you cry?"

Her stomach clenched.

"What?" she scoffed, immediately looking away. Fiona had been here the whole time. Fiona, with her nosiness and her sharp instincts, hadn’t noticed a thing. And yet, somehow, he had?

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

She turned her back on him, pretending to fuss over the dishes. "Your dinner’s ready."

JD didn’t press.

He just studied her a moment longer before saying, "Yeah... I’ll come down after freshening up."

Upstairs, he checked on the kids first.

Timmy was still reading to Hannah, his small voice filling the quiet room. Hannah, seeing JD in the doorway, squeaked and dove under the blanket, making him chuckle. Lizzy, already asleep in her crib, had her tiny fingers curled around her blanket.

JD leaned against the doorframe, something warm settling in his chest.

"Good night, kids," he murmured.

Timmy gave him a small smile and waved before returning to his book.

Joanne stood by the kitchen, watching it all.

He didn’t need to check on them. No one would have expected him to. But he did, simply because he cared. Because that’s the kind of person he was.

The more she saw him like this, the more she realized just how much he had changed since arriving here. The dark, restless weight that had clung to him before, like a man haunted, had begun to lift. He had grown lighter. Happier.

And the more she saw him like this, the more she...

No.

She shook the thought away and focused on setting his plate.

When JD came downstairs, he paused, surprised to see her sitting at the table with an untouched plate of food.

"You didn’t eat yet?" he asked, confused.

He had assumed she had already eaten with Fiona and the kids.

He had even seen Fiona on his way in—enthusiastically waving at him, making sure he knew Joanne had packed food for her husband.

So why—

"I wanted to eat with you," Joanne said casually.

So casually, like it was nothing.

But for JD—

For JD, an entire garden bloomed in his chest.