Read To Love a Way of Life for Free Online Page A

said. “I don’t know where he gets it from.”
    “Hey Patrick,” said the man in the yard. “Dan is still working on that stump, the roots are dug in deep.”
    “I’ll go help him,” Patrick said. “Emma, Peter handles their business affairs, so you don’t need me or Daniel. I’ll be with you as soon as we get this stump out.”
    Emma grabbed her stuff from the car and walked towards Peter. “I’m Emma, by the way,” she said.
    “The whole village knows about you. I think you’ll be doing the accounts for every business owner within fifty miles.”
    “Are you Daniel’s partner?” Emma asked.
    “Civil partner,” Peter said.
    “Oh, you’re—“
    “We were going to hold out for full marriage legislation to pass before getting married, but when Daniel’s mother got sick she wanted her big day.”
    “That’s awful,” Emma said.
    “She enjoyed the day, I think it brought her some comfort. And it really was her big day. She was so proud of Daniel”
    “Was it romantic?” Emma asked.
    “I’ll never forget it.” Emma could see the love in Peter’s eyes.
    “This is a small problem for me,” Emma said. “But it also means a lot for you two.”
    “What’s that?” Peter asked.
    “Well, you’re partners, spousal partners. You can claim tax allowances as a couple. There’s a few tax code differences until marriage equality passes, but most of the benefits allow for civil partnerships. I just don’t have any of the forms with me.”
    “I don’t want Daniel’s inheritance,” he said. “I know he wants me to have an equal share but this was left to him.”
    “You’re a couple in the eyes of the law. You’re both joined together for legal matters. And you could save a lot.”
    “But all this is his,” he said.
    “I think this is something you two have to talk over. I can explain what it means from a tax point of view.”
    “We had a lawyer explain it to us before we got married, but we were so worried about Margaret at the time—“
    “This is all just about tax, it has nothing to do with love.”
    Emma realised she had become a marriage counsellor in the last five minutes. These guys were so young. Daniel was what, 23? Peter couldn’t be much older than him.
    “When did you guys meet?” She asked.
    “We were in school together, different classes but we knew each other to see. He came out before me.”
    “Was it tough?”
    “There was a few things said, but mostly everyone was ok. I spoke to him a few months later, told him about me.”
    “He obviously cared.”
    “We were going out by the start of the summer. I came out when we got back to school.”
    “That’s adorable,” Emma couldn’t help herself. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean—“ Foot in mouth syndrome, calling big, burly, manly farmers who worked their land all day ‘adorable.’
    Peter laughed. His shoulders rattled up and down. He was obviously amused by her embarrassment. This wasn’t a big deal to him and she was treating it like some amazing historic event.
    “I think Daniels pretty adorable myself.”
    “How long have you been together?” She couldn’t help herself.
    “Seven years, we’re good together.”
    “I’m sorry, I’m turning your life into some romance, I don’t mean to make it such—“
    “It’s fine, really. It’s strange for the countryside, I know.”
    “Oh my god, you must think I’m such a nose.” Emma’s face turned bright red.
    “I’ll tell you the truth. We’ll sit down to watch a film tonight and we’ll be laughing at this.”
    Emma felt distraught. But they were so young, and Peter really seemed to care for him. But of course he cared for him, they’d been going out for years. They were married, and she was 29 and she had no sight of love, at least anything she’d admit to anyone but Sandra and her mother.
    “Do you have someone in your life?” Peter asked.
    “No. I was seeing a guy last year but it didn’t work out.”
    “Men are pigs!” He said, “Not