Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I can hear you whispering!” Nathan shouted from the other room.
I stifled a laugh as I showed them around my small house and then back out into the yard. “It’s not much, but Jack’s helped me work on it a ton over the years. It was his idea to do that little rose garden. The whole thing was just unhappy grass when I moved in.”
“I heard my name,” Jack’s voice came from around the corner, and a moment later he came through the little back gate holding a crate full of paint cans. “Couldn’t remember which color we used for the bedroom and living room, so I just brought a lot of different options for touch-ups.”
“You made it,” I said. I still felt my heart flutter every time I saw him these days. I hoped that feeling would never go away.
“Yeah,” he said, setting down the heavy crate onto the back deck near the door. “Managed to finish up with the Hendersons on time today, which was a miracle.”
It had been about three weeks since Jack had finally decided, for good, that he was going to move with me to Jade River. In the time since then, I’d watched as he morphed into some sort of high-powered machine, making about twenty phone calls a day, wrapping up projects, transferring things, and researching every last thing he needed to do in order to move to Colorado with me.
I had been helping him a ton, and he’d been helping me just as much. The sale of my house finally was completed, and Jack had gotten well underway with the majority of the steps toward selling his dad’s home to Sam and Fox.
It was like a flame had been lit under his ass. He really wanted to move with me. And it was the most beautiful thing to witness.
“Glad you’re here, baby,” I said, and now that he wasn’t carrying the crate, I went over and pulled him tight into a hug and kissed him.
“Oh!” I heard Mom say from behind me.
“Hah,” Dad said.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Shawn said, and as I turned, I saw all of them smiling slightly.
“Oh, fuck,” I said, looking at all of them. “Holy shit. I never—I never told you guys.”
Mom chuckled, throwing her head back. “Well, you told us Jack was moving out with you, and so I could only assume…”
“That you two were gay as gay can be with one another,” Nathan said, excited. “I am so happy for you.”
“I’m sorry,” Jack said, leaning to whisper in my ear. “Were you ready for that?”
I rolled my eyes, glancing over at him. “Are you kidding?” I said. I turned back to the family, nodding. “Yeah. I’m completely fucking head over heels for my best friend, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. So it turns out I’m not as straight as I thought.”
My heart rate kicked up even though I was plenty confident and happy to tell them. Had that really just happened? So quickly, like a Band-Aid had been ripped off? I’d been on autopilot for the last few weeks, and so insanely busy with life tasks and moving stuff that I hadn’t even remembered that my family didn’t know yet.
“Good for you, sweetie,” Mom said, though I felt like I was floating somewhere above myself at the moment and could barely process it.
“Whatever makes you happy, kid,” Dad said.
I had just come out. For the first time ever. And though I knew that not everyone would be so accepting as my own family, I felt like I was on top of the world, telling people that I was in love with Jack.
Everybody came over to give Jack a hug, and I just watched him, knowing the look on his face better than ever.
He was overwhelmed. In the good kind of way.
It was a look I’d seen on his face every now and then, when he used to spend long days by the lake with his Dad, or on days when he and I made a really good hike and saw an incredible sunset together.
Every now and then, Jack felt so good that he forgot how to talk, just for a minute. When he felt right. When he felt something like being at home, maybe.
“You know what this means?” Nathan said. “Now Mom and Dad can bug you about getting married instead of me, just because I’m the oldest. Get off my case, and get on their case, okay?”
Mom and Dad both laughed. “He’s right,” Mom said. “You’re the new target. I’ll try not to ask you too often. Is twice a day all right? How about ten times a day?”
“Ask me that often and I’ll move out of Jade River and go as far away as possible,” I said, smiling. “Remember when you said you’d move to Antarctica for me, Blue? How’s that sound about now?”