by AJ Jarrett
“This place is huge,” Casper said in awe.
“Yes it is.” He grinned over at the young wolf. “And plenty of room for everyone.” He dropped the bags on the porch and poked his head inside. “Hello!” Jake called out as he opened the door but no one answered back. He walked inside first. In the past he’d walked in on some of the mated couples going at it hot and heavy and didn't want his mate or his younger brother to witness that.
The house was quiet. No TV blaring in the family room or bickering brothers. Devon, Viktor, and Erik were brothers and as of lately Devon and Viktor had had their hands full with their younger sibling. Teenagers were an emotional sort of human beings.
Jake looked in the kitchen but no one was there either. “Huh, they all must be out.” Not too weird but Jake couldn’t think of a time since he moved in that someone hadn’t been home.
He pulled out his phone and was just about to dial Cole’s number when a car pulled up outside. Jake went to look out the front window and recognized Jensen’s, his brother Josh’s mate’s, car.
Josh hopped out of the driver’s seat and Jake headed for the door. He’d had his problems with his twin but damn those differences seemed so trivial now.
“Josh!” he hollered out as he ran down the steps. Shocked flashed across Josh’s face as Jake engulfed him in a bear hug. “I’ve missed you, brother.”
“Missed you too.” Josh hugged him back. “What’s going on?”
Jake had always been the quiet brother and neither he, Josh, or Cole had ever been overly affectionate with one another so this must have been awkward for Josh.
“Nothing.” Jake took a step back and looked into the face that resembled his own. “Just happy to see you.”
Josh stared at him for a moment longer then smiled at him. It was Jake’s turn to be surprised when Josh pulled him in for another hug. “Things are going to be different between us. I swear it.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” Jake’s eyes stung with unshed tears. He’d already lost so much in his life and seeing what Carl and Casper had gone through made all the stupid grudges he had toward Josh for leaving after their father died seem petty. It was time for them all to let go of the past and live in the now.
He took a step back and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I got some people I’d like you to meet.” Jake waved for Carl and Casper to come down the porch stairs. “Carl, Casper, this is my brother Josh.”
“Good to meet you.” Josh shook Casper’s hand then Carl’s.
“You look just like him,” Carl said in wonder as he stared up at Josh.
“We’re twins,” Josh said with a smile.
“I know but it still blows my mind that god put two gorgeous men like you on the planet.” Josh chuckled. Carl’s cheeks reddened and he dropped Josh’s hand. “Sorry I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
“No worries.” Josh turned to Jake and nudged his head toward the two brothers. “Anything else you want to tell me?” Josh lifted his eyebrows up and down a few times.
Jake walked to stand between Carl and Casper and put one arm over each of their shoulders. He couldn’t wait to introduce his mate but he also didn’t want to leave Casper out. “Josh, say hello to my new brother.” He looked down at Casper who beamed a smile at him then he turned to Carl. “And this is my mate.”
“I know,” Josh said flippantly. “Cole already spilled the beans.” Jake lunged for his brother and Josh dashed away, laughing at him.
“So where is our little brother anyway?” Jake pointed to the house. “In fact where is everybody at? The house is never this quiet.”
Josh stopped laughing and his expression turned solemn. “That’s why I’m here. I rushed over here as fast as I could after the services.”
For the first time since Josh arrived Jake noticed his brother’s attire. A light-blue dress shirt with a tie around his neck loosened at the collar and a pair of black dress pants. “What happened?”
“Aiden’s mother died.” Josh shoved his hands in his pockets and looked out toward the trees. “Suicide.”
“That’s awful.” Jake didn’t know what else to say. Suicide wasn’t right or fair to the people left behind and especially when it came to Aiden. He had to go on living knowing that his mother never accepted him.
“Yeah, and it gets worse.” Josh looked back at Jake. “Aiden’s blaming himself. He’s a fucking mess to be honest with you.”
Jake could image that he was. No one ever expects to lose somebody they loved and for Aiden to lose his mother in that way wasn’t good. “How’s Aiden’s dad dealing with this?”
“Okay, I guess. He’s being strong for Aiden but still it has to be hard.” Josh let out a heavy sigh. “They’re burying her in Silver Creek. Aiden’s dad bought a house there.”
“Who’s Aiden?” Carl asked.
Jake explained that Aiden was Devon’s mate and as far as Jake knew still not on speaking terms with his mother. After Aiden and Devon mated he came to live in Nehalem to be with his mate. It wasn’t that Devon and his family were wolf shifters that caused the distance because she wasn’t aware of that information. It was the fact that her only son was gay that drove a wedge between mother and son. From what Jake knew she had a hard time dealing with that and instead of talking to Aiden, she avoided him. Aiden’s father tried all he could to get his wife to come to terms with who Aiden was, but nothing worked and now it was too late.
Josh hung out for a little longer. Cole called and said they’d be home soon. He told them no rush. Aiden needed all their support right now. He wanted to go see his friend but he didn’t want to have to take Carl and Casper to a funeral. They dealt with enough in the past few days and Jake didn’t want them to have to relive past memories of their parents deaths.
Jake got Casper set up in the room next to his. He wanted Casper to be able to find him or Carl if he got frightened in his new surroundings. After that he headed down to the kitchen to make some lunch. None of them really ate anything noteworthy for breakfast and his stomach growled like a wild beast.
“I’m sorry about your friend.” Carl came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Jake’s waist.
“Me too.” He finished making the last sandwich then sliced it down the middle. Jake put the knife down and turned to hug his mate. “I think in time he’ll be okay.”
“Well they say time heals all wounds.” Carl looked up at him.
“And it does.” Jake kissed Carl softly on the lips.
“Also the love of a good mate doesn’t hurt either.” Carl shot him a grin. “Because I know without you it’d make it a million times harder to get over my past and the guilt I feel for Casper. But with you in my life it all seems not so hard. I look forward to the future.”
“And you should because I’m not going anywhere.” And he wouldn’t, at least not without Carl.
Life tumbled by too fast at times. One minute Jake remembered being a little boy running around the backyard chasing fireflies. And in a blink of an eye he stood in this kitchen with his mate in his arms. Time went by in a rush and Jake didn’t want to waste a moment of his life with Carl.
“I love you, you know that right?” He ran his hand up the back of Carl’s neck, enjoying the feel as the silky strands combed through his fingers. Never in his life had he been so happy, so in love, and it was all thanks to this man in his arms.
Carl reached up and planted a passionate kiss on Jake’s lips. He guessed he got his answer.
Jake knew Carl’s past would still haunt him for years to come and he would stand by his mate’s side and help fight those internal battles that waged in Carl’s mind. Carl’s past is what made him the person he was today. The good, the bad, and the ugly, it all helped carve Carl into the man Jake had fallen in love with and nothing would ever change that.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and four childr
en. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places, and a little humor along the way never hurt. To her, there’s nothing sexier than two men finding their soul mate in each other and falling in love. When she isn’t chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on the couch with her trusted laptop, giving life to the voices in her head.
For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
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