“Then you like it?”
“Oh, yeah!”
Jax smiled at his enthusiastic reply. “Enough to move in with me?”
Noel lifted an eyebrow, replying calmly, “I suppose, if you insist.”
“I do. I can’t think of anything I want more than to share my…our house with the man I love.”
* * * *
Even though he knew buying the house, selling his condo, and moving his personal belonging and his business wouldn’t happen overnight, Jax was still frustrated at how long it took until everything was completed. In the interim, he accepted two jobs from new clients—which helped him retain his sanity—and spent as much time as he could with Noel.
“I’m seriously considering leaving everything I own behind, other than clothes and my tools,” Jax grumbled one evening as he and Noel were eating dinner. “We can furnish the house with your stuff.”
Noel snorted out a laugh. “Uh-huh. Minimalist will be us.”
One major thing they did, once Jax had closed on the house, was choose a part of the back yard to fence in for Andre. The other was hiring a firm to redo what had been the master suite so that Jax could use it for his business. Donovan suggested a company he’d used himself and offered to keep an eye on how the renovations were going.
“Between me and Noel,” he said, “we’ll make certain they don’t paint the walls chartreuse or florescent pink.”
Even with his and Noel’s furniture, they knew they’d need more as the house was substantially larger than their two residences combined. Ergo, they spent one Saturday evening in the city, choosing what they wanted for the living and dining rooms. Jax’s very modern furniture would go into the family room in the basement. They decided they didn’t need to buy new bedroom furniture, much to Noel’s relief. “We’re, well you’re already spending a fortune on everything else.”
That had been a bone of contention, as far as Noel was concerned.
“I’m not paying my fair share in all of this,” he said, pacing the living room when they’d returned to his house after their buying spree. “It’s not fair to you. I know, you say you can afford it, and I’m sure you can, but damn it, Jax, quit telling me not to worry. I’m beginning to feel like a leech.” He stopped pacing, turning to look squarely at Jax. “Or a kept man.”
“Get that idea out of your head right now,” Jax retorted. “You’re helping to pay for everything and you know it. Yeah, maybe I’m putting in more money than you. So damned what? I’m okay with it. I love you. I love what we have together. I think you do, too. Please, please, don’t let money become an issue that could tear us apart.”
Noel nodded. “I didn’t mean it, about being a kept man. Not really.” He sighed. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“No,” Jax replied, putting his hands on Noel’s waist to keep him from pacing again. “If we can’t be open about how we’re feeling this is doomed to end before it’s barely begun. You may not be bringing a fortune into our relationship, but you’re adding something much more important. Security. For the first time in my life I feel safe and it’s because of you. Safe to be the man I know I can be, not some convoluted version of him who has to pretend I like the life I’m living. I’m not pretending anymore. I love my life, now, because I have your love.”
“You do. You always will,” Noel replied wholeheartedly. “We have each other, which means everything to me.” Wrapping his arms around Jax’s neck, he kissed him then leaned back, smiling. “That does not mean I won’t let you know how I’m feeling about something, like what’s taking you so long to get your stuff moved out here?”
Jax laughed. “The movers are due on Monday, which is why I have to leave first thing in the morning.”
“About time. How long will it take?”
“With luck, everything should be here by Thursday, according to them.”
Noel pumped his fist. “Yes! Now I’ve got to tell my moving company to get my stuff over there. Then we get to spend a week arguing on how we want to arrange the furniture. Oh, oh, I’d better let the furniture company know they can deliver everything, too.”
“That might be a good idea. Why we didn’t have them do it tomorrow instead of waiting until my things arrived is beyond me.”
“Because someone—” Noel poked Jax’s chest, “—thought everything should get to the house at the same time, to make things easier.” He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, well…”
“You’re forgiven, this time.”
They kissed, again, which not unexpectedly led to their going upstairs to make love for the last time in Noel’s house.
* * * *
“This is wonderful,” Susan said, looking around Jax and Noel’s new home. She’d been there before, but not when it had all the furniture in place.
“It felt like it took forever,” Noel replied, “but we’re finally moved in.”
“Thank God,” Jax muttered, although he was smiling. “No more commuting a thousand miles to be with you. All of you.”
Donovan lifted his glass of wine. “Congratulations.”
They all raised their glasses. “It wouldn’t have happened without you and Susan pushing,” Jax said.
“I didn’t push,” Susan protested. “I just suggested you were being…stupid, Jax.”
“I’m still getting used to calling you Jax,” Donovan said. “I think you’ll always be Jackson to me, at least when I think about you.”
“I am to all my clients,” Jax told him. “I told you, it keeps my business and my personal life separate.” That was the excuse he’d used when Donovan had first asked why he suddenly had a nickname. “You’re a friend, now. Hell, you have been for quite a while. So…”
“Thank you. I like to think I am.” Donovan grinned. “Now, when I add a new book to my collection, you’re right here to do any small repairs it might need.”
“That I am,” Jax agreed.
“All right, everyone, I for one am starving so let’s get the steaks on the grill,” Noel said.
Between him and Jax, they brought the food out to the patio while Susan and Donovan kept Andre entertained and out from underfoot.
Much later in the evening, after a good meal and better conversation, Donovan and Susan left.
“Alone at last,” Jax said.
“You make it sound like we had a dozen people over for a house-warming,” Noel replied with a laugh.
“Do we know a dozen people?” Jax asked, grinning.
“A good question. Lots of acquaintances, between your clients and people who’ve adopted dogs from the shelter, but other than that…” Noel shrugged.
“We’ll remedy it, in time,” Jax promised. “Right now, though, I’m all for its being only Donovan and Susan. At least Donovan doesn’t ask questions we don’t want to answer.”
“Thank goodness.” Noel put his arms around Jax. “In a few years we’ll have to move on to somewhere new. Until then I plan on our living our lives to the fullest.” He chuckled. “Okay, we’ll do that wherever we are, and whoever we become.”
“Indeed we will!” Jax kissed him deeply then hand-in-hand they went up to their bedroom where once again they proved in one of the best ways possible how much they loved each other.
THE END
ABOUT EDWARD KENDRICK
Born and bred in Cleveland, I earned a degree in technical theater, later switched to costuming, and headed to NYC. Finally seeing the futility of trying to become rich and famous in the Big Apple, I joined VISTA—Volunteers in Service to America—ending up in Chicago for three years. Then it was on to Denver where I put down roots and worked as a costume designer until I retired in 2007.
I began writing a few years ago after joining an online fanfic group. Two friends and I then started a group for writers, where they could post any story they wished no matter the genre or content. Since then, for the last five years, I’ve been writing for publication—my first book came out in February of 2011. Most, but not all, of my work
is M/M, either mildly erotic or purely ‘romantic.’ More often than not it involves a mystery or action/adventure, and is sometimes paranormal to boot.
For more information, visit edwardkendrick.blogspot.com.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!
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