Sutcliffe Cove

by Ariel Tachna

  GERALD walked up the stairs behind Brett, pleased with the way the evening was going so far. They’d gone riding that morning after some lessons, then worked in the barn awhile before going to the house, where Brett had made love to him until he had practically passed out. Then after a short nap and shower, here they were, and he was about to meet a couple of Brett’s friends.

  When the door opened, he couldn’t help but smile.

  “Welcome to Chez Laramie!” the slight man sang out with a wide grin.

  “Jeff,” Brett scolded, “you’ll scare Gerry off before he ever gets a chance to know you.”

  “Nonsense! He’s standing there smiling at me already,” Jeff said with a wave. “Come in, come in, both of you.”

  Gerald followed Brett into the renovated historic house and stopped in the foyer as Jeff closed the huge door. “I asked Brett what to bring, and he just looked at me, so I brought a bottle of wine.”

  Jeff sidled up along beside him and oohed over the bottle. “Bruce! Brett picked a good one!”

  “Jeff,” Bruce scolded. “Turn it down a notch, love.” He turned to Gerald. “Bruce Laramie. Nice to meet you.”

  “Gerald Saunders.” He shook Bruce’s hand and smiled. “I feel very welcome already.”

  “Ooh, and charming too! No wonder you’re keeping Gerry to yourself, Brett,” Jeff said cheerfully. Gerald raised an eyebrow and glanced to Brett in silent recognition of the nickname.

  Brett sighed and rolled his eyes, eliciting smiles from Gerald and Bruce and a huff from Jeff. “And if you don’t watch yourself, I’ll take him home again and not bring him to visit anymore.”

  Jeff turned on a spectacular pout. “Come on, Gerry. Let’s go to the kitchen,” he said petulantly, curling his arm through Gerald’s and pulling him away. Gerald looked back over his shoulder at Brett, grinning as he left the room.

  “Good Lord, Bruce,” Brett laughed when Jeff and Gerald left the room. “What did you put in his drink?”

  “Not in his drink, but it won’t be long before I put something on his finger. You haven’t had the TV on today, have you?” Bruce said.

  Brett shook his head. “No. Why?”

  Bruce grinned. “We’re celebrating. The state Supreme Court announced its decision on gay marriage. Jeff and I are getting married next month. I asked him this morning as soon as we saw the news.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Brett exclaimed. “I know how long you’ve waited for this! We’re definitely celebrating tonight!”

  “That’s right, so that’s why Jeff is over the moon. Just be prepared, because I’ve not seen him this giddy since he ate three cones of cotton candy at the fair in half an hour.” Bruce shook his head and led the way to the kitchen where Jeff was holding court.

  Gerald half-sat on a barstool, watching Jeff with great amusement as the other man talked and gestured. He was answering a question as Brett and Bruce joined them. “… no, I didn’t know that.”

  “Didn’t know what?” Brett asked, moving to Gerald’s side and draping his arm around his lover’s shoulders.

  Gerald’s eyes danced as he turned them on his lover. “That you used to skate in the roller derby.”

  Brett flushed six shades of scarlet. “Are you telling him all my secrets?” he asked, mock-horrified. “Next you’ll be telling him about my father walking in on me as I was getting my first blow job!”

  “Really?” Jeff squeaked, which drew laughter from both Gerald and Bruce. “You never told me that!”

  Brett flushed even darker. “Yeah, well, I didn’t mean to tell you now either.”

  Gerald chuckled and slid his arm around Brett’s waist. “I promise I won’t tell.”

  Beyond embarrassed, Brett just shrugged. “Nobody to tell now that you know,” he replied. “The guy’s long gone, my dad’s gotten over it, and the only other two people who’d care are these two jokers.”

  “That’s because we love you, Brett,” Jeff said as he leaned forward impulsively and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Now, Jeff, none of that. You’ll give Gerry the wrong idea,” Bruce said in his booming voice.

  Jeff made a discontented noise and waved his hand. “Fine then. You get some drinks, and I’ll check the oven.”

  “Come on, Gerry, this is a help-yourself household,” Bruce said, indicating the refrigerator. “Glasses are in the cabinet to the left of the sink.

  Still smiling, Gerald slid from his seat to fetch glasses, pulled down four, and then took two to the refrigerator while Jeff chattered on happily.

  Bruce watched with a smile as Gerald dropped a couple of ice cubes in each glass, taking the whiskey off the counter and pouring two fingers into each one. He knew exactly how to make Brett’s drink, which told Bruce all he needed to know.

  “Now, Brett, be useful and set the table or you’ll set a bad precedent for Gerry. He should know right now that no one is ever a guest in this house, just family,” Jeff pronounced.

  Brett laughed and set about pulling dishes out for dinner. “So what are we having?” he asked so he’d know what silverware to put out.

  “Bruce’s favorite. Chicken enchiladas,” Jeff said as he pulled a bubbling dish out of the oven.

  Gerald put the two glasses on the bar. “Anything I can do to help?”

  Bruce clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll warn you, anything is likely to happen when you ask that of my Jeff here.”

  “Now who’s going to give him the wrong idea?” Jeff retorted from the stove. “I’ll have you know there are certain things I’ll never ask for from anyone but you.”

  Gerald watched the animated discussion, totally able to understand why these two were so special to Brett. He thought they would be to him as well, without question.

  “Now, now, don’t get your back up,” Bruce said with a wagging finger. “We’re celebrating tonight.”

  “What are we celebrating?” Gerald asked as he sat down where Jeff pointed.

  “We’re getting married!” Jeff crowed. “Next month. You have to help us convince Brett to be our best man.”

  Gerald blinked, totally surprised. “Married?”

  “That’s right, married,” Bruce confirmed as they all sat down with the food in place. “Lucky man, I am.”

  “Apparently the state Supreme Court ruled today that gay marriage is legal under the constitution,” Brett explained to Gerald. “I hadn’t heard until we got here either.”

  “Wow,” Gerald said, still off balance. “That’s… great! Congratulations,” he offered genuinely.

  Jeff kissed Bruce’s cheek before sitting down next to him. “So now, as I said, I need your help to get Brett to stand up with us.”

  Gerald looked at Brett speculatively. “Somehow I don’t think he’ll need much convincing.”

  “No convincing,” Brett replied immediately, although the thought of having to dig out his suit was rather alarming, “but you could ask instead of trying to inveigle my boyfriend into it.”

  “Oh, I think your man would have helped if it came right down to it. Wouldn’t you have, Gerry?” Jeff said sweetly.

  “Of course I would,” Gerald answered automatically, looking back and forth between Jeff and Bruce, starting to recognize the dynamic between them. It was so loving; they were so obviously committed to each other. It reminded him of his parents, actually. Not that Jeff and Bruce were old enough for that, but just how they related to each other. “You two have been together a long time, haven’t you?”

  Jeff stopped and pretended to count on his fingers. Bruce tapped the side of his lover’s head gently. “Fifteen years, three months, ten days, and eight hours,” Jeff said proudly.

  Gerald’s jaw dropped a little. “Wow!”

  “He’s slipping, Bruce,” Brett teased. “He couldn’t tell us minutes or seconds tonight.”

  “He’s giddy,” Bruce said. “Give him time. He’ll get over it.”

  “Never going to happen,” Jeff said as he started dishing up food.

&n
bsp; As dinner went on, Gerald mostly listened to the other three talk, though he joined in from time to time. His thoughts were focused on the big topic of the night, though. Marriage. He’d never thought about it before in relation to anyone but his mom and dad. It wasn’t like he had been planning to get married, so he simply didn’t consider it something he needed to think about. But this, this was a surprise, and it was sort of throwing him for a loop.

  Brett noticed Gerald was a little quieter than usual, except it occurred to him that he didn’t know what was usual for his lover in a crowd. They spent so much time at the farm that they hadn’t been out with other people before. The bonfire hardly counted since they weren’t together then and Brett had spent most of his time playing host. Brett thought he ought to remedy that, although he couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather go than his couch—or his bed—with Gerald beside him.

  The evening progressed wonderfully, in Gerald’s opinion; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a good time visiting with friends. But once they were outside waving at Jeff and Bruce standing arm in arm on their front porch, Gerald realized he was really tired.

  “Did you have fun?” Brett asked as they walked back to the car.

  “Yeah, I did. They’re great,” Gerald said.

  “They’re the closest friends I have,” Brett said. “They’re the standard I’ve always measured my relationships against. I’ve always wanted what they have.”

  Gerald watched Brett as he walked around the car and had to actually snap himself out of a daze to get into the passenger seat. “They’re beautiful people.”

  “They are,” Brett agreed. “The very best. I’m so thrilled they’ll finally get to make their commitment legal. It won’t make them love each other more than they already do, but it’ll give them a standing in the eyes of the law they’ve never had before.”

  “And that’s important to them?” Gerald asked curiously.

  “Of course it is,” Brett said. “It means nobody will question their right to be together if one of them is injured. It means they can claim each other on their insurance. Bruce’s insurance policy is much better than Jeff’s, but until now, he hasn’t been able to put him on it. It gives them a kind of security that your parents or mine have always taken for granted, that they’ve never had.”

  Gerald smiled a little, his chest oddly warm. “I can see you feel strongly about it.”

  “It’s never been an issue for me personally,” Brett admitted, “but I’ve lived a lot of it vicariously through Bruce and Jeff. I don’t think they can be any more committed to each other, but this affords them some guarantees they didn’t have before. And that is important.”

  Something in Gerald deflated a little, and he told himself it didn’t mean anything. Never been an issue, Brett said. But Gerald couldn’t wish for what he didn’t know he wanted, now could he? Still a little conflicted, he filed the idea away just in case he might need it someday. He turned his chin to look out the window, wondering when one plus one equals two had become so complex.

  “Is that something you think you’d want someday?” Brett asked, fishing for information. He’d hoped meeting Bruce and Jeff would spur this conversation without prompting, but that didn’t seem to be happening.

  “Haven’t ever thought about it,” Gerald answered honestly.

  The answer was as frustrating as everything else Gerald said these days. “Would you be willing to think about it?” Brett pressed.

  Gerald raised one shoulder. “I don’t know why not.” He turned his attention to his lover. “I’ve never had reason to consider such a thing. I think I can understand why it would be important to Jeff and Bruce.”

  Brett sighed in frustration. “Would you be willing to think about it with me?” he asked finally, needing a straight answer. “I’m not asking for a commitment now. I just need to know if you could consider it.”

  Gerald leaned his head back against the seat as relief flooded through him, watching his lover with a gentle smile. “Who else would I consider it with, Brett?” he asked, his voice soft.

  “I don’t know,” Brett replied. “I just didn’t know whether you’d consider it with me.”

  Gerald still watched him. “Yes, Brett. I’ll consider it with you.”

  Brett’s smile lit his entire face. “Good.”

  BRETT frowned down at the books, the projections for the rest of the year and for next year, trying to decide what he could guarantee, what he could hope for, and what he could dream about. He’d need all that information to approach a bank or other investor about infusing some capital into the farm so he could make the improvements he wanted. The indoor ring needed a new heating system, and he wanted to upgrade the outdoor ring and create a cross-country jumping course. He was also looking into therapy riding, but that was an even bigger investment of time and money.

  Gerald opened the door from the back porch and stepped inside. “Hey, what’s up?” He was still cleaned up, which meant he’d had a lesson but came here before heading to the barn to work.

  “Looking at numbers for next year,” Brett said with a sigh. “Math makes my head hurt.”

  “What sort of numbers?” Gerald walked to stand next to Brett and looked down at all the papers. He’d been reviewing the farm’s tax situation the past couple of weeks, but he hadn’t seen actual financials.

  “Projected expenses, income, that sort of thing,” Brett answered. “I need it to convince the bank to give me a loan.”

  “The bank will want records from the past few years of both income and expenses, including physical and liquid assets, as well as a written statement about what you hope to accomplish and what you’ll need to do it. It would be best to include a budgeted requests list, and it should be estimated high,” Gerald rattled off helpfully.

  Brett sighed. “This gets more and more complicated every time I work on it.”

  Gerald chuckled and slid into the chair next to him. “Yes, it’s complicated, but certainly doable. No thicker than dealing with the farm’s taxes. I’ll help.”

  “Really?” Brett asked, absurdly grateful. “I have all the records, but I wasn’t here until about a year ago, so I don’t know what’s in the older ones.”

  “Yes, really,” Gerald teased. “Best thing to do will be to get it all out and organize it first; that way you don’t have to keep going back later. It will also get you familiar with what’s been done in the past and how prices have changed over time.”

  “It’s all in the office upstairs,” Brett said, relief obvious in his voice. “My parents kept meticulous records. I just haven’t had time to go through them.”

  “When do you want to start? How about an early dinner first?” Gerald asked, propping his chin in his hand with his elbow on the table.

  “Sure,” Brett agreed. Anything to delay having to go through those records. “What’re you in the mood for?”

  “How about I take you out to the hibachi grill?” Gerald suggested.

  Brett’s eyes got wide. They never went out. “Hibachi?” he parroted. “What’s the occasion?”

  Gerald raised an eyebrow and shifted in the chair. “I can’t take you out?” he asked with a smile. He’d wondered if Brett would be surprised. Looked like he was.

  “Well, um,” Brett stuttered. “I guess. It’s just, we always….” He shook his head as if coming out of a trance. “I’d love to go to the hibachi grill,” he declared. If Gerald wanted to go out, they’d go out! “Just let me change into something a little less ratty.”

  Gerald’s smile got bigger the more Brett stuttered on. “Okay,” he said agreeably. “I’ll wait,” he said, amused.

  Brett hurried upstairs, shedding his shirt as he went. He toed off his socks and tugged off his jeans, standing in front of the closet in just his underwear. He frowned slightly at the sight that greeted him. Didn’t he have anything besides old jeans? Finding a pair of dress slacks in the back, he pulled them out, hoping they still fit. They were a little loose
—he’d apparently lost some weight since he’d been home—but a belt solved that problem. He found a button-down shirt and pulled it on as well, digging out his dress shoes. He started back toward the stairs when he caught sight of a rarely used bottle of cologne on the dresser. With a smile, he splashed a little on and went back to the kitchen whistling. “Ready when you are.”

  Gerald turned to look, and the appreciation was clear in his eyes. “Well, I’m underdressed now,” he said, glancing down at his close-fitted blue jeans and chambray shirt, tucked in, all accentuating his trim form.

  “You look good enough to eat,” Brett insisted. “It’s just all I have besides work clothes. I obviously need some new clothes if we’re going to go out much.”

  “Maybe we’ll go shopping then,” Gerald said as he stood and headed for the door. “Have you got a suit for the wedding?” He pulled his keys out of his pocket as they walked out onto the front porch.

  Brett snorted. “Yeah, right. It’s hanging upstairs next to my tuxedo.” He followed Gerald out to his car, settling next to him in the passenger seat.

  “Luckily, you have me. We’ll get you a suit for that and whatever else you think you need,” Gerald said distractedly as he backed the car out of the parking spot.

  Brett groaned. “You’re going to make me go shopping.”

  “Oh, Brett, I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, lover,” Gerald said with a laugh as he steered the car down the drive.

  “Yeah, but baby, I hate shopping!”

  Gerald shot him an indulgent smile. “How about I make it worth your while, hmm?”

  “How?” Brett asked suspiciously.

  “Hmm,” Gerald’s tongue stuck out just a bit as he thought. “I could give you a reward for good behavior.”

  “What reward?”

  “Suspicious!” Gerald teased, reaching to squeeze Brett’s thigh. “You pick the reward.” He got the car onto the highway and set the cruise control.

  “You and me and a long ride out into the mountains,” Brett said immediately.

  “Such a hardship,” Gerald drawled. He turned his chin and winked at Brett.