by Tara Lain
On the television, the intro for Bobby Breeson came on. He did his opening monologue, making reference to the TV special, and then promoted Jerry’s appearance.
Ellie transferred her mom’s head to a pillow and went to the kitchen to get them all oatmeal raisin cookies.
Tiffany sat up and said more seriously, “Those stories about Ellie were pretty awful.”
“I know. I’m really sorry—” He stopped and looked at her. “You know what, I’m not sorry. All we did was go for a swim at the home of a nice person who’s actually a very good influence on Ellie. He’s a great musician, and she has fun with him. The rest was made up in the minds of stupid, small people. My daughter told me something right before we came to get you. You can’t spend your life worried about what others will think—”
Ellie balanced a plate of cookies as she said, “Because you may miss out on the best stuff.”
Tiffany nodded. “You’re right.” She wiped the edge of her finger under her eyes. “I’ve missed out on some good stuff with you, baby, and I’m sorry.”
Ellie gave her mom a one-armed hug and grabbed the remote and turned up the volume with the other hand.
Bobby Breeson said, “And now the man of the hour, to answer all our most pressing questions. Here’s Jet Gemini.”
The curtain opened, and Gabe and Ellie both gasped so loud they could actually hear it over the gasps of the audience on TV. Jet walked onto the stage in a beautiful, perfectly tailored light-gray suit with his hair slicked back from his face. His hair, however, stopped just below his ears. He’d cut the most famous hair in show business.
Tiffany said, “Oh my God, he’s so handsome.”
Ellie crowed, “Told ya.”
Bobby stood and shook Jerry’s hand. “You saw it here first, folks. Jet Gemini has cut his hair.” Bobby gestured for Jerry to sit on the couch. “So we can’t ask one thing until we know why you decided to take this drastic step.”
Jerry smiled. “Do you remember that old Melanie Griffith movie called Working Girl?”
“Yeah. Kind of.”
“She says to her friend—” He adopted a perfect, breathy Melanie voice, and Gabe and Ellie repeated it with him. “—if you want to be taken seriously, you’ve got to have serious hair.”
Gabe and Ellie looked at each other and laughed. Ellie said, “I can’t believe he cut it.”
Bobby leaned across his desk. “So you want to be taken seriously? I’d think a closetful of Grammys and an Oscar or two would be pretty damned serious, Jet.”
“I appreciate every one of those awards, but I have things I want to do in my life that I haven’t done, and I need to get on with them.”
“Okay, this is news. Tell us what?”
He looked out at the audience with a shy smile that was way more Jerry than Jet. “I’d like to extend my skills as a classical pianist, and I’d like to teach music.” The audience burst into applause.
“That is news. But then you really gave us a preview in your concert tonight. How will you fit these new enterprises in?”
“By quitting touring.”
The audience buzzed. Gabe swallowed hard and looked at Ellie.
Jerry said, “I plan to write music and record if people still want to hear me, but no more time on the road.”
“Your fans will be disappointed.”
He nodded. “Other stars will take my place.”
Ellie covered her mouth for a moment, then said, “He’s giving it up, Dad.”
“What?”
“No star ever wants another to replace them.”
Jerry leaned back in his seat. “I’ve been a performer since I was fourteen, and the fans have been kind to me, but now I want to have a home and family.” He grinned. “A real home. Not a rock-star home.”
Ellie whispered, “Daddy.”
Gabe moved from the chair and sat beside Ellie as she clutched his arm.
Bobby was looking around like he’d scored the interview of the century. “Uh, does the person you dedicated your song to at the concert have something to do with this?”
That soft smile came over his face again. “Yes.” Then he got serious. “For a long time, there have been rumors that I’m gay. I’ve never denied them, but I also didn’t confirm. I didn’t have a reason. But now I’m in love and want to get married, if he’ll have me. I guess I should say they, because his daughter also has to want to be my daughter.”
Ellie bounced in her seat but said nothing. Gabe couldn’t say anything. There wasn’t room in his throat for his heart and his words.
Jerry went on, “If they do want me, I plan to settle down and write and teach and watch my husband build the world’s most beautiful furniture.”
Tiffany gawked. “Oh my God, Gabe.”
Bobby said, “Did you just come out, Jet?”
“If you don’t know, you weren’t paying attention.” He grinned.
“And did we just hear your marriage proposal?”
“Yes.” He looked at the camera. “I don’t want any more rumors or crap flying around about me and the people I love. I’m gay. I’m in love with a man. His beautiful daughter is, I hope, going to be my daughter. I intend that this be the last piece of newsworthy controversy my personal life ever generates.”
“You’re stealing the thunder from the gossip rags?”
“Yes.” His beautiful face got stern. “I realized that as long as I give people cause for rumors and gossip, then it’s my fault, not theirs, if they spread it. But I’m out of the gossip business. I plan to live a boring, happy life.”
“I’ve got to ask, Jet. What if people say you quit touring because fans won’t come see a gay rock star?”
Before their eyes, Jerry transformed into Jet. He tossed his head and waved a graceful hand. “Don’t be silly, darling. They’ve been coming to see a gay rock star for twelve years.”
This time, the audience went totally apeshit. Ellie was jumping up and down beside him, but Gabe was way back there, stuck on I’m in love and want to get married, if he’ll have me.
On the TV, Bobby said, “Jet, if he’ll have you, where are you going to have your wedding?”
“At a place that has great meaning for both of us.”
GABE PRESSED the circular saw across the piece of lumber, breathing in the sweet scent of cut wood. Soothing. He wore safety goggles and earplugs, plus he was hiding out in the back corner of the store. There were a few reporters wandering around the place, but apparently knowing he was the one Jet Gemini wanted to marry, rather than an underage girl, and the fact that nobody was trying to hide anything made the story a lot less juicy and the photographers more polite. Just as Jerry thought.
Jerry had called after the show, but he’d been surrounded by reporters and his own entourage. He said he had a lot of ’splainin’ to do.
Gabe, of course, had Ellie and Tiffany gazing at him as he spoke to Jerry, which didn’t encourage candor. Still, when Jerry closed the call by saying, “I love you,” Gabe about hyperventilated and managed to say, “Me too.”
The saw vibrated comfortably in his hand as he got to the end of the two-by. He flipped off the machine, and Harry waved a hand to get his attention.
“Hey, my man, are you supposed to be here?”
Gabe glanced around. “I told Alejandro I’d do lumber today.”
“I don’t mean that.”
“It’s Tuesday. Why wouldn’t I be here?”
“Because, uh, you’re marrying a rock star?” He threw his hands up toward the ceiling.
Gabe cocked a half smile. “Chop wood, carry water, my friend. Jerry may be a rock star. I work at ImproveMart.”
“Can I quote you on that, Gabe?” It was the female reporter who’d confronted him with the story two days before. She was standing a few feet away, phone in hand.
Gabe stared at her and then smiled. “Sure.”
“So how do you feel about getting the world’s most romantic marriage proposal?”
Gabe gave
her a sideways look. “If I can quote my daughter, ‘Duh.’”
Her voice took on a little edge. “And how about getting the world’s biggest rock star to lay down his stardom and his life for you?”
The sweet voice came from behind her. “I didn’t lay down my stardom for Gabe, dear. I laid down my stardom for me, and I’m hoping Gabe will share my life.”
Gabe spun to see Jerry, with his new hair better cut than it had been the night before, wearing slim jeans but a pretty baggy sweatshirt. It was his Jerry. No cap, but also no bodyguards. Heat flooded Gabe’s chest until it invaded his head and pressed against the back of his eyes. Was it worth it to give up his carefully structured and planned life to be with Jerry? Oh hell yes.
He walked slowly toward the most beautiful man he’d ever seen—weird and wonderful. “Excuse me, sir, can I help you find some drawer pulls?”
Jerry smiled. “Yes, please. And will you bring them to my house and make a home with me and stay with me forever and ever?”
Gabe cocked his head. “Do you think we can make it work?”
“Darling, we already do.”
Gabe didn’t even care how many pictures were taken of them kissing.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Six months later—
“GABE, TIME to get ready.”
Gabe looked up from the fine sanding he was doing on the new credenza for the Massachusetts order. He smiled at Jerry and waved at Alex, one of his two apprentices, to take over the work he was doing.
Alex walked over and gave him a grin. “See you in a couple hours, boss.”
Gabe sucked in a breath, and it was shaky. “Yeah, you will. Unless I get cold feet and decide to elope.”
Alex patted his shoulder, laughing, and Gabe strolled over to Jerry, his soon-to-be husband, and gave him a soft, short kiss.
Jerry said, “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Jerry chuckled. “Come on, we’ve got to get you in practice for the Grammys.”
“At the Grammys I won’t be half the center of attention. You’ll be all of it.” He kissed his nose. “Where’s Ellie?”
“She’s over at her mom’s. I guess they wanted to dress together. More of a surprise.”
Gabe had given Tiffany his house in Talent when he and Ellie moved to Ashland with Jerry.
They walked out of the big building beside the driveway that had been turned into Gabe’s furniture studio and business. They wandered in through the garage past Jerry’s music studio that now occupied the room in the house they still called the “new space.”
Up in their bedroom with all the light flowing in from three walls and the breathtaking view of the mountains, Jerry pulled Gabe into the huge new tub that had been built in the expanded master bath. Jerry leaned back against Gabe’s chest, and they quietly caressed each other.
Gabe said, “I think we should enjoy this peace and quiet, because the house may not be this empty ever again until we’re ninety.”
Jerry laughed.
“Great idea not having the wedding here.”
Jerry kissed his hand. “This house is ours. I didn’t want to share with quite that many people.”
They kissed until the preparation time got extended a little longer than planned.
An hour later, they arrived in the garage fully dressed in tuxedos. Jerry adjusted Gabe’s tie. “Are you okay that we didn’t get married in jeans and flannel shirts?”
Gabe gave an exaggerated sigh. “Ellie would have disowned me as a father.”
“Come on, you gorgeous hunk. Let’s do this and get on with being boring.”
They drove in Jerry’s Prius until they saw the huge banner over the entrance to the parking lot. Closed today for special event.
They pulled into the parking space reserved for them near the huge tents that had been set up for the reception. Music was already coming from behind the canvas, and people were milling about—an amalgam of Gabe’s friends, Jerry’s friends and colleagues, and people neither of them knew who’d been invited by Theoni—like the governor and half the world’s entertainment press. By inviting everyone, Theoni had posited that the reporters would mostly leave the house alone. So far, so good.
As they got out of the car, Ellie walked up in a long yellow gown. Jerry raised a hand to his forehead. “I’m dying. You’re gorgeous.”
“You too, there, rock god.” They hugged, and Gabe smiled. If he’d picked from the whole world, he couldn’t have found a better stepdad for Ellie than Jerry.
She said, “They’re ready for us.”
“Okay. Let’s do this thing.” Jerry squeezed Gabe’s hand, and with Ellie leading them, they marched toward the huge warehouse building. Across the sign that usually said ImproveMart was a banner that read—
Wedding. Aisle Sixteen.
As they walked through the front door of the building, phones clicked, news cameras whirred, and the Jet Gemini band broke into a newly arranged version of “Till There Was You.”
Hand in hand, with Ellie leading the way, Gabe and Jerry marched down the aisle.
SEVERAL HOURS later, they pulled the Prius into the driveway at their house on Mountain Avenue. Ellie was spending the night with Tiffany, and they’d managed to convince everyone else that they were leaving for a several-day honeymoon in San Francisco.
The house was quiet.
Gabe said, “I’m going to leave the car here for a little while.”
“Are you going back out?”
“No. Just wanted to enjoy the moonlight.”
As he helped Jerry out of the car, lights went on behind them. Jerry looked up and pressed a hand to his mouth.
The tall, torii-style gate stood outlined against the glow from the front yard.
Gabe took Jerry’s hand, and they walked under it onto the new stone path. Lights in bushes shone on the tall trees and illuminated the colors of the fall flowers nestled around big stones that defined the walk. Defined was the word.
Jerry said it. “For the first time, I know where to walk and it’s easy to find the front door. It’s amazing and so beautiful. Only you understood how important this is.”
Gabe stopped and took Jerry into his arms. “I love you, husband.”
“And I love you.”
Gabe pointed at the walkway wandering through the trees and shrubs with the sound of a waterfall dripping into a pond ahead of them. Just beyond were the wide, inviting front porch and the new, brilliant red front door. He kissed Jerry gently. “It took both of us to find our way home.”
More from Tara Lain
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Now eighteen, Jazz meets his idol, the social activist Lysandra Mason, and her breathtaking nephew, Dash Mercury. When Dash is around, even stranger things start to happen, including Jazz falling hopelessly in lust. Not only is Jazz having visions, making people disappear, and somehow turning invisible, but somebody’s following him and threatening to reveal his pack’s secrets to the world.
Together with Dash and Jazz’s equally amazing friends—Carla, BeBop, Khadija, and Fatima—they discover the danger is even more lethal than they thought, and Jazz’s weirdness may save all their lives.
A Love You So Story
Craig Elson’s life has hit rock bottom. Even though he’s one of the best strategic planners around, a more confident guy takes credit for his work, and despite being a good-looking man, he suffers insults from the slimiest creep at the bar. Taking care of his beloved mom, who has Alzheimer’s, uses all his funds, leaving him in a plain, depressing car… and a plain, depressing life.
Until he sees gorgeous grad student Jesse Randall and his T-shirt that reads “I Would Bottom You So Hard.” The message seeps into Craig’s soul, and he asks Jesse to teach him to top.
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Dr. Llewellyn Lewis leads a double life, as both an awkward but distinguished history professor and the more flamboyant Ramon Rondell, infamous writer of sensational historical theories. It’s Ramon who first sets eyes on a gorgeous young man dancing in a club, but Llewellyn who meets teaching assistant Blaise Arthur formally at an event held for wealthy socialite Anne de Vere, descendant of Edward de Vere, seventeenth Earl of Oxford—who some believe was the real Shakespeare. Anne wants Llewellyn to prove that claim, even though many have tried and failed. And she’s willing to offer a hefty donation to the university if he succeeds.
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