Jake seemed too stunned to be angry . . . yet. “What? Why?”
Tom shrugged and looked at Cass. “Care to explain?”
Cass crawled back under the covers and pointed at the documents Jake clutched in his hands. “Tom gave me Pippa’s a week after we launched it. Said I deserved it, but I think it was his way of telling me I didn’t need him to be safe . . . secure, you know? That I didn’t have to stay with him to have a good life. I thought he was bloody mad, but I get it now.”
Jake reached out for Tom, like he so often did, for reassurance.
Tom took his hand and gestured between them all. “Jake, we want you to have options. We don’t ever want you to feel you’d lose everything if you decided that this wasn’t what you wanted.”
Jake said nothing for a long moment, and Cass felt each second tick by. It had been his idea to sign Misfits over to Jake, but now he wasn’t so sure. Jake’s pride made him stubborn, and Cass remembered his own reaction to Tom’s staggering gift—swearing, stamping, slamming doors. It had taken him days to get his head around it.
But Jake did none of that. He released Tom’s hand, eased the papers back into the folder, and set it aside. “I don’t have to go to those boring meetings, do I?”
Tom opened his mouth, but Cass cut him off. “Hell no. It’s just a bit of paper that gives you some choices. Don’t worry about the corporate bullshit.”
Tom sighed. “Yeah, just leave the corporate bullshit to me, right, Cass?”
“Right. You can do that while me and Jake go to Battersea and get that pup you promised us.”
Tom rolled his eyes. “Give up the fags and you can fill the house with bloody dalmatians for all I care.”
“Careful what you wish for, mate.” Cass flopped onto his back. He felt lighter somehow, like they’d cleared another hurdle and there wasn’t much left in their way.
Jake got up and went to the bathroom. Tom stole his warm spot and pulled Cass close.
“That was easier than I expected. Maybe he’s not as pigheaded as you after all.”
“Shut up.” Cass moulded himself to Tom’s side and put his head on his chest. Heard his heart as steady and strong as it had ever been. “I feel good. Don’t spoil it.”
“I’m so bloody proud of you.”
“Shut up.”
Tom chuckled, but said no more. He didn’t need to. They were on the same page at last. Misfits gave Jake a safety net, whether he knew he needed it or not, and Cass would sleep easier now, knowing he was taken care of.
Jake came back to bed, and hovered a moment, as he sometimes did, still unsure of his place, but Cass wasn’t having that. Not today.
Cass held out his hand, pulled Jake close, and tucked him into the warmth of Tom’s chest, the chest that was made for both of them. They were at the beginning of an uncertain journey, but right here, right now, he had everything he’d ever wanted.
It will never be possible for me to know all there is to know about Tourette’s syndrome; and when I sat down to write this book, I didn’t want to write a character based on a cursory Google search.
Enter Rico, a wonderful young man I met on my quest for knowledge. Rico opened his life for me, guided me, and taught me. He made me laugh and cry, and above all, taught me that though TS is a condition a man can’t hide from, with the right support and a whole lot of love, life can become something wonderful.
The terminology I’ve used in this book may not be textbook correct. Rico told me that he defines each tic by sensation. Buzzing. Popping. Rippling. He has some ruder terms too, but I’m taking those to the grave.
Jake’s interpretation of TS may not be yours, or even mine, but know that I put everything I had into bringing Rico’s experience of this condition to life. Rico, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and patience, and for the company. You are an epic human being.
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Garrett Leigh is a British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Black Jazz Press.
When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible.
As an artist, Garrett works freelance for various publishing houses and independent authors under the pseudonym G.D. Leigh. For cover art and author branding info, please visit blackjazzpress.com.
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