Love, Never-Ending_Flash Me Photos Portfolio 1

by Michele Notaro

  Jax opened one eye and looked at him, then at me. “Yeah. I really didn’t tell you about it?”

  I shook my head and he frowned.

  “I’m sorry, I thought I told you.”

  I took a deep breath and let go of my hurt feelings. It was clear that he hadn’t meant to not invite me. “It’s okay.”

  Jax ran a hand through my hair. “It’s not, though. We need to figure out a better way to tell each other about plans. I really thought I told you.”

  “What if we do a calendar on our phones that all three of us share. We can put our work schedules in too,” Symon suggested. “I’ll set it up and color coordinate it and stuff.”

  I nodded. “That would work.”

  “Sure,” Jax said. “What time is this stupid party?”

  “I think it starts at four.”

  “Okay.” Jax looked at me. “My family is expecting both of you to come with me. I honestly thought I told you about it.”

  I leaned over and kissed his shoulder. “It’s okay. You just tell me what you want me to do.”

  “I want you to take a nap with me until we have to shower and get ready.”

  I chuckled. I’d meant what he wanted me to do at this party, but whatever, this worked, too. “Sounds good.”

  “I thought you and Tanner were going to go to the gym today?” Symon glanced at us both.

  Jax grinned. “Nope. We’re skipping the gym so we can nap. You okay with that?”

  Symon wrinkled his nose. “I hate going to the gym, so yeah, more than okay.”

  Jax looked at me, so I added, “Definitely good with skipping today. Sy worked out with me yesterday at work.”

  “Yeah… that sucked.” Symon buried his face into Jax.

  Jax kissed the top of Sy’s head, then leaned toward me for a kiss from me, so I happily obliged. “Any way you can reach the alarm clock? It’s on your side of the bed.”

  “Yeah.” I scooted over to set up the alarm, then came back and laid my head on Symon’s shoulder since he was using Jax’s biceps as a pillow.

  “No talking,” Jax said.

  Sy and I looked at each other and laughed. I leaned up to kiss his lips, then I leaned over him to kiss Jax’s chest, and we settled in for a nap. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

  Symon

  Going to Jax’s mom’s place was a little overwhelming. I didn’t really know anyone except Jax and Tanner—and Jax’s siblings that were constantly running off with their little kids—so I felt like a little kid following them around like a tiny duckling. Luckily, Tanner didn’t seem to want to leave my side, either. He knew a lot of people, but he looked kind of uncomfortable talking to them. I figured it was because they all knew that he’d left Jax and honestly, a lot of them were giving him dirty looks. I so didn’t appreciate it. I felt protective of my boyfriend, especially when I saw how upset the nasty looks were making him.

  Tanner leaned in to whisper in my ear, “How long do you think we have to stay?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I hope not too long. But look.” I gestured to Jax, who was standing there talking animatedly with one of his million cousins. “He’s like in heaven. He’s a social butterfly or something. And I feel like an idiot just following him around everywhere he goes. But I don’t know what else to do.”

  Tanner took a deep breath. “Well, Jax is driving, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then let’s go grab ourselves some beers and find a corner to hide in. We can get some snacks or something, too.”

  I sighed. “Okay, but… don’t abandon me, okay?”

  He smiled. “I won’t, angel.” He kissed my forehead, then grabbed my hand and said to Jax, “We’re gonna grab beers and food.”

  Jax nodded at him, then resumed his conversation with his cousin. I had zero clue what they were talking about because as soon as they started going on about camera equipment, I was lost. Apparently, Jax’s cousin just bought a nice camera, so he had to tell Jax all about it. It made me want to roll my eyes.

  Tanner opened the cooler and passed me a beer before grabbing himself one and leading the way to the food table. We got in line at the buffet and made ourselves some plates. Once we were loaded up, we both stood there for a moment, looking for a place to sit. I saw a couple of chairs off to the right side of where Jax was currently standing, so I pointed. “Over there.”

  “Perfect.” Tanner led the way to the seats, and we settled in our chairs. “Are there other plans this weekend?”

  “I don’t think so.” I bumped his knee with mine. “Sorry I didn’t tell you about this. I thought you already knew.”

  “It’s okay.” He twisted the cap off his beer.

  “Is it weird being around his family again?”

  “Yeah. It’s… I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve been around them my whole life, you know? So I know everyone here. But that means that they all hate me after…” he waved his hand around, “everything.”

  “They don’t all hate you. There were a couple people that seemed really excited to see you.”

  “Yeah. But I feel like most of them are just waiting for me to mess up and break his heart again.”

  I frowned at him. “Well, we’ll just have to prove them wrong, won’t we?”

  He sent me a half-smile before taking a swig. I twisted off the cap of mine and took a long sip. This day was really bizarre. We spent all day in bed, then rushed to get here and now it’s just… kinda uncomfortable and weird.

  After a few minutes of people watching, Tanner asked, “Do you think you guys would be able to meet my family next weekend?”

  I looked at him with raised brows. “You want us to meet your family? Like your dad and stuff?”

  “Yeah. I don’t want to hide you guys anymore. If my dad can’t handle it, then that’s his problem, not mine. But my older brother is coming home, so my aunt is having a welcome home party, and I’d like to go.”

  “Of course, we’ll go with you, Tan.”

  He nodded. “You know we’ll have to deal with shit, right? Like people are going to say nasty things to us. You think you and Jax can handle that?”

  “I’ve been dealing with asshole homophobes my whole life, Tanner. It won’t be anything I haven’t heard before.”

  He eyed me. “Did you used to get made fun of a lot growing up?”

  I sighed. “I mean, I guess it was a lot. I don’t really have anything to compare it to. But yeah, I got made fun of because I’m short, and I guess everyone somehow knew I was gay even though I didn’t come out until college. Well, I came out to my mom when I was like fourteen, but I wasn’t open about it until after I graduated high school. What about you? I can’t imagine that you got too much shit growing up. You’re like a giant bear.”

  He chuckled. “No, I was lucky. I was big enough to kick other kids’ asses if they said shit, so I got left alone. Jax only got made fun of when he was alone, apparently. He didn’t tell me about this one group of kids until after we graduated. He probably knew I’d kick their asses if he would’ve told me back then. Jax was a lot smaller in high school. He didn’t really start to fill out and get all,” he waved at Jax, who stood ten feet away from us, “muscular like that until college. But he’s filled out even more since back then.”

  I stared at Jax for a few seconds and tried to picture what he looked like when he was in high school. I couldn’t do it. “Do you have any pictures of him? And of you?”

  “Yeah, I have an old photo album in my apartment. I kept my shit in a storage unit while I was overseas, so I still have all of it.”

  “Will you show me one day?”

  He smiled. “Only if you show me pictures of you from when you were a kid.”

  “Deal.” I clinked my glass against his.

  “What’s a deal?” Jax’s voice startled me a little.

  I looked up at him. “We’re going to trade photos of you guys and me from when we were kids. I want to see what you looked like.”
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br />   Jax wrinkled his nose. “You sure you want to see that?”

  I smiled. “Yes, definitely.”

  He sighed and pulled a chair over, then plopped into it next to me. “Are you guys bored out of your minds?”

  “I’m okay,” I said.

  “Yeah, we’re fine. We’re just talking to each other, so no big deal.”

  Jax ran his hands over his face. “I want to go home.”

  “Why? It looked like you were having fun.”

  “Eh, I’m just… ready to go home. I’d rather spend time with you guys just lounging on the couch or something.”

  “Why don’t we go, then?” I asked.

  Jax sighed and leaned his head back so he was looking up at the sky. “We have to stay for a little while longer, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “Okay, then grab a beer and relax. I’ll stop drinking after I finish this one so I can drive home,” Tanner said.

  Jax smiled over at him. “Thanks, but I’m okay. I’m just tired.”

  “You took a nap already,” I said. “You feeling okay?”

  Jax turned his smile on me. “Yeah, pumpkin, I’m fine. It was just a really long week, so I’m exhausted, and we were up late last night.”

  “True.”

  “You okay with seeing my family next weekend? Gallagher is coming home and Aunt Sara is throwing a party.” Tanner looked a little nervous.

  Jax looked at him for a long time before sighing. “Well, as long as you want us there, then yeah.”

  Tanner scooted forward in his seat, leaning toward Jax. “I want you to come as my boyfriend, Jaxon. Not as my friend. I’m not going to hide you anymore.”

  Jax looked at him for several seconds. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Jax took a deep breath. “Okay, fine.”

  Tanner sent him a tiny appreciative smile.

  Jax looked at me. “We’re going to get so much shit next weekend.”

  “It’ll be okay.”

  Tanner said, “If everyone’s being assholes, we’ll just leave. I won’t stay where I’m not welcome. It isn’t worth it. If people don’t accept us, then they’re not welcome in my life.”

  Jax leaned forward and grabbed Tanner’s hand. “We’ll be here for you no matter what, baby.”

  Tanner smiled. “Thank you.”

  Jax smiled back and leaned forward, meeting Tanner right in front of me for a little peck on the lips. Jax turned to me and kissed my lips before sitting back. “After you finish your beers, let’s just head out.”

  “But I thought you said we needed to stay longer,” I said.

  Jax shrugged. “It’ll be fine. I just want to go home and be lazy all day with my boyfriends.”

  “That sounds perfect,” Tanner said.

  “Okay.” I lifted the beer to my lips and chugged the rest of it down. “I’m ready to go now.”

  Jax looked at me with wide eyes for a second before he burst out laughing. I chuckled with him, then looked at Tanner. “Come on, big guy, hurry up and finish that beer.”

  Tanner shook his head at me with an amused expression on his face before lifting the beer to his lips and gulping it down. When he finished, Jax laughed and grabbed our empty beer bottles. “Come on, boyfriends, let’s go say our goodbyes and get the hell out of here.”

  We trailed behind him and we made our way out of the party together. Jax drove us home and once we got inside his apartment, the three of us fell onto the couch and settled in for a day of lazing around.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jax

  Symon had gone in to work for an extra shift because his coworker called out, so Tanner and I had eaten dinner together at my place, then watched a movie on the couch. Halfway through the movie, he’d put his arm around me and kissed my head, and I’d settled into his side. After it was over, he’d kissed me, and I’d gotten so wrapped up in him that we’d ended up naked in my bed before I’d even realized it.

  When we lay on the bed kissing, I grabbed a condom and slid it over Tanner’s cock instead of my own. He looked shocked for a few seconds before he eagerly kissed my mouth and pushed a lubed-up finger inside of me while he covered my body with his. I hadn’t let him fuck me yet, but I was desperate to feel him inside of me. I wanted him to remind me that he was really here, that he really cared about me.

  Our mouths didn’t part as he finished opening me up and lined himself up with my hole. He pressed inside of me, and I moaned so loudly I was surprised the neighbors didn’t complain. Tanner slowly took me with small, controlled movements, and all I could do was hold on.

  He kept up a slow, lazy pace with his hips, and with his mouth. It was driving me insane and pushing me closer and closer over the edge. When he shifted his hips and grazed my prostate with every pass, I couldn’t hold back my release. I groaned and whimpered into his mouth as my body lit up from the inside out. I clawed his back, trying to bring him closer. I couldn’t get him close enough. Tanner grunted my name into my mouth, and his body tensed as he found his release, too.

  He gently pulled himself out of me and cleaned us up before resuming his position over top of me, kissing me with not just his mouth, but with his soul.

  There was so much emotion in Tanner’s kiss that I felt overwhelmed by it. I felt everything I was pouring into our kiss coming right back into me. The kiss was gentle and sweet and tasted of love, even if we hadn’t said the words yet. My heart was filling with all things Tanner, and yet, I could feel Symon there, too, even though he wasn’t with us.

  But I wanted him with us, I wanted him to experience this beautiful thing between Tanner and me because it wasn’t just about the two of us, it was about the three of us. Tanner and Symon were both becoming my entire world, my entire heart.

  I broke the kiss and whispered, “We need…” I trailed off, suddenly afraid that it would hurt Tanner’s feelings.

  But Tanner smiled down at me, placed a gentle kiss on my lips, then whispered, “Symon.”

  I sighed in relief and we rested our foreheads together as I closed my eyes. “Yeah, we need Symon.”

  “Let’s text him to come here when he gets off of his shift.”

  I nodded in agreement, and Tanner slid off me to lie beside me with his arm and leg draped over my body as I reached for my phone. I pulled up the group chat between the three of us and wrote: We need you, Sy. Please come over asap.

  Tanner kissed my temple, then my cheek and maneuvered us until he was spooning me.

  “Do you think he’ll come?” I asked after Sy hadn’t responded a few minutes later.

  “I hope so.” Tanner squeezed me to him and placed gentle kisses on my neck.

  I must’ve fallen asleep because sometime later, I heard the front door open before Symon opened the bedroom door and whispered, “I’m taking a shower.” He shut the door without waiting for a response.

  I frowned because the tone of his voice sounded off, and he hadn’t even walked in to kiss us hello. Plus, he usually showered at work, so that was kinda weird. Maybe he’d just wanted to get home to us or something.

  “Something must’ve happened at work,” Tanner said.

  I nodded and debated going into the bathroom to check on him, but something told me he wanted some space right then. It was only a few minutes later when Sy walked back in wearing pajama pants and no shirt. For a moment, I was surprised he bothered putting on anything at all, but then I saw the look on his face. He looked… haunted.

  When he walked to the edge of the bed, he glanced between Tanner and me before looking at the floor and whispering, “Jax… will you just hold me?”

  I opened my arms immediately and he climbed into bed, lying beside me but facing away. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close to spoon him and hold him tight. Tanner moved from behind me, climbing over us to get to Symon’s other side. Symon pulled my arm tighter around him and closer to his chest, lacing our fingers together. Tanner put his big, muscular arm over both of us
, pulling us close and smooshing Symon between us.

  Symon tightened his hold on my hand and buried his face in Tanner’s chest. His shoulders shook and it took me a moment to realize that he was silently crying. I heard him croak out, “Tanner.”

  Tanner looked at me in concern, but he started rubbing Symon’s arm. “What’s wrong, angel?”

  “I lost… I lost a patient today,” Sy cried into Tanner’s chest.

  Tanner and I both tightened our holds on him, and I nuzzled into Sy’s hair as Tanner whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

  “His… his wife was in the ambulance with me… she… she was screaming at me to do something… I… I… I tried everything… we were too late and he just… didn’t make it.”

  “Oh, pumpkin,” I whispered and kissed his neck.

  Tanner and I moved even closer to Symon, making sure he was completely wrapped between us. Tanner managed to pull the blanket over us, and he and I held our man together as he fell apart. I felt completely helpless and wished there was something I could do to make it all better again. But the only thing I could do was try to be there for him, just the same as Tanner.

  Symon eventually fell asleep and Tanner looked at me over the top of Sy’s head with his gorgeous eyes full of concern. He ran his hand through my hair and whispered, “He’ll be okay, baby. We have him, he’ll be okay.”

  I nodded at him and sent him a small smile, then kissed his palm. He leaned up and kissed my forehead, then kissed Symon’s hair before settling on the pillow again.

  I fell asleep holding Symon with Tanner’s fingers running up and down my arm.

  Tanner

  We were sitting in the living room, Symon was reading a book in the corner of the couch, I was sitting in the middle with his feet in my lap watching Jax flip through channels on the television from his spot on the loveseat. I’d had something on my mind all day, so I decided to just get it off my chest.

  I looked at Jax. “Thank you for giving me another chance, sweetheart. When you never wrote back to me, I assumed I’d never get another shot—”

  “Never wrote back?” Jax leaned back and looked at me with a furrowed brow.