by Jerry Cole
“Just a Kiss”
An MM Gay Romance
Jerry Cole
© 2020
Jerry Cole
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.
Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/.
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.
Edition v1.00 (2020.11.25)
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Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Earleen Gregg, RB, Big Kidd, Naomi W., and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
He adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. The suit was so uncomfortable. He hated wearing it, avoided it whenever it was possible. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible this time. He had to wear it, but that didn’t stop him from hating it. He sighed heavily, checking himself over in the mirror. It still felt tight. He hated this suit and wanted nothing more than to wear his normal jeans and a button-up shirt.
The man stared at his reflection and tugged down the front of the suit jacket. It had been bought brand new and tailored to him, but it still felt like he was choking. He hated weddings. And he hated the fact that he was obligated to go to it. But it was his sister’s wedding and he was due to walk her down the aisle and give her away to her new husband.
That was why he had to wear this suit. The wedding was going to be simple enough. Neither family was very far above middle class and the bride and groom were both financially secure, but they didn’t want to overspend on the day. They didn’t want to go into debt with their wedding, spending only what they had been able to save, having the wedding in a public place, and the reception in a relative’s house. It was a simple ordeal with a small guest list. Something perfect for the young couple.
He smiled. He was happy for his twin sister, but he never pictured her getting married first. He was the one that had everything together earlier than she had. And somehow it had never really worked out for him. He had almost been married once, but it hadn’t happened. He sighed, thinking about the moments that he almost had and how it had all ended in disaster.
The door opened behind him. “How’s it going?” The voice behind him was soft and feminine.
He wheeled around to look at his sister. She was already in her dress. It brought a smile to his face. “I hate this suit.”
“You’ve always hated suits.” She walked up to him and helped adjust his tie. It was a touching moment that was iconic in so many movie scenes. It almost brought a tear to his eyes. She had done this for him before.
“I know.” He rolled his eyes despite the tender moment that they were sharing. It was one of those moments that only a sibling could understand.
She laughed softly, touching his cheek. “But you always looked so good in them.”
“Did I?”
“Yeah, that’s why everyone kept trying to convince you to wear them more.”
“They’re just really uncomfortable.”
She laughed. Her smile was always infectious. She was the best sister that he could have ever asked for. “That’s how I feel about dresses.”
The smile played on his lips as he responded to his answer. “Yeah, I bet.”
She took a moment. The girl was thoughtful. He could almost read her thoughts. “You’re a handsome brother.” She patted his chest. A comforting gesture. She seemed to understand what he needed at that moment.
The simple touch made him smile a bit wider. But there was a twinge of guilt in the back of his head. He was supposed to be there celebrating her moment. This was her day and something that she deserved to be the center of it. But there she was making him the center of that moment. “It’s worth the hell of wearing a suit if it makes your day more special.”
His sister pinched his cheek “Ah, that’s so sweet.” She grinned at him.
He took a moment to examine the dress she had picked. He hadn’t seen it since she had it tailored to her. It looked even better than it did when she was trying it on in the store. “When did you get all girly?”
“I’m allowed to be girly sometimes.” She shrugged. “This is one of those days I kinda want to be.” She laughed.
But her dress wasn’t that girly. It was simple and easy to wear. It fit her well. She rarely wore dresses and couldn’t stand high heels. Even at her wedding, she wore comfortable flats. Her husband didn’t mind. He liked his tomboy of a wife. The fact that she had been tough was something that the man she was going to marry found attractive.
He was happy for his sister. She meant the world to him. They had been raised together, living in adjoining rooms that shared a bathroom on the top floor of the house that their parents had bought just after they had gotten married. It had been their home until they were both out of the local college and gotten small apartments with the paychecks from their first jobs. Both of them had worked hard and eventually saved up to buy a small restaurant.
He worked as a chef there, staying in the back and out of sight. She was tough but much better with customer service. It was just in her friendly nature, a difference that had become even more pronounced recently.
Both of the siblings worked full-time hours plus some but made enough from their profits, even if they didn’t officially take a salary, to be solidly mid
dle class. And they probably could have used the restaurant for the event, but the bride had decided against it, letting other managers take over running the place so they could keep making money while the wedding was going on. Another wise decision considering they could get free locations if they looked hard enough for the wedding.
It was just another way that his sister was ultimately a sensible woman. They had been raised to be sensible and he liked to think that he was almost to his sister’s level. She was a woman that knew that fancy things and places didn’t make the memory, what was important is that she was surrounded by people that she loved and that loved her. She had her priorities spot on.
“How are you feeling?” He asked his sister.
“A little nervous.” She shrugged.
“I’ll bet, it’s a big step.”
“I shouldn’t be nervous.” She frowned and shook her head.
“It’s alright to be nervous.” He smiled down at her. He was only a few inches taller than his twin sister, but they both had the same light brown hair that looked blond when the sun hit it just right and the same blue eyes that glittered when they laughed. Her features were only slightly more delicate than his. There was no denying the fact that the twins were twins.
“It’s not like we weren’t living together before.” She laughed. “Nothing is changing except for some paperwork.”
“But it doesn’t feel like it’s just paperwork.” He finished her thought.
“Yeah, it doesn’t.”
“That’s because society puts a lot of pressure on weddings, even if there’s no appreciable difference in your lives afterward.” He reminded her.
“That sounds like something I would say.”
“Where do you think I learned it from?”
His sister laughed at him. “That’s why you’re the big brother.”
“Because I remember what you tell me?”
“Yeah, because I don’t ever listen to what you’re saying.” The woman grinned at her older twin brother.
It was the same old grin that he remembered from his childhood. She would always be the same little sister that he had always known. And he was grateful for that. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to distract him. She knew that weddings were hard for him. And that there was a good reason he had always avoided them. And avoided suits.
But he was happy. This was his baby sister. He didn’t think about the pain. He couldn’t let himself think about the pain. He could have been there. He could have walked away from his sister’s wedding, but he knew that he would never actually do that.
He wanted to think about his sister. That was his primary focus at that moment. It had to be. “It’s a shame Mom and Dad aren’t going to be here to see this.”
“I know, but I know they’re watching.” She smiled. “From wherever they are now.”
“Yeah.” He nodded and reached up to adjust one of the flowers in his sister’s hair.
“Something wrong with my hairpiece?”
“Just a flower that shifted, you still look beautiful.” He smiled at his little sister. “No one would notice unless they were this close anyway.”
She grinned and hugged him, pulling him close to her. It was a comforting gesture that he appreciated fully. “Are you ready to walk me down the aisle?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He smiled at the younger woman. “Then I’ll get back to work tomorrow.”
“You could take more time off, you know?”
“Someone has to make sure this place hasn’t burned down by the time you get back from your honeymoon.” He teased her.
“When the cat’s away the mice will play, huh?” She teased him back.
They had a good crew at the restaurant. They both knew that the team would be just fine, but Vance didn’t want to stay home and think about a wedding. He wanted to go back to work. This was a convenient excuse. And he knew that Vanessa knew it.
He patted her arm as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. “You ready to change your name?”
“You know I’m not changing my name.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I know, but I’m still gonna tease you about it.”
She wrinkled her nose as her eyes danced in amusement. “Keep teasing me about that and I’ll have to deal with you.”
“By leaving me alone to hold down the fort while you hit the beach?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re going to do that anyway.” He laughed and they stepped out of the room. “I think it’s time.”
“Yeah, it’s time. Time for me to face my maker.”
“Just remember that it’s only about the paperwork and he’s going to be the same man that you love no matter what.” Vance offered a few words of comfort. He hoped that it stuck. Or even that it meant anything at all.
He couldn’t keep offering that because the moment that he walked out of the tent and onto the carpet that would lead them to the aisle he froze.
She frowned. “You alright?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He shook the fear out of his mind and made himself take the next few steps.
“Do you need to get some air?” His sister was there, ready to cancel the whole thing just to make her brother’s life a little easier. It was just the way that they were.
But he wasn’t going to let his issues stop her wedding. He wasn’t going to step back and let her suffer. He had to do this job. He had to walk her down the aisle. There wasn’t anyone who could step into the role.
Well, he didn’t know of anyone. Knowing his sister, she had some sort of backup plan set up in case he panicked and had to step out of the ceremony. She would have that prepared, but he wasn’t going to let her use that back up plan.
He straightened himself out and drew in a deep breath. “I’m sure he would be happy for you too.”
Vanessa smiled. “And you.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Vance shook his head.
“Because you haven’t really let go, have you?” Her voice was quiet.
“We shouldn’t talk about this right now. You have a wedding to get to.” He sighed. “We should get you to your new groom.”
Her smile looked strained for a second. “Fine, but we’re talking about this before I leave on the honeymoon.”
“We will, I promise.” The older twin nodded and patted his sister on the hand. “We will.” He didn’t mean it, but it would keep his sister happy so that this ceremony could get started. He was very ready for his part of this to be over so he could just sit off to the side with no one paying any attention to him or the state of his mind.
“I’m going to hold you to it.”
“I know you are.” He nodded.
“Good.”
“Let’s get you to your wedding. I want to see this happen.” He kept his smile on his face.
“Alright.” She squinted at him.
“Don’t squint. It’ll mess up your make up.”
She sighed and let him lead her to the altar that was set up there on the beach, a table with a nice cloth on it. He knew what was underneath it, because he had helped set up the folding table, but if someone was looking from the outside, they wouldn’t be able to tell.
His brain felt like it had turned into some sort of mush as he walked down the aisle, escorting his twin sister to the man that would be officially her husband less than an hour from now. He forced himself to breathe. It felt like it was impossible to do, but he did it anyway. Then he moved on to the next most important thing. He forced himself to smile. But it was a wedding, so it was acceptable to cry a little bit. He let the tears roll down his cheek as he listened to the words of love passed between the young couple.
It was all he could do to keep himself from leaving the wedding early, excusing himself to deal with the pain that gripped his soul.
His wedding had almost been just as pretty. He had been in the tent when the screeching metal told him that his life was over. He winced as the memories flooded into his mind, tak
ing over his entire psyche for a second that felt like an eternity.
He remembered the blood on his suit as his fiancé had breathed his last breath. The car accident had taken his fiancé from him before they managed to get married. That was the reason this wedding would be forever bittersweet in his memory. And why he had to force himself to not show it. He hadn’t gone to a wedding since the traumatic ending of the love of his life.
It had broken him; it had taken him over a year to even be able to act like he wasn’t broken. He was on the road to getting better.
But there was no way that he was going to miss this. He wasn’t going to miss the chance to see his sister get married, no matter how much it hurt. And he was there. He just had to make it through the ceremony. He could do it. He would do it. His sister was way more important than feeding the pain of the memories with more avoidance.
Chapter Two
Kenton glanced across the altar. His best friend was getting married to the woman of his dreams, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. He was focused on the man with the pained look on the other side of the bride.
He had been told that the man was the brother of the bride. The twin brother of the bride. But that didn’t explain why he looked like every single word of the vows caused him pain. He made a promise to ask the questions of the groom during the reception.
The ceremony went smoothly and Kenton was pretty sure he was the only one that noticed the pained man standing there next to the bride. Everyone else was focused on the happy couple.
And as they all loaded up and went into the reception at the house of a relative of the bride. He rode in his vehicle but got there about the same time as the family did. Mostly because he had followed the line of cars and it wasn’t that far from the outdoor location of the wedding. It was a simple way to handle things, he thought.
Kenton checked his appearance in the rearview mirror. He had dark hair. The style felt a little off, so the man ran his fingers through his hair to get it straightened back out. There. It had fallen back down perfectly. Kenton shot himself a smirk into the mirror. Maybe it was something vain, but the man didn’t worry about seeming vain. It was simply that he cared about his appearance. He liked to look good.