Surprise Delivery

by D. J. Jamison

  The surgery had removed a large section of Kage’s leg and replaced it with prosthetic material, but he was clear of cancer. They went to undergraduate school together, and when Casper went to medical school, they agreed to a long-distance relationship. Kage returned home to put his literature degree to work. When he wasn’t living adventures, he was making them up. Spending so much time trapped in a bed, Kage had been forced to invent the life he couldn’t always live.

  Kage received regular screenings, and cancer reoccurred while Casper was in medical school. Kage had been cancer-free for more than six years at that point. Kage had survived cancer before, and he told Casper to stay in school. His family was there to get him through chemo, and there was no point to Casper putting his future on hold to watch Kage throw up.

  He hadn’t told Casper how much the cancer had spread, that it was a new type of cancer unrelated to the Ewing sarcoma he’d overcome years before, or that his odds of survival were much slimmer. He didn’t tell Casper, and he’d made his parents promise not to call Casper home to be with him.

  He’d died while Casper was hundreds of miles away. He’d gotten a call that Kage was in bad shape, but there had been no time for goodbyes. One day he had a boyfriend, and the next, he felt as if he’d never love again. He felt desperately sad, too sad to be angry with Kage for what he’d done. He knew why Kage did it. He understood Kage wanted him to focus on his own living, not Kage’s dying.

  But Kage’s parents? Casper had never talked to them again. He’d been furious that they kept the truth from him, even if Kage had asked them to do it. He couldn’t direct his rage at Kage, but he could hold a grudge against them.

  He tensed, all those memories surfacing to the top of his sleep-fuzzed mind.

  “Who is this?” Eric asked about the tattoo. “It’s a real person, isn’t it?”

  Casper couldn’t possibly split himself open and share the truth behind the tattoo. He could barely deal with it on his own, without having to say it out loud.

  “It’s just ink,” he said gruffly, his heart twisting in his chest at the lie, and then he lifted himself onto Eric’s body and kissed him hard to distract them both.

  It worked. Under him, Eric responded to his every touch, bucking when their bare skin pressed together, bringing their hard cocks into alignment. Casper kissed Eric, trying to forget Kage for once, to make the pain of his memories fade under the lust. They rubbed and thrust and groaned together until they’d both come again.

  After using his T-shirt to clean up, Eric rolled over and fell asleep.

  Casper lay awake for a long while, wondering what exactly he was doing with Eric Holtz, and how to tell Eric what he wanted when he was beginning to think he didn’t know that himself.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning, Eric left Casper showering while he pulled on a pair of sweats and went to the kitchen. He mixed up a quick batch of pancake batter and plugged in his waffle maker, thinking he should offer Casper breakfast. Olivia much preferred oatmeal to bacon and eggs, and Eric generally had only coffee in the morning, so he was low on breakfast options, but who didn’t like waffles?

  His belly fluttered with nerves now that it was morning. Sex the night before had been scorching, and Casper had stayed all night — which had greatly surprised Eric when he opened his eyes that morning. But since then, their interactions had been stilted. Casper acted awkward waking in his bed, and Eric wasn’t sure whether to downplay the night spent together or get real with Casper about how he felt about it.

  While he was setting the coffeemaker to brew, the doorbell rang.

  He cringed, glancing down at his bare chest, then back toward the bedroom. It was early for Olivia to be home and she had a key, but maybe she’d lost it. He couldn’t think of who else it might be. If he was lucky, it’d be a salesperson he could quickly turn away.

  The doorbell rang again, and he passed through the living room, grabbing a zippered hoodie to slip on. Feeling marginally decent, he pulled open the door, just as a hard knock sounded.

  “Finally!” Laura said with a huff. It was eight in the morning, and Eric’s sister was clearly dressed in her church clothing, a skirt and frilly blouse, high heels and a pearl necklace.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d take Olivia to church,” she said, smiling brightly. She faked it well, but Eric could see the effort it required. “She hasn’t been in a while, and that just won’t do. She can run away from us, but not God. Then maybe we’ll have lunch with Bruce. She hasn’t seen her father in weeks, you know.”

  And who is to blame for that?

  “Olivia’s not here.”

  Laura pushed her way inside, even though he’d not stepped back from the doorway or invited her in. He turned, watching her glance around the living room, as if she expected to see her daughter stashed in the corner.

  “So, where is she?” she asked.

  “Out.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Out? This early?”

  “She’s still out—”

  “Eric, you didn’t let her spend the night with a boy as if it was nothing, did you? I knew letting her stay here was a mistake!”

  She hadn’t let Olivia stay, so much as given in to Olivia’s demands in order to maintain some kind of relationship with her, but Eric wasn’t going to argue semantics.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Eric said. “She went to a slumber party with her girlfriends, like any normal teen—”

  “She’s not a normal teen.”

  “She’s pregnant, not abnormal,” he said. “And she’s a smart, sweet girl. That hasn’t changed just because you don’t approve.”

  “Don’t you lecture me. Not you of all people,” Laura snapped. “You think it’s easy trying to raise a young person with strong beliefs in today’s world? Well, it’s not. I’m so tired of your self-righteous attitude. She’s my daughter.”

  Eric stood by the front door, holding it open, wordlessly asking Laura to leave. Just go, he silently urged as he watched her rant about how unfair life was. How she was only trying to do the right thing in God’s eyes. How Olivia was too young to make these kinds of decisions for herself.

  She stopped abruptly, half-turning toward the hall. “You liar.”

  “What?”

  She started toward the hallway. “I can hear the shower. She’s here, isn’t she? You’re trying to keep us apart!”

  Oh, shit. Eric abandoned his post by the door to follow her down the hall. If Laura burst in on Casper in the shower, that wouldn’t go well for anyone. “No, Laura, just stop—”

  The shower cut off. She glanced at him in triumph. “You’re not going to interfere this time,” she said with an angry smile. She tapped on the door. “Olivia! Olivia, come out here!”

  “That’s not Olivia,” Eric hissed just as the bathroom door opened.

  Steam billowed out, and a moment later Eric’s eyes focused on Casper, naked except for the towel around his waist. In any other circumstance, the sexy man before him would have inspired him to stare, drool, and possibly plead for another round of amazing sex. But with Laura gaping, eyes wide, Eric couldn’t enjoy the sight.

  He grabbed Laura’s shoulders and forcibly turned her back toward the living room. “Not Olivia,” he repeated. He called back over his shoulder. “Sorry, Cas. Get dressed. Laura was just leaving.”

  Laura walked down the hall in a daze. “That was a man in your …” She stopped abruptly and gasped.

  Eric turned toward her, anticipating an end to her sentence. Her hand cracked across his face. “You’re disgusting!”

  Eric stood, stunned, as she stomped into his living room without him. He lifted a hand to his face, his cheek hot. Whether from the slap, the embarrassment, or the anger heating to a boil inside him, he couldn’t be sure.

  How dare she?

  A second later, he was moving. He caught her before she reached the door. “Why the fuck did you hit me?” he demanded.

  Sh
e whirled. “Screwing men when my daughter could walk in any moment? You’re exposing her to a perverse lifestyle!”

  Eric grabbed her arm, tugging her toward the open door. “Get out,” he said angrily. “No one talks to me like that in my own house.”

  She fought him, struggling to pull away and raking her nails down his exposed chest when he didn’t let go. Eric was so angry, he barely felt the sting of her nails.

  “Get out!”

  Eric gave Laura a final push onto the porch. She stumbled over the doorjamb, grabbing his jacket and nearly tugging him outside with her. He fought to disentangle himself while she continued to scream insults at him from the porch.

  “You’re fucking dead to me,” he said, shaking with rage as he pried her grip loose from his sleeve. “Don’t come here, ever. I don’t want to see you again!”

  Free of her grasping hands, he stepped back and slammed the door in her face. He whirled around, clutching the back of his neck. “Goddammit!”

  Casper stood in the living room, now fully dressed, but Eric was too shaken to worry about it. He turned, and unleashing all of his pent-up rage, slammed his fist into the wall next to the door.

  “Eric!”

  Eric shook out his right hand. “Oh fuck, that hurt.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Casper said, grasping his wrist and lifting his hand to examine it. “You could have broken your hand.”

  “Feels broken,” Eric muttered.

  “It’s not broken,” Casper said. He glanced at the cracked plaster, and added grimly, “unlike your wall. We better get some ice on your hand, though. It’s likely to swell.”

  Eric let himself be led to his kitchen, which smelled of freshly made coffee. Remembering the morning he’d planned, he felt angry all over again. Laura had robbed him of a nice morning after with waffles and kisses.

  He was so pissed, mentally reciting a litany of curses and things he should have told Laura when she was screaming in his doorway, that he missed Casper’s words. The cold ice pack being pressed against his hand jolted him back to awareness.

  “Eric?”

  “Sorry, what?”

  Casper raised an eyebrow. “I said, this has been the most dramatic morning after I’ve ever had.”

  Eric tried to smile. “Not boring?”

  Casper chuckled. “No. But a little heavy before I’ve had my morning coffee. I guess I shouldn’t have stayed over.”

  “I wanted you to stay,” Eric said. “Go ahead and pour yourself a coffee. I started to mix up some waffle batter. I wanted to make you a nice breakfast, but—”

  Casper put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “The coffee’s fine, Eric. Just calm down. You’re still shaking.”

  “Adrenaline,” he said. “Sorry.”

  Casper took down two mugs and poured coffee for each of them. Eric attempted to get himself under better control. He took a few deep breaths and felt the last dregs of his anger ebb as he watched Casper move around his kitchen. It was a nice image.

  Casper slid his mug across the breakfast bar, and Eric gratefully picked it up and sipped. Feeling almost normal, he sighed. “Jesus, I still can’t believe that happened.”

  “What did happen?” Casper asked. “That woman…”

  “Olivia’s mother,” Eric filled in.

  “So, Olivia’s here against her mother’s wishes?” Casper said, surprised. “I guess I thought …”

  “What?”

  “I made assumptions, that maybe she was living with you because her parents weren’t around. You said she didn’t have much support.”

  “And she doesn’t,” Eric said. “You saw how Laura was.”

  “All I saw were the two of you shoving and yelling,” Casper said. “I have no idea what any of that was other than disturbing. You were so angry and violent. I mean, she’s your sister, isn’t she?”

  Casper’s disapproving look hurt.

  “She provoked me.”

  “I wouldn’t know. I only saw the end, where you told her she was dead to you.”

  “How about you take my word for it?” Eric said, feeling defensive. He’d just been attacked in his own home, for fuck’s sake. He was allowed to be angry, wasn’t he? “She pushed me too far.”

  “Still, she’s your sister,” Casper said. “What if she really died, and you never saw her again, Eric? You can’t just write people off and assume there will be time to set things right later. Life is too fucking short.”

  Eric flushed with a mix of anger and shame at the scolding.

  “You don’t know the first thing about my sister, and what she did to me years ago. You don’t know what my parents did, or why I feel the way I feel. You’re standing there, being a judgmental asshole—”

  Casper sat down his coffee cup. “You’re right. I don’t know you that well.” He rounded the kitchen island, leaving the room.

  Eric followed him into the living room. “Where are you going?” he asked, although it was obvious Casper was headed for the door.

  Casper turned. “I’ve clearly overstayed my welcome. But for what it’s worth, Eric, I lost someone close to me. He’s dead and never coming back, and what you said to your sister struck a nerve. I’d give anything to have him back or have just a little more time to say the things that I never got to say.” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean for all this to get so heavy. We’re supposed to be having fun.”

  He reached for the doorknob.

  “Wait!” Eric blurted, afraid he might not see Casper again if he walked out now.

  Casper hesitated, and Eric walked up to him and kissed him gently. Casper stood rigid as Eric combed the fingers of his uninjured hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for your loss, and for my careless words. I lost my temper, but my family life is complicated.”

  Casper smiled tightly. “I try to avoid complicated.”

  “I know it’s not what you signed up for,” Eric said seriously. “Even if you had, it would be a bit soon to dump family drama in your lap.” He hesitated, then asked, “So, the tattoo on your back …”

  “It’s in his memory,” Casper said. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  Eric was curious, but he didn’t want to risk pushing Casper too far. He would just have to wait for Casper to tell him more when he was ready.

  “Well,” Eric said quietly. “I’m sorry again for how my words came across, but my family disowned me when I came out, Cas. They had no contact with me until Olivia showed up on my porch asking for help.”

  Casper took a step back, withdrawing from Eric’s touch. “I’m sorry to hear that. I shouldn’t have judged you. None of it’s my business anyway.”

  “It can be your business,” Eric said tentatively. “If you want.”

  Casper fidgeted, looking more uncomfortable in his skin than Eric had ever seen him. He’d obviously moved too fast for him, asking him to spend the night and then hitting him with the serious shit the very next morning.

  Eric laughed to himself, shaking his head.

  “What?” Casper asked.

  “Like you’d want to get more entangled in all this family infighting? Forget what I said. You don’t need to be in the middle of my business. We can just keep seeing each other, without my sister drama, and see how things go. Right?”

  There was an unbearably long pause before Casper answered. “Right.”

  Eric reached for Casper again. To his relief, Casper didn’t dodge him, but moved into his embrace. He tilted his head back and met Casper’s eyes, willing him to kiss him. He felt so vulnerable, the highs and lows of the morning taking their toll.

  When Casper’s lips met his, he felt like he could breathe again. Which didn’t bode well at all for keeping things casual, but Eric didn’t regret backtracking. He might be setting himself up for a hard fall, but he hoped that if he gave Casper enough time, he’d see for himself that they could be more.

  Now, he just had to get through telling Olivia that he and her mother practically had a wrestling match on t
he porch. Good times.

  ***

  Eric made it to dinner before Olivia noticed something wasn’t right. He knew he had to tell her about the argument with Laura that morning, and he’d been rehearsing what he’d say all day. As he set the table, Olivia came in with a strange expression on her face.

  “What happened to the wall by the door?”

  That’s what he got for leaving signs of his anger behind. “I, uh, damaged the wall,” he said vaguely.

  “How?” she asked with a laugh. “It looks kind of like …” She trailed off, her eyes on his right hand. It wasn’t noticeably bruised, but his knuckles were red and a tad swollen. “You punched the wall?”

  He swallowed hard, then forced a smile. “Let’s sit down to dinner and I’ll tell you everything,” he said.

  “But—”

  “It’s a long story, Olivia,” he said, and she nodded. Moving together, they got their tacos plated and each took their seat at the small round table in the breakfast nook. He’d thoroughly cleaned it after he’d gone down on Casper there, even though there hadn’t been any mess. He’d needed to do it, so he didn’t cringe every time he saw his niece eating at the table.

  “So, what happened?” she asked.

  Eric took a bite to give himself time to consider his words. He swallowed and took the plunge. “I hit the wall because I was angry.”

  “Why were you angry?”

  “Well, your mom came by this morning, and we had a fight,” he said reluctantly. Olivia paled as he spoke, and he rushed to reassure her. “I didn’t hurt her, I swear.”

  Olivia shook her head. “I know you wouldn’t.”

  “I’m so sorry. This probably won’t make things any easier for you.”

  Olivia picked up her taco, taking a bite. After a few minutes of eating quietly, she spoke up. “I got this weird message from my mom.”

  Uh-oh.

  “She told me I should be aware you’re bringing strange men over here and um …” Olivia’s face went red. “You get the idea.”