Chapter 95

“Tommy.”

“Sorry, Jack, but I didn’t think it was my place to out you to your brother.”

Jack drew Tom against his side and frowned at his brother. “I’m gay, Tom is my partner, and if you can’t deal with that—”

The young widower stared at him with wide eyes. “You’re gay?” he squeaked.

“Hullo.” Tom looked him over carefully. “Who’re you?”

“George Standish. Mr. Jackson was kind enough to let me and my kids stay here. Because of the storm and all.”

“Daddy found him at the Depot, JT.” Tad was grinning broadly, and Jack had to refrain from swatting his butt. It wasn’t like George was some stray dog who’d followed him home.

“That’s my Jack,” Tom said softly, and he leaned into Jack’s side.

Jack smiled down into his lover’s face. Afterward, when all the excitement died down and they were in bed together, Jack would show Tom just how much Jack was his. 35

Tom looked around at the condition their home was in, empty glasses and the remains of the wedding feast on every flat surface, white rose petals crushed into the carpeting, and white crepe paper streamers and deflated balloons hanging forlornly from the ceiling. The small, intimate affair had grown to total more than seventy. Nothing compared to Rush’s brother’s wedding, but a good size for their little corner of Savannah.

And his mother had rolled up her sleeves and dug in, a martial light in her normally soft blue eyes, gleefully rising to the challenge.

Everyone had partied on, even after Thaddeus and Rush had slipped away to one of Savannah’s more luxurious hotels for their honeymoon. When they came home in a few days, they’d open their presents, which were still piled under the Christmas tree.

Now the house was quiet, except for Billy Bob’s soft snores. He was curled up on the sofa in the family room, a throw tucked around him. He and January must have quarreled, because otherwise he’d have been sleeping in her room.

Tom shook his head, wondering if that romance was destined to fizzle. He liked Billy Bob more than any of January’s previous boyfriends and had hoped they’d make a go of it.

“Are you okay?”

Tom smiled at Jack, knowing his lover had been worried. Thaddeus and Rush’s wedding hadn’t gone off quite without a hitch. Eleazar Jackson had preached once too often about the ungodliness of homosexuality, and the result was a few redneck goons from his congregation managed to get past the gated entrance of their community and attempted to picket the boys’ wedding, hoping to put a stop to it.

A gentle conspiracy had kept the fracas from both young men. Thaddeus was upset enough that not only would no one from his father’s side of the family, with the exception of his Uncle Andy, be attending the wedding, but neither would his own mother. And as for Rush, he was so busy trying to console Thaddeus, he didn’t have the time to grieve that his own family had written him off entirely.

* * * *

The three men who’d thought to crash the wedding and ruin it had laughed when Tom threatened to toss them out on their asses.

They didn’t laugh for long. Before Jack or Andy could step in to stop the slaughter, Tom took on all three of them and mopped up the front yard with them.

“Call the police,” he said in a cold voice while he wondered if he’d broken his hand.

“Tom, they could press charges.”

He was touched to see how worried Andy was about him.

“Not likely. They’d have to admit a homo beat the shit out of them. They won’t press charges.”

“But I will.” Jack gritted out between clenched teeth, furious that his father’s carelessly spewed words of hate could have destroyed his son’s wedding. “They’re on private property, and they weren’t invited. When I learn who let them past the gates…”

The result was three men who were taken to the emergency room, courtesy of him, and his friend James, the doctor, already invited to the wedding, was called and asked to come early to check out Tom’s hands.

“You’re damned lucky you didn’t break anything.”

“You think I didn’t learn from the last time?” That had been when he’d tucked his thumb into his fist and wound up breaking it during a bar fight with some clown who didn’t understand that no meant no.

“In that case, I guess there’s hope for you yet.”

“Will I play the piano, Doc?”

James glared at him. “Not that hoary old chestnut. I know very well you play. What I don’t know is why you felt the need to get all medieval on their asses.”

“They were going to try to stop the wedding.”

Tom was gratified to see James’s mouth tighten. He was a peaceful man, but idiocy like that left him seeing red.

“Dammit, I miss all the excitement.” He finished treating Tom’s hands, took a closer look at Tom’s face, and shook his head. “Are you going to be sick?”

He groaned. “I really wish you hadn’t said that.” His stomach had been roiling, but he’d been determined to ignore it. James’s mention of it turned the tide.

“Right. Come on.” He hustled Tom into the bathroom.

Jack moved James gently out of the way and held Tom’s head while he threw up.

“Sorry, babe,” he said as Jack wiped his streaming eyes with a damp washcloth James had given him.

“It’s my job, Tommy.”

“Holding my head while I toss my cookies?”

Jack dropped a kiss on his hair. “Loving you.”

* * * *

Other than that, it had been a beautiful wedding, and Tom had cried when the boys exchanged their vows under a Chuppah, the Jewish wedding canopy, which they’d planned as a surprise for him.

The party had continued after Thaddeus and Rush had left for their honeymoon, but now, finally, the party was over, and everyone had either gone home or gone to bed.

Going to bed. That sounded like a good idea.

“Are you okay, Tommy?” Jack asked again.

Tom kissed him, pleased when he felt the tall one shiver. “I’ve got the kids, I’ve got my mom and my friends and my health. Best of all…” He twined his fingers through Jack’s, leading him to bed. “I’ve got you. Buddy, I’m perfect.”Epilogue

It was the first day of the New Year, just an hour or so after midnight.

Jack slid an arm around Tom’s shoulders. “Hey, babe.”

“Hey, Jack.” Tom smiled, feeling his heart swell. His friend, his lover…

They were sitting at the dining room table, having celebrated the arrival of 2002 with a massive spread. And now, all the people who meant the most to him were there.

…Thaddeus and Rush, home from their honeymoon, glowing with youth and love.

…Rebecca, who had brought a young man home for the first time.

…January, who sat beside Billy Bob, toying with the remains of her dessert and every once in a while staring off into space, apparently seeing nothing, while Billy Bob chatted with Josh.

…Josh, who smiled at Billy Bob, the look in his eyes—

Oh, shit. Tom knew better than most what that look meant, having seen it in his mirror whenever he thought of Jack.

Well, Josh knew Billy Bob was straight. And it was apparently written somewhere that every gay man had to love a straight boy at least once in his life.

Tom’s smile softened as he looked into Jack’s blue eyes.

And maybe, if he was very, very lucky, and if God blessed him, his straight boy would love him back.