Jayson: A New Adult / Coming of Age Romance (29 page)

I
stare
at the velvet box in the middle of my desk. There’s a knock at my door which rouses me from erotic memories of what happened the night before—well, every night since Kit and I got back together. With late nights filled with explosive sex and long days spent talking on the phone, linking up when we can, I feel like an entirely different man than the one who used to put work before everything. Hell, even my family has seen more of me lately since Kit spends as much time at my place as I spend at hers.

Smiling to myself, I temporarily stifle the kinky flashbacks before telling whoever it is they can come in, and to my surprise, it’s the prodigal son, Castiel. “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask with mock surprise.

“Bite me,” he laughs. “You knew I couldn’t stay gone for long. Four days doing absolutely nothing, and I’m going stir crazy. So, what have I missed?”

“Well…” I gesture at our surroundings as I lean back in the black leather office chair that complements the new office space. He looks around and gives an appreciative whistle. Gone are the days of dust, clutter and secondhand furniture. A fresh coat of paint on the walls brightens the place. I have new carpet, some framed art, decorative plants. Kit did a fantastic job.

Castiel snatches the ring box from my desk. “And what’s this?”

I chuckle. “Like you don’t already know. I’m sure Grace told you about it.”

“You really did it, you lucky bastard! I told her I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it for myself. Are you sure you want to make the big leap? Wow, man…this is…a change for you.” My little brother looks at me with awe. I can tell he’s blown away by the news.

I shrug. “Weren’t you the one who said I shouldn’t make this place my heart and soul?”

“How does Mrs. Schneider feel about it?” His voice drops at the end, skeptical of any good news.

“Mmm, I’m hoping she’ll come around. Kit seems pretty confident things will get better between them soon. She told me yesterday her mom started seeing a therapist to talk through some of her attachment issues. I hope it works out for the best for Candace. She seemed like a miserable woman when she couldn’t have her way, but I know there’s gotta be something sweet in there. After all, she made Kit.”

“Look at that loopy smile. Hot damn, you’re in love! This is hilarious.”

“Next up,” I fire finger pistols at him. “You and Grace.”

“Ha! Yeah, right. I still have some good years left in me, ole hoss. Nobody’s taking me down any time soon.”

Devon pops his head in the office. Ashby pushes in behind him, on internship at the company this semester. “What are you doing here?” Dev asks Cast with a grin.

“Congratulating—”

I hurriedly interrupt him by clearing my throat. “Actually, I haven’t made an official announcement yet.”

Dev blows out a breath. “About you and Kit tying the knot?”

“How’d you know?” I ask in surprise.

Ashby rolls his eyes. “Well, duh, you brought her home to meet Momma.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I protest.

Castiel slaps his knee. “Well, it does now! Remind me not to bring any pretty ladies to Sabine anytime soon.”

“Got you covered,” says Dev.

“Why am I the one who always has to set precedents?” I complain with a grin.

“The minute I saw you talking to her at the bar, I knew,” Devon says confidently.

“Oh, yeah? How so?”

“Because I didn’t get to her first. Otherwise…”

I throw a fake jab at him and all of us bust out laughing. My assistant knocks before entering. “You have a visitor.”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone. Who is it?”

She glances down at a sticky note. “Uh, Lamont Stephens?”

Castiel, Devon, Ashby and I share a look. Cast pops his knuckles. “You need backup?”

“I don’t think we’re going to have any problems.”

Lamont slowly strolls into my office and looks around uncertainly at the four of us. It takes me to step forward with a handshake for the rest of the guys to relax a little. “Hey, bro. Can I help you with something?” I ask lightly.

He opens his mouth to speak. Nothing comes out. I see his eyes well up. Cast, the loveable rascal, charges at Lamont and wraps him in a bear hug. “Man, I haven’t seen you in eons, Monty! How ya been? You look good.”

Lamont chuckles nervously. “I’ve, uh, been well actually.”

“Great! Yeah, Jayson told us you were in town. We were wondering when we’d get to link up. Remember we used to play pickup in that trashy park across the street from our apartment complex? Hey, you remember, right, Dev?” Castiel drums up conversation. Devon nods. Ashby steps up and shakes Lamont’s hand.

Monty’s eyes widen. “Wow, look at you! You were a little tyke last time I saw you.”

Ash blushes, always uncomfortable with being the center of attention. “You used to help me put my chain back on my bike every time it came off.”

“Yeah,” Lamont sniffs. “Yeah, I did. I remember that.”

“We were about to step out and get lunch together,” I say quietly, improvising on the fly. He looks like he could use some friends…or family. “You want to join us?”

Lamont nods gratefully. He rakes a hand through his long, dark hair. “I’d like that. But first I want to say I’m sorry, Jay.”

I drag him into a hug. “No harm, no foul. Now, let’s go get some grub.”

“Zephyr style!” Cast pumps a fist in the air.

Ash pauses. “Wait, so since he’s your brother, does that make him an honorary Zephyr now?”

I laugh, caught off guard by the question. It’s funny, because when we were growing up, Monty used to ask something similar every time we pulled off any wild hijinks.
“Does this make me an honorary member of your club now?”

“Yeah,” I murmur, looking at the newest addition to the brotherhood. “Yeah, it does.”

S
tanding
in front of the full-length mirror, I gaze at my reflection and have to fan my face to keep from tearing up. This is the single biggest day of my life to date. My mother steps up behind me and pins her pearls around my neck with a pleased smile. “Oh, Kit, you look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I murmur gratefully.

Grace peeks into the changing room. “Kit, you have to come line up. It’s almost time for everything to start.”

“I’m coming! I’m coming,” I say with nervous laughter. “Have you seen Jayson?”

“He’s out there. You don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“Do you have the camera, Mom?”

“I’ve got it right here. I can’t get over how beautiful you look! Oh, I’m so proud of you.”

I giggle at her gushing compliments. “I’ve gotta go, Mom. I’ll see you afterwards.”

“These things always make me cry,” she says, dabbing her eyes.

I dash out of the dressing room and follow Grace to the area where the rest of the graduates are lining up. She adjusts my graduation cap on my head and flashes me a final thumbs up before scurrying to her place in line, and I burble with excitement. I’ve done it. I’m graduating.

After two internships, countless class hours, careful tutelage from my mentor, and juggling a job and a loving relationship, I’m finally about to walk across that stage and accept my diploma. As I take my seat, I look over the crowd of smiling faces for his. Jayson and the rest of the Zephyr crew, including Lamont, sit in the same row as my mom and Grace’s family. I wave gleefully.

When at last the words I’ve been waiting to hear get spoken, it’s like time pauses for just a second, giving me the space to reflect on everything that’s happened in the past three years. The really big changes all started when I bought a house.

After a lifetime of being told what to do, being sheltered and protected in the process, the most terrifying thing for me was to step out on my own two feet. When I finally did it, I encountered stumbling blocks that made me question my choices, but I also learned that this questioning process was all a part of growing up. I learned that nobody gets it right every time. Nobody’s perfect.

I met a man who made my dreams come true when he renovated the quaint little place in Western Addition. And, then he taught me how to dream new dreams when he renovated my heart.

To this day, Jayson will tell you it was me who renovated him. He no longer works super long hours as owner of a growing franchise of Zephyr Brothers Construction companies throughout the western half of the United States. He has qualified professionals handle the hands on management, which means he has more time to spend with his family and friends. He’s more hands off in his approach to dealing with his brothers, now that they’re all grown and living their own lives, but he’s always there when they need him.

For me, Jayson represents everything it means to be home. He’s safety. He’s security. He’s stability. He’s love.

The announcer tells the graduates to release their caps. I throw mine in the air and gaze up into the sun, waiting for it to come back down.

And, it just goes up and up and up and…

E
ND