Whispers of Home (17 page)

“I’ll try.” In the end Travis had to carry Bobby up, then come back for Jaron. Bobby wouldn’t let either man out of his sight, so he stood at the top of the stairs and waited for Travis to carry Jaron all the way up. Bobby followed along behind them to their bedroom. Travis laid Jaron down, gently covering him up. Travis and Bobby piled in next to him, Bobby sitting on Travis’ lap. Jaron had to move slowly but he was able to cuddle in closer to them, resting his head on Travis’ chest next to where Bobby lay.

Bobby ended up falling asleep halfway through the cartoon movie they watched.

Jaron wanted to talk about Jackson but knew Travis well enough to leave it alone until the other man brought it up. “Do you want your pain meds?”

“I’m okay.”

“No you’re not. You’re hurting. I can tell.”

“I don’t like how they make me feel.”

“But you’re in pain.”

“I’ll be fine, Travis. I’ve lived through a lot before you came into my life, you know.”

“What are you saying?”

“None of this was your fault.” Travis began to speak but Jaron stopped him with a finger to his lips. Jaron made sure Travis was looking into his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t Jackson’s fault either.”

“Jaron,” Travis said in warning.

“They were stupid kids. And you know they didn’t do anything more than humiliate me and leave a couple bruises. Nothing like what Brad did.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You can’t stay mad forever.”

“Drop it.” Jaron could see the tension in Travis’ jaw. It was the look of pure anger on Travis’ face that made Jaron second guess the whole holding a grudge forever thing. Maybe Travis could hold on to his anger longer than Jaron thought.

“I will not drop it. You will call him and apologize.”

Travis gave him a stubborn look for all of two seconds before he finally huffed out a sigh. “Fine.”

Jaron would have smiled but the throbbing pain in his arm and ribs kept it from his face.

Jaron was frantically running around the house getting ready for the party. His arm was still in a cast and would be for another three weeks, which made the preparations much more difficult than they should have been. He was finding it challenging to cut veggies for his pasta salad with just one hand. His mom walked in the door just as he was about ready to throw something out of frustration.

His mom smirked, set down the bag of groceries in her arms and took up Jaron’s place in front of the counter. Jaron moved over to give her room. “Thank you.” Jaron moved around the counter and sat on the stool opposite her.

Since Jaron was injured his mom had been coming over almost every day. The first day she came was to allow Travis to get some work done outside of being Jaron’s caregiver. The minute Travis was out of Bobby’s sight the kid threw a tantrum though. The next day he had tried to take Bobby with him when Gloria had come over, but then Bobby was away from Jaron, which kicked his anxiety up all over again.

School had been nearly impossible. Finally, Jaron just had to put his foot down and make Bobby stay at school. Travis was the biggest sap on the face of the planet and kept bringing Bobby back home after attempting to take him to school. Jaron had to get his gimpy ass up and go with them both. Even just thinking about it made him roll his eyes.

“Do you know who I would talk to about getting a guardian for Bobby if I died?” Jaron held up a hand. “I’m not saying I want to die or that I think I’m going too. I just want to protect him if something did happen.”

Gloria nodded. “You should get a lawyer. I hired Mr. Guitterez, right here in town, when you were little.”

“I didn’t know you had a guardian for me. Who did you pick?”

“Aunt Lucy.” Gloria looked at him like he was stupid for not knowing.

Jaron chuckled. “Right. Duh.”

“Travis is good for Bobby,” his mom said, practically reading his mind.

“Yes, he is. I was thinking you and Travis. I would want Travis to be primary of course and I would want Bobby to stay in this house.”

“Did we hear our names?” Travis came through the door with Bobby on his shoulders. Bobby’s hands lay loosely around Travis’ neck. Brownie came barreling through the door behind them. How the man managed to get Bobby out the door without both of them was anybody’s guess. Knowing Travis, he probably bribed the kid.

“Yes, you did.” Jaron lifted his cheek to Travis as Travis brushed his lips across it. Jaron turned and pecked Bobby on the cheek when he leaned down. Travis put Bobby down on his feet.

“What’s up?” Travis said, heading over to the refrigerator. He opened the door and pulled out two bottles of water, handing one to Bobby.

“Just talking about having another guardian for Bobby.”

“Why?” Jaron gave him a look. He didn’t want to discuss death around Bobby. The poor kid had enough issues without Jaron planting a seed like that. Travis got the message because he wrapped his arms around Jaron and said, “We’ll talk about it later, baby. Now, what can I do to help?”

“Call Jackson. Make sure he’s coming.”

Travis tensed behind him. As of yet, Travis hadn’t talked to his best friend since he had punched him in the face the day Brad attacked Jaron. “No.”

“Travis.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You will and you will be nice. No fighting.” Jaron handed him his cell phone.

Travis sighed. He grabbed the phone with just enough force to show how annoyed he was with Jaron.

Jaron smiled as Travis dialed Jackson’s number.

* * * *

Travis could feel the tension build inside as the phone rang. He really wanted to hang up but Jaron would be upset.

When Jackson answered he sounded despondent. “Yeah?”

“Jaron wants you to come to a cook-out.” Travis grunted as Jaron elbowed him in the gut with his good arm. “Okay,” he said to Jaron, then he made his next statement into the phone. “We have some stuff to talk about.”

“So you can kick my ass?”

Jaron glared at him, as if he could read Travis’ thoughts. “Jaron would kick mine if I did.”

“He does have you wrapped, man.”

Travis leaned down and kissed the side of Jaron’s head. “Just come on over whenever you can.” Travis set the phone on the kitchen counter next to Jaron’s casted arm after ending the call. His cheek rested on the top of Jaron’s head briefly before he turned and breathed in the scent of his shampoo. “You smell good.”

“Yeah?” Jaron looked up, making eye contact, smiling.

“Yeah.” He leaned in for a kiss, keeping it brief for their audience’s sake.

It was a couple hours later that Jackson knocked on the door. Bobby saw him through the glass and immediately opened the door, launching himself at the tall cowboy. “You haven’t come to see me in a long time.” Bobby’s scowling face told everyone precisely what he thought about Jackson’s absence.

“Sorry about that, little man.” Jackson picked the boy up.

“I’m not little.”

“Okay. I’ll start calling you Big Bob.”

“K.” Bobby’s little hands cupped Jackson’s cheeks. Leaning in he gave Jackson a kiss full on the lips. Jackson’s eyes widened with shock, until Bobby wriggled to get free from Jackson’s hold. Jackson put the boy down and Bobby ran across the room, plopping down in front of the television.

“I think someone has a crush,” Gloria said.

“Yep.” Jaron grinned, turning to look at Travis. Jaron’s smile fell away the instant their eyes locked. “Jackson. Travis. Let’s go outside and talk.” With that Jaron stood up and walked out the door without looking back to see if the other two men followed him. They both knew better than to avoid him.

Travis purposefully glared at something over Jaron’s head, letting him know he wasn’t happy about doing this. He was going to stand here and apologize of course but he didn’t have to like it. Jackson’s hang dog expression made him feel a little bit better. “I have something to say and you both are going to listen,” Jaron began. “High school was a long time ago. It’s over now. I don’t want to live in the past.” Travis met his eyes, so he spoke directly to him. “I love you, but you’re not being fair to me by making the past relevant now. Jackson has been nothing but kind to me since I’ve been back home. In fact, I have more friends now than I ever did in high school. I know now that not having friends as a kid was partly my own fault. I closed myself off to this town and wouldn’t let any of you in long enough to even be friendly to me.” When Travis began to speak Jaron cut him off. “I am in no way saying it was my fault I got bullied. I realize that there are assholes in this town that will still be assholes regardless of my own attitude. All I’m saying is that I could have made an effort to change people’s minds and I didn’t.”

Jaron walked up to Jackson and pulled him down for a hug. Jackson hugged him back briefly before letting him go. Jaron cupped the man’s cheeks in his hands, much like Bobby had just minutes earlier. Jackson sort of half-squatted down so that their eyes met. “I forgive you.” Patting his cheek, he let go and walked up to Travis and spoke to him. “Thank you for protecting me from all the assholes in this town. But, honey, Jackson isn’t one of them.” And with that he left the two men alone.

Travis and Jackson stood outside for a good ten minutes before either said anything. “You had to know he was getting picked on back then.”

“Yeah, I did. I thought it was just Brad though.”

“Well, it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, I get that now. And maybe I’m just as guilty. I never did anything to help him. I could have made it better for him but I didn’t.”

“We all could have. There’s a lot of Brad’s still in this town, Travis.”

Travis nodded. “Sorry I hit you.”

Jackson grinned. “Should we tell your little firecracker that it wasn’t the first time I took a punch.”

“Oh, hell no! He’d have my balls.”

“He already does. Not that I blame you. He is a pretty little thing.”

“Hey, get your own.” Travis took a friendly swipe at Jackson’s head, ending up grabbing him loosely around the neck. “Come on, let’s go drive Jaron crazy by being in the way.”

“But can you let me go first?”

“Shhh...just let it happen.”

Travis dragged him up the stairs. Jackson stumbled along, stooped over at an uncomfortable angle, his face plastered to Travis’ side. “Hey Jar, a little help here.”

“Help with what?” Jaron turned and saw the two men enter the house. “Oh. Well, here’s the thing Jackson. My help isn’t free, so it’s gonna cost ya.” His eyes sparkled with mischief, something Travis had never seen before. It was sexy as all hell and had his dick thickening in his jeans in seconds.

“Damn it, come on, man.” Travis chuckled at Jackson’s whiny voice, then let go just enough to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Ugh...” Travis let Jackson go so abruptly he stumbled a little.

“I need to talk to you. Privately.” He grabbed Jaron’s hand, the one not in the cast, and practically dragged him up the stairs. Once the door to their bedroom was closed behind them Travis attacked, smashing lips against lips. Jaron pulled him closer, grabbing handfuls of shirt in his fist.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what brought this on,” Jaron asked when they came up for air.

“You’re sexy. Couldn’t resist,” Travis said in between kisses and licks to Jaron’s neck.

“You’re scaring me a little. Oh God. Do that again.”

Jaron’s eyes closed. The look of pure bliss on his face had Travis smiling. “Why is that, baby?”

“You’re like bipolar today. Pissed off one minute. Horny the next.”

“For the record, I’m always horny. Plus, it’s a big day today.”

Travis slowed down his ministrations, holding Jaron against him. “It’s just a party babe.”

“It’s not just a party. Remember when you promised to do anything I said.”

“During sex you mean? So unfair.” Jaron rolled his eyes. “Yes, I remember.”

“Well, it’s time to pay up. I plan on asking you to marry me in front of all our family and friends today. I want you to say yes,” Travis said so casually, as if he was talking about the weather, it took Jaron a moment to register the words.

“Oh My God. Are you joking? Because, if you’re joking, that’s not funny Travis.”

“I’m not. I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

Jaron pulled back, as much as Travis and the door would let him, scanning Travis’ face. “But we can’t get married in this state.”

“I hired a lawyer to put your name on all of my property, including this house and the farm. I also made sure you can make decisions for me in case of a medical emergency and vice versa. The lawyer is helping us cover all the bases so that our lives mesh as perfectly as possible, legally. You just have to sign a few papers. That is, if you agree to be mine. The marriage would be more of a commitment ceremony.”

“What about Bobby?”

“I have paper’s drawn up that would make me co-guardian.” At Jaron’s shocked face, Travis added, “Look, I know everything is happening fast for us. Even though we talk about taking things slow, we can’t seem too. I’m all but living here, even though I said I would stay at the main house. Bobby already calls me Daddy. I don’t want to waste time pretending to take things slow for proprieties sake. Neither one of us have ever done anything predictable, so why start now? I love you and Bobby. I want to be a family. You, me, Bobby and our dog.”

“Okay.”

“Really?”

Jaron’s smile lit a flame inside Travis. “Yep.” Travis crushed Jaron to him, Jaron’s head smacking against something in the man’s shirt pocket. “Ow.”

“Shit, sorry. That’s the ring I was gonna get down on my knees and give you. I figured I’d have to beg more.” Travis shrugged, letting him go, rubbing Jaron’s temple soothingly where the ring had dug in.

“You bought a ring?”

“It’s not a girly diamond ring or anything. More of a marriage band with small diamonds across it. We’ll have matching ones.” Travis opened the door to their bedroom. They walked hand in hand down the steps. Almost everyone was already there for the cook-out by the time they came down.

Brian was already openly flirting with Jackson and had even taken up residence on his lap. Bobby was trying to tug Brian off, and scowling at the man as if he just ate the last cupcake in the house. Brownie was barking excitedly at the boy’s feet. Jackson removed Brian and replaced him with Bobby. Once the boy settled on his lap, a thumb in his mouth, Brownie also lay down underneath the kitchen chair they sat in.