REESE WENT from Jude’s uncle’s house straight to the hospital to see Grandpa. He knew it might not be the best place for him in his current state, but he had to see the old man.
“Reese, what’s wrong?”
Reese said a silent thank you to whomever was listening. His grandfather was coherent and knew who he was.
“Grandpa, I think I just fucked up. Royally.”
Grandpa patted the side of the bed. Reese pulled the chair close and rested his elbows on the bed next to him.
“Tell me, son. What happened?”
Reese couldn’t fight the tears. He blurted out the whole tale, how he’d decided he wanted Jude, how he’d pursued him relentlessly until he gave in, the happiness they’d found together… and then his disastrous declaration at dinner. Through it all, Grandpa held a concerned crease between his eyebrows and kept his hand on Reese’s arm. He gave a little pat when Reese ran out of steam.
“My boy, Jude is a special man, but you can’t expect him to just give up his family, to go against them, to be with you. You can’t force him to choose. He won’t choose you.”
Reese buried his face in his arms and felt all of the weight of the past few weeks crash down on him like a brutal wave. If he’d been surfing, he might have paddled his way out of his mess, but all he could do was hold on to the life preserver his grandfather offered him and ride it out.
He stayed for another hour or so talking to the old man and then got the details of his transfer from the night nurse. Grandpa would be moved to the rehab facility in the morning and would be there for a minimum of four weeks, depending on how his fracture healed. Reese was determined that Grandpa wouldn’t stay there a minute longer than necessary, and he began to think of all he needed to do to make the house more accessible for the old man.
Reese went home and poured out all of the alcohol so he wouldn’t be tempted to drink himself stupid. He couldn’t hide from the pain, and he needed to do something, so he organized his workspace, went to sleep early. Before exhaustion pulled him under, he texted Toby the plan for the next evening.
Be ready to work. We’re going to plow through this shit and get this story down. Everything has gone to hell, and the only thing that will make it better is music.
Toby would understand. Toby would know what to do.
WHEN HE woke the next morning, Reese made calls to contractors and got someone out that very day to take measurements for the planned addition. The guy gave him a reasonable estimate, and it seemed like they were on the same page, so Reese accepted the bid. He told the contractor it was a time-sensitive situation and he wanted it done as soon as possible. The guy seemed to accept the challenge and promised he’d have a whole team there the next day.
Reese spent a few hours with Grandpa after he was settled into the new facility and got permission to bring a keyboard in so he could work with him daily. He liked the head nurse at the facility, and she and Grandpa hit it off well. Camilla even came to see him before Reese left that evening. She had definitely taken more than a professional liking to the old man, and that made Reese breathe a little easier. At least he knew Grandpa was getting some attention from someone other than him. He’d worried about him going to rehab and being alone.
That night he told Toby the short version of the story, and Toby was not pleased. “Hurricane Reese strikes again,” he said.
They began a routine that consisted of Reese checking in with the contractor in the mornings, spending the day at the facility with Grandpa, and then nights with Toby in the garage. It was the only part of the house untouched by construction—that and his kitchen—but he had little interest in food. He hardly slept, which was fine by him. He hated going to bed without….
The music had a new intensity as Reese played it over the next two weeks, and the tone of the story began to feel more impassioned and profound. Gone was the desire to portray an innocent love story on a high note. In its place, The Boy on the Corner developed into a heart-wrenching tale of a pure love robbed of a future by a society that didn’t approve. But he couldn’t get to the happily ever after no matter how hard he tried. How could he? He wasn’t complete, not in his heart. He longed for the man he couldn’t have and poured out that desire and anger in his story.
Toby wisely took the hints when he tried to pry, and Grandpa also gave up trying to talk to him about Jude. Reese just couldn’t go there without tears, and he had to take care of everything, so he had no time to break down. He felt as if he were constantly a few steps from curling up in bed with Jude’s clothes and staying there until the pain went away or he was too weak to move.
JUDE PASSED his final with flying colors and enrolled full-time in school for the next term. There was no reason to crawl toward his goal. He needed to provide for himself, so he got a job working from ten at night to seven in the morning at the rehab facility where Mr. Matheson was staying. He started late enough that he didn’t have to worry about running into Reese, and he could spend time with Mr. Matheson when he was mostly sleeping so he didn’t have to talk to him about Reese. Oh, the old man tried in the beginning, but Jude’s raised eyebrow put an end to that. Mr. Matheson mumbled something about them both being “stubborn as mules” and then let it go.
Thanksgiving came and went, and Jude still hadn’t been over to speak to his aunt and uncle. He knew that once his parents returned in time for Christmas, he’d have to go there, but he was determined to steer clear until then. So he picked up his brother and sister from school each day and either rehearsed with them or took them out to eat—anything to spend time with them. Bailey was mostly quiet. He’d tried to apologize in the beginning, even asked after Reese, but again, Jude’s eyebrow shut him up.
During the week Jude arranged a system where he crashed at Germaine’s during the day while she and Paolo were at work and the baby was in day care. When the baby had a fever, Jude offered to take care of him, and he never put the little guy down. His baby cousin was precious, a chubby brown angel whose eyes lit up when Jude held him. He realized just how desperately he wanted a family. He missed Reese so much the pain was tangible, but he was resigned to the fact that he was destined to be alone. It just wasn’t in the cards for him to have a family of his own, much less one with the man he loved.
The weekends were a little more difficult. Kyla referred him to another facility where he picked up a few shifts during the day, but he had to sleep in his truck again overnight. He didn’t want to park anywhere near his friends or family, though. He couldn’t take another family discussion about him. And it was only temporary. He’d be able to rent a room somewhere soon.
Jude spoke to his mother several times to find out when they were arriving and what the plan was. She felt terrible about what had happened, but Jude was done with discussing his relationship. His mother assured him that they’d bring Bailey and Brianna to live with them when they were back and settled, and there would be room for Jude as well.
He thanked her, but there was no way he’d go back home. His father hadn’t spoken to him since he heard what happened at Tito Rommel’s, and Jude understood. His father would come around or he wouldn’t. But with his parents taking care of his siblings and their tuition, he could finally plan a life for himself. Alone.