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As he walked out of the back of the funeral home, Evan expected to see Jeremy waiting for him. They had plans to meet Russ and Stephen for dinner, and there wasn’t enough time for him to drive home, pick Jeremy up, and then make it back to Midtown in time for dinner to celebrate Evan’s birthday. Russ and Stephen might have weekends off, but it was rare that Evan and Jeremy did, and finding a day where all four of them were off work was nearly impossible. They finally managed to find a Saturday when Jeremy wasn’t scheduled to work, Evan worked an early shift, and planned dinner around that.
He glanced at his phone to check the time. He was nearly ten minutes later than he’d hoped—it wasn’t like he could rush mourners out of a visitation because he had dinner plans—and Jeremy was nowhere to be found. Weird. He didn’t have a text from him either. Sometimes, the busses ran behind schedule, and he’d always been prompt about letting Evan know if he was going to be late.
Maybe he’d gone to check out the gardens next to the building. Except Jeremy wasn’t exactly the gardening sort, and there wasn’t much blooming this time of year. Evan walked to the edge of the sidewalk near the parking lot and peered at his car a few rows away. Nope, he wasn’t waiting in or by Evan’s car either.
He frowned and composed a quick text message. Almost here? I just got out.
He didn’t look up as a car slid to a stop beside him, only half-aware of it as he mentally willed Jeremy to text him back.
“Want a ride, handsome?”
Evan’s head whipped up to look at the driver. It took him a moment to realize he knew the face grinning at him through the open window of the car. “Jeremy?” he said, astonished. “You ... but you’re—you’re driving? How in the hell did that happen?”
“Well, let’s see, I opened the door, took a seat behind the wheel, put the car in drive, and ...” Under the joking, light-hearted tone, Evan could hear the thread of vulnerability Jeremy rarely showed anyone but him. “Surprise!”
“Holy shit,” Evan whispered, knowing how hard Jeremy must have worked to get to that point, and what a struggle he must have gone through to feel comfortable behind the wheel of a car again. Evan’s fingers slipped on the metal of the car door as he fumbled for the handle. He yanked it open and threw himself into the car, wanting to get his hands on his boyfriend as fast as possible. “Jeremy, that is amazing. How long have you been working at this?” He kissed Jeremy’s face, first his lips, then every other inch of it.
“I’ve been wanting to do it since we got back from the wedding last fall, but I didn’t pursue it until we found out about your mom moving to Atlanta. You seemed so shook up, and I hated that I couldn’t grab the keys from you and take over.” Jeremy’s hand curled around the back of Evan’s head, pressing their lips together again, slowing Evan’s frantic kisses. Evan had commented on it once—the way Jeremy always pulled him in for a kiss—and he’d sheepishly confessed it was something he’d picked up when he’d dated Stephen, but Evan just laughed. Jeremy’s past with Stephen didn’t bother him, and the gesture was something that made him feel loved and safe.
It was late February, five months since Russ and Stephen got married. Evan knew how hard Jeremy had been working with Dr. Fuller, but he had never dreamed he’d been working on driving again too.
Evan pulled back. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Jeremy looked down. “And—and I was afraid I’d fail. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Oh, Jeremy, you could never disappoint me,” Evan whispered, cupping Jeremy’s cheek in his hand. “I love you so much. The fact you tried to do this is incredible. I know how hard it must have been.”
Jeremy nodded. “I did fail. A ton of times. You don’t want to know how many times I puked in a parking lot. Thankfully, I had a great driving instructor.”
“Russ? This is his car, isn’t it?”
“It’s his car, but, no, he didn’t help me with my driving. He loaned it to me today so I could surprise you. My therapist hooked me up with an actual driving instructor who’d dealt with people like me before. Turns out, I’m not that unique.”
“I had no idea what you were doing. God, this is amazing though. I am so proud of you.”
“I wouldn’t have done it without you,” Jeremy said, rubbing his thumb across Evan’s cheek. “I didn’t care about it at all before I met you.”
Evan frowned. “Why? I would love you whether or not you drive.”
“I know. But it’s another kind of closure in letting go of the accident and acknowledging it doesn’t run my life any more. Feeling like I’m the man I want to be.”
Evan kissed him again. “You’ve worked so hard at all of it.”
Jeremy had worked harder than Evan could imagine.
Their relationship wasn’t perfect, and sometimes, it was downright awful. There were a few times he’d wondered if it was worth it at all. But then Jeremy would pull him close and whisper against his hair how much he loved Evan, and he knew he’d keep trying. Forever. The bad days were rare, and there were so many good ones—amazing ones like today—and Evan had no doubts he’d made the right decision.
He felt stronger, braver, than before. He was basically still the same introverted Evan Harris he’d always been, but he didn’t dislike that part of himself anymore. He felt comfortable with whom he was now. And he’d learned to make friends and reconnected with his mom. With those few trusted people in his life, he was able to open up. It turned out, that was all he needed.
“We should get going,” Jeremy muttered against his mouth, and Evan laughed and kissed him one more time.
“Shit, I forgot about dinner.”
Jeremy gave him a crooked smile. “I wish I could take you home and skip it completely.”
“Me too.” Evan frowned. “But I think Russ and Stephen would be pissed if I missed my own twenty-second birthday party.”
“Damn it, you’re right.” Jeremy gave him one last hard kiss. “Fine, let’s go, kid.”
***
All of the usual suspects, except Alan and Lavinia, were there when they reached Midtown Soul. Evan and his mom had already celebrated his birthday together. Jeremy greeted Addie and Joseph—whom he’d seen a lot of lately because he’d joined Jeremy’s cycling club—and Monty and Emily. The loud chatter of people wishing Evan a happy birthday filled the restaurant as everyone took their seats at their usual table.
“How’d it go?” Russ stood and gave him a searching glance as Jeremy approached.
Jeremy dropped the keys into Russ’ palm. “Not a scratch on it, Dad.”
Russ made a face. “I think I’m starting to understand Stephen’s aversion to the ‘Daddy’ thing.”
Coughing into his hand, Jeremy smothered a grin.
“Plus, aren’t you older than me?” Russ teased. “Almost ten years older, right?”
“Ouch.” Jeremy winced. “And it’s only eight, thank you.”
Russ sobered. “Seriously, though, how did it go?”
“It went really well. Evan was surprised, and I didn’t have a single panic attack, so I’m going to call that a win.”
“I’m glad.” Grasping his shoulder, Russ squeezed.
“Thanks for your help.”
“Any time, man. I feel like I’ve kind of been a dick about things with you, and I’d like to fix that.”
Jeremy looked at him in surprise. “You haven’t been a dick at all.”
“Well, good. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’d like to consider you a friend, Jeremy. I can honestly say I’m glad you’re a part of Stephen’s life, and that you’re with Evan, and I’d like it if we could be friends. We don’t have to always hang out with Evan or Stephen there, you know?”
“I’d like that,” Jeremy said, surprised but touched by Russ’ offer. He really was a great guy; there was no denying that.
Russ glanced over at Stephen and Evan, who stood near the entryway talking. “Ready for dinner?”
“Yes. I haven’t eaten all day. I was afraid I’d puke from nerves earlier and hork all over your car.”
Russ threw his head back and laughed. “You’d be detailing the hell out of it if you did, so I think we’re both glad you didn’t do that.”
“No shit.”
He heard Russ laugh as he turned to Evan. “Ready for your birthday dinner, kid?”
“When are you going to stop calling me that?” Evan asked, but Jeremy knew he was teasing.
“Never.”
Shit, as far as Jeremy was concerned, he’d call Evan that until the days when Evan had to push him in a wheelchair and neither of them could get it up any more. He was strangely okay with the thought.
They took their seats and had just pulled out menus when Tod approached the table. “Ooh, it’s my favorite people.”
Stephen grinned at him. “I bet you say that to all of your customers.”
Nodding seriously, Tod winked at him. “Well, yeah, it gets me the big tips, but in your case, I mean it. Jesus, have y’all looked at yourselves?” He made a little circling motion around the table. “There’s an awful lot of deliciousness here. I’m just sad you’re all taken.” He pouted prettily, and Jeremy smiled to himself. Tod was such a ham, but he was a lot of fun. “No brothers to share with me even? So rude!” Tod threw up one hand in a dismissive gesture. “I’m done with y’all!”
“Before you flounce off, could we maybe get some menus and drinks?” Jeremy asked. He and Tod always enjoyed giving each other shit.
“Aren’t we demanding today?” Tod asked. “You’d think I was getting paid to wait on you or somethin’. Oh, wait, I am.” He grinned broadly and whipped a notebook and pen out of his apron with a flourish. “In that case, what can I get ya for drinks?”
Russ chuckled and rolled his eyes in Jeremy’s direction while Stephen smiled, and Evan hid a grin behind his water glass.
Still high off his successful drive and happy that Evan seemed to be enjoying his birthday dinner, Jeremy relaxed and draped an arm across the back of Evan’s chair. Life was good.
***
“Ugh, sorry I’m late. Max got into something, and I had to clean it up before I left.”
Evan looked up from his peach lemonade martini and saw Chris struggling out of his coat. “Is he okay?”
Chris snorted. “The dog is fine. My plants aren’t though.”
“I’m glad you came anyway. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Your boyfriend did a good job keeping a secret then.”
Evan smiled at Jeremy, who gave him a grin and a shrug. He played it off as if it was no big deal, but it meant a lot to Evan that he’d invited Chris. Evan wouldn’t call them friends, but the three of them—plus Max—had managed to hang out once or twice without it being too awkward. And Jeremy loved Max as much as Evan did. He kinda hoped they could get a dog someday.
“Well, you missed most of dinner, but I was just about to blow out my birthday candles,” Evan said with a smile.
He glanced down at the slice of key lime cake and the candle merrily burning in it. Funny, he’d sat at a table in this restaurant with Russ and Stephen this time last year, feeling scared and alone but hopeful that life would get better.
“Did you get what you wished for last year?” Russ asked.
Evan glanced over at Jeremy, unable to stop the smile that spread over his face. “Yeah, I did.”
On the heels of a brand-new job, he’d felt as if he shouldn’t ask for too much, but he’d wished to be happy. His wish had come true. He was.
“You’ll have to wish for something even better this year.”
Evan smiled and shook his head faintly. He wasn’t sure it could get much better than this, but he closed his eyes, made his wish, and blew out the candle. Whatever the next year held, he knew it was going to be good.
After dessert, Evan pushed back from the table. “Excuse me, I’m going to use the restroom.”
Jeremy leaned in and whispered, “Want me to come with you? In case you need some help ...” He finished with a wink.
Evan laughed and gently smacked his boyfriend’s shoulder as he stood up to leave. “I think I’ll be fine, but thanks.”
He felt light and happy as he used the restroom and washed his hands, eager to get back to the table full of most of the people he cared about. On his way back, he bumped into Tod. It rocked him back on his heels, and he let out a startled sound.
Tod steadied him and gave him a friendly smile. “Sorry ’bout that, hun. I was heading out to take a long-overdue break and wasn’t lookin’ where I was going.”
“It’s fine.” Evan smiled back. There had been a rude customer at a nearby table that Tod had needed to deal with, and another waiter had finished serving the rest of the meal at their table.
“Hey, I’m afraid I know the answer already, but while I have you here, I have to ask: is the scruffy hottie with the light brown hair taken?”
Evan glanced over at the table and realized he was talking about Joseph. Evan laughed. Addie’s boyfriend was pretty damn cute. “Yeah, sorry, he’s dating the girl with the long dark hair.”
“Damn, I was really hoping that one was gay.”
“Yeah, we’re basically all gay and taken or straight and taken.”
With a dramatic roll of his eyes, Tod let out a sigh. “Monogamy’s practically an epidemic lately. What’s wrong with a little bit of fun?”
“I’m probably the wrong one to ask,” Evan admitted. “I’m not really the type to just have fun with someone. I pretty much fell for Jeremy the second I met him. He took a while to come around, but I really only went on a couple of dates with one other guy. I knew Jeremy was the right one for me, and Chris ended up being a good friend.”
Tod nodded. “You two are sweet as hell together, so I get that, but ...” He laughed. “I’m bored and I wanna play.”
Evan chuckled and glanced at the table of his friends, who had stood up and were putting on their coats. “Chris is single.” His gaze landed on a broad back covered in a pale blue shirt.
Tod leaned in. “Ooh, which one is he?”
Evan pointed. “Over there. Between Jeremy and Russ, wearing the blue shirt. He’s gay and broke it off with some guy a few months ago.”
Squinting, Tod gave him a long assessing look. “Well, he looks yummy from the back.”
“He’s cute,” Evan agreed. “He’s the one I went on a few dates with.”
“Hook a boy up?” Tod asked. “I wouldn’t mind finding out if those glutes are as rock hard as they look.
Evan laughed. “I can introduce you to him. I can’t promise anything else.”
“Oh, honey,” Tod said, laying a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Leave that part to me. I just need the introduction.”
Evan chuckled, and they walked slowly toward the entrance. Chris had half-turned and Evan could see Tod scoping him out.
Tod stopped in his tracks. “Wait, is that Max’s daddy?”
“What?” Evan asked, confused.
“Oh, my gawd, I think it is. That’s the guy on Instagram with the gorgeous puppy. I’ve been following him from the beginning. I am such a sucker for a boy with a dog, and he’s totally Instagram famous. I knew he lived in Atlanta, but I never expected to see him here.”
“Oh, wow. That’s kinda crazy,” Evan said. “I knew Chris had the Instagram account, but I didn’t realize he was famous.”
Tod frowned. “Damn, I probably look a wreck right now too.”
Evan glanced over at him. Other than a small sauce stain on his shirt cuff, Tod looked fine to him. “Just roll up your left cuff more and you’ll be fine.”
Tod twisted his arm and frowned at the sauce stain as he fiddled with the cuff. “You’re a lifesaver, hun. Wouldn’t want to scare him off lookin’ like a hot mess. How’s the hair and face?” He made a kissy face and Evan laughed.
“You look good. C’mon, I’ll introduce you.”
Jeremy gave him a vaguely puzzled look as he and Tod approached.
“Chris? Do you have a sec?” Evan asked.
His friend turned to face him with a smile. “Sure. What’s up, Evan?”
“Oh, I just wanted to introduce you to Tod. He recognized you from your Instagram account.”
To Evan’s surprise, Chris’ cheeks turned pink. “Oh, God, that’s embarrassing.”
“No, I’m a huuuuuge fan,” Tod gushed. “Oh, my god. You and that adorable puppy are just killer together.”
Chris shuffled a little and ran his hand across the back of his head. “Uh, thanks. It was mostly for me to save pictures of Max. I was really surprised when so many people started following.”
“You guys are amazing, seriously.” Tod rested a hand on Chris’ arm. “I’ve been totally smitten since the beginning.”
Chris stepped a little closer and tilted his head. “Wait, you’re HotToddy, aren’t you?”
Tod’s eyes widened. “Ohmygod, you know my username?”
Chris shrugged. “Well, I just put the pieces together, but HotToddy has been following since I started the account, right? You always had funny little comments. I—I noticed them and eventually made a point of searching for them.”
“You ready to get out of here?”
Evan turned when he realized Jeremy was talking to him. “Oh, yeah. I’m good.”
Jeremy leaned in as they made their way to the entrance of the restaurant. “Nice matchmaking there, by the way.”
“They do seem to be hitting it off well,” Evan admitted as he glanced back at Chris and Tod, who were still flirting.
Jeremy frowned at him. “Shit, I just realized we don’t have a way to get back to your car. Let me go talk to Russ and see if they can give us a ride to the funeral home.”
He disappeared before Evan could answer, and Stephen held the door for Evan as he left the restaurant. The cold February wind whipped across him, and he shivered and pulled his coat tighter around himself as he waited for Jeremy to catch up.
“How’s school going?” Stephen asked. There were a cluster of people trying to get into the restaurant, and Jeremy and Russ must have gotten stuck on the other side of the crowd.
“Great,” Evan said with a smile as he tightened his scarf. “I mean, it’s only the one grief counseling class, but it’s going well. I’m enjoying it.”
“And your relationship with your mom?”
“It’s been good. I don’t know that I’ll ever be as close to her as Russ is with his dad, but I feel really good about how things are going between us.” He grinned at Stephen. “I’m so happy. Work, school, my mom, and my relationship with Jeremy ... it’s all so good I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Stephen’s smile was broad and warm. “I’m happy for you, Evan. And I can see how good this relationship with Jeremy is for both of you. I think you bring out the best in each other.”
Evan looked at Stephen in surprise. “That’s how I feel too.”
Evan would never think of Stephen as a father, but in many ways, he was the role model Evan had always wanted. And a friend. He spoke slowly, not wanting the words to come out wrong. “I want you to know how grateful I am you came to Putnam for your father’s funeral. Not that I’m glad that he’s dead, of course, but I know you had doubts about coming, and I’m glad you decided to. You changed my life completely when you did.”
Stephen took a moment to respond, and when he did, his tone was thoughtful. “I think it changed all of our lives, Evan. It led to you coming to Atlanta and cemented my relationship with Russ. It brought you and Jeremy together, and led to the four of us becoming friends. My choice changed your life, but remember, your actions changed mine too. You didn’t have to come here to Atlanta, or trust us, or allow Jeremy into your life. You did all of that yourself. More than anyone, you changed your life for the better. You should be proud of yourself.”
Evan nodded, allowing the words to sink in as Jeremy appeared beside him, his arm slipping around Evan’s waist. “God, I never thought I was going to get out of there,” he grumbled.
Evan turned to face him, grabbed the lapels of Jeremy’s jacket, and looked him in the eye. “What do you think about moving in together?”
Jeremy didn’t hesitate for a second, but the grin he gave Evan would have been answer enough. “Hell, yes. It’s about damn time you asked me, kid.”
Evan leaned in, capturing Jeremy’s lips in a deep, eager kiss. He grinned when Evan finally pulled back. “What was that for?”
“Just because,” Evan said softly.
Because he was so in love, words were too much, and he could only convey his feelings through a kiss. Because he loved the way Jeremy held him, like he was something amazing and special. Because Evan finally believed he was special. Because he lived in a place where he could kiss his boyfriend and no one took notice. Because he was going to move into Jeremy’s place and, hopefully, they’d spend the rest of their lives together.
Because he was finally home.
The End
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Bio
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
Her books range from short stories to novellas. They explore gay, bisexual, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
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