Chapter 31 Wes
Wes
It’s still dark outside, and the morning is cold on the track as Jett and I stretch before our run. I lift my arm and pull my elbow behind my head.
“I’m a summer guy,” I say.
Jett stands and shakes his arms out. “That was random.”
“Just sayin’ that I get tired of the dark and cold. I love sunning on the beach. We’ll have to soak up some rays when we’re on summer break, not that I get much of a break.”
Jett steps up to me, wraps his arms around my waist, and kisses my nose. “I’m a winter guy. What are we going to do?”
I hold him back and tilt my head, smirking. “I guess we’ll have to find a middle ground. We can always share the fall. I mean, it’s when we met.”
Jett rests his head against mine. “Sounds good to me.” He kisses me softly, and I lean into him. Before we get too heated, Jett pulls away and faces down the track. “Ready to get your ass whooped?”
I raise a brow and fold my arms. “I thought we were just running for fun.”
“This is fun. I mean, I get it. It’s hard to compete with me.”
“Oh, you’re so on!”
I know for a fact he’s going to whoop my ass, which is still a little sore from fucking, but he’s right. It’s fun.
We stand side by side, smirking at each other as we lean forward.
“On three…” he says.
“Three!” I yell and bolt off.
“Hey!”
I cackle, pumping my legs hard and fast. He’ll catch up to me and blow me away any second now. Sure enough, I can hear Jett’s heavy foot pounding close behind me. I pick up speed, but I’m built for endurance, not sprinting. My energy is quickly replaced by burning and lung tightening.
As Jett sails past me, he gives me the bird. I huff a laugh, and suddenly I have to stop. It’s too much. My long strides slow down, and soon, I’m having to walk it off. Fuck, I’m choking on air.
He slows and walks up to me with a smug smile on his face. “Not bad, Ellison. You just ran over 800 meters.”
“Wait, really?”
“Really. You’re still a cheater, though.”
“Hey, I required a handicap next to your ass. I’m nowhere near as fast.”
Jett stands close, cups my chin, and kisses me. We’re both sweaty and out of breath, but we don’t care.
“For old time’s sake?”
“Old times? You make it sound like we’ve been together for years.”
“It feels like it, but only in the best possible way.”
“Aww, you’re such a romantic.”
He shrugs playfully. “I have my moments.”
“What’s this ‘for old times’ thing you’re talking about?”
“Locker room, dicks in hand, stress relief before work starts?”
“Hot. How can I say no to that?”
“You can’t.”
We grab our stuff sitting by the bleachers and head toward the locker room, holding hands. We were supposed to get more running in, but Jett’s idea is way better.
Because it’s so early, there’s no one in the locker rooms yet. We quickly strip each other’s clothes off as we suck face. Unlike last time, where I practically jumped Jett’s bones by his locker, we take it to the showers.
We’re hard as rocks by the time we get the water started.
As it warms up, we kiss and gently tug on our cocks.
Right when I’m about to say, ‘fuck it, let’s come now,’ Jett pulls me into the shower stall.
He pushes me hard against the tiles, his mouth on mine, forcing his tongue inside.
I claw at his back with one hand and stroke him with the other.
He’s stroking me, too, but he’s also gently cupping my face as if he’s trying to be hot and sweet at the same time. It works.
“I wanna watch you come,” he says when we pull back.
I rest my head against the wall and look up at him through hooded lids. His are two deep pools of brown, watching me intently. As much as I want to be the dominant one, I let him have it. It’s easy to give in when it comes to Jett.
He bats away my hand from his dick and fists our lengths together. His other hand moves from my face to my throat, squeezing it gently.
“Oh, are we playing ‘bossy coach’ this morning?” I quip.
“Shut up.” He smothers my next words with a kiss full of tongue as he works our lengths together.
It doesn’t take long for my brain to go silent, focusing on his full-bodied kiss and his hand, gripping, squeezing, stroking, brushing the heads with his thumb. Feeling his cock pressed up against mine is a whole other level of hotness.
The pressure quickly builds, and all I can think about is making my body explode.
He pulls his mouth from mine and nibbles my ear. “How close are you?”
“Fucking close.”
When I hear a sound in the locker room, I turn my head and freeze, but he brings my attention right back to him. “Keep your eyes on me,” he whispers.
I run my hands around his neck, dig into the corded muscle, groaning as quietly as possible. I thrust into his hand and throw my head back when my orgasm hits like a freight train.
“That’s it. Come for me, baby.”
When I finish, he lets me go. I slide to the floor, my legs suddenly weak from the run and climaxing. Jett pumps his cock in my face, and I’m hit with hot spurts. I open my mouth, and he finishes on my tongue.
“Jesus, Wes,” he whispers.
I swallow his cum and lick my lips. “Delicious.”
He looks down at me with a huge smile, offering me his hand. I take it, and he hefts me up.
“Let’s get clean and outta here. We’ll grab some coffee. My treat.”
Instead of answering, I grab his face and kiss him, making him taste his flavor that I’ve grown addicted to. “Love you,” I breathe against his lips. “More than anything.”
His brows dip low, and he rests his forehead against mine. “Love you, too, baby. So much.”
We decided to wait until after Christmas and New Year’s before Mom had her surgery. You never know what could happen during something so invasive, so we wanted to make sure she had the best holiday ever.
Jett spent Christmas Day with his sister and her family, then he headed over to Cannon Beach the next day to spend it with mine.
Little did I know until I got back home that Mom had started dating her co-worker, Teddy, who works part-time as a cashier and has a full-time job as a bartender at the new brewing company and restaurant.
He recently moved here after vacationing in Cannon Beach a couple of years ago. He loved it and wanted to live here.
He’s only ten years older than me, so it’s strange to see someone in his mid-thirties dating my mom, who’s in her early forties.
Over the holidays, it was the first time I’d seen her with a boyfriend, so it was a little awkward for me. As much as I want to be protective of her, she’s a grown adult, and I’m not about to interfere with her personal life and happiness.
He’s young, attractive, and patient as hell with her. Even more, he knows she’s going to have surgery and that it’s a risky one. He’s sticking it out with her. For that, I respect him. And appreciate him. As long as he’s good to her, I’ll stay out of it. But fuck, she looked so happy.
Now, we’re in the waiting room at OSHU in Portland, as she undergoes brain surgery. Dennis and Mike are also here for moral support. Teddy is here, too. He took a couple of days off from work to be there for her.
It’s been four hours already, and I’m getting impatient and nervous. No one’s come out to tell us how it’s going or anything. Granddad is napping, Grandma is knitting, and Teddy is pacing, looking as nervous as I feel.
Jett must sense my tension because he takes my hand and massages the palm. “She’ll be okay, baby. She’s strong.”
“I hope, but still…” The doctor said that if the lesion were the cause of her stuttering, it could potentially fix the issue, but there’s no guarantee.
Honestly, I don’t care if it does. As long as she gets out of it alive and healthy.
I just fucking wished we could’ve afforded therapy for her.
It was just too much. We have insurance, but it’s as basic as it gets since it’s so expensive.
As it stands, this surgery will be costly, but I plan to help pay for it. Mom’s worth it.
Teddy runs a hand through his tousled dark brown hair, then nods at me. “Yep. Absolutely. Evie’s amazing the way she is.”
I lean in and whisper in Jett’s ear. “Fine, I guess I like him.”
He chuckles. “Well, he sure does like your mom, it seems.”
“Though if they get married, it’s gonna fuck with me that he’s only old enough to be my big brother, not my stepdad.”
Dennis snorts a laugh out loud. “Bro, I think you’re looking way too much into the future. They haven’t been dating long enough for you to be ringing wedding bells for them.”
I sigh and lean against Jett. “I suppose.”
“They’re good for each other,” Mike says with a definitive nod.
“I know. I like him; I really do. As long as she’s happy.”
“Exactly,” Jett agrees.
A doctor heads our way, wearing traditional light green scrubs. I recognize him as Mom’s brain surgeon, Dr. Hudson.
“Grandma, Granddad,” I say.
We all stand and wait for his approach. He looks tired, but his eyes gleam, which fills me with hope.
“How is she?” I ask as Jett takes my hand and Dennis grips my shoulder.
“The surgery went really well. Your mom was a trooper. She’s steady and in recovery. Unfortunately, the lesion has no connection to her stuttering, so I’m afraid she’s stuck with it.”
“That’s fine. As long as she’s okay,” I rush out.
“While the surgery went without a hitch, she’ll still need physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
” God, I try not to think about the cost. She’s alive.
She’s fine. Plus, this is right up my alley.
I can help her through most of it, at least the physical part.
“She’ll need to stay in the hospital for several more days so we can monitor her. ”
“What side effects can we expect?” I ask.
“It will take her months to recover, but she’s young and strong.
I’m confident she’ll get through it in no time.
But look for weakness on the right side, numbness, possibly more speech problems, and cognitive issues.
It’s a possibility, not a definitive outcome.
She’ll need to see me between one and two weeks with regular check-ups.
The good news is that this surgery should improve her quality of life and help her live longer. ”
It’s going to be a lot of work between taking care of mom and my job. But I’ll do it.
Dennis must read my mind, because he says, “We’ll help. Mike and I will come over a few times a week.”
“Definitely,” Mike says.
“Thanks, guys.” My heart swells for these two men.
“Don’t forget about me. I’ll be here,” Teddy says.
Jett squeezes my hand. “As will I, baby.”
My eyes water at all the support. It’s almost overwhelming.
“When can we see her?” I ask the doctor.
“She’ll need a few hours to rest. Then we need to run a couple of tests on motor function, level of consciousness, reflexes, and such. We recommend that you go home, then come back to see her after twenty-four to forty-eight hours. A nurse will reach out when she’s out of the ICU.”
“Thank you for everything, Dr. Hudson.”
He nods, smiles, and walks off.
Jett pulls me into a hug. “We’ll get you and your grandparents through this.”
“Thanks so much, babe,” I rasp, my emotions finally spilling over now that I know she’ll be okay.
He holds me for what feels like forever before he eases me back. “Let’s get you all home, then I’ll go out and grab everyone some dinner.”
“I’ll go with you,” Mike says.
“I love you,” I tell Jett.
He cups my face and pulls me into a quick kiss. “I love you, too.”
Two days later, we’re back at the hospital. God, I was fucking tense the entire time, desperate to see her. When they finally let us back into her recovery room after moving from the ICU, everyone let me see her first.
According to her neurosurgeon, she’s doing really well.
I step into her room, and my heart just breaks. Her eyes are swollen and bruised. I can’t tell if she’s sleeping. After pulling the chair next to her bed, I sit and take her hand, careful of her IV.
“Hi, Mom,” I whisper.
Her eyes flutter open, and she smiles tiredly. “W-Wes…” she mumbles.
Relief floods me that she knows who I am. I couldn’t help but have doubts despite what the doctor said.
While I waited impatiently to see her, I did a lot of research on her case, refreshing my memory on how to help her through physical therapy.
I’ll come to Cannon Beach every weekend if I have to.
I can’t be her primary PT because she’s family, and it could affect insurance, but I’ll still be there to guide her and check on her.
“How are you feeling?”
“G-g-groggy… I’m… ooookay.”
“Teddy’s been close by for most of it. I guess I like him.”
She smiles more broadly as her eyes close. “B-b-brat… hhhe’s good.”
I rest my cheek in her palm, my eyes watering. “I miss you, Mom. I was so worried.”
Her fingers twitch on my cheek, and she smiles tiredly. I don’t say anything else, letting her sleep.
“Love you,” I whisper.
“Llllove you…” she says groggily.
I watch her sleep for a while, feeling profoundly lucky she came out of the surgery okay. I’m not sure what I would’ve done had she not made it, or if she’d ended up worse. The world is one hundred percent better because she’s in it.