Chapter Ten #3
When Leary dropped his hand, he wore a huge grin. “You did. I saw it. Congratulations, gorgeous. All your hard work paid off.”
For whatever reason, JJ still didn’t believe. The move had been such an unconscious one. He had forgotten his hand wasn’t real. JJ picked up the lighter and tried again. It lit again.
“Holy shit. I have my hand back. I don’t know why it hasn’t hit me before now.
But I have my hand back and,” he turned and wrapped his arms around Leary’s waist, “it’s because of you.
You did this for me. My little miracle worker gave me my life back.
More than that. You became my life. How can I even thank you for that? ”
Leary’s smile never dampened. He wrapped his arms around JJ’s neck. “You never have to thank me for doing my job or for loving you. Nothing has ever been easier in my entire life.”
JJ lifted Leary off the floor and set him on the edge of the counter.
He maneuvered his way between Leary’s thighs and crowded his space.
“I need you to look me in the eye and see how much I genuinely love you. Please tell me you don’t have a single doubt about my feelings.
There’s still a rock inside my stomach that won’t budge because I gave you a reason to doubt me.
I love you so fucking much. It might actually kill me if you took your love for me.
” Until JJ made his confession, he hadn’t realized exactly how true every word was.
He felt as if a boot pressed on his neck at the idea of Leary having a single doubt about being JJ’s entire world.
Leary shook his head. “There’s no doubt in me. No one could look at you and say you don’t love me. It’s me. Being around my parents always stomps all over my self-worth. It doesn’t take much to undermine my every thought when I’m with them.”
He would never understand how much JJ loathed that. “So, let’s do something about it. Do you want to mend the relationship or limit the exposure?”
Leary shrugged. He looked vulnerable again.
“There was a moment with Mom tonight where I remembered the good times we’ve had.
If I could hang on to that with her, I’d like to.
Everything about my dad is completely fake.
Money and his reputation are all he cares about.
I’m not sure it would bother me to never set eyes on him again. ”
JJ nodded. He turned the problem over in his head, inspecting the issue from every angle.
“How about this? Maybe plan some lunches or shopping trips with your mom and see how it goes. If she treats you poorly, cut things short and try again another day. Maybe seeing your mom without your dad will help. Plus, if you’re seeing her, your dad might not bother making plans involving you very often.
Obviously, I’m fine to never set eyes on either of them again.
You take the lead on this. If you don’t want me to ever be around them again, just say the word.
” He stared at Leary with his eyebrows raised, hoping Leary would read between the lines.
Tonight had been a onetime thing for Beau so they could be together.
That was done. They were free to live their lives together now.
“I’m here for you. It’s you I’m in love with.
Parents are a concept that doesn’t matter to me.
Loving you, though, I can’t live without that. ”
Leary nodded. “As you’ve noticed since you just met them after being together over six months, I don’t get invited to dinner often. Even during the holidays, they usually travel out of the country. We’ll just cross each bridge as we come to it.”
JJ furrowed his brow. “Do you mean, before now, you’ve spent the holidays completely alone?”
Leary shrugged. It was an uncomfortable-looking gesture. “Well, not this past Christmas. July and I did Thanksgiving and Christmas together last year. Otherwise, yeah. Pretty much.”
JJ snatched Leary from the counter and headed back to bed. “Not this year. This year, there’ll be a tree, all the sugary treats, and presents. I’ll even take you to see Santa, if you’d like. Oh, and we’ll drive around and look at all the lights. You’ll never be sad or alone again.”
Leary kissed him. “You’re my miracle. You know that, right?”
JJ tossed Leary onto the bed and then curled around him to snuggle. “And you’re mine. We’ll be so damn happy that people will gag around us. I swear you’ll have the best life. You know I keep my promises no matter what it takes.”
Leary ran his fingers through JJ’s hair, making his eyes fall closed at the sensation. “I know you do. You should know I do the same. I promise nothing will ever come between us. This is forever and ever.”
“Yay!”
At JJ’s childish-sounding cheer, Leary chuckled. It was such a seductive sound. JJ kissed his neck. “Forever and ever.”
“Promise?”
JJ shifted and covered Leary’s body with his. He sat back on his heels and drew a cross on his chest. “I swear it on everything I possess. I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”
JJ meant every word.