Chapter 25
THEIR FLIGHT back home was uneventful, especially since Vincent had kept his grandfather’s jet to use rather than deal with a commercial airline again.
They spent the flight alternating between kissing and dozing, enjoying what little time they had left before returning to their real-life obligations.
They made it all the way to the car Vincent’s driver had waiting for them and were exiting the airport traffic when his phone chimed with a text from Amber.
He’s gone the funeral is next week.
Vincent stared at it long enough for Jasper to notice.
“What’s wrong?”
Vincent hit the button to shut off the screen and blew out a slow breath before turning to Jasper. “Are we considered back home now?”
Jasper’s face did a complicated twist of emotions before he let out a resigned sigh. “I guess. Why?”
He pulled the message back up. “Amber texted an update,” he said and held the phone out.
Jasper didn’t take it immediately, eyeing it like it might bite his hand off.
He waited until the screen dimmed before holding his hand out, and he stared at the screen without reacting for several long moments.
When he finally moved, it was to unbuckle and shift across the seat to lean heavily against Vincent. “I don’t want to go,” he whispered.
“You don’t have to.” Vincent still made a mental note to make sure he had no plans that day in case Jasper changed his mind. The phone chimed with another text and Jasper stiffened against his side.
Vincent tugged the phone free and narrowed his eyes.
We need to talk we’re waiting outside.
“I’ll tell them to leave,” Vincent said tightly, pressing the Call button. He didn’t appreciate being ambushed, certainly not when he’d been planning on enjoying his own shower and bed and a last lazy afternoon with Jasper.
“Don’t,” Jasper murmured as the call connected.
He hit Mute rather than answer Amber’s defensive greeting. “We can get a hotel room for the night,” he offered.
Jasper tipped his head back with a tired smile. “Let’s just get this over with.”
He unmuted the phone long enough to say “We’ll be there in twenty,” then disconnected without waiting for a response.
Sure enough, Amber’s car was sitting at the curb when they pulled up. Vincent didn’t know how long they’d been waiting, and he didn’t care. He hadn’t shared their new flight time with anyone except Jasper, and the petty part of him wished he’d pushed their arrival time back to late afternoon.
They grabbed their bags and headed inside.
A pile of mail waited on the hall table, courtesy of the cleaning service that would have come by the day before.
A small rectangular package caught his eye, and he regretted that now certainly wasn’t the time to open it.
He set his bags to the side to deal with later and turned to the door; Amber and Noah had followed them in.
He shut the door, intending to leave them and Jasper to discuss whatever family business they thought was so important, but Jasper’s hand in his stopped him from going anywhere.
He glanced over, raising an eyebrow in question.
Jasper merely tightened his hold and pulled him to the dining room.
He sat when Jasper still didn’t let go, ignoring Amber’s clearly disgruntled expression and fighting a smug one of his own when Jasper pointedly lifted their hands to rest on the table.
“I’m not going to the funeral if that’s why you’re here.”
Amber flinched and turned her attention to Jasper. “Jas—”
“Just tell him,” Noah interrupted, sounding bored. “I’ve got better things to do.”
Amber shot him a look like she wanted to call him on that, but she relented. She set her purse in her lap and pulled out some papers, and Vincent suddenly had an even worse feeling about this. “I got the DNA test results.”
Jasper leaned back in his chair. Vincent couldn’t blame him; he wasn’t sure if he’d want to know the truth in this kind of situation either.
“I tested all of us.”
“You what?” Jasper snapped, surging to his feet, his blunt nails biting into Vincent’s hand. “I told you I didn’t want to be involved.”
She tossed the papers to the middle of the table. “I needed yours for confirmation,” she replied, unapologetic. “We’re all half siblings.”
Vincent squeezed Jasper’s hand when he felt the tremble that ran through him.
Jasper didn’t say anything, his other hand braced on the table while anger warred with half a dozen other emotions on his face.
“Just so I understand,” Vincent said quietly.
“You did a DNA test on Jasper without his consent?”
Amber straightened with a wary glance his way.
“I told her not to,” Noah said. “I’d offer my statement as a witness if you want to sue her, or whatever, but I doubt my word would be worth anything.
Congrats, bro,” he added, pushing to his feet.
“You two share your father, and I share her inheritance. If you wanna get drunk about it, hit me up. Let’s go before they call the cops on you. ” He turned and headed for the door.
Amber was slow to follow, but she finally got to her feet, lingering beside the table like she wanted to say something. A quick glance at each of them and she decided against it. She left the papers and followed Noah out.
Vincent kept silent for several moments after the door closed, waiting for Jasper to do or say anything, but he was still standing there, eyes fixed on the papers. Finally, he slumped forward with a shaky breath.
“I can’t go back home,” he murmured, an empty quality to his voice that Vincent didn’t like in the least.
“No,” he agreed. “You shouldn’t have to.
” Amber of all people was one of the last he’d expect to violate someone’s trust like that.
He had to wonder if she broke trust so easily within scenes, but unless she started playing with club members rather than her fiancé, it wasn’t his business.
“You can stay here as long as you need.”
This certainly wasn’t how he imagined offering to let Jasper move in would go, but it couldn’t be helped. He squeezed Jasper’s fingers and stood, then guided him upstairs, unsurprised when he readily crawled into bed and burrowed under the covers.
Vincent waited until he’d fallen asleep before getting up and adjusting the thermostat back to his preferred 71 degrees.
He grabbed his suitcase and took it to the washing machine to get started on laundry, then sorted the mail.
Mostly spam, a few bills, Jasper’s collar.
The pictures likely weren’t even ready to mail yet, since he’d ordered specific sizes, but he was still disappointed not to see them.
He took the collar up to tuck into a drawer of his dresser, then joined Jasper on the bed with his phone. He’d need to get a key made, but they could do that tomorrow. For now he put an order in for sushi to be delivered for dinner and spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on work.