Epilogue
JASPER STARTED the washer and grabbed the basket of dried clothes, using his hip to shut the dryer door. A month since he’d officially moved in. A month since he gathered up his meager belongings from both his old home and Amber’s and put them away in the spare room Vincent had given him.
He didn’t know what was being done with his father’s house. He’d left it to Amber to sort out since she was technically his half sister, which was still difficult to wrap his head around. The only inheritance was debt, so he’d taken his personal possessions and washed his hands of the rest.
The only good thing to come out of the past few months, other than his living situation, was that he and Noah had reconnected.
His brother was trying to piece his life back together, trying to get clean of the drugs even if he refused to give up alcohol.
It was a start at least. He even came over to hang out every once in a while, though Jasper had made it clear if he brought drugs or alcohol into Vincent’s home, they were done.
It was a tentative start to getting his own life where he wanted it to be.
Classes started in a couple of weeks, and he was almost used to having access to a driver.
Vincent had hired a second until Jasper got a license and car of his own, and he suspected that would happen sooner than he could afford if the not-so-subtle questions about what kind of cars Jasper liked was any indication.
He’d promised to kick Vincent’s ass if he bought him a new car and only got an amused twitch of lips in return.
He doubted he’d ever get used to how rich Vincent was, much less receiving expensive gifts, and he definitely didn’t want to take advantage like Adam had, but maybe letting Vincent buy him things once in a while was okay.
Might have even been nice when he wasn’t having a panic attack over price tags.
He hooked a finger over his collar as he turned, the metal warm from his body heat. Every time he thought he was getting used to it, Vincent would hook a leash to it, or his finger, or attach a charm or something to the circle, and the weight would be noticeable all over again.
The door to Vincent’s office opened behind him and he turned back, stepped in close, and leaned in to steal a kiss.
Vincent hummed softly and slipped an arm around Jasper’s waist, trailing a kiss down Jasper’s neck and lingering near the collar.
Jasper tipped his head to the side to give Vincent better access, his eyes snagging on the door at the end of the hall. The door that was always locked the few times he’d gotten nosy enough to explore. “Sir,” he said.
“Hmm?”
“What’s in there?” he asked, waiting for Vincent to lift his head to motion to the door with his chin. The way Vincent stilled caught his attention. For a fleeting moment he wondered if it was some kind of murder room, and now that he’d finally found out Vincent’s deep dark secret, he was next.
Vincent sighed and stepped back. “You may as well see,” he said, sounding resigned. He stepped into his office and retrieved a key from the drawer of his desk, then headed down the hall to unlock the door. Then he stood there, his hand gripping the knob without turning it.
Jasper’s eyebrows inched up when nearly a full minute passed without his opening the door. Was it somehow worse than a murder room? “Sir?” he asked softly. “You don’t have to show me….”
“No.” Vincent heaved a deep sigh like he was going to his execution, which made absolutely no sense, and finally opened the door. He stopped, waiting beside it like he planned to escape the moment Jasper stepped into the definitely-probably-not-a-murder room.
Jasper hesitated, but his curiosity won within a few seconds, and he moved forward. “What the—” The laundry basket slipped free of his fingers, but that was a distant concern. Not nearly as important as the room he’d stepped into.
Lining the walls and scattered through the center were racks of clothes.
A hoarder amount of clothes. Except they were all arranged neatly.
Not just neatly, he realized as the shock gave way to amazed interest. They were clearly arranged by some kind of system, but it wasn’t until he found an actual authentic-looking cowboy outfit, complete with spurs, hat, and lasso hanging next to a similar one with an old-fashioned star badge that had Sheriff stamped into the metal that he finally realized what this was.
“Holy shit,” he breathed. “You weren’t kidding when you said you liked role-play.”
It was like standing in the middle of a Goodwill. Rather, it was more like a rich person’s version of a Spirit Halloween.
He made a slow circuit of the room, finding everything from see-through harem outfits to fantasy-style tunics to an honest-to-God Batman costume.
Uniforms from plumber to policeman to fireman with an oxygen tank.
When he turned back towards the door, he saw the wall to the side of it was filled with shelves full of accessories.
Crowns and rings, belts and sashes, and several different pairs of shoes and boots that could work with dozens of outfits.
Then there was Vincent, still standing beside the door like he expected Jasper to run screaming at any moment.
“There’s a small fortune in this room, isn’t there?” he asked.
A pained look crossed Vincent’s face. “Yes.”
Jasper nodded as he reached Vincent and lightly gripped the bottom of his shirt.
“Well, this makes it easier,” he said, grinning when Vincent eyed him in confusion.
“Ever since I got a taste of being a prince, I’ve had ideas.
Like, instead of being married off to a princess, maybe her debatably evil father decides to marry me instead. ”
Vincent huffed a laugh and settled his hands on Jasper’s hips, where they quickly slid down to grope his ass. “It doesn’t bother you?”
Jasper tilted his head, glancing around the room again before shrugging. “Not really. Kinda weird. Kinda hot. Can I see you in the Batman outfit?”
Vincent laughed and backed him into the room.
“But if you try to put me in a Robin outfit, I’m out.”
“Don’t worry. There’s a cat burglar one that’s all sleek leather.”
“Oooh, mreow.”