21. Chapter 21
It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, it’s not too hot, and there’s a gentle breeze coming off the water. The location is absolutely perfect for a carnival.
I can hear kids screaming and laughing as they run by on their way to various activities set up throughout the park.
There’s a small petting zoo, along with pony rides. They even have a couple of horses for the older kids. On the opposite side of the big, open park is a bouncy house and an old Ferris wheel.
In the middle of all that is where they have the games and in the middle of all that, my… boyfriend is currently refereeing a three-legged race competition.
Looking out over the sea of kids, I’m baffled. Completely stunned .
“He’s so good with kids, isn’t he?”
I slowly turn my head, shock written on my face. “But he hates kids. Did he not tell you about Baby Spy? Because those two can barely be in the same room together.”
Jacob laughs. “Oh, he told us about Mazie.” He winks “I think those two will be good for each other. Jasper needs someone to put him in his place, and she just might be the one for the job.” He picks up a vanilla cupcake, and I hold my breath before he examines it and sets it back down.
God, what if he hates them? The suspense is killing me.
“But no, Jasper doesn’t hate kids,” he continues. “He’s just terrified of babies. You get him in a room filled with a bunch of ten-year-olds and they’ll think he hung the moon.”
I sigh. “I can see that.” I’m way older than a ten-old and I think he hung the moon. “But why babies?” Still not understanding.
“Matthew always said that babies are pure, not yet corrupted by the hate in today’s society. For Jasper, that’s too much responsibility. He’s afraid, in his words, to ‘fuck it up.’”
“That sounds like Jasper,” I say before chuckling at the sight of him throwing a kid over his shoulder and running around in victory. “It sounds like Matthew and Jasper had quite the connection.”
“It was uncanny, really. Matthew saw a lot of himself in Jasper. Like how they handled their emotions. I could see right away why Matthew was so drawn to him.”
“The three of you are a lot closer than I realized. Does it bother you that Jasper hid your part in his life from us?”
Jacob raises an eyebrow .
“Oh my God. Don’t answer that. I didn’t mean anything by… It’s really none of my business.” Open mouth, insert foot . This is not the way to woo the parents of the boy you’re crushing on or… dating? I don’t know.
Jacob chuckles, picking up another vanilla cupcake. “It shows you care.” He peels back the paper wrapper. “But no. It doesn’t bother me or Marcus because we’ve never lost Jasper. Just because we’re unknown to you doesn’t mean you’re unknown to us.”
“But these friends he’s been hanging around. How could you let him?”
“Because he was grieving along with the rest of us.”
Fuck me and my mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m really not making a good impression.”
“You care about him?” Jacob asks as he separates the bottom of the cupcake from the top. I nod my head, feeling foolish.
“Jasper needed to make his own decisions and come to his own conclusions. We had to teach him we weren’t going anywhere by simply not going anywhere. We couldn’t tell him that. He needed to see it. We made a promise to Matthew that we’d let Jasper navigate his adult life on his own, without us stepping in.” Jacob laughs. “Even in the end, he was always right. We were never meant to be Jasper’s parents. When he came to us, he had already lived in the system for so long and it was his life we were stepping into, not the other way around.”
He must not take too much offense to my look of horror during this sweet and tender moment because he just laughs as he takes the bottom of the cupcake and puts it on top of the frosting, creating a cupcake sandwich.
How can a man say something so profound one minute, then turn around and murder a cupcake?
“I blame Marcus. He says it’s the only way to eat a cupcake. And these are delicious, by the way. Matthew would have eaten a whole sheet of them.”
“It’s an honor that you asked me to be a part of today, knowing that it means so much to you and Marcus. I, umm, noticed the bracelet on Jasper’s wrist the other day. The one that has Matthew’s name on it, about the carnival.”
Marcus comes over from where he was talking with Jaxon at the Ink Me Booth and gives Jacob a kiss on the cheek. “God, I remember the day we gave that to him. It was the morning of the very first carnival. We were so proud of Matthew. We knew he was sick, but we hadn’t told Jasper yet. We didn’t want to ruin the day for either of them.” Marcus looks down at Jacob with so much love and pain it’s heartbreaking. “We wanted to get him something, so Matthew knew we saw him, the kind of person he was. It was only fitting that when Matthew passed, the bracelet went to Jasper. It was his carnival, after all.”
“Wait. What? What do you mean, his carnival ? I thought the carnival was a Matthew thing?”
“Oh, don’t get us wrong, it is, but the reason Matthew even started the yearly event was because he learned Jasper had never been to a carnival. He was bound and determined to give him this before he died. Matthew did this for him.” Marcus waves his hand around.
I look out at the park full of kids, laughing and having a blast. I lock eyes with Jasper. He grins from ear to ear, every bone in his body radiating happiness as he walks toward us.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I say as I step out of the booth, not breaking eye contact, then walk straight up to Jasper and kiss him with every ounce of my existence. My hand rakes through his hair as I swallow down his shocked gasp.
“I thought making you chant my name twice this morning would have you down for the rest of the day,” he says breathlessly. “But maybe I shouldn’t make assumptions.”
“Never make assumptions, baby.”
“So you’re saying I should not be making any assumptions as I watch Dom walking, no… striding toward Beckett, who looks to be… is that flirting? With a man I don’t recognize?”
I whip my head around so fast.
Oh, we’ve all noticed this little cat-and-mouse game they’ve got going on. And by the looks of it, a dangling piece of cheese has attracted a very angry mouse.
“Umm, they’re heading for the cupcakes. We should probably…”
“Yep, good idea.”
We quickly make our way back to the booth.
“Hey Beckett, how’s it going?” I ask, side-eyeing the stranger.
Beckett leans in, placing a hand on the stranger’s chest. “I was just telling Lucas here about how amazing your cupcakes are.”
“Oh, fuck,” Jasper whispers beside me. “Incoming.”
“I’ve heard amazing things about your baking skills.”
Well, fuck… pretty sure I’m supposed to hate the guy.
“Lucas is a baker I met while living out in LA,” says Beckett.
“LA… Of course, because the people you hung out with in LA were all winners,” Dom says, coming to a stop next to him.
“And here we go,” Jasper says quietly .
Beckett turns to him. “You know what? There are good people everywhere, Dom.” He scoffs. “Maybe you just don’t see it.”
“Lucas, wanna share a vanilla cupcake?” The two share a look before Lucas clears his throat.
“Of course, I would love a cupcake. But I’m actually not a fan of vanilla. Can we share a chocolate one instead?”
Jasper lets out a growl. Ohh, poor choice in cupcakes, buddy.
“And maybe I see good people everywhere, but that doesn’t mean I’m one of them,” Dom says.
Beckett whips his head in his direction.
“Umm, sure. Let me just get that for you,” I say, taking one of the chocolate cupcakes out of the display case and handing it to Lucas, all while holding Jasper back.
“Dom… I didn’t mean…”
Dom turns on his heels and stalks off.
“Shit!” Beckett says, hanging his head.
“Yeah, you just fucked up, buddy.”
“Thanks for being Captain Obvious, Jasper.”
“You’re welcome. And you kinda deserved that.”
“Fuck, I know. Come on, Lucas. We have some groveling to do,” Beckett says, pulling Lucas by the arm.
“ We ? What’s this ‘we?’”
Beckett just rolls his eyes as they scurry away.
“Well, this explains Dom’s cranky-ass mood. He told a client to fuck off the other day. I mean, it was just Ms. Cook, but still. Jaxon made him hand deliver flowers as an apology. ”
I snort. “I don’t think I want to be around when that finally comes to a head.” Wrapping my arms around Jasper, I nuzzle into his neck, not caring who sees. “You looked really cute playing with the kids.”
He just shrugs like it’s no big deal. “They’re good kids. Some of them have been a part of The Matthew House for a while now. I try to stop in whenever I can and hang out, maybe play some video games. When one kid, Charlie, found out I knew the guys who created House of Arrows, he flipped his lid.” He laughs. “I made sure Marcus brought in some swag.”
“You will forever surprise me. You’re nowhere near the person I thought you were.”
You know that old saying about peeling back the layers of an onion? That’s what it’s like to be in love with Jasper Valintine. Yep, I’m well aware I just said it, people.
By the time we get the last of the stuff unloaded from the car, I’m exhausted. It was a long day, but an incredibly rewarding day.
“Everyone loved your cupcakes,” Jasper says following me into the house.
I beam at the compliment. “Today felt really good. Rewarding. All week has, actually.” I kick off my shoes and let the hard work of the day melt away. Jasper shuts the door before wrapping me up in an embrace. “Spend the night?” I ask, softly.
“I forgot to tell you. I learned something new about myself.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that? ”
“This is a new development, but apparently when I fall, I have no sense for personal boundaries and want to be near you 24/7.”
“Oh, that sounds like some serious stalker vibes. But it doesn’t surprise me. You’ve always been slightly borderline stalkerish.”
“Funny thing is… that only seems to be with you,” he says, kissing along my neck as he untucks my shirt, his knuckles grazing the sensitive skin beneath. “You’ve always captivated me. It’s like my brain could not settle until I figured out if you were real.”
I scoff. “I’m nobody important, Jasper. I’m just a simple man.”
I give him a kiss before slowly removing his prized possession. A momentary flash of panic passes through his eyes. I chuckle before hanging it on the hook by the door and leading him down the hallway.
“You are not a simple man,” he states.
“Shower?” I ask and he nods his head.
I quickly get the water going, giving it time to heat.
“You are a very complex man, Olly,” Jasper says, taking off his shirt, and my eyes can’t help but linger on his pebbling pierced nipples.
“No, I’m not,” I scoff, getting undressed myself.
“Let’s see. Let me count the ways. You run a successful diner that you walked away from.”
I raise my brow. Not this again.
“Fine, you’re not walking away. I get it. But you’re going after something that’s so unknown. Let’s be real. Most people, ninety-nine percent of people, would never do that. They’d just go about their day-to-day lives. Doing what they feel comfortable with. You’re taking a risk. ”
“I am,” I agree. “But… I also still have The Diner to fall back on if the bakery doesn’t work.” I slide back the shower curtain, pulling Jasper with me under the warm spray.
“But that’s the whole point,” Jasper says. “What if it doesn’t work? What if your dream fails? What happens to your dream, then?” Jaspers says frantically and I finally see it. It all clicks into place.
“It will still be my dream. Fuck,” I say softly. “It doesn’t mean I stop trying. It just means it didn’t work this time.” I cup his cheek. “Jasper, what’s your dream? What are you afraid of losing?”
“Everything,” he whispers.
“Impossible,” I say.
The water cascading down his cheeks and the vulnerability in his eyes have my heart breaking for him.
I grab the back of Jasper’s neck, pulling him closer so our mouths meet. I kiss his lips and he kisses me back with ease. No hesitation, no awkwardness. We’ve hit the point where there’s no going back. There’s no should we or shouldn’t we, it’s just… we are. It’s fucking beautiful.
The kiss turns from sweet and passionate to heated and calculated in a blink of an eye. Jasper moans and I swallow it down greedily. The sound sends a spark of arousal down my spine until it’s deep in my balls, the moan just for me.
I back Jasper up against the shower wall, needing to feel our bodies pressed together. Both our cocks, once soft and tired from a long day, are now thick and hard. The water rains down on us, mixing with slick precum .
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get enough of you. That’s why you will never lose me,” I say, leaning back and looking into those deep brown eyes. And he won’t; at least it will never be by my doing.
I close the space between us once again, taking his lips in mine. The shower drowns out the sounds of our moans and labored breaths as our bodies slide together.
Jasper’s hands roam over my body, down my chest, and around my waist, sending my cock into a tailspin. I have never wanted someone’s hands on me as much as I do Jasper’s.
I tip his head back, kissing him deep and slow, meaningful, hoping to convey everything through the simple kiss.
I need him. I want him in my life.
We come up for air, gasping for breath .
“I never want to lose you,” he says. “For the first time, I’m exactly where I want to be and with who I want to be with. No hiding, no pretending like it doesn’t matter. It’s you.”
I lift his chin so I can look deep into his eyes. “I love you, Jasper Valintine.”
When I see the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile, relief floods through me. Thank God, because I could have just fucked this up.
“I love you too, Olly Pierson. Thank you for seeing past all the shit and finding me.” Jasper leans in slowly. Exactly how he starts the kiss. Our tongues collide, playing a delicate dance. He lets out a content sigh and I can’t help but to smile against his lips. When we finally pull away, his lips are swollen, and my dick is rock hard.
I grab the soap, pour some in my hands, and begin lathering up his chest, arms, and stomach. I can’t take my eyes off his sexy, defined V as the soapy suds slide down the grooves of his stomach.
I reach for his cock, and when my slick soapy fingers wrap around his length, he closes his eyes and lets out a strangled moan as I give it a few long pulls.
“That’s it, baby. Let me hear you.”
His arms wrap around my shoulders as he tries to hold himself up on shaky legs. “Oh, God, Olly, you have all my nerve endings on edge. How do you make my body feel like it’s going to explode with every touch? It’s like a drug. I can’t get enough. I don’t want to get enough.”
His words make me feel high. No one has ever complained about my sexual skills, but no one has raved about them either.
When Jasper slowly sinks to his knees, I’m already about to come. I’ve decided there is no better sight than seeing Jasper on his knees for me.
“Oh Fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” I chant when he wraps his lips around my shaft, his piercing teasing my slit. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to stave off the orgasm. We just said I love you. I don’t need to add embarrassment to this beautiful moment.
Jasper takes me to the back of his throat in one quick motion and I grab the wall to steady myself, making a feral sound that echoes throughout the bathroom.
His mouth bobs up and down my shaft. His tongue flattens, and he runs his piercing run along the thick vein of my cock.
“Jesus, baby, I’m going to come if you keep that up.”
“Don’t worry. This won’t be the only time I drain your balls tonight. ”
Shit. Speaking of balls, he gives mine a gentle tug and I’m a goner. Nerve endings spark to life, and the tingling sensation rides my spine all the way to my cock as rope after rope fills Jasper’s mouth and he swallows it down.
With unsteady limbs and starred vision, a desperate need to reciprocate takes over. I haul Jasper up and spin him around. “Hands on the wall, ass out, baby.”
It’s my turn to sink to my knees.