Chapter 35
Arlo
Thank God for Luca. And Deb, really. Though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that she shut down the diner to help us look for Salem.
Luca has been my saving grace. He’s kept me calm; he’s talked me down.
He’s entertained Nora, keeping her relaxed by telling her stories.
He even roped her into doing a creative writing exercise.
For fun. She loved it, and now I have three paragraphs about a dog who saved a cat from a well stuck to the fridge.
I wouldn’t be functioning without him. As it stands, I’ve had to rush off to the bedroom multiple times to freak out in private so Nora wouldn’t worry or freak out too. Of course she knows that Salem is gone, but she doesn’t understand the gravity.
It’s been just over fifteen minutes since Jasper told me they were leaving Hunter’s and heading back home.
Fifteen minutes that have dragged by. Fifteen minutes that have tested the bounds of my patience. Fifteen minutes of wondering what version of Salem I’m going to get when he comes through the door. Fifteen minutes that have felt like a fucking lifetime.
“They’re almost here.”
Luca’s voice snaps me out of my frantic pacing. “How do you know?”
He turns his phone around, showing me Austin’s location.
“Can you—?” I can’t even get all the words out, but it doesn’t matter. Luca nods, his eyes knowing, and I tear out of the house like my ass is on fire.
The second I step onto the porch, the sound of Austin’s truck coming down the road reaches my ears.
It feels like it takes forever, but finally, Austin’s truck comes into view. The second I see it, my eyes fill with tears, and it turns into a blurry blob of black.
They pull into the driveway, tires crunching on the gravel. I’m moving before they come to a stop, and the truck is still rolling when I pull open the back door.
“Arlo,” Salem chokes out, his voice raw.
He’s okay. He’s here. He’s safe. His hair is a wreck, and there are pieces of hay stuck in it. His eyes are red-rimmed, his face flushed and blotchy. But he’s here.
“You worried the fuck out of me,” I say, my throat tightening and tears spilling over.
His face contorts, and then he’s unbuckling his seatbelt and throwing himself into my arms.
He’s almost as big as I am, and when his solid weight slams into my chest, the force of it makes me stumble backward. I manage to stay upright, wrapping my arms tightly around him and squeezing the absolute fucking life out of him.
“You’re okay,” I say, trying to keep myself from breaking down. “I’m so sorry, Salem. So fucking sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I’d do anything for you. Anything. I’d suffer anything for you. I’d fight the entire world for you. I’m so fucking sorry.”
He sobs openly in my arms, his body shaking and his chest heaving. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so mean. I’m going to do better. I want to do better. Please don’t be mad at me.”
I shake my head, burying my face in his hair. “I’m not mad at all. I love you. Fuck, I love you so much. You scared the shit out of me, kid. Don’t ever do that to me again.”
A broken laugh bursts from his chest. “Never. I promise.”
I close my eyes, hugging him tighter, and when I open them and look around, I realize Salem and I are standing outside alone. There aren’t words to describe how thankful I am that Jasper and Austin gave us this small moment in private.
“Is Nora okay?” Salem asks quietly. “Did I scare her?”
“She’s okay.” There’s no point in making him feel bad for freaking her out. Besides, Luca had it under control. Thank God for that, because if it was up to me, she’d probably be just as big of a wreck as I was.
Salem starts to pull away, so I release him, then make eye contact. “I’m so sorry,” I repeat, my throat raw.
He shakes his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t mean what I said. I was… I was afraid that Jasper was going to make us leave.”
My heart clenches. “What do you mean?”
Sniffling, he breaks eye contact. “Everything is so nice here, Arlo. I know it’s been a while since you’ve lived in Tennessee, but I know you have to know what I mean. Look at what we came from, and look at all this.” His eyes dart around as he waves his hand toward the house.
His words stop me dead. I’ve spent a lot of time fighting with myself, trying to convince myself that Jasper isn’t too good for me. Jasper has worked his ass off trying to convince me too.
And now, staring at my sweet baby brother?
I’m finding I believe it in ways I never have before.
How can I believe with my whole heart that Salem is worthy of Jasper’s love and attention and care, but not myself?
How can I believe that I’m somehow too damaged, too broken, but Salem isn’t?
I’d never tell him the things I tell myself.
“You are worthy,” I say softly. “I’ve had those same thoughts and those same struggles. But you are. We are.”
New tears well up in Salem’s eyes. “I know it’s hard to believe,” I whisper. “It was hard for me to believe too. Sometimes it still is.” That gets his attention, and his gaze shoots to mine. “We are not what we’ve lived through. We deserve more than that. We deserve this.”
“I’ve been with Jasper for over a year now, and he’s never given me any reason to think he’s not in this, Salem.
Hell, when he told me he loved me, I ran away because I didn’t think I deserved him.
” Well, and because I didn’t think he’d want the kids, but that’s not gonna help my case any.
Didn’t matter anyway because it wasn’t true. “And you know what he did?”
Salem shakes his head.
“He fought for me. He wants us, kid. We wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.”
His throat bobs heavily, and then he smiles. It’s barely there, but I’ll take it. “He told me he loves me. I think he really means it.”
I wrap my arms around Salem, pulling him in close and squeezing him half to death. “Of course he means it. You are so, so easy to love.”
“Even when I’m being a little asshole?” Salem asks, his voice muffled against my shoulder.
I bark out a laugh. “Even when you’re being a little asshole. Fuck, I love you, kid.”
Salem’s back shudders under my hands. “I love you too.”
“Let’s go inside, okay? I think Nora would like to see you.”
“Okay,” Salem whispers.
He untangles himself from me, then wipes at his face again before turning to walk into the house.
Jasper crawls into bed beside me, letting out a sigh. “Jesus, baby boy, it’s been a long day.”
I hum, rolling into him as soon as he’s settled. “You can say that again.”
His fingers trail up my spine, then he cups my nape, drawing me in for a kiss.
When he pulls away, he sighs again. “I didn’t realize that it would be so hard for him.”
“What do you mean?” I prop myself on his chest so I can look at him.
Jasper smiles, then reaches up with his free hand to brush my hair off my forehead. “I think I just…” He pauses, shaking his head. “I’ve never had money issues. Never. And I think sometimes I take that for granted, is all.”
It really can be hard to grasp the idea of abject poverty if you’ve never lived it. Hell, I have, and even I didn’t realize that’s what was tripping Salem up. “You couldn’t have known.”
“I told him it was no big deal to me,” Jasper says softly.
“To buy things, that is. Here’s this kid who’s had to fight for basically everything his entire life, and I’m just throwing money around like it’s nothing.
But…” He swallows so hard I can hear it.
“It is something. It means something. It’s one thing to have your needs met, but it’s something else entirely to have your needs met plus being bombarded by some guy you don’t even know trying to spend all this money on you. ”
My heart skips. He’s not entirely wrong. It can be a little jarring. Especially if you’re not used to it.
“You meant well.”
“Yeah, I know. But intent doesn’t negate impact. He’s spent weeks worried that I was gonna regret him, believing that he didn’t fit here.” His face twists. “I hate that.”
“I know you do. I hate it too. But now we know.” I press a kiss to Jasper’s jaw. “And we can do better.”
Jasper snorts. “Yeah. No more two-hundred-dollar dinners.”
“I think he’d be more receptive to it now that he feels more stable.”
“He’s so much like you.” Grinning, Jasper presses his thumb to the freckle on my bottom lip. “I should have known.” Something passes across his face, and he laughs. “What is up with you Montgomerys making me damn near chase you down to accept my love?”
I raise myself up, dropping a kiss on his lips. “It’s a gift.”
Jasper hums. “You’re a gift. He’s wise beyond his years like you as well.”
“What do you mean?”
He runs a thumb over my lower lip, his eyes soft. “He asked if I thought you would forgive him, and I told him about Sarah. He told me that she would forgive me.”
My eyes start burning instantly. “She would.”
“Yeah,” he breathes. “I’m starting to think she would. And it’s all because of you and those kids. They’ve made me feel… I don’t know. More worthy or something.”
My stomach twists. “You’ve always been worthy, baby.”
His lips curve into a sweet smile. “I think we’re all learning that lesson in real time. With our new family.”
Surging forward, I capture his lips with mine, shifting until I’m lying on top of him. He cups the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my hair, as he kisses me back. His tongue swipes my bottom lip.
“My sweet Arlo. I’m so crazy about you,” he breathes before kissing me again.
The kiss gets out of control quickly, and all my blood rushes to my cock. I grind it against him shamelessly, moaning into his mouth with each pass of his tongue over mine.
Gripping my waist, Jasper moves me until he’s lined my cock up with his, and on the next slow roll of my hips, we groan in sync.
“That’s it, baby boy,” he rasps. “I need this. Need you.”
A little thrill shoots through me. I love giving Jasper what he needs.
It’s like nothing else in the world. We’ve come so far from the very first time I felt his lips on mine.
I could have never imagined this would be my life.
That the man I thought was playing a prank on me would end up being the love of my life.
“I’m yours,” I breathe, trying to get closer to him.
Jasper rolls me over, pinning me to the bed.
He kisses me again. And again, and again. Not stopping until I’m breathless. Not stopping until I’m moaning and my cock is leaking where it’s trapped between us.
Finally, with a gasping inhale, Jasper breaks away and presses his forehead to mine. He’s panting, his chest heaving, his breath fanning across my lips.
I’m no better off. My cock is aching, my hips still rocking. I can’t control them at all. No one has ever made me feel as good—as wanted and loved and cherished—as Jasper Tate.
“Baby boy?”
“Yeah?”
He brushes his nose over mine. “Can we switch things up tonight?”
He’s been all about face-to-face and slow and sweet ever since I told him I wanted to be made love to, but I’m good with anything. “Sure. How do you want me?”
When he pulls back, making eye contact with me, I’m surprised. He searches my gaze, nibbling on his bottom lip. “Inside me.”