Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
JAKE
“Is that all you’re going to eat, sweetie?”
Half his stir fry remained in his bowl, but Jake had been pushing the food around with his fork more than eating for the past five minutes. He set the utensil aside and summoned a smile for his mother. “Not hungry, I guess.”
That she patted Jake’s arm instead of ordering him to clear his plate must be some marker of adulthood. “Well, there’s plenty left, so help yourself to leftovers later if you want them.”
“You will always have a home with me.”
Dima’s voice had run on repeat through Jake’s mind from the moment the call ended, through the meal he had no appetite for, and as he helped tidy the kitchen. He desperately wanted to believe the words. He wanted more time with Dima, to explore the shape of a real relationship. He’d never much cared about the age difference between them, nor the disparity in their life experiences and income levels. Not while he pursued his own career and contributed in what ways he could.
But to rely on the other man completely? At best, keep house for him while Jake worked some dead-end retail or food service job that barely covered the out-of-pocket costs of his meds and labs and office visits? Those scenarios formed a tougher pill to swallow than the one he already took every day.
“Hey, Dad?”
His dad relaxed at the cleared kitchen table, nursing a beer while he scrolled on the tablet Jake gave him last Christmas. “Yeah, son?”
Mom had gone upstairs, but Jake already knew her answer to this question. “What would you think about me not re-enlisting? If I stayed here while I used the GI Bill to pay for online courses to finish my degree instead?”
Scratching his chin, Dad looked up from his tablet. “That’d be fine, I guess. You’d have to cover your own bills, but we’d never charge you room and board. This is your home.”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Dad.”
“You’d still be able to see your doc at Vandenberg?” Dad asked. “Or would you have to go down to Thousand Oaks for the VA?”
Jake leaned against the kitchen counter and fiddled with the damp dish cloth. “I’d probably have to transfer to the civilian practice here in town.”
Even from the corner of his eye, he caught the face his dad made. “Doc Diaz has probably never seen a patient with HIV in his entire career. This is a small town, son, and you know how—” Dad cleared his throat. “You know you’re too old to be on our insurance now.”
He appreciated the attempt at a course correction, but he translated his dad’s original thought easily. This was a small town, and he knew how people talked. Neither Doc Diaz nor the local pharmacist would violate his privacy, but before long, everyone would know something was up with Jake’s health.
They’d ask his parents.
His parents would be embarrassed. Ashamed.
And this validated why Jake still hadn’t told them why he was back in California. He hated lying to them, because they really would open their doors to him again if he moved home to finish college. It’s not as though he’d have to go back into the closet. But he’d have to stay in the medicine cabinet, which made Jake snort in private amusement. “I know, Dad. Anyway, I haven’t decided anything yet. Just wanted to run the idea by you.”
He patted his dad’s shoulder as he exited the kitchen and headed to his bedroom. He shucked off his uniform top and snagged his laptop, dropping onto his bed as he flipped open the screen. He didn’t want to stay in the house all weekend and drive himself crazy worrying about the results of Monday’s meeting.
A quick Google search revealed…not much. In Maryland, he’d have dozens of options between Washington DC and Baltimore and beyond. Joining the military had expanded his world. Like his dad said, this would always be Jake’s home. But this wasn’t his place anymore.
He could stay, if he had no other options. And yet, if he could accept a home from people who loved him but also caused him constant guilt over something outside his control…
Then he had no reason not to accept a home from a man who’d quietly proven he loved every part of Jake over the past weeks, even without speaking those exact words. They’d been lovers for mere days, but Dima stayed in contact with Jake as if they’d been together for months or years. Jake had spent enough time in the military to know this sort of devotion, over such a long distance with no return date in sight, was rare and precious. Meant to be treasured.
Jake’s current reality remained the same until Monday. Time to change the facts to suit the reality Jake wanted. He had no control over Monday’s outcome. The distance between him and Dima and when they’d see each other again, on the other hand, were malleable details under his control.
Five minutes and slightly more credit card debt later, he closed his laptop and selected Dima’s contact in his phone. The other man answered immediately.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Dima smiled out of the screen at the strange angle he held his phone in bed. “I’m glad you called.”
“You asked.” Jake wanted to run his hands over Dima’s broad shoulders. To pepper kisses to each tiny gray hair sprinkled through his sexy scruff. “I need a favor.”
“Anything.” The video blurred as Dima sat up.
“Pick me up at the airport next week?”
“Of course.” His brow furrowed. “But won’t you find out Monday whether you’ll be sent back here to finish the project at Andrews?”
“Whatever happens on Monday happens. My orders to Andrews could be reinstated. Or, I’ll have to start the process of military separation. But either way, I want to come home to you.”