Page 31 of Logan

Most days, when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t even recognize myself. Except for my birthmark. That always looked familiar.

Jason seemed to take comfort in the mark as well, for once he noticed it, his whole face lit up with joy.

“You’re back.”

Before I could respond, he pulled me into a hug.

I froze.

For a moment, my fight or flight instincts kicked in and I nearly shoved him away. That would have ruined everything, so thankfully, I was able to control it and stand still for the remainder of the hug.

When Jason pulled away, there were tears in his eyes and I could feel some dampness on my shirt. Yet, he was also smiling and he wiped the tears away with a bubbling little laugh.

“Sorry. I’m making a mess of you. Here. Come inside. We can sit down and talk where it’s more comfortable.”

He held out a hand toward the front door of the house in an inviting gesture, but I looked back toward Logan.

He wasn’t going to leave yet, was he?

Technically, his job was done. He’d brought me to my brother safe and sound. He was free to return to his life, back on the other side of the country.

Logan must have read the distress on my face, for he stepped up to accept my brother’s invitation for me.

“Yeah. We should go inside. No reason to have this kind of conversation out on the street.”

Inside, Jason’s house was just as perfectly laid out as the outside, right down to the tasteful artwork on the walls and the glass vase sitting on its own display table and holding a purple orchid that was so flawless I thought it was fake at first.

I scowled at the flower. From what I’d heard about orchids, they were very difficult to maintain, and this one stood at least two feet tall with many colorful blooms.

How much time and effort went into caring for this single plant?

It was living better than a lot of people I knew, including myself. The imbalance didn’t seem fair.

“Hello.”

I jumped at the sound of the unexpected voice, and barely avoided knocking over the vase.

Off to the side, another person stood in the living room, obviously waiting for us. The man’s face was familiar, but it took me a moment to recognize him.

Jason approached the other man with a wide smile and open arms. “Clay. Let me introduce you to my partner, Patrick.”

Patrick was a sturdy looking individual, with soft eyes and an endearingly crooked smile. He accepted a brief one-armed hug from Jason, the kind of familiar show of intimacy only exchanged by couples. Then, he approached me with a smile on his face and his hand outstretched. “Clay. It’s great to finally meet you. Jason has told me so much about you. I’m glad you’re finally here.”

“Right.” I accepted his handshake, but my own hand was limp with shock and probably felt like a dead fish in comparison to his firm, confident grip. “Sorry. I forgot.”

“Forgot?” Jason asked as he stepped up to Patrick’s side.

“That you’re married. I forgot you’re married. Congratulations. Sorry, I’m three years too late to congratulate you.”

An expression fell over Jason’s face that I couldn’t read. His eyebrows were pinched together in a way that implied unhappy thoughts, but he didn’t exactly look upset.

Had I said something wrong?

Did my comment about congratulating him remind him of how much time had passed?

Surely, they didn’t think I’d have a problem with their relationship. Even if I wasn’t also gay myself, I’d have no cause to complain about a relationship that made my brother happy.

“You… know when we got married?” Jason asked.

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