Page 49 of Home Between Homes

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” Jack whispered. The mattress wobbled as he pushed himself to get up. His bare feet padded across the laminate floor.

My drowsy brain pictured him naked on his way to the bathroom. It just couldn’t stop. Whenever I think of him, he'snot wearing anything. I couldn’t get enough of seeing him like that. To be fair, he had slept next to me in his birthday suit for an entire week. If only he would have been naked when I woke up.

Wait.

I forced my eyes open, but I could only see his firm ass for a second before he disappeared behind the white door on the left.Well, he will be back, and it was not as if he was shy about showing himself to me.

Finally awake, my eyes wandered around the room, taking in everything again. The apartment was small, sure, but clean. A few pictures on the wall and a different lamp would make it look much more cozy, and if we moved a few things around, we could get a bigger bed without having to get rid of the desk. It was definitely meant for one person and wouldn’t be a good long-term solution, but if we could make it work here, we could probably make thisrelationshipwork anywhere.

I blew out some air to process that thought.

Arelationship. Jack and I werein a relationship.Even if we haven’t called it that yet, it was heading that way. Heat radiated through my chest. My limbs felt light and weightless.Me, in a relationship.It was so unexpected, but it felt so right. However, it was too early to redecorate his apartment in my head.

I ran my palms over my face.

My chest fluttered. I had decided to stay with him, but this had… consequences. There was not much time to celebrate now because there would be a lot to take care of. I now had some money from working for the McCormacs, which would cover the most basic expenses for a month, but by then, I should have found some form of income.

Jack reappeared at the door, still naked as my dirty brain had imagined. His flaccid dick swayed between his legs and instantly grew at the sight of me. He crawled back into bed. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“No, it’s actually good. There are some things we should take care of. The sooner, the better.”

“I’m up for it. I took the day off. I did all the shopping yesterday, and after you called, I told everyone I couldn’t come in to clean or do whatever needed to be done until tomorrow.” He stared at me, tilting his head to the right. “I’m ready to help with anything.”

“I have to make some phone calls, like to my parents, to let them know that I won't be home today. But maybe I should call Dany first to tell him I’m interested in working for them.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I don’t think it’s good for me to hide. I need to get out there like you need to get back into a car after an accident. Besides, I don't think my parents would take it well if I told them I was quitting the FDA job without having anything to replace it with.”

Jack stared at me for a moment before a smile broke across his face. “If you want, I can send a message to Dany to see if we can go there tonight. I bet Laura would be thrilled to have us over. She jumps at any chance to entertain.”

I knitted my eyebrows together. “I guess I have to get used to the small-town community, huh? Everybody knows each other, and instead of calling someone, you just go over for dinner?”

“Welcome to Seastone.” Jack laughed. “If this is too much, we can?—”

“No. It’s perfect.” All of it was—the chance to meet new people, to start a new life, and to be with Jack. It was exactly what I needed.

An hour later,we parked my car in front of Dany’s place. The house was on a hill and big enough to give the impression thatthey had at least ten children, although Jack assured me that Dany and Laura only had a son and a daughter, both of whom were away at college.

Trees surrounded their yard, but once we walked through them, we found a stable, a cowshed, a goat shed, and two barns. At least twenty chickens, two turkeys, and six rabbits watched Jack and me as we walked up to their house. The turkeys poked their long heads through the chain-link fence, curious to see who had appeared on their home turf. In the distance, I could see two calves and a cow wandering through the snow and five goats in another pen next to them.

Dany waved at us from the main entrance and motioned for us to come up. We walked up the fifteen steps that took us higher up the hill to the main entrance. On the lawn to the left, a snowman guarded an empty pool.

“This is a pleasant surprise.” Dany shook my hand when I had made it all the way up to him. “Can’t say I expected this, but Icansay that it’s good to have you here. My dad’s still out, but he’ll be joining us in a few minutes.” He pushed the door open. “Come on in. Make yourself at home. Laura made us some tea.”

My chest felt light, but in a good way. This wasn’t at all how I expected to start the new year, but I couldn’t deny that I was more excited than nervous.

He led us through a spacious entryway into a kitchen in the back. Large windows overlooking the snowy mountain surrounded a wooden table where six cups, each with a different snowman painted on it, and a plate full of homemade cookies were waiting for us.

A woman who looked at least ten years younger than Dany threw a coaster on the plate and placed a steaming teapot, with leaves still swirling in it, in the middle of the table. When she saw me, she smiled as if she had been waiting to meet me foryears. She hurried toward me. “You must be Noah. Welcome! I’m Laura.”

I held out my hand, but she threw her arms around me and gave me a quick hug. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, trying to hide the fact that my voice was trembling a little more with anticipation than I thought it would.

“Likewise,” Laura said, pointing to the seats. “Please, sit down. Does anyone need any milk or sugar? Or do we want anything other than tea and cookies? I have ice cream, too, or I can make us some yogurt.” She pointed to the refrigerator. “If you’re hungry, just take whatever you want.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I replied, sitting down next to Jack.

“Why the change of heart?” Dany asked, standing behind a chair on the other side of the table, resting his hands on the backrest.

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