Page 74 of The Road Home
"You know she's your dog," Jared teased.
"She is not, she loves us both. I think she just senses that I need a little more support than you do at times. If you notice, it's at night she pays more attention to me."
"You mean like when she pushes in between us so I can't hold you?" Jared laughed.
"I've tried to get her not to, but she won't sleep on my other side, which means she wants to be close to you as well." Orson raised a brow as if daring Jared to deny it.
It was true. Even though he liked to play jealous, the dog did pay equal attention to them. It just was more noticeable with Orson. Probably because he cuddled back with her more than Jared did. "I'm glad we got her."
"Me too." Orson leaned over and wiped a drop of syrup off Jared's lip before kissing him softly. "I know I just woke up, but I need to get showered and going. Are you sure you don't mind me not going with you?"
"No, go and see Harry. I'll just have Cameron help me get the hutch over, then come home. It won't take long. I think I worried Richard when I called him last night and asked if he'd be home because I needed to haul something over." Jared grinned.
"Are you sure he has a place to put it?"
"Yeah, even if it's in his garage for the time being. The two of them can decide where they want it after."
Orson stepped closer, taking a minute to settle on Jared's lap. "They invited me to the wedding ceremony. I wasn't sure if you were still going since we know they've already gotten married, but if you do, I thought maybe we could go together?" He bent and kissed Jared's chin, then moved to his lips.
Jared closed his eyes, trying not to think of it as a date, but that was exactly what it would be. He trusted Orson not to out him, but still, if they showed up together…. He forced the thought from his mind. They were roommates. It made sense for them to arrive places together. "I'd love to go with you." He wrapped his arms around Orson's waist, holding him close. "It's still two weeks away, but make sure you have the night off work and we'll make a full day of it."
"I'm off. Reese wanted more hours, so he said he'd work that afternoon for me."
"Reese is the other homeless guy, right?"
"Yeah, he makes enough to get a place, but since he helps two others he lives with and they have a safe place, he uses the money to make sure they have what they need."
"That's impressive."
"He's a good guy. Reminds me of Harry in a lot of ways." Orson kissed him again. "I'm going to go get ready." Orson slid off Jared's lap before taking his dishes to the sink.
"Yeah, I better too. Cameron will be here soon." He rolled his shoulders before picking up his own dishes.
He watched Orson leave the kitchen, then leaned back against the counter. There was no denying his feelings for Orson. The more time they spent together, the long nights holding him in bed, it was more than just two guys having fun. He was falling in love. It was overwhelming and scary because he was sure what they had would never be enough for Orson. It was enough now that he was still trying to get his life back together, but once he was on his feet, and he had the money to go out and get his own place, it wouldn't be good enough. He'd want someone who would date him, go out in public with him. Jared wanted to be that person. He wanted Orson to stay here with him, make a future with him, but if he wanted that, he was going to have to make some changes.
As he headed out to the shop to make sure they could haul the hutch out and get it to Cameron's truck, he thought about his life. He's spent years hiding, watching other gay men around him live full lives. He wanted that. Wanted to be strong enough to come out, no matter what might happen because of it. It was just fear that stopped him. Realistically, he wouldn't lose his job, wouldn't lose his house, wouldn't really lose anything, but in the back of his mind he remembered every hate crime he'd seen come into the E.R., he saw every bruise, every broken bone. Even more, he remembered the hate in his parents' voices when they talked about gays. If he came out, he'd be giving up any chance of ever going home again, but honestly, was that such a bad thing?
He'd never been close to his parents. They never showed pride in what he'd achieved in his life. It was just expected of him. They didn't call to wish him happy birthday or anything else. They talked once a year maybe, saw each other even less unless he decided to take a trip home and force them to acknowledge they had a son. What the hell was he so scared of?
He wanted this to work with Orson, he wanted a future, and to do that, he needed to come out. It was the only way.
The ring of his cell phone pulled him from his thoughts. He quickly answered, seeing Cameron's name. "Hello?"
"Hey, I'm about five minutes out. Want me to back up to the shop?"
"Yeah, I'm in here now. I'll get the doors open and be ready for you."
"Perfect." The phone disconnected.
Just like the garage, the shop had a pull-up door that sat just back from the driveway. It would make it easy to load the hutch with only a few feet to have to carry it. He slid the door open and started to gather the straps that they would need to secure it.
"Keep bending over like that and I'll want to do dirty things to your ass." Orson surprised him as he walked into the shop.
"Makes me want to bend over more." Jared grinned as he dropped the straps on the table and pulled Orson into his arms. "Cameron's almost here, so I'm going to say goodbye now." He bent for a long, lingering kiss that left them both breathless. "I'll see you after work tonight."
"I'm looking forward to it." Orson grinned.
"Me too." The hours were too long between getting out of bed and getting back in.
