Page 14 of A Case of You
“I thought about that, too, but, again, stupid Mark is buddy-buddy with him.”
“Yeah, there is that.”
“John will have several of his Army buddies there. They’ll all be in uniform, too. Hopefully Jake won’t act like too much of an ass. He’s a bully, but he’s also a damn coward. He’ll be way outnumbered.”
“How dressed up do I need to be for this?”
“Oh, the guests can wear jeans, or a suit, if you want. Nothing fancy. We have to keep the cost down. We’re paying for it ourselves. I even found a gorgeous wedding dress at Goodwill for fifty bucks. It’s too big for me, but John’s mom can alter it so it fits me. Designer dress, too. Probably close to a thousand-dollar dress, brand new.”
“Wow. That’s great.”
“I know, right? So…please?”
The bad feeling all tangled and knotted in his gut wasn’t getting any better. “I’ll try. E-mail me the info, please, as soon as you can. I’ll let you know once I have an answer.”
“Thanks, Stu. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Sis.” He ended the call.
Great. His good mood had evaporated.
He tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and continued his drive into work. He suspected Cedro, his boss, would give him the time off to go…except Stuartreallydidn’t want the hassle of dealing with Jake.
Life with Brandon and Jeff had felt like living in a happy bubble after years of feeling he was under siege all the time. Jeff’s health issues aside, this was the happiest he’d ever felt in his adult life.
Hell, it was the happiest he’d ever felt in his life, period. He had a family and large group of friends who loved and supported him. His coworkers and boss respected him. He never felt like he had to explain himself. He never felt like he was looked down upon.
He felt appreciated.
Other than the initial stumble of finding out he’d been catfished by someone when he first moved to Florida, he had literally no complaints about his life, except for the obvious, that he wished he could heal Jeff. Logically, he understood that was out of his control.
Didn’t mean he was okay with it.
Did hereallywant to go back to Iowa, even for a visit?
On the other hand, he loved Eileen and if she wanted him there…
Plus his parents weren’t getting any younger. Could he handle the guilt if he didn’t go and something happened and he never had a chance to tell them he loved them one more time?
These were all things he knew he’d have to discuss with Brandon and Jeff, and then hand the final decision over to Brandon. He trusted him. Wouldn’t be collared to him as his slave and living with him if he didn’t trust him.
Trustbothof them.
* * * *
Emma and Grace were working on homework at the dining room table when Stuart returned home from work late that afternoon.
Jeff lay asleep on the couch, the TV tuned toSpongeBob SquarePants.
After saying a quiet hello to the girls so he didn’t wake Jeff, Stuart made his way to the master bedroom, where Brandon was talking on his cell phone.
Brandon waved him in for a kiss, even as he kept talking on what was obviously a work call. Meanwhile, Stuart headed into the bathroom to grab his shower.
Hopefully the doctor had some answers for them today about Jeff’s condition. Hegotit. Jeff felt bad that he couldn’t do more, like he wasn’t pulling his fair share around the house.
Stuart and Brandon didn’t feel like that, though. Jeff’s health was beyond his control, and they preferred he take things easy and actually have some good days, versus doing what he thought he “should” be doing and half killing himself.
Like he’d done on Monday.
