Page 20 of A Case of You
That was the limit, though. Finally, Brandon knew he needed to get Jeff to bed or the man would be sleeping on the couch.
Leaving Stuart to help the girls clean up the dishes, Brandon hooked an arm around Jeff’s waist and helped him into the bedroom. After getting him on the bed, Brandon closed the bedroom door and then stripped Jeff, helping him into the middle of the bed. Tonight, he and Stuart would sleep with him to make up for leaving him alone the night before.
He still felt bad that Jeff had awakened alone. Brandon had thought he would sleep all night. If he’d known he would wake up and be upset about that, at least he would have slept with him, or he would have ordered Stuart to.
Brandon stretched out next to him in bed as Jeff rolled toward him. “I love you, Master,” Jeff whispered, nuzzling his head in close.
Brandon pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Love you, too, boy. So, so much. That’s why I need you to let your body heal and listen to the doctors, okay?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Aaannd…like that, Jeff was asleep, softly snoring.
Brandon gave it about ten minutes before carefully extricating himself.
Stuart and the girls were almost finished cleaning up the kitchen.
“So what is the new medicine?” Stuart asked.
“Xanax,” Grace said, holding up the bottle from where all of Jeff’s medicine bottles sat together on the counter. “For his mood, right?”
Brandon crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “Yeah. Temporarily. To see how he does. Once his pain levels off again, he might come off it.”
“I’m honestly shocked he hasn’t been put on it sooner,” Grace said.
Very little the genius-level girl said surprised Brandon anymore. “Why is that?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I researched Lyme disease. Anxiety and depression are very common in chronic, long-term patients. Xanax is a commonly prescribed drug, especially short-term. It’s logical.”
“You really should go for pre-med.”
Grace shrugged again. “Not sure if I want the hassles of dealing with malpractice insurance and trying to bill insurance companies. I’m thinking about it, though.”
He caught the way Emma smiled at her, though, and the way Grace looked at her, the loving side glances.
Part of him was rooting for them, hoping they would make it for the long-haul as a couple. At least they had things easier than he’d had.
They didn’t have to go through the same level of pain as he had coming out to a wife, getting divorced—all of that collateral damage.
He wasn’t under any illusions that they had a completely smooth road ahead, but maybe it would be easier, in many ways, than what he’d gone through.
Or Stuart.
At least, in that way, Jeff had life “easy.” His parents and sister had accepted him fully when he’d first come out to them as gay, and then accepted Brandon and Stuart as Jeff’s partners when he’d told them about their triad.
Emma had to drive Grace home. Once Brandon and Stuart were alone, he pulled Stuart close, holding him tightly.
“Love you, boy. Thank you for being understanding with him this morning.”
“I know he doesn’t mean it. I sometimes have to make myself remember he’s hurting and it’s the pain that does it.”
Brandon kissed him, their sweet subby boy. Dubbed their “Alpha” subby, since Jeff got to actually marry Brandon, but it was in title alone. Stuart didn’t have a truly toppy bone in his body.
“Can we hook up a hot tub on the lanai?” Brandon asked.
Stuart looked up at him. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand what you don’t understand.”
