“This is the visitor I told you about, Grandpa,” Joseph said slowly and a little louder than his normal speaking voice. “He’s Jack Murphy’s grandson. His name is also Jack and he drove here from Washington D.C. to meet you.”
Jeremiah turned his head and looked at me. The rocking stopped as soon as his eyes connected with mine and I had to wonder if just maybe he recognized the green eyes I had inherited from my granddad; Joseph wasn’t the only one who was the spitting image of his grandfather.
“Hi Jeremiah,” I said, approaching the bed. “My grandfather, Jack Murphy, passed away a few months ago and I found some photos of the two of you from your time together in World War II.” Jeremiah held our eye contact as I came to stand beside his bed. I had no way of knowing what he understood, if anything, but there was something in his gaze - a slight spark of something.
I reached inside my coat pocket and pulled out the picture of Jeremiah and Big Jack that Liam and I loved so much – the same one that made Joseph cry the night before. I held the picture up so that he could see it. His gaze shifted away from my eyes and looked at the photo in my hand.
“Do you recognize those two handsome men?” I asked. I knew he wasn’t able to respond, but I still felt the need to speak to him. Jeremiah held up a shaky hand and I gave the picture to him. He stared at the photo for the longest time and then I saw a single tear cascade down his wrinkled cheek. Jeremiah’s other hand lovingly caressed the photo and I knew we had done the right thing by going there. Jeremiah looked at the picture for the longest time before he laid it over his heart.
“He loved you his entire life.” The words came out choked with raw emotion, but I needed to say them. I needed to say the words my granddad was never able to speak to him. I took his paper thin hand in mine. “He never let you go even when you thought he had. You were with him every step of the way clear up to the very end. He’s waiting for you to be together again when you’re called home.” Jeremiah gave my hand the slightest squeeze, but I could feel the strength fading in his grip. I patted his hand and laid it beside him on the bed, but instead he placed it over the photo covering his heart. I could see how tired he was and exhausting him wasn’t my intention at all. “I’ll leave you to rest now, Jeremiah. I just wanted to meet the man who my granddad loved for all of his life. Rest easy now, soldier.” His eyelids fluttered a few time before closing, but not before another tear escaped.
Joseph gave his grandfather a gentle kiss on the forehead before we left his room to go in search of Brad. He was sitting on a bench in the middle of the solarium enjoying the sun shining through the glass walls and ceiling. It was a beautiful space, the sunlight warming the chill of sadness that lingered in my heart after seeing Jeremiah’s emotional reaction to the photo.
Brad and Joseph sensed that I wanted some time alone time with Liam and quietly left us by ourselves. Joseph said he wanted to make sure the nursing staff realized how important that photo was to Jeremiah. He wanted to make sure it was always were his grandfather could reach it or look at it.
Once alone, I pulled Liam into a hug and rocked us back and forth. “I believe what I told him, Ace.”
“Which part, babe?”
“The part about granddad waiting for him. Grandma got to marry him and raise a family with him, but Jeremiah gets his eternity. I just feel it.” Liam raised his head off my chest and gave me a sweet kiss, which warmed me more than the sun ever could. “I’m so grateful that I don’t have to wait until death to have you, though.”
“Me too.”
Brad and Joseph found us in the same position when they returned several minutes later. A few months ago, I would’ve been so uncomfortable showing that amount of affection to another man in public. It just seemed natural to reach for Liam, no matter where we were or who we were with.
On the way back to the B&B, I asked Joseph for a restaurant recommendation. I wanted something ridiculously romantic so I could wine and dine Liam before I asked him that all important question. It might not make sense to some, but for me it made perfect sense to ask Liam to marry me during the same weekend getaway that I was able to connect the past with present. Why not shift my focus to our future?
JACK WAS PRETTYquiet for most of the afternoon, which wasn’t unusual for him. He spent a lot of time reflecting on things and when he was ready to talk he would. We took Charlie for a long walk in the crisp, winter air before we ended up falling asleep. A phone call from Chase to let us know that baby Sofia arrived safely woke us up. He promised that Ellie and Sofia were doing well and he would save some chubby baby cheeks for me to kiss.
It was so nice hearing from my brother and I was looking forward to getting back home and meeting Sofia, but I loved the mostly uninterrupted long weekend away with Jack. I had sensed it was something we both had needed.
We took a very long, very steamy shower together before we got dressed and went to dinner. The place was famous for seafood and the menu was a bit overwhelming for a mostly beef and chicken kind of guy. I ended up going with steak and lobster while Jack ordered some massive crab extravaganza. I drank most of the wine since Jack was driving, but I wasn’t too tipsy to notice something a little more intimate about Jack’s behavior. The looks he sent had me wishing we were eating alone in our room back at the B&B. There was a lot of wicked things I could do with that melted butter.
As soon as the thought occurred to me, a drop of butter dripped off of my piece of lobster meat and ran down my finger. With his eyes locked on mine, I licked the butter from my finger deliberately slow. Maybe I should have been more concerned about someone else seeing my behavior, but I only had eyes for Jack. Right then, his eyes told me he was ready to ask for the check, but I wasn’t quite done having a little fun yet.
I slid my foot out of my loafer beneath the table and moved it so that I caressed Jack’s ankle before inching its teasing way up his strong calf, over his thigh until I stopped to press my foot on the bulge between his legs. Outwardly, a person wouldn’t have known what I was doing because my actions were hidden beneath the tablecloth. Jack’s eyes, however, broadcasted just how much my little shenanigans had affected him. I used my toes to massage him and smiled wickedly across the candlelit table when I felt his cock stir beneath my naughty ministrations.
“Ace.” His voice was a soft warning of things I could expect later, but he should’ve know by then that I liked it rough and dirty. I liked pushing him past his control, because I knew no matter what - he’d never hurt me, only give me indescribable pleasures.
Jack’s big hand covered my foot and I expected him to pull my foot off of his lap so that he didn’t get too aroused in the dining room, but that isn’t what happened at all. Instead, he pushed my foot harder against his semi-erection, thrusting up into it just a fraction. I felt my mouth drop open when he upped the stakes and my mind tried to spin out something I could do to top him, but he signaled for our bill before I could make my next move.
“Don’t cause me to wreck,” Jack warned when he got behind the wheel and started his Jeep. He probably didn’t want me touching him, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t touch myself.
I started out by just rubbing my erection through my slacks, but I turned up the heat when I heard a soft growl emanating from his throat. Oh yes, I wanted to bring out the animal from within. I unfastened my slacks and reached beneath by briefs to stroke my dick. Seeing my hand move beneath the fabric and knowing he was glancing over too, increased my lust. I wanted to give him a show, but I didn’t want to come until he was inside me. I kept my strokes slow and teasing, careful not to stroke too hard or too fast.
“Give me a taste,” Jack demanded. I swiped a pearly drop of pre-cum off the tip and held my finger to his lips. He licked my finger clean like I had in the restaurant with the melted butter. “More.”
I repeated the teasing strokes and fed him my pre-cum after every few strokes until we arrived back at our B&B. Jack attacked my mouth and I tasted myself on his tongue while I refastened my pants and pulled down my sweater to cover my arousal. “Put your coat on,” Jack said, unwilling for anyone to see just how badly I wanted him. All of my passion was for his eyes, and his eyes only.
We tried not to be obvious as we made our way up to our room, but all bets were off once the door was closed behind us. Our teeth bumped while we kissed and nails scored aroused flesh in our attempts to disrobe one another and toss the clothes to the floor.
Jack pulled the duvet cover down to the foot of the bed and laid me down, covering me with his hot, hard body. I eagerly spread my legs to make room for him while he kissed me long and deep, as if he was trying to make a point with his kiss. I was hot and impatient, wanting to feel his hard length stretch and fill me, making me feel complete and whole. That is what his love did for me.
He was just as eager to claim me as I was to be claimed. He reached for the lubricant and set about stretching me to receive him. I bit my teeth into his shoulder, urging him to take me and take me hard. It must have had the desired effect, because he was pushing into me seconds later. I couldn’t get enough of the burn and the stretch of him entering me. It never lasted long and it was always followed by so much pleasure.
“Like this?” Jack asked, beginning to stroke long and deep inside me. “Is that what you wanted, Ace? A hard fucking?”
“Yes,” I replied, eyes rolling in the back of my head when he pegged my sweet spot. “Just like that.”
