Our vacation went by too quickly, and we were forced to return to real life. Jag spent long hours catching up on his cases in the weeks that followed, and the next thing I knew, it was mid-August. He had made as much time for us as he could, and I did my best to properly express my appreciation to him. But it was time for me to get serious about the new school year with the fall semester closing in, so I started spending longer days in my office with Gavin.
Jag didn’t care for all the time I spent with my TA, and I tried to hide how much I adored his jealousy and possessiveness, but he made it so hard when I loved to be reminded who owned my ass. Jag’s possessive feelings didn’t make me feel like my life was in danger, but I couldn’t say the same about my heart. I had arrived at the point where I wanted the words. I needed to know if Jag saw a future with me. I also knew in my heart that I was the person holding us back because I still hadn’t told Gray about us.
If I wanted Jag to see a future with me, I needed to give him something to believe in. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe he suddenly understood he was worthy of a life of love. Almost a year had passed since we’d had sex for the first time. This was the longest I’d been exclusive with anyone and Jag had confessed the same to me while we soaked in the bathtub one evening.
“You ruined me for all other men,” I told Jag as I lounged against him. “I guess you’re stuck with me now.”
“I’ll gladly serve my penance, Bones.” Jag kissed my temple sweetly and ran his hands up and down my chest. “You’ve been the best thing to ever happen to me.” It was the closest to a confession of love I’d gotten from him, and I gladly took it. He slid his hands between my spread thighs and cupped my balls firmly in his hands. “But if you ever refer to me as your bae, I will twist these clean off.” Jag squeezed my sac a little harder to emphasize his threat.
I burst into laughter over the thought. I promised I’d never say such a thing, then I turned my attention to the endearing comment he’d made prior to his threat. I was so overwhelmed by the emotions his words stirred inside me that I said the first thing that came to my mind. Unfortunately, it was a famous line from the movieJerry Maguire. “You complete me.” I wanted to take the words back and say something sincere from my heart, but his arms wrapped around me, holding me tight, and laughter rumbled in his chest before it spilled out. I had never heard him laugh so hard, and I would’ve been offended, but his next words assured me he wasn’t laughing at me—just near me.
“You had me at hello, Bones.”
From that moment on, we frequently used movie lines to communicate. My favorite was when he left my house one morning to go to work and said, “Bye, Felicia.” That line from the movieFridayhad become part of pop culture and was hard to follow up, but I did my best.
“It’s Britney, bitch.” Okay, so I’d quoted Britney Spears’s music and not a movie, but Jag’s laughter and his smiling kiss afterward told me it was still hilarious.
“You got me this time, Bones.” Jag’s lips lingered on mine, and I began to wonder if he would end up late for work again.
I was happy, ridiculously so, and it came as no surprise that Gray noticed the smile I couldn’t wipe off my face when we met for lunch in early September. “The unthinkable has happened,” he said smugly. “Miller Brexler has fallen in love.”
“You’re an idiot.”
Gray threw up his hands and shook his head while wearing a smug grin. I loved the guy as much as I loved my brother, but I was ready to punch him in the mouth. “I know you usually go to the cabin with your family for Labor Day weekend, but I still wanted to invite you to our party.” I was grateful for the change of subject, but once again I was angry at myself for not telling him the whole truth.
“I am going to the cabin with the fam, but I appreciate the invite.” I conveniently left out the part where I was taking Jag with me or that I had already introduced him to my family.
They were instantly smitten with Jag once they saw how much Luke and Lily, who had hung out with us on several occasions, loved him. My mom greatly admired his pursuits for equal rights, and my dad liked the way he made me smile and laugh. My mom even cut out an article that had been written about him and framed it for Jag to hang in his office.
Labor Day weekend with Jag and my family was absolutely perfect. He was comfortable around them and unafraid to show me affection. Sure, we couldn’t go at each other as hard as we wanted to at night with a cabin full of people, but that was okay because the tender way he took me was even better. I missed being able to shout out his name when he made me come, but he made it worth it when he captured my sounds with his mouth.
The following weekend was the final barbecue of the year at the Wrights’. In fact, it was the last barbecue they’d be having at that house period. They were in the process of buying a new home together that they wanted to one day fill with kids. I hoped every one of their dreams came true because they deserved it.
I woke up the morning of the party and decided there would be no more hiding and no more games. I would’ve told Jag my thoughts right away, but it was hard to think coherently with my morning wood in his mouth nor could I properly verbalize my intentions when I had a mouthful of his cock when I returned the favor. It was my favorite way to start the day, so I waited until we were in the shower before I brought up the party.
“Let’s ride together.” Jag had been rinsing the shampoo out of his hair while I swirled my finger through the suds that were sliding down his body. I looked up and found he had stopped midmotion with his hands still in his hair. “No more hiding, okay? I promised you months ago that I would tell Gray about us, and today is the day.” My voice sounded firm and confident, and after a few minutes of self-evaluation, I realized I truly meant what I’d said.
“Bones, I know it’s an awkward position to be in, but I think you’ll find Gray is okay with us. He and I have formed a truce since the wedding, and it’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t think it’s so much Gray knowing that gives me pause. I introduced you to my family, and believe it or not, their opinions count more than Gray’s.” I took a deep breath while I searched for the right words to say to him. “My problem is that I don’t want outside influences putting pressure on what we have, Jag.”
“What do you mean putting pressure on us?” he asked after he finished rinsing his hair. “Like for a commitment or something?” He didn’t look or sound squirrelly over the C-word, but he was good at hiding his feelings.
“Jag, we’ve been committed to each other for a long time.” He nodded in agreement but waited for me to say more. “I really love what we share. We understand one another. I can’t help but feel that we’ll start acting differently once everyone knows about us and starts expecting certain things from us.”
“It’s that phobia of slapping a label on us and watching it crumble. I understand how you feel, but aren’t you and I in charge of us? If someone asks when you’re going to make an honest man out of me, you can simply tell them to mind their own business or tell them I’m already an honest man. Right?”
“True,” I replied, but I suspected it wouldn’t be that simple.
“We can tell Chase and Gray together if you want. Chase is going to be pretty upset that I didn’t trust him enough to share this part of my life with him. Gray won’t be the only one who hesitates or has hurt feelings.” He had a valid point, and it was one I hadn’t stopped to think about while I worried about covering my own ass.
“Let’s do it after the party. We’ll tell them once everyone else has gone home. It’s obvious Ben and Xavier didn’t say anything to them, or we would’ve known by now. Why do you think they kept it quiet?”
“They probably figured it wasn’t their story to tell.” Jag shrugged, then added, “Or they didn’t want everyone to know they were heading to the bathroom for the exact same reason.”
We arrived at the party together, but it didn’t seem like anyone noticed or cared. The weather was gorgeous, so most of us stayed outside and socialized. I went inside to use the bathroom, and Jag followed me to grab some more lemonade. We found Xavier and Chase standing together and gossiping while they prepared some food. It was obvious they hadn’t heard us come through the back door.
“I’m serious. There was no mistaking what JJ and Miller had just done in your bathroom.” Jag and I froze in place, hearing Xavier drop the bomb on Chase. Jag recovered first and pointed to the hallway, where we could listen without being seen. “Ben and I got the impression it wasn’t the first time either. JJ made a comment to Ben at the charity event about Miller wanting me and always getting everything he wanted. It was said as though JJ had personal knowledge of just how convincing Miller could be.”
