“I need it. Let me finish pouring this first,” said Luke as he glanced up. “What—” He dropped the coffeepot, hot liquid spattering everywhere.
“Lucas, are you all right? What’s wrong?” Jordan grabbed some paper towels while Luke stood frozen, shaking and white as death.
It took a few moments before Tash noticed that Luke and Randy couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Randy stood rooted to the floor, swaying slightly as if he was going to pass out.
“What’s going on, you two? You both look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Jordan slipped his arms around Luke, but the man shook him off. Mumbling, “No, no, it can’t be,” he strode across the room to stand before Randy and reached out with a violently shaking hand to touch the other man’s face. “Brandon? Is that really you? Have I finally found you?”
Chapter Seven
He was hallucinating. Or drunk. It had to be one of the two, because good things like this didn’t happen to him twice in a lifetime. Brandon had thought he’d used up his good wishes the night Gabriel found him in the rain. Perhaps he was wrong. The fact that it was now here, right before him, and Luke was real and touching him? It was nothing short of a miracle.
“Luke?” His voice shook so badly he could barely get the name out.
“Brandon,” Luke cried. “Oh my God.”
Like stone statues, they stood rooted in place, unable to move. Brandon’s mind whirled in confusion. How could this be? His throat closed tight, and his mouth dried so he could barely speak. “Luke.” With shaking legs, he sank into the chair Tash pushed behind him, giving Tash a grateful smile. “I don’t understand. They said your name is Conover.” He looked to Jordan, then back to Luke. “Have you been here all along?”
“Yeah. I changed my name. I wanted a fresh start.” A pained expression crossed Luke’s face. “Once you were gone, there wasn’t anything holding me there any longer.” He closed his eyes for a brief moment. “I came up north, went to school, and found a job I love.”
“And then you met me and your life became complete,” Jordan joked, but Brandon watched him squeeze Luke’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
“You’ll discover Jordan is nothing if not humble and modest.” Luke rolled his eyes, but his smile flashed bright when he gazed at his lover.
Brandon couldn’t ever remember Luke lighthearted and free. Watching him tease Jordan gave Brandon hope that whatever sadness Luke had carried around with him all those years had been exorcised from his soul.
“I looked for you once I was able to, but I never found any trace. Now I know why.” So many wasted years.
Luke’s expression turned somber. “I’m sorry for that. I wanted no reminders of what I’d left behind.”
“Oh.” Maybe that included Brandon as well. He pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes to ward off any embarrassing tears that might leak through. “I know we live in different worlds now, but I was kind of hoping we’d get a chance to reconnect.”
“Brandon,” said Luke gently. “Look at me.”
Uncertain as to what Luke would say, Brandon hesitated a moment. Then he heard Tash’s voice murmur in his ear, “Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.”
He looked into Luke’s eyes, and his misgivings melted away at the fiery protectiveness burning in their depths.
“You’re my brother. Not a day has gone by without me thinking about where you were—if you were alive or safe.” Luke leaned forward and gripped Brandon’s hands. “I’m still in shock trying to wrap my head around this all, but nothing’s going to keep us apart ever again.”
Over the years Brandon had learned to live with disappointment; the terrible loss of Ash and Luke had never strayed far from his mind. To know that Luke had missed him as well released a weight from his chest he wasn’t aware existed until he heard those words.
“Are you sure?” He looked between Jordan and Luke. “I don’t really fit in—”
“Don’t be stupid,” said Jordan, brushing aside his protest. “You’re family, and family takes care of each other.” Jordan wrapped his arms around Luke. “It’s what we do.”
“I told you so.” Tash’s whisper, coupled with the comfort of his hand on Brandon’s shoulder, steadied the staccato beating of his heart. As a tentative smile curved his lips, voices could be heard in the hallway.
“Oh shit. I forgot they were coming.” A giant smile lit up Luke’s face.
“What’s going on? Who’s coming?” Brandon didn’t think he could take any more shocks.
Before anyone had a chance to answer, there was a knock on the door, and Jordan called out, “Come on in.”
Tash took his hand in a tight grip as Brandon rose from his chair and recognized Dr. Drew Klein from the other night. A step behind him was an elderly lady, who held the arm of a tall, dark-haired man. His head bent low as he whispered something in her ear that had her laughing.
The smile froze on Brandon’s lips as he stood, for the second time that afternoon, frozen in shock. No, no, this couldn’t be happening. And for the second time in the span of minutes, Brandon couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t possible, was it?
