Aaron changed his position on the couch abruptly, the cushions shifting under his weight. The metal frame creaked and groaned in protest, and Gage was worried that the broken support bar he’d repaired with air-dry modeling clay, duct tape, a wooden dowel, and a prayer would fall apart and send them plummeting to the floor. But nothing broke, and instead of the floor, Gage found himself pinned to the back cushion. He looked up, misty-eyed, at Aaron, who’d straddled his lap and taken hold of both of his shoulders. He squeezed.
“I know,” Aaron uttered. Up close, Gage could pick out the brown striations in Aaron’s dark eyes, each and every freckle of his iris beautiful and distinct. “I know, BP. I know. I don’t doubt that.”
“I’m sorry,” Gage choked. He shut his eyes, trying to stop his tears, but they wouldn’t cease. “I’m so sorry, Aaron. I’m sorry. Iloveyou. I really do. I was only trying to do what was right for Bo. Don’t be mad at him, be mad atme.I did this. It was all me. I—”
Words became impossible. Aaron’s lips were on his suddenly, crushing, demanding that he stop. Gage gasped into his mouth, and Aaron took it over, letting their tongues meet again for the first time in years. A gentle touch of dominance was all Gage needed—he folded to Aaron, letting Aaron take control over from him. When their lips parted, Gage was breathless and dazed. Aaron’s forehead rested against his, and he spoke so close to Gage’s lips that Gage felt the weight of his words.
“Never again,” Aaron whispered. It wasn’t a reprimand—it was an order. “Not one more night. Not one more second.”
“I promise.” Gage wasn’t sure if he’d spoken or not. The sound of his voice was so small and timid that his words barely carried. “Never again.”
“By tomorrow, I’ll have a house. I’m just waiting to be approved for the rental.” Carefully, Aaron tilted his head so they were lip to lip. Gage’s heart fluttered, and tears streamed down his cheeks in greater abundance than they had before. “Three bedrooms and a fenced-in back yard in a good neighborhood, north of the city. I’m starting work this week—I was offered a job in Aurora, just like I promised you that I would be. You and Bo are going to move in with me. I’m going to take care of you. You willneverhave to do anything like that again.”
“Okay.” Gage’s sinuses ran. His chest tightened, and his skin burned hot and sticky from anxiety and guilt. He didn’t deserve Aaron’s kindness, but he’d been given it regardless. After all this time, and after everything that he’d done, Aaron still loved him.
Why had he ever believed KnotMyProblem?
Nothing had changed between them.
Nothing.
Aaron kissed him sweetly, then guided him down so he was stretched across the couch. At last, Gage found the courage to open his eyes. Aaron towered over him, the bastion of strength and security that Gage had desperately craved since he’d found out he was pregnant with Bo.
The hard times are over,the look in Aaron’s eyes said.I’m home now, and I’m here for you. You’ll never have to suffer again.
Gage believed him.
And when Aaron lowered himself over Gage and claimed his lips again, sealing the promise his eyes had made, Gage let himself go.
There was nothing to be afraid of anymore. Aaron was home.
10
Aaron
The truth revealed itself to Aaron with the same, nightmarish deliberateness as a horror movie monster slowly dragging itself from the dark for the very first time. Every new detail was uncomfortable and terrifying, and yet Aaron couldn’t look away, nor could he stop himself from listening. What hid inside of Gage needed to be seen so it could be defeated. Aaron was ready to slay it. He hadn’t been expecting a fight like this, but he wouldn’t let it get the best of him. Gage was the one for him—he’d known it since their first, quiet kiss beneath the porch light of Gage’s parents’ farm house one starry night after coming back from California, when Gage had fit against his chest just right and sent shivers down his spine with a single touch. It hadn’t lasted long—only for a few, timid seconds—but it had drawn Aaron’s attention to the way his heart beat for Gage, and made him wonder if he hadn’t felt that way all his life. And even now, facing the demons Gage had hidden from him for years, Aaron knew that beyond the hurt the news had done him, his heart hadn’t changed.
It never would.
For the last four and a half years, Gage had done whatever it took to shield Aaron from a truth that would forever change his life—but those times were over now. Aaron had come home, the truth had come to light, and there would be no more secrets. For however long it took, and no matter the lengths Aaron had to go to, he would defend Gage in the same way that Gage had defended him.
He would make things right.
The kiss deepened. Gage hummed into his mouth and wrapped his arms loosely around Aaron’s neck. Their bodies were flush, and Aaron detected the stirrings of Gage’s erection against his thigh. The spark between them was still there, electric in its intensity, raising the hairs on Aaron’s arms and tingling in his groin. Chemistry like theirs would never extinguish itself—it was ingrained in who Aaron was, and everything he’d become.
Gage was his, and he would protect him. He’d find a way to make things right. It would take time and effort, but now that he was back, nothing else would come first.
Recuperation would begin tonight.
Aaron’s lips parted from Gage’s, but only so he could kiss his way down Gage’s face, to his jaw, and then all the way down his neck. By the time he’d arrived at the dip behind Gage’s collarbone, Gage was already making small, delighted sounds. He ran a hand through Aaron’s hair and tugged gently, and Aaron glanced up to find Gage looking down at him.
“I love you,” Gage whispered.
The utterance was so fragile that Aaron couldn’t help but cushion it with a reply of his own. “Not half as much as I love you.”
He’d been hurt by what Gage had done, but he wouldn’t let temporary feelings distort what he knew to be the truth. Being in love didn’t mean that they’d never fight or disagree with one another—Aaron knew better than that. He loved Gage not because he was perfect, but because he adored each of his flaws and worshiped all of his imperfections.
“No more secrets,” Aaron whispered. He kissed along the ridge of Gage’s clavicle, then back up his neck until he nuzzled against Gage’s cheek. His stubble brushed Gage’s smooth skin, and Gage whispered a moan and nuzzled back. “No more surprises.”
