He slumped against the railing and stared out at the trees. The wild flowers planted around the cabin were blooming, buttheir mild floral scent was more irritating than soothing. He bristled when the door slid open behind him. “Tell her to fuck off.”
“I did.”
Jasper blinked and hesitantly glanced over his shoulder. Vincent was still standing inside as if afraid of getting too close, and Jasper suddenly felt like an ass. “And I still don’t want to go back.”
“You don’t have to.”
Jasper squinted. “You’re not going to try to make me?”
“You can make your own decisions. But I am going to make you come eat something.”
He pushed off the railing with a huff. “Rather eat you,” he muttered on his way by.
“I’m sure that can be arranged at some point,” Vincent replied, and Jasper almost smiled at the audible eye roll. He dropped into a chair at the dining table, but even Vincent’s gourmet scrambled eggs failed to entice his hunger. He sat poking at them as Vincent ate and drank coffee, and then Vincent’s phone chimed with a text. Jasper looked up despite himself, the furrow between Vincent’s brows not boding well.
“She’s saying your brother is going to contact you on your phone.”
Jasper shoved his untouched eggs away and went in search of his phone. He found it where it had fallen off the nightstand and sat on the bed to wait for it to turn on, then waited another several minutes before a text came through.
All it said wasYou don’t have to come.
He stared at the words long enough the phone dimmed twice before he texted back.Are you?
Nah gonna get some champagne to celebrate
What’d amb say to that?
Fuck you not that stupid baby bro
A soft snort escaped Jasper, and he fell to lie on his side, absently flipping the phone over and over in his hand. The guilt was still there, somehow worse now that he knew Noah wouldn’t be there either. Not that he’d expected otherwise. If Jasper’s shitty childhood was a bad dream, Noah’s had been a nightmare.
The kitchen sink turned on, and he focused on the running water and clink of dishes. That should have been him cleaning up. He tossed his phone on the nightstand and rolled over, curling up on his side as the guilt threatened to eat him alive. How long was Vincent willing to take over Jasper’s duties before he got fed up?
Of course that bastard had one foot in the grave and was still finding ways to fuck up Jasper’s life.
He pressed his face into the pillow with a long whine. This wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t be feeling guilty about not going back, or about wanting to stay here on his first vacation with Vincent. They were finally seeing each other for more than a couple of days a week, and it was amazing. If this was anything like how living with Vincent would be, he wanted more, but even daring to think that was enough that he let out another whine.
No way would Vincent want Jasper all up in his business all day every day. Except he wasn’t going to have a place to live soon if Amber stood by her threat. He sure as hell couldn’t ask to move in, but surely Vincent would let him stay while he figured out something more permanent.
“Pet.”
Jasper froze and tugged the pillow down enough to eye Vincent where he stood at the top of the stairs. “Sex?” he asked hopefully. Not that he was in the mood, but he’d welcome any distraction at this point.
Vincent raised an eyebrow. “Is that really what you want right now?”
“Maybe. No? I don’t know.” Jasper made a face and flopped back on the bed with an exaggerated sigh.
Vincent took a step forward before pausing. “Would you rather be left alone?”
Jasper automatically opened his mouth to say yes, but the word wouldn’t form. He wrapped his arms tight around the pillow instead and shook his head.
A moment later Vincent had closed the distance between them, the bed shifting as he sat and propped himself against the headboard.
Once he was settled, Jasper pushed the pillow away and replaced it with Vincent’s chest, pressing his face into the sleep-worn shirt. Neither of them spoke, and he closed his eyes as Vincent stroked his hair. He tried to go back to sleep so he could wake up and pretend to start the day over, but the silence finally became too much.
“She bought plane tickets,” he muttered.
“I saw,” Vincent said, still running his fingers through Jasper’s hair, his other hand resting on the arm thrown over his stomach.
