Epilogue
Bailey
Three Months Later
“Hey, sir! You there, on the ladder!”
I turned to see a pickup truck parked in front of our place. A man and a little boy stood in the front yard staring at me as I hung Christmas lights.
“Yeah? Gimme a second.” I screwed the last hook to the fascia board on the front of the house and looped the colorful twinkle light strand over it before I climbed down.
I dropped the drill into the toolbox on the ground and walked over to the curb where they were waiting. “Can I help you?”
“I hope you can. I’m looking for Jagger Hansen. This was the return address on the package he sent to my son for Christmas. I’m his younger brother, Kaleb.”
God, he looked so much like Jagger it wasn’t funny. The little boy standing in front of me, holding an Iron Man figure,confirmed it for me. I was with Jagger when we bought Christmas gifts for his nieces and nephew. I’d dropped them at the post office myself.
Jagger told me he didn’t expect to receive a thank-you from any of them. I’d hoped he was wrong when he said it. I hoped his brother was there to prove it.
“Hi. I’m Bailey, his—” What the hell should I call myself? His lover? His boyfriend? His partner? I knew Jagger had never told his family that he was gay, and I hadn’t questioned him. I loved the man, and I would stand beside him come hell or high water.
“I’m his roommate. He’s at work right now, but come on in. You drove down from Reno?” Would a roommate know where Jagger’s brother lived? Fuck, I needed to send Jagger a text.
“This is my son, Jay. Is Jag still a badass bounty hunter?”
His comment made me smile. “Yeah. He had a bail run to the county jail. I’ll call him and ask if he can run home when he’s done.”
I opened the door to let them inside. It was chilly outside, and the little boy, Jay, was only wearing a sweatshirt. It would be incredibly rude to leave them outside until I talked to Jagger.
“I have Jay until after the holidays, and he wanted to meet his cool uncle who sent him the Marvel Universe, so we got up this morning and headed down. I planned to find a hotel nearby because I wasn’t sure how Jag would take me just showing up. We, uh, we haven’t seen each other in a few years, and I don’t want us to continue not being in touch. I’m a little nervous just coming without telling him.” His voice was a little shaky, and I could see his hands clenching and unclenching as he stood there.
“Naw. He’ll be happy to see you. Make yourselves at home. The remote to the television is on the coffee table. I’ll be right back.”
Kaleb nodded, so I went down the hallway to our bedroom and closed the door so I could call Jagger. It rang three times.
“Hey, honey. What’s up? Tell me you didn’t get blown off the ladder. It’s really windy out there for you to be hanging Christmas lights. Wait until—”
“Babe, stop talking.”
“Who’s in a mood now?” Jagger chuckled.
“Listen. Kaleb is here with Jay.”
“Kaleb? My brother Kaleb and my nephew Jay are at the house?”
He sounded shocked, which didn’t surprise me at all. Jagger hadn’t heard from his parents or brothers since he left the State Patrol and moved to Vegas from Reno. His parents had thought he was making a big mistake, as had his older brother Rob. Jagger said Kaleb hadn’t cared one way or the other. He was dealing with his own mountain of shit.
“Yeah, baby. Can you come home, or do you want me to ask him to come back? What do you want me to do?”
My insides were in knots. This was likely a huge shock to Jagger. I wished he’d been home when they arrived, but it couldn’t be helped. “Baby? You there?”
I heard a sniffle. “I’m in the truck. I’ll be there as fast as I can. Don’t let them leave, please.” The line went dead.
I wasn’t a praying man, but I prayed that he made it home okay. It was around two in the afternoon, and I hoped traffic wouldn’t be too heavy because he’d get frustrated due to his desire to get home faster. I didn’t want him to have an accident in the process.
I shoved my phone in the pocket of my jeans, took off my coat, and tossed it on the bed. I left the bedroom and walked down the hallway to the living room, where Jay was sitting on the floor watching a superhero cartoon. Kaleb was scrolling on his phone, and they both appeared fine.
“He’s on his way home. It’ll probably take twenty minutes or so from downtown. Can I get you guys something to drink? Wehave orange juice, cranberry juice, water, soda, beer— Well, not for Jay.” Why was I so fucking nervous?
