“I haven’t had much of a chance to check it out just yet, but it seems really wonderful,” He replied as Jessica reappeared with two hamburgers, fries, and drinks on a tray. He saw the look of disappointment on Mrs. Birmingham’s face and he had to wonder if the lady was really that dense. Didn’t she know he was with Kasen? The rest of the town definitely knew by now.
“Well, I hope you have a lovely time, Dear. Jessica,” She lifted a trimmed eyebrow in Jessica’s direction before turning and walking off.
“Oooh,” Jessica giggled. “I almost missed the nasty glare she gave me,” She held out the drink carrier towards Rowan. “You like root beer floats, right?” She asked. “Because this is basically the best root beer you will ever taste in your life.”
“Then I look forward to enjoying it,” Rowan smiled broadly, helping her carry their food to a nearby picnic table as a gentle breeze blew through. He couldn’t wait for Spring.
As the minutes passed by and Rowan relaxed in the quaint little setting of a town celebrating a new year together, he couldn’t ignore the flutter of butterflies going insane within his abdomen. He couldn’t wait to see Kasen. Life was good, and having that gorgeous boy in his arms again would be the perfect ending to a semi-perfect day. He couldn’t ask for anything more.
“So, like I was saying, I think I really want to dye my hair blue,” Jessica’s ramblings brought him out of his thoughts as he gazed at her, both eyebrows lifting on his forehead. “I know what you’re thinking,” She smiled. “But I think I’d look good with blue hair.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Rowan chuckled lightly. “But-”
He was cut off by the sharp gasps and faint cries of surprise sounding from around them. Both he and Jessica turned their heads to see the crowd of townspeople parting like the Red Sea, and Rowan’s heart hit the pit of his stomach as Kasen’s limp body hit the concrete.
Chapter Twenty Five
He was to his feet in an instant, running as fast as his legs would carry him before he finally made it to Kasen’s side. He was beaten-badly, and as soon as Rowan spotted the bright streak of blood on his temple, something inside of him snapped.
“Oh my god, Kasen!” Jessica cried as she fell to her knees beside Rowan. “What the hell happened?”
Kasen rolled onto his back, groaning as he gazed up at them. There was already an angry bruise forming on his cheek and his lip was cut. His blue hues moved from Jessica to Rowan, and the fear in his eyes was evident.
“You need…to get out of here,” Kasen struggled to say through rapid breaths. “They’re…going to hurt you.”
“Who, Baby?” Rowan asked as his voice cracked. He pulled Kasen into his arms, cradling him against his chest as he glanced at Jessica.
Kasen didn’t have to answer that though, because the five burly men stepping into the clearing made it obvious what had happened-and what was about to happen again.
“We don’t want your kind here,” The first man stated, spitting tobacco juice on the ground. Rowan recognized him. It was the police officer that had responded on the night the clinic was vandalized. What in the hell?
“Yeah. We ain’t startin’ our new year with the likes of you infecting our young,” A second man spoke. His arm was in a cast, and Rowan definitely knew who he was. He was one of the assholes waiting outside for Kasen on the night of the attack. He’d gotten a few good hits on him it seemed.
“You’ve done turned my wife against us, and I’m tired of it.”
Jessica gasped, “Toby? What the hell are you doing?! Did you do this to Kasen?”
“You’re damn right I did,” Toby snarled. “We don’t have room for these queers in our town, Jess. I sure don’t appreciate this little fairy putting thoughts in your head and ruining our marriage.”
“He didn’t put anything in my head,” Jessica all but growled as she pushed herself up from the ground. “You’re an abusive asshole and it was my choice to leave you.”
More gasps sounded from the ever growing crowd surrounding them, but Rowan was too busy focusing on Kasen. He held him tightly in his arms, shaking his head slowly, “I’m so sorry, Baby,” He whispered in a voice full of remorse. “I’m going to take you out of here, do you understand? I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”
“No…” Kasen whispered as he lifted a bruised hand to touch the side of Rowan’s face. “This isn’t your fault, Ro. They were bound to catch up to me eventually,” He blinked back the tears trying to form in his eyes. “This is the price a person has to pay to prove they’re not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. I didn’t want us to hide from the world….it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” Rowan argued in a trembling voice. “It’s not okay, Kase. None of this is okay. Look at you…” He touched the spot just beneath the cut on Kasen’s lip, blinking back his own tears. “I’m so sorry.”
“You make me sick,” The young police officer grunted.
Rowan lifted his head, his hard gaze settling on the smug officer’s face as he balled his hands into fists. He was ready to fight. If this is what it all boiled down to; he would fight. He would not allow these lowlife pieces of scum to hurt Kasen ever again. The line between rational and irrational blurred as Rowan slowly released Kasen and stood. The worries of losing his job, or being kicked out of town were the furthest thoughts from his mind as he took a step towards the group of men gazing at him with hate in their eyes. He was finished with their antics. He would happily take Kasen and leave this God forsaken hellhole…but not until he beat each and every last one of them into a puddle of mush.
“You make me sick.”
Rowan turned his head to see Jessica standing in front of the taller males. It was like watching a Chihuahua take on a pack of mastiffs, but he admired her courage. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her hard gaze moving from one man to the next as Toby’s upper lip curled back. She didn’t even pay him any mind as she took another step closer.
“Shame on all of you for what you’re doing,” She said. And she said it in a way that made Rowan believe she was addressing the entire town. Was she? “These two men have done nothing to any of you, yet you still find a reason to harass them; to hurt them. Look at what you’ve done,” She glanced at Kasen on the ground over her shoulder, sadness in her eyes. She shook her head slowly, “You have known him since he was a baby, and you think it’s okay to treat him this way?”
Rowan helped Kasen to his feet, sliding an arm around his waist as he tried to steady him. Kasen winced, grabbing his side, “What is she doing?” He asked in a softer voice. “Giving an Independence Day speech? It’s only New Year’s,” He joked lightly.
“I don’t know…” Rowan admitted honestly as he held him close. “I should get you to the hospital though. You have to get checked out, Kase.”
“Nah,” Kasen rolled his eyes, grinning in spite of his injuries as he caught Rowan’s gaze. “I’ve never looked hotter, right?”
Rowan couldn’t help the smile sliding across his lips as he leaned in to press a kiss against Kasen’s temple.
“And Rowan,” The sound of his name pulled him out of his momentary Kasen-filled thoughts. He brought his attention back to reality as he noticed Jessica was looking at him.
“Rowan has been fixing the ailments of your animals for months. Sometimes he even does it for free. He doesn’t have to do that, but he’s a good man. He has a good heart,” She waggled a finger at Toby as if he were a small child. “And you have to be a dick to him. It’s not okay.”
“It’s not,” Mrs. Birmingham chimed in from the front of the crowd. “I think Doctor Kelly is a mighty nice man.”
“I do, too,” Jessica agreed with a firm nod. “He saved my Diana a while back, and I couldn’t afford to pay him,” She blinked back the moisture forming in her eyes. “But he did it anyway because he’s a good man…and good men shouldn’t be put through this hell,” She emphasized on the word as her eyes snapped back to Toby. “Over who they choose to care about.”
“That’s touchin’ and all, but I’m tired of listening to you,” The police officer snorted, causing his buddies to echo his laughter as they moved forward. It was only then that Rowan realized one of them had a baseball bat.
“Get outta the way, Jessica,” Toby ordered. “They’re leaving Chartreuse whether they want to or not; whether you want ‘em to or not. In fact, you’re welcome to go with ‘em if you want to, you good fer nothin’ little whore.”
“Stay close to me,” Rowan said lowly as he pulled Kasen into his chest. He reached out to grab Jessica’s arm when a sudden gunshot caused several people to shriek in terror. Rowan found the source of the gunshot fairly quickly as his eyes connected with the chief of police’s. Stepping forward, seemingly eyeing his pistol as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he sighed.
“Now, boys,” He tsked. “This ain’t no way to be behaving during one of our town’s finest events, now is it?”
Rowan was sure the look of confusion on his face mirrored the one he saw on the faces of the men who’d attacked Kasen. The young officer, especially.
“Dad, I-” The officer started.
“I know what you’re gonna say, Glenn, and you might as well shut your damn mouth right now, Boy,” The chief uttered in a strained voice. “I’ve been investigating these here ‘hate crimes’ goin’ on, and I’m mighty disappointed that my own flesh and blood was involved.”
“But, Dad, I-”
“You shut your trap!” The chief shouted, his eyes moving to his son’s. The pain and disappointment was evident in his gaze as he frowned. “Your mama would not like the way you’ve turned out, Glenn. She’s probably rollin’ ‘round in her grave right about now, wondering where we went wrong with you.”
Well, that seemed to shut Glenn up. His face fell as he took a step back, dropping his gaze to the pavement. Toby stepped in front of him, scoffing.
“Come on, Chief,” He threw a hand up into the air. “You’re really going to guilt trip your son over them?”
“You might wanna shut your mouth while you’re ahead,” Mister Perkins stated as he appeared by Chief Brook’s side. “Did you hit my girl?”
The color drained from Toby’s face as his gaze locked with Mister Perkins’. The tension in the air grew heavier by the second as everyone awaited his answer.
“Well, did ya?” Mister Perkins repeated as his eye twitched.
Toby’s jaw went slack as he glanced from Mister Perkins, to Chief Brooks, and then to Jessica. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down quickly, before he turned and ran through the crowd. He shoved a few people out of his way, causing one man to drop his tray of food. Excited shouts lifted into the air as Mister Perkins grumbled.
“That’s what I thought, you damn coward,” He scowled. “That’s all right, Chief. We’ll deal with him later.”
“You’re damn right we will,” Chief Brooks placed his pistol back into its holster upon his hip as he eyed the four boys left standing. Their demeanor had changed quite a bit now that Toby was gone. It made Rowan wonder if Toby had been the ringleader.
“What are we going to do with ‘em?” The fire chief questioned as he appeared out of nowhere. Sosa was walking by his side, wagging his tail happily as he trotted towards Rowan.
Rowan hesitantly reached down to pat the dog on the head, still keeping a firm grip on Kasen as he watched the two older men converse for a moment. What in the hell had just happened?
“I say we take ‘em out back and beat the hell out of ‘em!” One man shouted. Various hoots and hollers of agreement echoed off the buildings and Rowan was taken aback by the townspeople’s response.
“I say we neuter them,” Natasha offered up as she pushed her way through the crowd and grinned at Rowan. “Doctor K’s pretty great with that sort of thing.”
A few laughs made themselves known as Rowan bit back a smile. God, it was a mess. Even Kasen was laughing in spite of his injuries, though he clutched his side again as obvious pain registered on his face.
“We need to get you to the hospital,” Rowan repeated as he hoisted Kasen further up in his arms. “Something might be broken.”
“I’m okay,” Kasen insisted as he gazed around. It was almost as if he was seeing his town for the first time in his life. A good hundred or so people were staring back at them, and not a single one of them possessed hate in their eyes like the four boys cowering together just a few inches away from Jessica. “I think I’m better than okay, actually.”
Rowan understood, or at least he thought he did. An entire town had just stood up for them. Jessica had risked her own safety-her own reputation-to ensure nobody else got hurt. She’d done it to protect Kasen and Rowan. She was fighting a fight she didn’t even have to be a part of….and so was the rest of Chartreuse. Rowan couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing.
“I say we throw them in a jail for a few days,” Mrs. Birmingham suggested as FiFi barked excitedly. “Let them think about the consequences of their very stupid actions.”
As Chief Brooks pulled a pair of handcuffs from his side, Rowan felt a soft kiss against his jaw. He turned his head to catch Kasen gazing at him.
“What was that for?” He asked quietly, searching those beautiful blue orbs that could only belong to the man he loved.
“For everything,” Kasen nodded, the left corner of his lips twitching upwards. “For wanting to be my knight in shining armor. I’m sorry I always seem to be a damsel in distress.”
“Baby, it’s not your fault if ugly dragons rear their nasty heads in the most unsuspecting of places,” Rowan replied, nuzzling his nose against Kasen’s hair. “But I’ll always be here to fight for you, even if it means I have to fight an entire village.”
“You know…” Jessica stated as she popped up in front of them. “Something tells me this village is on your side.”
“Yeah,” Rowan nodded, watching as Chief Brooks and a few of his officers began to take their assailants into custody-including Glenn Brooks. “I think you’re right about that.”
Epilogue
Two years later.
Kasen appeared in the doorway, a huge grin on his face as he stared at the anxious people seated in the waiting room, “It’s a girl!” He announced excitedly. “Mama’s doing fine,” And then he disappeared again. Anxious whispers filled the small room as everyone awaited more news.
Again, the brown haired radio personality appeared, laughing happily as he jumped up and down excitedly, “It’s a boy!” He shouted, puffing his chest out like a proud father.
“We’ve got another one coming!” Someone called from the hallway.
“I gotta get back in there. We’ve got another one coming,” Kasen laughed, turning on his heels and hurrying towards the back.
“He’s easily excited, isn’t he?” Jessica asked as she flipped through the pages of a random magazine.
“That he is,” Phineas, Jessica’s attractive new boyfriend, replied as he glanced up from his cellphone. He slid his thumb over the screen before tucking it back into the pocket of his red flannel shirt. He cocked his head to the side and grinned at her. “Who knew becoming grandparents would be such a rush?”
“Oh, hush!” Jessica cackled, smacking his arm lightly before resting her head against his shoulder. “At least I’m remaining calm. It’s not your baby in there having babies!”
“Nope,” Phineas shook his head, patting her knee gently before giving it a squeeze. The deep rumble of his laughter filled the room as Mister Perkins shifted in his seat.
“How much longer?” The old man inquired as he glanced at the watch on his wrist. “I got somewhere to be today.”
“Do you have a date?” Jessica asked, lifting her head quickly to stare at him.
Her father muttered something beneath his breath before rolling his eyes, “You know your mama don’t like going on dates. If anybody needs to be going on dates around here, it’s you and him,” He nodded to Phineas.
“Hint taken, Sir,�
�� Phineas saluted with two fingers, flashing an award winning smile before wrapping his arm around Jessica’s shoulders. “How about a movie tonight?”
“Umm…yes,” She smiled. “Do you think Kasen and Rowan could tag along? I want to see that new-”
“It’s a boy!” Kasen crowed, entering the waiting room a final time as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. “They are beautiful puppies, Jess. Diana’s resting now.”
“So how many does that give us?” Jessica asked as she immediately bolted up from her seat, approaching her friend with shared enthusiasm.
“Six,” Kasen replied as he loosened the collar of his dress shirt, releasing a loud sigh of relief. “She had six beautiful, adorable, gorgeous puppies. You’re going to have your hands full.”
“Mhm,” She nodded. “Well, you make sure Rowan knows he owes me puppy support for those yippy little furballs,” Jessica joked. “Hey, Kase. Do you think you and Rowan would like to go to the movies with Phin and me tonight?”
“Oh gosh, we’d love to but we’ve already made dinner plans at The Dice,” Kasen frowned. The Dice was a brand new restaurant in Chartreuse. The food was delicious, the staff was amazingly friendly, and it had quickly become Kasen’s favorite place to eat. He would probably never pass up the opportunity to go there.
“The Dice?!” Jessica groaned softly. “Why don’t you ever take me to the Dice?” She asked, turning to glare playfully at Phineas.
“Oh gee, I don’t know,” Phineas ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair thoughtfully. “Probably because A-you work there, and B-I own it.”
“Oh. Right,” She sighed dramatically, turning her attention back to Kasen. “I guess we’ll be seeing the movie alone. Enjoy eating hoards of food not being served by me,” She winked.
“Oh, I’m sure I will,” Kasen promised jauntily.
“We need to get going anyway,” Phineas stated as he pushed himself up from his chair. He easily towered over Kasen and Jessica as he grabbed his jacket and moved towards the door. The man was a giant, but gentle in nature. They’d ran into him nearly a year before at The Waffle House in Enterprise, of all places. He was on a business trip in hopes of finding a location for his restaurant idea, and when Jessica walked through the front door, he knew exactly where he wanted to open up shop; wherever she lived.
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