“Oh, jeez.”
“I told them once you were home.”
“I guess we might as well. Maybe they can add it to their college applications or something.”
Brandon laughed.
* * * *
Three weeks later, and Jeff was feeling improved enough to go with them to watch Emma’s Saturday morning swim meet. Grace, resplendent in a wide, floppy hat, long-sleeved fishing guide’s shirt and trousers to protect her from the sun, and wraparound dark sunglasses, hurried back and forth with the coaches, helping out and doing whatever it was genius psychopathic junior supervillains in training did at swim meets.
Stuart tried not to hover around Jeff, but it was a hard habit to break. He wanted to take care of his guy.
Grace’s parents, and Tracey, sat with them. There were a couple of college scouts here today, and Emma had felt more nervous than usual ahead of the meet.
“Anything else on Jake?” Bill Moller asked. He and Faith had been fine with lifting the girls’ restrictions on sleeping in the same bed, considering everything that had happened.
Whatever they’d been doing behind closed doors had been happening before the adults knew it was, and it would happen again. A few months wasn’t going to matter much.
“He was transferred to the medical wing at the jail,” Stuart said. “He’s being treated for alcoholism and bipolar disorder. Right now, he’s really out of it.”
“Still pressing charges?”
“Hell yeah,” Stuart said. “He’s not skating on this.” He’d talked to Cedro’s daughter, Kimbra, the attorney. She’d agreed to represent Jake for a reduced fee, but would get him to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced jail sentence.
Part of the terms of Jake’s plea deal meant he would continue to get mental health treatment, stay on the meds, and not contact Stuart, Jeff, or Brandon ever again.
He would be looking at a minimum of five years in jail for the attack, possibly ten if he didn’t plead out.
“I’m glad Grace got into USF in Tampa,” her mom said.
“Emma’s letter arrived yesterday,” Brandon said. “It’ll be good having them close to home.”
“They have a bad case of love for each other,” Bill said with a smile. “I warned you we were going to be in-laws.”
“Yes, you did,” Brandon agreed, first kissing Stuart, then Jeff. “And it certainly looks like we will be.”
Stuart leaned his head on Brandon’s shoulder. “Yep. Sure does.” He held Brandon’s hand on that side, while Jeff held Brandon’s other hand.
Eileen was enjoying nursing school and sending Stuart almost daily updates.
Lara and Grace had connected, and Lara was giving the girl information she’d need to excel in pre-med. Grace hadn’t decided on a specialty yet, but now she was heavily leaning toward maybe being a pathologist.
Somehow, that didn’t surprise any of them.
Emma was researching what it’d take to attend Quantico after graduation from college.
“So, Tracey,” Stuart asked. “When are we getting you out in the dating world again?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. No way. I’m no idiot.” She pointed down at the pool, to where Grace held a stopwatch and a clipboard. “Are you kidding? If I get the wrong guy, she’ll bite him or something.” She smiled.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“I’ll venture into it maybe once they’ve graduated. For right now, I’m happy and life is peaceful.” She arched an eyebrow at Jeff. “As long as someone doesn’t keep scaring us with health crises.”
“To be fair, the last one wasn’t completely my fault,” he said.
“True.”
“You guys want to come over tonight for barbecue?” Bill asked. “I’m working on a new brisket recipe. Nice and juicy. You poke it with the fork, and it’s like—”
Brandon jumped up and bolted out of the stands.
“What?”
Stuart laughed, standing to head after him with a bottle of water. “Nothing, Bill. It’s okay. Just a visual he didn’t need.”
As he reached where Brandon had just yakked into a garbage can, he handed him the water. “You going to live?”
Brandon spit. “Not funny.”
“Yeah, it is.” Once Brandon had rinsed his mouth out, he looked at Jeff, who grinned. “Love you.” He blew Brandon a kiss.
Brandon rinsed and spit one more time before kissing him back. “Love you, too. I’m beginning to think you have a sadistic streak in you.”
He grinned. “I learned from the best two out there.”
“Me and Jeff?”
He snorted and pointed toward Grace. “No, you and her.”
As they headed back to their seats, Stuart realized, finally, life had adjusted, settled.
He couldn’t wait for whatever happened next.
THE END
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A Case of You [Suncoast Society] (Siren Publishing Sensations ManLove) Page 20
