by K. C. Wells
After a moment, Jonathon made the first move. “How are things?” He kept his tone soft.
Jason sighed. “A mess, if you really want to know. Mum’s in a state. She keeps repeating that she had no idea Josh Brent could do such a thing. Imagine how that makes me feel. In the space of one day, I found out that my dad isn’t my dad, and that the guy who is? Killed someone.” He swallowed. “It doesn’t matter how many different ways I look at this, I keep coming back to the same thing. My dad’s a murderer.”
Jonathon sighed. “Okay. You want to hear my take on this?”
“Please.” Jason sat on the edge of the seat, hunched over, his hands around his mug.
“The only thing that makes Josh Brent your dad is that you share a few genes and chromosomes. That’s it. Throughout your life, has he ever made any attempt to get to know you? Be friendly toward you?”
Jason considered the question for a second or two before sighing. “It was like I didn’t exist.”
“Exactly. You were the secret he didn’t want getting out. And then we have John Barton. A man who has cared for you all your life. Who cares what you do in the future.” Jonathon smiled. “There’s a saying that you don’t get to choose your family. Well, I have news for you. Yes, you do. And that works doubly if you’re LGBT. Family are those who love and accept you because of who you are. I’d be willing to bet that John loves you. Will still love you when you’re out. And if you want to keep thinking of him as your father, then you bloody well do it.”
Jason sighed before settling back against the cushions. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
He smiled. “Speaking your mind.” He drank a little hot chocolate. “And giving me a moment to breathe.”
Jonathon patted his knee. “Any time you need to breathe, decompress, whatever, you’re welcome to come here.” His phone vibrated, and he squirmed to remove it from his jeans pocket. When he saw the text, he sighed. “I wish my father was more like John. It would make my life a whole lot easier.”
“Problems?”
Jonathon pasted on a bright smile. “Nothing I can’t handle.” He reached over and squeezed Jason’s hand. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have some guests arriving soon. Stay here, relax, enjoy the fire, drink your hot chocolate, and I’ll be back.” He smiled. “Then you get to meet some more family.”
He got up from the couch, left the room, and hurried through the house, looking for Mike. He found him coming up from the kitchen, carrying another mug.
Mike gave him an inquiring glance. “What’s up?”
“Remember I told you to trust me, because I had a plan to deal with my father?”
A flash of comprehension crossed Mike’s face. “I take it these guests have something to do with that.”
“They do. And I was going to explain it all to you before they arrived, but then Jason appeared. So explanations will have to wait.” The doorbell rang, and Jonathon grinned. “And as usual, she’s early.” He hurried over to answer it.
“She?”
Jonathon opened the door. “Ruth Ainsworth.” He barely had time to get the words out before Ruth launched herself at him in her usual exuberant manner, her long black coat dusted with a light sprinkling of snow, a few flakes caught in her black hair.
“About bloody time! It’s freezing out here.” She gave him a huge hug. “You haven’t changed a bit.” She released him and took a step back, gazing at him critically. “Well, maybe a bit less skinny.”
Jonathon frowned. “Okay, what have you done with her?”
“She’s bringing the bags. I drove.” Ruth grinned. “That was the deal.”
“How much stuff have you brought?”
Ruth snorted. “We are not all like you, y’know, Mr. Backpacker-in-the-arse-end-of-nowhere. Some of us simply don’t do traveling light.” Her gaze alighted on Mike, and she smiled. “Wow. You must be the man.”
Mike blinked. “I’m not sure how to take that.”
“Trust me, it’s a compliment.” Ruth shook his hand. “I’m delighted to finally meet you. And this is Clare.” She peered behind her, frowning. “Where the bloody hell has she got to?”
“Who’s she, the cat’s mother?” Clare rolled her eyes before proffering her cheek to Jonathon to be kissed. “Hi. Nice to see you again. Now someone take these cases off me before I fall over.”
Jonathon laughed and relieved her of some of her burden before finally closing the front door. Then he gave Ruth a mock glare. “You are early.”
She gave him a bright smile. “Aren’t I always?”
“Yes, but you only sent me the text this morning to say you were definitely coming today. It was a bit of a rush to get your room ready.”
“Ooh. Tell me we’ve got a huge bouncy four-poster bed.” Ruth’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve always wanted to sleep in a four-poster.”
Clare snickered. “Ha. You mean, you’ve always wanted to get kinky in a four-poster. And it’s not like Jonathon doesn’t already know that.” Then she saw Mike and stilled. “Ah. Hello.”
Mike looked from Clare to Ruth and finally to Jonathon. “Okay. Does someone wanna tell me what the situation is here? And by someone, I mean you.”
Ruth rolled her eyes. “Only if he does it while making toasted tea cakes or crumpets, or something else equally delicious. I’m starving.”
Jonathon laughed and pointed. “Down those stairs. And yes, there are crumpets.” He led the way down to the kitchen, with Mike at his side. In no time at all, Clare was dropping crumpets into the toaster, and Ruth was busy buttering them as fast as they came out.
Jonathon put the kettle on. “Okay, introductions. This is Mike Tattersall, the—”
“Who is exactly as you described him.” Ruth winked. “You always did have a thing for beards.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” Jonathon retorted, “seeing as I was your beard on quite a few occasions.”
“And vice versa,” she flung back at him.
Jonathon rolled his eyes, then turned to face Mike—who was staring at Ruth.
“Something wrong?” she asked sweetly.
“You’re a—”
“Lesbian, yes.” Her eyes twinkled. “There’s no fooling this one, is there?”
“As opposed to most of your family, apparently,” Jonathon muttered. He sighed and addressed Mike. “Ruth is not out to her family. At least, she wasn’t the last time we spoke. I had to check with her first before I told you about my plan, because—”
“Because no one has the right to out anyone against their wishes,” Mike said, nodding. “And Clare is—”
“My bit of stuff, for the last five years,” Ruth said, grinning. Then she gazed fondly at Clare. “I call her the wife. Because one day, she bloody well will be.”
Clare took Ruth’s hand and kissed it.
Jonathon gazed at her in frank astonishment. “I thought you didn’t believe in marriage.”
There was that sweet smile again. “I didn’t. I do now. People change.” She leaned across the kitchen table. “I never thought I’d find you planning to thwart your father. The Jonathon I first met wouldn’t have dared.”
“That’s because I was ten years old,” he fired back.
Suddenly Mike started laughing. “I can’t wait to hear this plan of yours.”
Jonathon met Ruth’s gaze. “Right now, we haven’t discussed it much, beyond buying us some time. If Father—and Ruth’s family—think Ruth and I are in a relationship, then maybe they’ll ease up on pressuring us to find a partner.”
“My parents have talked of nothing else ever since I broke off the engagement to Rod back when I was twenty. Of course, I knew there was no way I could go through with it. Rod didn’t have a clue. He just thought I’d got cold feet and called it off.” Ruth leaned into Clare, her dark head a sharp contrast to Clare’s blond hair. “When Jonathon called me, wanting to talk about his father’s plans, I jumped at the idea. We haven’t come to any firm decisions—that’s what this visit
is for—but the chance to spend Christmas with friends and family, where we could be ourselves and no one would give a damn? That’s priceless.”
“Not that we could decide anything without talking to you,” Jonathon added, reaching for Mike’s hand. He fell silent, letting Mike take it all in.
Mike lifted Jonathon’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “I think it’s going to be a very interesting Christmas.”
“Hello?” Jason’s voice filtered down the stairs. “I wondered where you’d got to and—do I smell crumpets?”
They burst out laughing.
“Come on down,” Jonathon called up to him. When Ruth looked at him questioningly, he smiled. “It’s okay. Jason is family.”
“Why do I get the feeling this little family is going to get bigger?” Mike said with a sigh.
“Because you know me. You know us.”
Jonathon had no idea where this new step would take them, but putting down roots in Merrychurch seemed like a great way to start.
More from K.C. Wells
A Merrychurch Mysteries Case
Jonathon de Mountford’s visit to Merrychurch village to stay with his uncle Dominic gets off to a bad start when Dominic fails to appear at the railway station. But when Jonathon finds him dead in his study, apparently as the result of a fall, everything changes. For one thing, Jonathon is the next in line to inherit the manor house. For another, he’s not so sure it was an accident, and with the help of Mike Tattersall, the owner of the village pub, Jonathon sets out to prove his theory—if he can concentrate long enough without getting distracted by the handsome Mike.
They discover an increasingly long list of people who had reason to want Dominic dead. And when events take an unexpected turn, the amateur sleuths are left bewildered. It doesn’t help that the police inspector brought in to solve the case is the last person Mike wants to see, especially when they are told to keep their noses out of police business.
In Jonathon’s case, that’s like a red rag to a bull….
A friends-to-lovers novella that came from Out of the Shadows, because Nate and Dylan needed a story….
Nate and Dylan have been pals for a long time. So what if their friends think they’ve got a little bromance going? Doesn’t mean there’s anything more to it than that, right? And even if there is, Nate and Dylan are totally oblivious….
Until the night they share a drunken kiss—and everything changes.
I’m about to do something huge, and it could change… everything.
I met Matt in second grade, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We went to the same schools, studied at the same college. When we both got jobs in the same town, we shared an apartment. And when my life took an unexpected turn, Matt was there for me. Every milestone in my life, he was there to share it. And what’s really amazing? After all these years, we’re still the best of friends.
Which brings me to this fragile, heart-stopping moment: I want to tell him I love him, really love him, but I’m scared to death of what he’ll say. If I’ve got this all wrong, I’ll lose him—forever.
A spur of the moment invitation changes two lives.
Jordan Wolf’s company runs like a well-oiled machine. At least until his PA, Brady Donovan, comes down with the flu and takes sick leave. Then Jordan discovers what a treasure Brady is and who really keeps his business—and Jordan in particular—moving like clockwork. So when Jordan needs a plus-one, Brady seems the obvious choice to accompany him. After a major shopping trip to get Brady looking the part, however…. Wow.
Brady has a whole new wardrobe, and now his boss is whisking him away for a weekend party. Something is going on, something Brady never expected: Jordan is looking at him like he’s never seen him before, electrifying Brady’s long-hidden desires.
But can the romantic magic last when the weekend is over and it’s back to reality?
Can he step out of the shadows and into love’s light?
Eight years ago, Christian Hernandez moved to the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, took refuge in his apartment, and cut himself off from the outside world. And that’s how he’d like it to stay.
Josh Wendell has heard his coworkers gossip about the occupant of apartment #1. No one sees the mystery man, and Josh loves a mystery. So when he is hired to refurbish the apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms, Josh is eager to discover the truth behind the rumors.
When he comes face-to-face with Christian, Josh understands why Christian hides from prying eyes. As the two men bond, Josh sees past his exterior to the man within, and he likes what he sees. But can Christian find the courage to emerge from the darkness of his lonely existence for the man who has claimed his heart?
Readers love Truth Will Out by K.C. Wells
“…an enjoyable, feel good cozy mystery. Great for a trip, or a rainy fall afternoon where you can curl up with your furry four-legged buddy and a cuppa something hot. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.”
—Gay Book Reviews
“I loved it and cannot wait for the next one, and I highly recommend it!”
—The Novel Approach
“Truth Will Out is a rather quintessential British mystery…. I look forward to more adventures in Merrychurch.”
—Joyfully Jay
K.C. WELLS started writing in 2012, although the idea of writing a novel had been in her head since she was a child. But after reading that first gay romance in 2009, she was hooked.
She now writes full-time, and the line of men in her head clamoring to tell their story is getting longer and longer. If the frequent visits by plot bunnies are anything to go by, that’s not about to change anytime soon.
K.C. loves to hear from readers.
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Blog: kcwellsworld.blogspot.co.uk
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: www.kcwellsworld.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells
By K.C. Wells
BFF
Bromantically Yours
First
Love Lessons Learned
Step by Step
Waiting For You
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#17 – The Senator’s Secret
#40 – Out of the Shadows
#76 – My Fair Brady
LEARNING TO LOVE
Michael & Sean
Evan & Daniel
Josh & Chris
Final Exam
LOVE, UNEXPECTED
Debt
Burden
MERRYCHURCH MYSTERIES
Truth Will Out
Roots of Evil
SENSUAL BONDS
A Bond of Three
A Bond of Truth
With Parker Williams
COLLARS & CUFFS
An Unlocked Heart
Trusting Thomas
Someone to Keep Me
A Dance with Domination
Damian’s Discipline
Make Me Soar
Dom of Ages
Endings and Beginnings
SECRETS
Before You Break
An Unlocked Mind
Threepeat
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Roots of Evil
© 2019 K.C. Wells
Cover Art
© 2019 Kanaxa
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the origin
al purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Mass Market Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-164-1
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64405-271-6
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-270-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019904444
Digital published October 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
