Bet on Us

by MariaLisa deMora

  Jericho had come to Jake not even a week ago, concerned about Trent’s insistence on every detail.

  “You just gotta let him run with it.” He looked up from washing the sink full of bottles and sippy cups that still seemed to accumulate multiple times a day. No matter how old the twins were, there was no getting around the fact that it took two of everything to keep their household going these days. He grinned down at the water. Not that he’d want it any other way. “I’ll tell you a secret about your uncle, but you can’t say anything to him. It’s something he probably doesn’t even know about himself.” He stacked another batch of cups in the rinse sink, moving the next cache into the soapy water.

  Jericho bumped his hip, and Jake took a half step to the side, making room for his self-appointed helper. Jericho had been like this since they’d been gifted him, always finding ways to ease the way. For a long time, they’d worried he was trying to compensate for not being able to save his mother, but the counselor put those worries to rest. Jericho was just a genuinely good guy, with a larger-than-normal reservoir of helpfulness.

  “Okay. What’s the secret?” Jericho turned on the hot water, rinsing each item and placing it in the dish drainer.

  “His parents kicked him out of the house three months before his high school graduation. He got his diploma, but he did it by sleeping on couches and in his car, eating the free rolls at the cafeteria, and studying in the county library where the librarian took it upon herself to feed him. He did it working at the local grocery store, pumping gas at the gas station, and mowing yards. He did it by the skin of his teeth, but he did it.” Jake placed another mess of cups and lids into the sink next to Jericho’s hands, not surprised that the boy was watching him and not the work to be done. “He borrowed a gown to walk across the stage, and not one person cheered for him.”

  “Because he’s gay.” The painful finality in Jericho’s voice tore at Jake, making him flinch. “I remember them, you know? They never seemed like bad people. Just very strict. Stuck in the past. Mom was different around them. When I think back on holidays and stuff, she was…smaller, I think.”

  “Yeah. He was outed, not of his choosing. Walked into their living room in the middle of a war. His father threatened to kill him, and to this day, Trent is convinced if he hadn’t run with just the clothes on his back, he’d be dead now.”

  Jericho’s soft, “Oh my God,” and collapse to his elbows on the countertop weren’t unexpected. He was Trent’s nephew after all. Jake wanted to reach for him, to support him, but he knew leaving Jericho to fight through this on his own would make it a lesson he could call back on as he matured. The instant his uncle took on larger-than-life properties by surviving such a harsh situation.

  “Your uncle Trent didn’t get to have a graduation party. I think he sees this as his way to make sure you don’t ever suffer the same deprivations.” Jake tumbled the last of the lids and tiny plastic cutlery into Jericho’s sink, pulling the plug on his to let the water drain. “So we’re going to let him do whatever it takes to make this party what he needs. He’s going to make himself crazy, and in the process make us crazy, but it’s what he wants to do, and that’s good enough for me.”

  “Me too.” Jericho sucked in a long breath, his shoulders expanding with the inrush of air. He straightened and looked down at Jake, having topped him in height a year ago. “I love him.” The hot water turned on and Jericho stared at the sink for a moment, then began methodically rinsing each item. “Love you too, Uncle Jake.”

  Arm thrown around Jericho’s shoulders, Jake tugged him sideways into a hug. “And I love you too, son.”

  The door from the garage opened, and Jake sat up to look over, seeing Jericho and Jordan walking in. “Hey, boys.” He’d learned to announce his presence early, loudly, and often when it came to those two. Jericho was eighteen now, and Jake had taken care of “the talk” long ago, even understanding that the boys had decided to wait until Jericho was out of high school to take anything to the next step. He knew from experience how impatient passion could be, and while he didn’t really want to know if they’d stuck to it, he hoped for Jericho’s sake they had. Eighteen and twenty-one seemed less of an age gap than sixteen and nineteen, and it had been a joy watching both boys mature over the years.

  Jordan might dote on Jericho, but his nephew never took it for granted, which spoke to his personality. Jordan, for his part, still looked at Jericho like he hung the moon. It didn’t mean they didn’t argue, because Jake had been privy to the aftereffects of a couple of those. Jericho on a rant could nearly equal Trent, even if Jake would never tell his lover that fact.

  “Hey, Uncle Jake.” Jericho leaned against Jordan, hands clasped tightly. “Is Uncle Trent in bed already?”

  “Bath.” Jake shot him a grin, then subsided back on his pillow. “Twins are sleeping.”

  “Okay.” Listening closely, he’d expected to hear footsteps heading towards the stairs and Jericho’s room, but he saw them walking around the end of the couch instead. The boys settled on the other couch, Jordan wedged into the corner and Jericho leaned into his side. “Whacha watchin’?”

  “No idea.” He rolled his neck, looking at Jericho over the arm of the couch he was on. “Whacha doin’?” Not that the boys didn’t watch TV with him or Trent, but this time of night it wasn’t their normal routine. Plucking at the thread of nervousness he saw in Jericho’s face, he swung his legs to the floor and sat up facing them. “Need to talk?”

  “Maybe?”

  Might as well defuse the tension with humor, he thought. “Jordan, did you knock my nephew up?”

  Jordan grinned at him, shaking his head. “No, sir. But—” He bumped Jericho with an elbow. “Someone has something they want to ask about.”

  “Jordie.” Jericho’s head twisted around, and he glared at his boyfriend. “Don’t.”

  Jake decided to go for more humor. “When a man and a man love each other very much, there comes a time when they want to give in to their urges.”

  “Oh my God, Uncle Jakey, you’re making it worse.” Jericho’s glare turned in his direction. “That’s not it.”

  “It is kinda it, boo.” Jordan looked down at Jericho, a dopey expression on his face that Jake had seen hundreds of times in his own mirror. “You wanted to make sure your uncle daddies weren’t going to be upset if I take you to the hotel suite I reserved.”

  “They’re not my uncle daddies.” Jericho’s face was crimson, color spreading in bright splotches up his neck and into his cheeks. “Don’t do that.”

  “Are you going to be safe and responsible?” Jake fought his smile when Jericho jerked around to stare at him. “I can get you some of Uncle Trent’s condoms if you need me to. If you’re going to be safe and responsible, then there’s no one I’d rather see you with than Jordie.” He leaned forwards, elbows to his knees. Ignoring Jordan’s stunned expression, Jake focused on Jericho. “I’ve loved you since I met you, son. Since before, actually. Just hearing your name on a phone call from Knoxville that turned our lives upside down, I’ve loved you. Do you really think I’d support you being with a man without him being worth all that’s you? Jordan’s the real deal, and I called it years ago when I told you he was one of the good ones. Now.” He leaned back, fingers laced across his stomach, legs stretched out to prop his feet on the coffee table. “Was there anything specific you wanted to know? I can show you some videos—”

  “Nooooo.” Jericho’s screech cut him off and made him laugh.

  “You wake up the twins, and you won’t be going anywhere.” Jake dropped his chin and stared meaningfully under his brows at Jericho. “And if Trent heard that, you better be prepared for a longer lecture than I’ve provided.” Jericho shifted and looked up at Jordan, who hadn’t taken his gaze off Jericho’s face. “Go. Go on. Be safe, and be kind to each other. That’s all anyone can ever ask for.”

  A moment later, Jericho was standing in front of him, and Jake pushed to his feet, arms around this boy wh
o had taught him how to be the best father he could hope to be, holding him tight. Fighting tears, he took in several careful breaths until he felt strong enough to whisper, “Love you, son.”

  “Love you too, Uncle Jakey.” Jericho’s voice didn’t sound any steadier than his, and Jake fought tears again. One of Jericho’s hands dropped away, and Jake knew when he looked, he’d find the boys’ fingers linked, a clasp so intrinsic to their relationship he wondered sometimes if they even knew they did it.

  “Go on.” He stepped back but didn’t turn away, not afraid to let Jericho see how moved he was. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” Jordan nodded at him over Jericho’s shoulder.

  Watching them walk through the house and into the garage, he stared at the closed door for a long time. Long enough that Trent descending the stairs was a surprise, jolting him back into movement.

  “Jakey, is everything okay?” Bundled into a robe Jericho had gotten him last Christmas, Trent tugged on the ends of the tie holding it closed. “Are you crying?” Hustling to stand in front of him, Trent loomed over Jake, both hands lifted and cradling his jaw. “Honeybuns?”

  “Good tears, promise.” He reached up and gripped one of Trent’s wrists, slipping his hand into place against his husband’s palm, feeling their fingers fall through, interweaving and holding on. He led the way to the couch, arranging himself so Trent could curl on his side, head in Jake’s lap. Clasped hands pressed over Trent’s heart, tight enough Jake could feel the steady thump under the skin and bone, he relaxed back and sighed.

  “Jordan took Jericho to a hotel for the night.”

  “Jordie did what?” Trent’s cry echoed through the room, interrupted a moment later by a warbling wail Jacob identified as Lottie. That was quickly joined by Jack’s stronger cries.

  “And just like that, you’ve proved that a response of ‘babe’ is sometimes the best way to go.”

  “How can you be so calm? Jericho’s our baby boy.” Trent struggled up onto one elbow, gaze fixed to Jacob’s face. Jake recognized the feigned annoyance in Trent’s expression and grinned.

  “Babe.”

  ~ *** ~

  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING

  Bet On Us!

  I truly hope you enjoyed this sweet story built around characters we first saw in the With My Whole Heart world. If you haven’t yet read Jaime and Connor’s story of coming together, be sure to check it out!

  books2read.com/wholeheart

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Raised in the south, Wall Street Journal & USA TODAY bestselling author MariaLisa learned about the magic of books at an early age. Every summer, she would spend hours in the local library, devouring books of every genre. Self-described as a book-a-holic, she says "I've always loved to read, but then I discovered writing, and found I adored that, too. For reading...if nothing else is available, I've been known to read the back of the cereal box."

  Want sneak peeks into what she’s working on, or to chat with other readers about her books? Join the Facebook group! bit.ly/deMora-FB-group

  deMora’s got a spam-free newsletter list she’d love to have you join, too: bit.ly/mldemora-newsletter

  ~~~~~

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  ~Confessions of a Serial Reader

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  ~~~~~

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