Chapter 66

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Chapter 66:

We didn’t exactly rush to leave the house for Port Townsend the next day. It was far too nice to wake up slowly, naturally, with no alarm, and then spend time just lounging together, quietly luxuriating in our proximity. Jasper had taken such good care of me the previous night, had made me feel so safe and loved, I couldn’t help but want to return the favor. I encountered no objections except from Remmy, who gave a short meow of discontent when I gently pushed him off the bed, but nevertheless generously left the room to give us complete privacy. Afterwards we showered, taking our time, reveling in the abundance of intimacy. I resented having to get dressed and leave the house, and I almost suggested abandoning our plans to visit my mom, but at the last moment I recognized that having her approval and blessing was too important for me to postpone.

In the middle of the day on a weekday, I knew the drive to Port Townsend wouldn’t take long. Since I didn’t have to pick up the boys, I took the Auburn Echo Road shortcut to get to Tacoma and beyond. The scenery became progressively less urban after we passed over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

“I remember this drive,” Jasper commented wistfully when we passed Poulsbo on our way to the Hood Canal Bridge.  “Sometimes I really miss Forks.”

“I miss you. We made some good memories in Forks, but I don’t miss who I was when we lived there.”

“Underneath the public side that you showed to everyone else, you were still you. It made me feel so special that I was the only to know you like that. That was the Edward I fell in love with, the Edward I’m still in love with.” He squeezed my thigh and glanced at me with a sexy grin.

“The only saving grace of our lives in forks is that I somehow managed to show you that side. But I subjected you to the asshole side too, and that never should have happened, especially after we left for college. And after you left for New York, going back to Forks was pure torture, so I can’t say I ever miss it. But we could drive out there, if you want. It would be different going back with you.”

“No,” he shook his head, “maybe we’ll go someday, but not now. We don’t have that much time and I know you want to spend it with your mom.”

I could hear and feel his apprehension and wished I could give him my whole hearted reassurances, but the truth was I wasn’t one hundred percent certain what to expect.

“It’ll be fine at Mom’s, you’ll see. And if it’s not, we’ll get out of there. I’ve spent too much of my life trying to make my father happy, while making myself and others miserable. I’m not about to repeat that with my mother. But then she’s not my father, and I very much doubt she would put us in that position.”

“No, you mom was always kind. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

The air of apprehension was still there, but as Jasper reached for my hand I felt our united determination to overcome whatever obstacles fate placed in our path together.

Instead of following Highway 104 towards Port Townsend, I turned off onto Highway 19 and headed north, past Fort Townsend State park to the Town of Port Townsend itself, which occupied nearly the entire tip of the peninsula. I followed East Sims Way through the outskirts of town until it turned into Water Street, which would have taken us to the waterfront. I intended to take Jasper there later, to show him the historic city center and the retail shops and restaurants that catered to the many tourists, but our first stop was my mom’s inn. I veered the car onto Washington Street past the Port Townsend Inn, a two story outside corridor structure reminiscent of fifties motels, and up the bluff that overlooked the port.

“That’s a cute lighthouse, but it’s a strange place for one, isn’t it?” Jasper commented as we drove past a white lighthouse on our right, perched on the edge of the steep bluff but away from the water.

“That’s because it’s not really a lighthouse. It’s only modeled on one, but it was built in the ‘90s as a vacation home. It never had a light, just an observation tower,” I explained.

“Really? How cool! All of the fun without any of the work. Someone once told me about these lighthouse vacations that people can go on, where they live in the lighthouse and man it in return for free or reduced room and board. It sounded neat, but also a lot of responsibility. This would be much easier.”

“Did you want to go on one of those? I could probably handle all the lighthouse stuff myself and you could just relax,” I said as I pulled into the driveway of the large, ornate Victorian home that housed Esmerelda’s. Jasper scrunched up his face.

“If we go, we’ll work together. I guess a lot of the lighthouses are automated, so the lighthouse keepers just need to make sure all the automated systems are working properly. Maybe sometime we can try it. It would certainly be a unique place to make love, up in the tower.”

“Hmm,” I gave him my sexy, playful grin. “You really think it’s wise to bring up making love just as we’re about to see my mother?”

“Oh, we’re here?” Jasper looked around as I stopped the car. “Wow, this is beautiful! It’s even more impressive in person than in pictures.”

“It is, isn’t it? The previous owners took great care of the place, inside and out, and Mom is doing the same thing. She loves to work in the garden. The boys like to help her when they come to visit.”

“So this was once a single family home? The guy who built it must have been well off.”

“He was. In fact, when this house was built at the turn of the twentieth century it was one of the first homes in-town to have indoor electricity. But it was so expensive to build, that the owners took in borders almost from the start. So even though it wasn’t built for it, it has always kind of been a bed and breakfast.

“It’s gorgeous! I can’t imagine seeing this and wanting to stay anywhere else.”

“Do me a favor and tell my Mom. She’s really doing a great job with this place.”

We pushed open the doors and stepped out of the car, both of us stretching our cramped muscles. The front door creaked and Mom came out onto the porch, sending us a welcoming wave. Jasper came around the car to join me and together we walked to and up the porch stairs.

“Hello, Sweetheart!” Mom greeted me with a hug and then stepped back. “And hello, Jasper. Just look at you. You’re certainly not the boy I remember from Forks,” she teased warmly.

“Still the same boy, just a little more grown up,” Jasper said modestly, his nerves evident in his more pronounced Texas twang. “Hello, Mrs. Cullen. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Would you think it terribly inappropriate if I hugged you too?” she asked in a way that practically forbade a negative response as she held out her open arms for Jasper to step into. He blushed a little, but stepped towards her obediently and leaned down to return her hug.

“There! Ever since you arrived in Forks and you and Edward became friends, you’ve always been like a second son to me, and now that you and Edward have found each other again, that’s even more the case.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. I sure do appreciate the warm welcome,” Jasper shifted uncomfortably on his feet, but his shy smile told me he was pleased with the reception.

“You’ve always been welcome in my home and you always will be, especially if you put that smile on my son’s face. Now, are you boys thirsty after that drive? Hungry? Let’s go inside.”

She turned and slipped one arm around each of us, pushing us gently toward the front door.

“After you have a snack, Edward, you can take your bags up to your room. I put you on the top floor. It’ll be a bit challenging with the sloping ceilings, but it’ll also give you the most privacy.”

“Are you sure, Mom? We’d be fine on the pullout in your office.”

“Nonsense. It’s midweek and I have a couple of unoccupied rooms, so it’s no trouble. And I want you boys to be comfortable.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Cullen,” Jasper offered.

“Yeah, thank you,” I echoed, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

“It’s nothing, really. Now, I have some blueberry scones left from this morning and chocolate chip pecan cookies that are just about ready to come out of the oven. What would you boys like to drink? Are you still partial to milk with your cookies, Jasper?”

“I haven’t had freshly baked cookies in quite some time, and what I’ve had were nothing like yours, so yes, that actually sounds great!” Jasper couldn’t contain his excitement.

“I’ll have the same,” I told her, pleased that she’d remembered Jasper’s favorites.

“This place is gorgeous! So atmospheric. It’s like stepping back in time,” he commented as Mom led us through the front parlor and dining room, both decorated with period-appropriate antique furnishings and knick-knacks.

“Thank you. Most of these things were already here when I purchased the Inn, but I changed some things to make it less stuffy and more hospitable.”

“Mom got rid of a lot of useless stuff that only gathered dust and brought in Victorian games and jigsaw puzzles,” I bragged. “And when she discovered that Victorians enjoyed scrapbooking, she set up an area where guests could scrapbook their stay. She has supplies and a picture printer, she even had special background paper printed with the picture of Esmerelda’s. All the guests love it, but I think Owen and Liam love it the most. They make a page every time they come to visit.”

“Aw, that’s very sweet,” Jasper observed.

“They make two pages, actually. One to take home and one for me. I have them all saved, plus some of the pages I put together from when they were too young to make their own. Would you like to see them?”

“Mom, I don’t think-”

“I’d love to see them,” Jasper interrupted.

Mom gave me a triumphant look and I quieted down meekly. I didn’t want Jasper to feel railroaded, but he seemed to genuinely want to see the pictures, so I felt I could stop being protective.

“I’ll just get the cookies out of the oven and pour the milk and then I’ll get the albums and we can look them over in the dining room. The guests are all out and no one will need to use that room until tomorrow morning anyway.”

“I know where the albums are. I’ll get them,” I volunteered. Mom patted my arm.

“And I can pour the milk,” Jasper offered, following Mom into the kitchen.

A few minutes later we were sitting around one end of the long dining room table, with Jasper in the middle at the head. I watched with a smile as a blissful expression came over his face when he bit into a fresh, warm cookie.

“Oh my God, these are the best! They’re exactly as I remember. No one bakes cookies like you, Mrs. Cullen. Not even my caterer friends, or their moms.”

“I’m so glad you still like them. I know sometimes preferences change,” Mom said, smiling with pleasure at his reaction.

“Preferences for minor things, but not those you truly love. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems once I fall in love, it never stops.” he looked at me as he spoke, and I knew he was talking about more than cookies. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mom’s expression soften, and I knew she understood as well. “You were going to show me the scrapbooks,” he added before the silence between us grew awkward.

“Yes, let’s do it in reverse chronological order. Edward said you met the boys earlier this week, so these first pages will be familiar. We did them when the boys visited with Edward last month, just before he went to New York,” Mom explained as she opened the album to the last finished pages.

It took close to an hour to go through the scrapbooks, since Jasper wanted to hear the stories in addition to looking at the pictures, and Mom had a lot of stories to share. I mostly watched and listened, only occasionally adding my own commentary. I was far more content in watching their interaction, thrilled that right from the start it seemed warm and comfortable, just as it had always been between them when we were growing up. Slowly, my nerves eased; if my mom had any resentment or animosity towards Jasper, she was hiding it extremely well.

“And these are pictures of our first Christmas here, right after I bought the Inn. The previous owners had planned to close for the holidays so there were no bookings, which meant I could accommodate everyone and hold a big celebration for the entire family. Maggie and Rosalie were here with Liam, and Maggie’s and Rosalie’s parents, and Cliff and his... oh!” Mom looked at me in a panic. I could see her hand reaching over to close the scrapbook to keep Jasper from seeing the pictures. I reached over across the table to stop her.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Cullen. Edward’s told me about Cliff. I know he and his family were an important part of Edward’s life, and that they’re still in his life, to an extent. If you don’t mind, I’d like to see the pictures,” Jasper said in a deliberate, calm tone.

“Yes, of course, I don’t mind, if you’re sure,” Mom spoke automatically. Her eyes begged my forgiveness. I smiled at her with reassurance. I had forgotten about these pictures and I wasn’t sure how I felt about Jasper seeing them, but it was too late to put the cat back in the bag. And in any event, I didn’t want to keep secrets from him. At least he would only be seeing Cliff in photos, not meeting him in the flesh, as I’d met Lance.

“I gather this is Cliff,” Jasper said, pointing to a picture of me and Cliff, with Liam between us. “Who are all the others?”

“This is Amelia and Thorpe, Cliff’s parents, and these are Bruce and Tyrone and Leo. Bruce and Tyrone are Amelia and Thorpe’s neighbors, and their first adopted son, Gio, was Cliff’s first love. He died in the same car accident that killed Cliff’s twin brother. Needless to say, Cliff has remained close with Bruce and Tyrone. He considers them his other parents and mentors.”

I had told Jasper most of this before, but I wasn’t sure how much he’d remember and it was easier when there were pictures to put together with the names.

“They’re your mentors too, right? And this must be Leo?”

There was a picture of Leo on the floor playing with Liam, one with his two dads, and one with him standing behind me and Cliff, his arms wrapped around our shoulders, all three of us wearing wide smiles.

“Yup, that’s Leo. You would have met him at Emmett’s wedding, and his partner, Zack. They’re so cute together.”

“I wish I could have met them, and Bruce and Tyrone too.”

“You will. Maybe one of these days we can go to visit them in Spokane.”

“Oh, I thought Leo and Zack lived in California.”

“They do, but they visit Leo’s Dads and we can time our trip with one of theirs.”

“You know, since we’re feeling nostalgic, I have some albums back from when you were just boys. Let me go get those.”

Jasper and I grinned at each other and he reached for my hand. “This should be interesting. I haven’t seen pictures of us as kids in a while. I have some, but not many, and your Mmom was always taking pictures.”

“I know. To be honest, I haven’t seen them in ages either. I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask her to see them.”

Mom came back loaded down with four large albums. Jasper was closer and jumped up to take them from her. He deposited them on the table and chuckled.

“We’re really gonna revisit old times, huh? Including those awful awkward years?”

“You were never awkward!” I protested. His eyebrow arched in a challenge.

“You must be joking. Remember when my voice used to crack at the worst times? And those hideous braces; and the acne; and my hair!”

“I love your hair! I always did.” For a moment I forgot that my mother was in the room and reached over to run my fingers through his hair. It was only seeing him blush and glance quickly in her direction that reminded me we weren’t alone. “Anyway, we all went through all that.”

He snorted. “So not true, Edward!”

“I think you both may have forgotten a lot. Pictures don’t lie,” Mom chuckled. “But for the record, I always thought you were both beautiful boys, even in your slightly awkward years.”

She opened up the first album. The first pictures were my baby pictures.

“Mom! Not fair!”

“Oh, but I need to see these!” Jasper exclaimed, pulling the album closer. “My God, you were gorgeous from birth, weren’t you?”

“He was a very pretty baby,” Mom agreed tenderly. It was my turn to blush.

“Really, must we?” I said weakly, knowing that I was outnumbered. I sighed, and watched with resignation as Jasper turned the page.

It took us almost two hours to go through all the albums. Once I got over my embarrassment, I actually enjoyed going through the early years, especially as Mom reminded me of things I’d either forgotten or never knew. The best part was getting to the pictures of me and Jasper, though, starting with the one Mom took on the very first day we met, when I’d insisted that Jasper come home with me after school and introduced him to her as my new best friend. There were some pictures that I was sure we’d both like to burn, for various reasons, but even those were sweet. Looking through the photos confirmed better than any words that we had always shared a close connection, and with the benefit of hindsight, it was impossible to miss the love that my mother somehow captured with her camera unbeknownst to any of us at the time.

The last pictures in the album were of the weekend Jasper and I had moved into our college apartment. It was a sharp reminder that after that move everything had changed. Mom hadn’t been there to chronicle our lives, and in truth, we were probably better off without visual reminders of everything that had happened. I looked at Jasper as he closed the album, hoping the reminder hadn’t ruined his good mood. His easy smile reassured me, and I smiled back.

“That was some trip down memory lane. Thank you for that, Mrs. Cullen. I’m so glad you took all those pictures. I would have never remembered some of that.”

“You know, I wouldn’t have put it this way at the time, but watching the two of you I had this feeling that it was important to record what I was seeing. It always seemed to me that your friendship was special. Now I feel foolish for not realizing just how special. Your mother knew, didn’t she?”

“She guessed that I was gay, long before I told her. And she knew how important Edward was to me. I’m not sure if she suspected that Edward was gay. Back in high school he did a much better job of hiding that than I.”

“Hiding it even from myself,” I said sadly. It was still difficult to recall how badly I behaved in a misguided attempt to gain my father’s approval. Jasper reached for my hand.

“You are certainly not the first or last man to try to repress his homosexuality. I was hiding too, remember? Or trying to. Coming out in high school would have been...”

“Impossible,” Mom said. “Or at least very difficult. I hate to admit it, but unfortunately you’re right. If either one of you had come out, my ex-husband would have made your lives hell, and at the time, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it. Which is not to say I’m happy about the way things turned out, only that he may have made them even worse if he’d found out about Edward sooner.”

“Fuck him!” I said vehemently, anger that I thought long gone bubbling to the surface. Mom seemed taken aback at first, but then composed herself and even gave a small smile.

“I think given everything that happened since your twenty-first birthday, you can consider him sufficiently fucked.”

Jasper and I both looked at her in shock. I couldn’t remember ever hearing her curse, and the calmness of her delivery was a bit eerie. She reminded me of Jasper when he was thinking about getting revenge against someone who’d hurt someone he loved.

“And in the end, even his malignancy could not keep you two from achieving success and reuniting. I am so thrilled to see the two of you together again, really,” she gushed, reaching with both her hands for our free ones, so that we held hands in a circle. My throat felt thick and I saw a tear pooling in the corner of Jasper’s eye.

“Mrs. Cullen, I...Thank you!”

“Whatever for, dear?”

“For your understanding. I know what happened after I left Seattle. Instead of looking after your son, I...”

“Edward’s told me a little of what happened in Seattle as well. You did what you needed to do, and it wasn’t your job to look after him. It was mine, and I did a poor enough job of that for a while.”

“You had no choice!” I objected. “And you found Maggie!”

“Maggie was a godsend. I think we can all agree on that. If she hadn’t agreed I would have looked for someone else, but I’m not sure you would have listened to anyone other than your sister.”

I shook my head, remembering how much I had initially resented her and Rosalie’s presence after coming home from the hospital. These were memories I wasn’t eager to recount. Fortunately, at just that moment we all heard a rumble from Jasper’s stomach. He laughed self-consciously.

“Sorry!”

“Don’t be. I don’t know where my head is today. Of course you boys must be hungry. Let me make you something.”

“Why don’t you let us take you out to lunch in town somewhere, maybe by the waterfront?”

“Oh, I wish I could, but I do have a few guests due within the hour, and I don’t want them to find the inn closed when they arrive. Why don’t you two go, though? The town is lovely.”

“Are you sure?” I frowned. I knew Mom had a manager who often came over to watch the inn when Mom needed to run errands.

“I’m very sure. Please, go and see the town, maybe go out to Fort Warden. I’ll make dinner for us here tonight. Will that work?”

“Please don’t go to any trouble, Mrs. Cullen. We can get a pizza-”

“It’s not trouble, Jasper. It will be a pleasure. You may recall I enjoy cooking, and these days I don’t get to do that too often except at breakfast. I’m looking forward to it. Now go, you two. Eat now so you can work up an appetite for dinner.”

We started by taking our bags up to the room. When we came down Mom was welcoming a newly arrived couple, so we waved and exited through the back door so I could show Jasper more of the yard and garden. We were both used to walking, so we left the car behind and explored the town on foot. Jasper commented how much Port Townsend reminded him of some of the historic towns on the East Coast, and how different it was from Forks and Seattle. We found a table with a view of the water for lunch, though we spent most of the time looking at each other, recounting memories stirred up by Mom’s albums.

Tourist season was long over, especially on a weekday, so the town was sleepy and serene, and as we walked through the Victorian home-lined streets it was easy to forget about our day-to-day lives and especially the thousands of miles that separated us on most weekdays.

“This is nice. I can understand why your mom enjoys living here and running the inn.”

“It is nice and I was thrilled when she found this place. She’s still in a small town, but away from all the bad memories that came with Forks and close enough to Seattle that bringing the boys out for a visit isn’t too difficult. Maggie and Rosalie sometimes stay overnight on their way to or back from Forks.”

“I’m still trying to get over the fact that you and Maggie are half-siblings and so close in age, and that your mom and her mom somehow get along.”

“They fell prey to the same asshole. Mom knows what happened wasn’t Siobhan’s fault. In a way, they were both victimized by two men, my father first, and then my grandfather. Siobhan had to leave town and her family, though that turned out for the best in the end, when she met Liam in Ireland. Mom wasn’t as lucky.”

“The story still sounds like a plot from some gothic novel. Your grandfather and all his conditions, forcing her to stay with a man he himself hated just to punish her for one mistake?”

“He was a hard, bitter man. Everyone said the only one who could bring out his humanity was my grandmother. After she died, he reverted to the misanthropic lonely bastard he had always been.”

“But to not only force his daughter into a loveless marriage, but to condition his grandson’s trust on that grandson never marrying or having children? It defies all reason.”

We were in the middle of a historic block somewhere in the center of town, walking down the sidewalk, holding hands. I stopped abruptly, his words triggering an epiphany.

“I don’t care!” I proclaimed.

“You don’t care about what?”

“I don’t care about the trust conditions. I used to think that the trust conditions weren’t a big deal, because I couldn’t be legally married anyway, but now there are states where we could be legally married. And I used to think that it was worth the sacrifice to get all that money and do some good with it, hopefully making him spin in his grave, but now, I just don’t care. I love you, I want to be with you for the rest of my life and I want the world to know it, and to have it be legal!”

“What are you saying? Edward, are you...?”

“Proposing? Not yet. I didn’t prepare. I don’t have a ring or anything. And we haven’t even talked about it. But I want to talk about it and yeah, someday I want to propose. And not when I’m forty, either. And when I do, I hope you’ll say yes.”

His whole face lit up. I reached up and kissed him, tasting his joy and sharing mine. He wrapped one of his arms tightly around my back and the other around my butt and pulled me as close as was possible with both of us wearing season-appropriate clothes. A bubble descended around us and the rest of the world faded away while we celebrated our love, and our reunion, and though we hadn’t yet exchanged the words, our lifetime commitment.

“Yes. I mean, of course I’ll say yes,” he said when we reluctantly pulled apart. His eyes glistened with moisture but his full, beautiful lips were still stretched into a smile. I was smiling too.

“This is so... I never expected...” He wiped the heel of his palm over his eyes.

“I didn’t either.”

“But we should at least wait until we’ve figured out where we’re going to live.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“And until then, we probably shouldn’t tell anyone.” He sounded slightly disappointed.

“Did you want to tell people? We don’t have to keep it a secret. It’s just, what do we tell them?”

“Right. We’re not engaged and that whole “promised” thing was so juvenile. There’s nothing to tell, but...”

“It feels pretty momentous.”

“It does.”

We joined hands and started walking back to the inn. We didn’t say anything, but we kept glancing at each other, unable to stop smiling.

“I changed my mind,” he suddenly said and my heart plummeted.

“What?” I sounded as alarmed as I felt.

“Oh, no, sorry, not about that. I changed my mind about wanting to tell people. I like this as our secret. Something to hold onto when we’re apart.”

“Whew. You nearly gave me a heart attack,” I admitted. “I thought...”

“I’ll never change my mind about that,” he shook his head vehemently as he spoke. “I’d say it’s what I’ve always dreamed of, but I never even dared to imagine something like this back when I still believed you were straight and same-sex marriage was hardly a blip on the radar. And recently I have been thinking about us together for the long haul, obviously, but with the conditions in your grandfather’s trust, well... You need to know I wasn’t expecting it and I don’t need a piece of paper or proclamations in front of witnesses - I just need you! Please don’t feel you need to give up your family legacy for me.”

“I have more than enough of my grandfather’s legacy. And I appreciate that you don’t need it, but you’re not against the piece of paper and the witnesses, are you?” I probed.

“No. Not at all. In fact,” he gave me an almost shy smile and looked at me from the corners of his eyes, “I really love the idea. I can see us in matching tuxedos, with Liam and Owen as ring bearers...”

“They would love that!”

We indulged in our fantasies, throwing out ideas as they occurred to us. By the time we reached the inn we had planned a wedding more elaborate and outrageous than even Seth could have imagined. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, but I couldn’t remember ever being happier.

“You two certainly seem to have enjoyed the town,” Mom commented with a smile when she saw us walking in from the garden.

“Port Townsend’s very nice, but for me it was more the company,” Jasper answered easily.

“We had fun talking about more old times. Thanks for bringing out those albums, Mom. Are there any more cookies?” In my happiness I walked up to her, pulled her into a hug until her feet were off the floor and twirled her around. Her melodic laughter filled up the room.

“You’ll spoil your dinner,” she chided even as she pointed to a tray laid out on the dining room sideboard next to a Keurig machine and a carousel of pods with a variety of beverage offerings to suit nearly every guest.

“Oh, Jasper look! Mom made snicker doodles and those pumpkin butterscotch cookies too!”

“How old are you boys? They’ll still be there after dinner,” she chuckled.

“Maybe,” I posited as I bit into a pumpkin cookie and passed the other half to Jasper who promptly popped it into his mouth.

“I have a lovely roast waiting,” Mom pointed out.

“Now you’re really spoiling me, Mrs. Cullen,” Jasper commented and I remembered how much he had always loved my mother’s beef roast.

“All right, all right. I guess we should leave some cookies for your guests,” I conceded. “And the roast smells great!”

Now that more of the guests were back at the inn, with the last couple still to arrive, we ate at the kitchen table to stay out of the more public areas of the inn. None of us minded, as the three of us easily fit around the kitchen table and it made the meal more intimate. We told Mom about our day and she relayed some additional interesting tidbits from Port Townsend’s history. Eventually the conversation shifted to Jasper, as Mom tried to catch up on everything he had been doing since he left for New York. Thankfully, it was obvious that she was asking out of genuine interest, not as part of some grand inquisition, so I was able to relax and simply enjoy the food and the company. After what happened at Maggie’s, I’d been somewhat apprehensive about Mom’s reaction, but all my worries proved to be unfounded.

“I know you boys are obsessed with the cookies, and you can help yourself if you’d like, but I also made pumpkin cheesecake, if you’d rather have that instead. And coffee, of course.”

“Pumpkin cheesecake? With the Maple Glaze?” Jasper perked up with interest. I’d forgotten he’d always been a big fan of almost anything with pumpkin in it.

Mom chuckled. Clearly her memory was better than mine. “The very same, with homemade whipped cream.”

“Edward, I hope you don’t mind me getting fat. There’s no way I can resist an offer like that.”

“With all the walking you do, you couldn’t get fat if you tried. Not that I would mind if you did. And I hope you feel the same, because I’m not turning down that cheesecake either!”

“How is your Mom and Jerry, Jasper, and your sister? Are they still in Arizona?” Mom asked after she poured out the coffee and cut each of us a generous slice of cheesecake.

“They are.”

“It’s a pretty big change from our climate in Washington.”

“It is, but they’re all enjoying the year-round warmth, especially Kimmie. She spends most of her free time in or near the pool. She’s a very good swimmer, actually. She’s on a park district team and has won some races with pretty decent times. She eventually plans to try out for the high school swim team.”

“That’s wonderful! And your mom? Did she open her own business there?”

“She did, and she’s doing great. She has her office at home and her business is mostly word of mouth, but it’s been growing. A couple of years ago she hired a part-time assistant and just last month she added another.”

“I’m so happy to hear that. Forks and even the surrounding area simply weren’t big enough for a business like hers to grow as it should. I’m glad things are working out. Have you told her that you’ve reconnected with Edward?”

She made the question sound matter-of-fact and innocent, but both Jasper and I suspected it wasn’t. I could tell from the panicked look he sent me and I tried to suppress a groan. Things had been going so well and I’d let down my guard only to allow us to get completely blindsided.

“I, um, I haven’t really spoken with my Mom lately. I’ve been really busy,” Jasper replied weakly.

“You’re concerned that she won’t understand? That she won’t accept it?” Mom guessed astutely.

“I suppose there are some things I prefer to discuss with her in person. I waited to come out to her until I was home for Easter, and I wanted to wait with this news as well. I’ll be seeing her soon for Thanksgiving, or Christmas.”

We both waited anxiously to hear Mom’s reaction.

“I think that’s wise,” she nodded and smiled at Jasper as pure relief flooded my system. “I imagine you think she’ll object, but I hope she will surprise you. I’m sure, like me, she just wants to see her son happy.”

“I hope so, Mrs. Cullen, because your son definitely makes me happy.”

“And you me, Jas,” I threw in. No one ever had and no one ever could make me happier.

“When the time comes for you to tell her, please pass along my regards and let her know that I would love to speak with her. She moved away from Forks before I could correct some potential misunderstandings, and I’d really like a chance to do that. It’s not necessary for your families to be close, but seeing how well it’s worked for Maggie and Rosalie, I sure would like the same for you two.”

“I will gladly pass along that message, thank you!” Jasper extended his genuine gratitude.

“Of course. And I hope to someday meet your father as well. Edward’s told me such good things.”

“Sure, that would be great, although he doesn’t travel to Washington State much.”

“I may have to visit New York, then,” Mom grinned first at Jasper and then at me. I smiled back, knowing it was a big concession for her. Mom didn’t care for big cities.

A bell dinged above the kitchen door and Mom rose.

“That will be the last guests for the night. Please excuse me while I go check them in.”

She walked out, closing the kitchen door behind her. Jasper and I looked at each other in silence, then we both broke out into smiles.

“Your mother is as awesome as ever. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this warm reception was more than I could have hoped for.”

“I wasn’t sure either, especially after what happened with Maggie. I’m so happy that this wasn’t a repeat of that.” I reached across the small table to take his hand. “I really think she understands how much you mean to me, and she certainly knows how unhappy I was without you in my life.”

“I’m just glad that even with everything that happened, I haven’t lost her trust. Say, she did all this cooking, the least we can do is to clean up.”

Together we made quick work of washing up the dinner dishes. By the time Mom returned, the kitchen was spotless.

“Oh, thank you! You didn’t have to do that, but I definitely appreciate it. It’s getting late, though, and the work of an inn-keeper starts early in the morning. Plus I still have to plan the menu for tomorrow’s breakfast and I’m sure you two are looking forward to a little more time alone.”

“Mom!” I cringed a little at the implication. We were all adults and knew what’s what, but I still couldn’t handle my mother making allusions to sex or thinking about any reason why she may want to be alone with anyone she was dating. Jasper only chuckled in understanding, but then the parent he usually spoke to about such things was a man, and that was an entirely different kind of relationship.

“Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Mrs. Cullen, and your hospitality. Edward, the bathroom in our room is not that large, so why don’t I go up first and you can join me in a few minutes?”

I was about to protest, because the bathroom was plenty big enough to fit us both, when I saw Mom reaching up to hug him and kiss his cheek.

“Goodnight, Jasper. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“He did that on purpose, didn’t he?” I finally caught on.

“I think he wanted us to have a chance to speak alone.”

“Right, though everything I need to say I could have said in front of him. Thank you, Mom, for remembering his favorites and being so cool. I hope that wasn’t an act.”

“Of course not! I’ve known that boy since he was ten years old. He’s like my own son and the way you two love each other, he practically is another son, isn’t he? All but legally, he might as well be my son-in-law. I nearly asked him to call me Mom earlier, but it’s still a little early and it’s the first time he’s seen me since he’s been back in your life and I don’t want to seem too pushy.”

“Mom!” I pulled her into a hug and was close to tears with happiness. “It wouldn’t have been pushy, but I think maybe save that for a little while longer. Until we solve this distance problem and are truly together.”

We hugged for a long moment, and then I pulled away. “So you’re really okay with this. You don’t mind?”

“Would it make a difference if I did? I’m not a fool. I have eyes and I know you. All my disapproval would do would be to alienate you from me. But that’s not the reason I approve. I do because I see now what I have only glimpsed before and didn’t understand at the time. You two are meant to be together. The way you look at him and the way he looks at you -- I cannot imagine anyone else coming between you.”

“No one ever did, except me,” I agreed. “I’ve no one to blame for what happened in the past but myself. If I could have been more open minded, more accepting, when he first told me...”

Mom put her finger over my mouth to silence me. “You can’t change the past, so don’t waste your time with regrets. Forget what you may have lost and focus on what you regained, what you have now and what you’ll have in the future. You both have the capacity to make each other very happy. Just work on that.”

“Thanks, Mom. Jasper’s right, you are awesome!”

“Come to think of it, maybe I am a little awesome,” she gave me a self-satisfied grin. “Awesome enough to give my son a room as far away from mine as possible in this house and a private evening with his boyfriend.”

“Ahhh,” I put my hands over my ears. “No, no, no! We are not having this conversation. You need to plan breakfast and I need to go upstairs to... brush my teeth!”

“Oral hygiene is very important,” she said, laughing.

“Ugh!”

I hugged her again and left the kitchen as quickly as I could, before she started talking about other oral activities. I hurried up the stairs, taking two at a time, and was relieved to see the door to our room ajar. Inside, Jasper lay on top of the Victorian vintage floral bedspread, his hands linked behind his head. He was a picture of temptation, and I jumped on him as soon as I locked the door behind me.

“I take it you and your mom had a nice talk? She didn’t demand you dump me as soon as I left the room?” he said, laughing, when I finally pulled back after kissing him thoroughly.

“She said she had to stop herself from asking you to call her Mom.”

Jasper grew serious and for a second I wondered if she hadn’t been right about pushing him. Earlier I’d practically proposed, and now I was reminding him that we were sleeping in the house owned by his future mother-in-law.

“Did she really say that? I would love to call her Mom. She was like a second Mom when we were growing up, and calling her Mrs. Cullen somehow makes me think of your father,” he grimaced.

“Yeah, that kind of threw me too,” I confessed. “I haven’t heard anyone calling her that in a while. She didn’t change her name when she got divorced because I don’t think she was too fond of the Masen name either, but these days most people just call her Esme.”

“So did you tell her to go ahead and ask me?”

“I told her it might be nice for her to ask once we’re finally living together. Is that okay? I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it.”

“It’s fine, and that’ll work really well. It’ll give me time to tell my Mom. What about what we talked about earlier. Did you tell her?”

I looked deeply into his eyes. “No, we said that was just for us and it is, until we both decide to let everyone know.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “Good. So... what now?”

“Well,” I put my hand on his hip and slipped it up beneath the hem of his shirt, lightly grazing the skin above the waistband of his jeans with my nails, “I recall getting sort of engaged earlier today, and I’d love to celebrate that by making love with my husband to be.”

“Husband to be, I like the sound of that,” he murmured.

“I do too. Let’s see if I can get you to make some other sounds I like...”

-*-

A ringtone woke me up the next morning from sound sleep. I groaned and reluctantly extricated myself from Jasper’s arms to grab the phone from the nightstand. A quick glance at the display told me it was just after nine and identified the caller.

“What do you want, Pipsqueak?” I growled, knowing full well the nickname, ordinarily reserved for Rosalie’s sole use, would get under his skin. He deserved it for calling this early in the morning.

“What’s wrong with you? You’re not usually this grouchy in the morning. I’ll let that go because the only explanation is that you had a late night with Jasper and still haven’t gotten enough personality sleep.”

“Is there a point to this call?” I was still annoyed and not in the mood for games.

“You know, Edward, after all I’ve done for you, you should be nicer to me. What the Clearwater giveth, the Clearwater can taketh away.”

“That’s an empty threat, Seth, and you know it!” Jasper growled loudly over my shoulder. I couldn’t help smiling as I turned and gave him a soft good morning kiss.

“Oh, good, you’re both up!” Seth sounded delighted.

“Mission accomplished, though I don’t recall having placed a wake-up call. You can go now,” I grumbled.

“Hold your horses. Did you forget you promised to have dinner with us this week? And I told you it better not be on Friday? Guess what that leaves? That’s right, tonight! And since you haven’t given me enough notice to set up catering, I get to choose the venue and I’ve chosen Wild Ginger. It’s perfect for us. Meet us there at seven tonight!”

“Whoa, whoa, hold your horses. We’re in Port Townsend.”

“So? It’s only a two hour drive to Seattle. Take the ferry, it’ll be quicker and it will put you right downtown.”

He had an irrefutable point. I gave Jasper a questioning look, knowing he heard the entire exchange. He smiled, nodding.

“Great suggestion, Seth. We’ll see you then,” he answered for us, loudly enough for Seth to hear him.

“Yay! And, Jasper, this is a nice place. Please don’t let Edward wear his ill-fitting lumberjack clothes. He should look good on your arm. Put him in something that showcases his assets. Can you help me with that?”

I was shaking my head from side to side in denial, but Jasper just chuckled. “Consider it done. We’ll go shopping before dinner.”

“I knew I could count on you. All right, you’re both awake so do something productive. Garrett and I often start our mornings with a BJ.”

“Thanks for the suggestion, Seth. Now, don’t you have work to do? We’ll see you tonight,” I promised, eager to get him off the phone.

“Okay, okay, I’m going. See you tonight. Kisses! Bye!”

We ended the call and I set the phone aside.

“We’re not really going shopping, are we?”

Jasper laughed. “Yes, I’m afraid we are. I wouldn’t want to let Seth down and if I’m going to leave my clothes at your house I need to get some replacements to take back with me. And we need to get you some stuff I can take home with me as well. It’s good timing.”

I groaned, raking my hand through my messy morning hair.

“I hate shopping. We have so little time together. Why would we waste it doing that?”

“Because it has to be done and it’s not a waste, anyway. Remember how much fun we had shopping in Chicago? And that was before we were together. Now we can sneak into the same dressing room and...”

“Are you packed? ‘Cause I’m pretty much ready to go,” I joked.

“Maybe we should have breakfast first, and say goodbye to your mother?” he replied with a smile.

“What about Seth’s idea for how we should start our day?”

“I think a shower is more traditional, but there’s no reason we can’t combine the two.”

-*-

By the time we made our way downstairs, our hair still damp from the shower, it was after ten. We said hello to a couple having a late breakfast in the dining room but we didn’t linger, walking into the kitchen through the open door instead. Mom was at the sink doing some dishes. She looked over when she was us.

“Good morning! What can I make you for breakfast?”

“You don’t have to cook for us, Mom. I’ll make something,”

“What did you make for the guests and is there enough? We could just have that, unless there’s not enough.”

“I made Cinnamon raisin French toast, and there should be plenty left. There’s bacon and sausage out there too, and fresh fruit. And how about I make you some eggs?”

“The French toast and bacon will be plenty, really,”Jasper assured. “I’m not used to eating this much.”

In the end, we decided to stick with what was available at the guest buffet and the three of us ate at the kitchen table again. Mom spoke about the militia and domestic violence prevention reports that had been featured on the morning talk shows, undoubtedly because of the interest stirred up by the park shooting.

“King5 did a piece about New Beginnings and Rainbow Beginnings. They didn’t mention you, but they had a clip of Rusty.”

“Did you know about this?” I asked Jasper. He shook his head.

“They probably used some of the footage I shot when I first got here. I’m glad. It will raise awareness.”

“I wonder if he knows? They would have called him, right? I’m sorry I missed it.”

“I’m sure I can get you a copy of the report from the station. I’ll ask my buddy.”

“You have a friend at King5?” Mom asked with undisguised interest.

“More like a recent acquaintance. I just met him this week, but he seems like a good guy. He told me he’d let me know if he heard of any openings.”

“You’re interested in openings in Seattle?” It was all too obvious Mom was on a fishing expedition. Jasper swallowed and looked directly at her.

“I’d love to find a suitable job opening in Seattle. I’m definitely putting out the feelers. Unfortunately, the market doesn’t look great right now.”

Mom sighed. “It’s a tough market out there for everyone. I’m just very happy to hear you’re thinking about coming back.”

There was a knock on the back door and moments later a middle aged woman wearing yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt walked in through the mud room.

“Good morning, Beverly,” Mom stood up. “You remember my son, Edward. And this is his boyfriend, Jasper.”

“Hello,” Beverly gave us a cheery wave which we returned. “Where should I start today?”

“The guests in the Victoria Suite and Rose Suite are gone for the day, so best start there. The guests in the Kensington Suite were just finishing breakfast, so their room should be free by the time you finish the others. And the boys are the only ones staying on the third floor. I don’t mean to rush you, but do you know what time you’ll be out of the room?”

I glanced at Jasper. We‘d packed up our clothes after we dressed for the day, so we only need to gather up some toiletries.

“I’ll go get our things out of there now. Stay and finish breakfast, Jas, I can handle it,” I told him when he started to get up. “I’ll be right back. Need me to take anything while I’m going up, Beverly?”

“Well, if you’re volunteering, I won’t turn down the help. Follow me,” Beverly said as Mom handed her a keychain filled with marked room keys.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Jasper and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Then I followed Beverly to the hallway closet where Mom stored the cleaning supplies. She handed me a caddy filled with cleaners while she gathered other supplies, and then we both went upstairs. I left the cleaning supplies in the first room on the second floor and was about to head upstairs when Beverly stopped me, pointing to a nearly empty box of trash bags.

“Would you mind seeing if your mom has another one of these in the kitchen? If not, one of us may have to run out to get some.”

I went back downstairs and was about to walk into the kitchen when I heard my mother speak and something in her voice made me pause.

“It would have been easy to be angry with you for leaving the way you did, but Edward’s drilled into me over and over how you did what you needed to do to help yourself, not to hurt him. And besides, I haven’t seen Edward this happy since his senior year in high school. Anyone who can put a smile like that on my son’s face deserves a second chance.”

“I don’t know what to say, except that I won’t repeat the mistakes I made in the past. This time, I won’t let anything or anyone pull us apart.”

“And that’s why you’re thinking of moving to Seattle?”

“It makes sense. I’m the one who left, and Edward has built such a wonderful life for himself here. New York is great, and living near my father was a big bonus, but I need to be with Edward and I can’t ask him to leave all this behind. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Love often isn’t fair,” Mom observed. “What if a job doesn’t open up here for months?”

“Are you saying you wouldn’t mind Edward moving?” Jasper sounded as surprised as I felt.

“I’m saying that Edward’s been noticeably happier since you came back into his life, but even so, I’ve never seen him light up the way he does around you. I’m a mother. Of course I’d prefer if he stayed where he was, but that would be selfish. What I really want is for him to be as happy all the time as I’ve seen him yesterday and today. And if that means he has to move, or both of you have to move, well--I hope you’ll have a spare room wherever you end up for visitors from Washington.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“I know, Sweetie, but don’t let what would be nice to have make you overlook what you both need. I just wanted you to know that I’ll be happy if you are both happy, wherever that may be, and I wanted to welcome you to our family, small though it may be.”

“I... thank you. I’m just so touched. Thank you! I can only hope that my mother will see the same things when she looks at us and is equally as welcoming towards Edward.”

“I hope so too, Sweetheart, for both your sakes.”

I felt guilty for eavesdropping, but I was glad I overheard their conversation. It was gratifying to hear Mom being welcoming with Jasper and a huge relief to know I didn’t need to worry about her disapproval if the only way we could be together was for me to move. When the pause in their conversation lasted long enough to safely assume they weren’t going to say more, I went to the kitchen, walking more heavy-footed than normal to make my approach known.

“Beverly’s nearly out of trash bags. Do you have another box? If not, I can run out and get some and anything else you need.”

“That’s not necessary. I have another box right here,” Mom opened the door to a cabinet that seemed to be filled with extra cleaning supplies and handed me the box.

“Okay, be right back,” I said cheerfully. On my way up I grabbed Jasper and pulled him into a brief but intense kiss.

“Edward!” he blushed, glancing at my Mom, who was doing her best to pretend like she wasn’t watching, even though her grin totally gave her away.

I left the trash bags with Beverly and continued to the third floor where I quickly packed up our things. I let Beverly know that we were out of the room on my way back down and set the bags by the small reception desk area where Mom checked in other guests.

“We’re all packed, and we should probably get going,” I said, walking back into the kitchen. “Want us to help you bring in the food from the buffet?”

“Jasper already did that while you were upstairs and it’s all put away. But do you have to leave so soon? I had hoped you’d stay a little longer.”

“We’d love to, Mom, but this is sort of Jasper’s first real visit and everyone wants time with him. We promised Seth and Garrett we’d have dinner with them tonight, and I guess we were going to squeeze in some shopping before dinner so that Jasper can leave clothes here for when he visits the next time.”

I loved the way that sounded. He still had several days left in Seattle and I already found myself looking forward to the next time. Mom smiled and I think she understood because she didn’t try to change our minds.

“I imagine a lot of people want to see you while you’re in town, Jasper. I’m really glad you boys were able to drive out here. Let me pack you some cookies for the road. Or should I make sandwiches?”

We left with a bag full of cookies, somehow convincing Mom that after two days of her cooking, we’d have no trouble skipping lunch, especially considering we were likely to eat a large dinner. Jasper and I both received equally warm hugs and a request to come back soon.

“Your mother is amazing. I’m so glad we came out here!”

“I am too. I already knew she was pretty great, but she managed to surprise me anyway.”

At first, the drive back meant reversing the route we took the previous day. This time, though, we exited State Route 3 at Poulsbo and followed State Route 305 east all the way to the Bainbridge Ferry Terminal, the way we used to when we drove back to school from Forks. Since it was the middle of the day on a Fall Thursday, we drove onto the 2:55 ferry with only a minimal wait.

“This reminds me of my last visit, but I much prefer not having to get on the ferry at the crack of dawn to make the first available flight back home.” Jasper commented as we leaned on the topside deck railing and looked out over Puget Sound towards downtown Seattle.

“I much prefer this too,” I agreed, throwing my arm around his waist and pulling him closer against me. The late October wind made being outside challenging, but we preferred the solitude it afforded. We exchanged a brief, chaste kiss, neither of us wanting to bother the other passengers with overly public displays of affection, but Jasper remained tucked closely against my side with his head resting on my shoulder until it was time to go back down to the car.

“So, where should we go? The Space Needle? It’s been a while.”

“Edward, I live in Manhattan. Tall structures are not a novelty. And don’t think I don’t realize what you’re trying to do. Whether you like it or not, we’re going shopping.”

“That was just the excuse I gave Mom. There’s nothing wrong with what we’re wearing for tonight, and wouldn’t you rather do something fun?”

Jasper rolled his eyes and laughed. “We’re gay men. For us, shopping is supposed to be fun! Come on, remember Chicago? We had a good time, right?”

“That doesn’t count. In Chicago I would have had a good time sweeping sidewalks if I you were there with me.”

“But Seattle’s different?”

I could tell he was teasing, but I got a little defensive anyway.

“No, of course not. I love being with you no matter what. It’s just now I don’t have to walk on eggshells, worried about scaring you off.”

“That’s true. You don’t have to worry about that. And I am being unfair. If you really hate shopping that much, we don’t have to go,” he conceded. “Though I fear what Seth will have to say when we see him tonight.”

“Seth doesn’t scare me,” I boasted. I was being ninety five percent honest. A man who had no healthy fear of Seth Clearwater, other than perhaps Emmett or Garrett, was very, very foolish. “But if you really do want to go, we’ll go. Only you’ll have to do all the work, because as Seth keeps reminding me, I’m missing the gay style gene.”

“Don’t you worry about that, hot stuff! Picking out clothes that will show off that sexy bod will be a pleasure. Now, where should we go?”

“I don’t really know. Should we start at Nordstrom? It is their flagship store.”

“Perfect.”

I took Alaskan Way to Spring Street, then 4th Avenue to Pike. I pulled into the parking garage at 520 Pike Tower and we walked the two blocks to Nordstrom, window shopping along the way. When we entered the store, Jasper immediately asked if they had a personal stylist available to help us. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the time of day, a stylist was available. The obviously gay and fashion forward Cory showed up to meet us within minutes. He looked over my boyfriend as Jasper introduced himself, and then his eyes flashed with sudden recognition when he heard my name. I felt uneasy, but Cory quickly slipped back behind his professional facade and I relaxed.

In the men’s department, Cory quickly realized that fashion-wise he and Jasper were well-informed kindred spirits. While the two of them enthusiastically explored the racks, my opinion was solicited only when the two of them couldn’t reach consensus, which was rare. Soon Cory had an armful of clothes and was shepherding us to an enormous fitting room, lined with mirrors, hooks for large numbers of hangers and a large tufted ottoman.

“These are all for me! I thought we were shopping for you?” I protested even though I knew it would be useless now that I’d been caught in the clothes shopping tornado.

“Cory’s finding things for me as we speak and obviously he knows my style so I’m not at all worried. You, on the other hand...”

“I’m really not that difficult. But some of this stuff is ridiculous. You don’t really expect me to wear this, do you?” I pulled out a button down shirt in a floral pattern that would have looked great as a pillow case at my mother’s inn.

“That may be a little much,” Jasper conceded, “but you never know until you put it on. So come on, get your clothes off. This will go a lot faster if you cooperate. And I can’t wait to see you in these Fendi jeans!”

“Jas, you know I’m not wearing underwear,” I complained.

“Nor would you under these jeans, right? I’m positive they’ll fit, but put them on anyway just to see what they’ll look like with the shirts.”

I tried not to roll my eyes as I pulled off my favorite waffle weave henley and the gray sleeveless shirt I wore underneath to give me the layered look without adding bulk to the arms, like Seth taught me. Jasper leaned on the fitting room wall and watched. Initially his lips were curved into a triumphant smirk, but when I took off the shirts the smirk faded and as I reached for the button of my jeans his tongue darted out to moisten his lips.

“Don’t move.” he said and darted out of the fitting room. I waited obediently, trying to keep down my growing cock, though the promise in his eyes as he left the fitting room made that pretty difficult.

Though it seemed like an eternity, he actually came back in a couple of minutes with another huge armful of clothes.

“This is what Cory picked out for me. I sent him out to find us more stuff. I’m sure it won’t take him long, but it may just buy us enough time.”

“Enough time for what?”

“Enough time for this!” He threw the clothes without care onto the large ottoman in the corner of the fitting room and sank to his knees in front of me. “Now, we were going to get you out of these jeans...”

Things became very hot and hazy as we threw caution to the wind and worked together to remove my jeans. Jasper didn’t waste any time with preliminaries, working fast to pull my by now fully hard cock into his mouth and down his throat. He hummed softly with pleasure and dug his nails into my ass cheeks to pull me in closer and deeper. I had no power or desire to resist. With one hand I reached out to brace myself against the wall, while I finger combed his hair with the other. I let him take charge and set the pace, shifting my focus to trying to keep quiet and to prolong the euphoria for as long as I could and as long as we dared. Jasper, in the meantime, caressed my entire turgid length with his lips, tongue and throat. Keeping one hand on my butt, he brought the other between my legs to massage my balls. I wanted to hold out, but his skill and the added thrill of possibly getting caught proved too powerful. Much sooner than I would have wished, I felt my balls crowding at the base of my dick and the cum churning within was ejected with powerful spurts directly down Jasper’s throat. I let the arm that was bracing me take more of my weight as my thighs shook while Jasper pulled off only far enough to gently coax out what was left of my ejaculate, swallowing with an appreciative moan. When there was nothing left he released my spent cock and looked up at me with a self-satisfied smile.

“And that is why I would much rather go shopping with you than up the space needle. Got my own version of a space needle right here. Well, more like a space rocket!”

“I can’t believe you just did that,” I told him, still caressing his scalp with my fingers. “That was incredible. And incredibly dangerous!”

“Nah. I bet Cory knew exactly why I sent him out there. I wasn’t really worried about him coming back. Well, not unless we decided to do more.”

He rose and kissed me, sharing the remnants of my cum.

“Now you’ll be much calmer and happier and won’t complain so much about trying things on, will you?” He teased, reaching down to fondle my loosening scrotum.

“If I can look forward to this every time we go shopping, you’ll have no problems getting me to cooperate,” I agreed.

“Good, so,” he reached over to grab my undershirt and, carefully choosing a spot that wouldn’t show, wiped the remnants of his saliva off me, “time to try on the Fendi jeans.”

Many pairs of very well-fitted jeans made it into the “buy” pile, as did several button down shirts, knits shirts, and sweaters. For the restaurant Jasper selected the darker blue stone washed Fendi jeans and a white long sleeved tee shirt that hugged my body closely and had a filigree pattern printed over the shoulders and upper arms. He paired it with a vest that was smartly tailored gray and black plaid in the front, and a solid color back with a hoodie. I wasn’t much of a fashionista, but even I had to admit the whole outfit looked good and made me feel confident next to Jasper, who wore the same well-fitted Fendi jeans in gray with a black button down shirt, the front of which was decorated with mini metal studs in the shape of leopard spots.

“I think Seth will approve,” Jasper spoke confidently as Cory rang up our purchases.

“Seth Clearwater? I know he will,” Cory agreed.

“You know Seth?” I didn’t know why, but this still managed to surprise me.

“Of course. Everyone knows Seth. And I know of you too,” Cory bragged, looking directly at me.

“Oh? Do tell?” Jasper asked with interest.

I shot Cory a murderous look, thinking neither he nor Nordstrom would see a dime of my money ever again. I could only imagine what he’d heard about me and the last thing I needed was him running off his mount with rumors or, worse yet, true stories from my past, right in front of Jasper. Little did I know when I was sowing my wild oats after Cliff left town that everything I did could have repercussions so far in the future. Cory, however, managed to surprise me.

“I had a friend who got away from his asshole boyfriend with help from Rainbow Beginnings. He's still going to group counseling there. Plus I know you support other causes in the gay community, and everyone's heard what happened with that psycho in the national park. It's great to see one of our very own good guys in the national spotlight," he gushed. “But it looks like Seattle’s most eligible gay bachelor is off the market,” he said with a wink at Jasper. “You’re a lucky man.”

Jasper kept his smile, but he grabbed my hand possessively and when he spoke his tone seemed cooler than it had been previously.

“I am lucky and he is very much off the market. Please feel free to pass that on.”

“Oh, I will, honey. And may I say, you two look great together. It was a pleasure to help out a couple who are so in love. It gives those of us who are still looking hope.” Cory batted his eyes at Jasper, probably to rebuild their friendly rapport, though he also didn’t seem disingenuous.

I signed the credit card slip and slipped Cory a generous tip. He had worked hard for us and more than deserved it. Jasper and I then grabbed the several bags containing our new and old clothes. I glanced at the watch and saw that we were running late for our dinner with the guys. Fortunately, we were within walking distance of the restaurant Seth selected and the car was halfway in between. We dropped off our bags and then continued on foot to Wild Ginger.