Page 52 of Everything Changes

“She helped me to realize it’s you I want, Jase.” Carey continued, scooting closer again, his hand coming up to Jase’s cheek to stroke it lightly. “I was blinded by your manliness,” he teased. “Literally.”

Jase took Carey’s hand in his and kissed the palm. “What do you mean?”

“When I met her, I kept thinking that Jodi was perfect. She seemed like everything I’d ever wanted in someone,” Carey began, placing his fingers over Jase’s lips when he opened his mouth to speak. “Let me talk, Jase. And that evening at my apartment, when I kissed her, I realized that I already had everything I’d ever wanted. I’ve had it for years. And I’m sorry that I was so blind that I didn’t see it, I didn’t see you.”

Carey stroked Jase’s lips gently. “Even if I’d met Jodi first, I still would have fallen in love with you. You’re the one I fell in love with because you’re the one perfect for me in every way. Since you happen to be a man, it took me a little while to come to terms with that. Never in all my life would I have imagined falling in love with another man.”

Carey leaned in and kissed him gently. “But you’re the one that I want, Jase. You’re my best friend, and now you’re my lover. It doesn’t get any more perfect than that,” he whispered, and Jase thought he just might float away on a cloud of happiness.

“Are you really staying, Carey?” he asked hoarsely, cupping the back of Carey’s neck and pressing their foreheads together.

“I’m staying because I love you. We’ll take it one day at a time, right?”

“Carey, baby, if today turns out to be all you can give me, I will still die a happy man,” Jase said fervently. “Just hearing you say you love me—”

He had to stop and kiss Carey hungrily, drinking in the taste of him and the feel of him in his arms again after those lonely months. He forced himself to pull back, gratified to see Carey was as flushed and breathing as hard as he was as a result of their kiss.

“But what about your work, Carey?” he asked gently. “It’s so much a part of who you are. I don’t want you to give that up for me.”

“I spoke to Bill before I left,” Carey said. “He’s willing to keep me on as a part-time employee, and he’d like me to come to the ranch and work one weekend retreat a month. There are a couple of guys he’s willing to consider to take over for the assistant camp manager job, but he’d like me to be available for the peer counseling.”

Jase was relieved. “That’s good, Carey. I know working with amputees is important to you.”

“The VA is hiring here too, and I’ve already spoken to them. I have an interview set up for next week. I figured that maybe we’d have come up for air by then.” With a soft growl, Carey pushed Jase back against the couch and swung his leg over to straddle Jase’s lap. He threaded his fingers into Jase’s hair, pulling his head back, his lips caressing the side of Jase’s neck.

“Mmmm,” Jase moaned, his hands going to Carey’s hips. “I missed you, Carey. I love you.”

Carey kissed his way up to Jase’s ear, tracing the shell of it with the tip of his tongue before whispering, “I love you too, Jase. So much.”

EPILOGUE

“HEY, BABE,” Carey shouted toward the kitchen. “Can you grab Quinn another beer on your way back?”

There was no answer from the kitchen, and Carey sighed heavily. “He’s probably got his ear buds in, listening to a track and writing some more lyrics.”

“Let the man work,” Bryan boomed. “He’s gonna make us some serious bank with those songs, dude.”

“Yeah, well, he can take a day off to watch the fucking Super Bowl,” Carey groused, but he was smiling. When Jase was in full songwriting mode, nothing would distract him. Except maybe Carey naked.

It had been a little more than a year since Carey had moved to San Diego to be with Jase. It hadn’t been easy, but they were both used to hard work. Carey had immediately started his job with the VA and also volunteered at Naval Hospital San Diego, peer counseling wounded veterans in his free time. Once a month he traveled to Colorado to work a retreat weekend at Hope Ranch. He really had the best of both worlds, and he couldn’t be happier.

Jase’s band had just come out of the studio, where they’d laid down the tracks for their first album. One of the singles from the album had been picked up by national radio stations after extensive local airplay, and they’d found out a few days ago the single had broken into the top forty on the charts. Eloquent Isolation was on its way. Carey was a little worried about how they’d handle the touring schedule once the album was released, but when he started to stress about it, Jase always reminded him to take a deep breath and remember they were taking things one day at a time.

It hadn’t all been sunshine and roses. Jase understandably had a hard time fully trusting Carey at first, convinced that Carey would up and decide to shut him out again. For months he acted like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and one weekend it had all culminated in a serious argument that resulted in Jase having to crash on Quinn and Layla’s couch for a day or two.

But they were committed, and they managed to work it out. Jase had never been one to let anything fester for long, and Carey was learning it was best to talk things out the minute they were both calm and in a better frame of mind. He’d made a concerted effort not to shut down but to be more open with Jase about his feelings. It was working for them, and Carey was seriously starting to think about asking Jase to marry him.

“Go find your man,” Pete growled. “The game’s about to start.”

Carey grinned, pushing up from his recliner and padding into the kitchen. Sure enough, Jase was leaning against the counter, his ear buds in, iPod next to him, tapping a pen on the counter as he listened to a practice track for a song they were working on. He stopped every few seconds to scribble something down on the little notepad in front of him, humming under his breath as he worked out the lyrics in his head.

Carey sidled up behind him and encircled his arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck. Jase took the ear buds out and leaned back into Carey’s embrace, tilting his head for a kiss.

“Game’s about to start,” Carey whispered, caressing Jase’s lips softly with his own. “Come on back in there.” Jase hummed and deepened the kiss.

“Jesus Christ, get a fucking room,” Quinn boomed as he came into the kitchen. “I can’t believe you’re in here sucking face while there’s football on in there. Gimme some beers.” He groused under his breath as he grabbed several beer bottles from the fridge, shooting them a dark look as he left the kitchen.

Jase grinned. “Guess we’d better get back in there, huh?” He pushed the iPod aside and pulled Carey close, kissing him soundly several times before leading him back into the living room.