Page 34 of For the Love of the Lawyer

We'd like to meet with you regarding adoption. We've been trolling sites, and we need help. Dinner on Thursday? Love you. A & R

Jon tossed the phone back onto the dresser and took a deep breath. His life had been just fine before he met the cowboy. He was actually fine with the idea of going back to one-night stands since the encounter between the two of them at his parents’ place. Hell, what red-blooded gay man wouldn't be fine with a different piece of ass every time he was horny?

Most of the guys he'd met in the clubs were hungry to fuck, and Jon would be happy to get back out there and oblige every oneof them. He already had a new strategy going forward. Blow jobs were perfect because the guy was on his knees and Jon could hold onto his hair to keep him on task. Intercourse would be doggy style or against a wall with them facing it, and Jon would make certain to form no attachments. Everything completely anonymous.

Though, as he thought about it—and God knew it rarely left his mind—when he and Mickey sucked each other off, something else came into play. Something that was fucking with his mojo and had hamstrung him from hitting the club scene for a month. Of course, it was Jon's problem to solve.

He'd made sure Mickey knew the score. They were as different as night and day, aside from the fact they both loved dick. After he got the younger man out of his head, he'd have many more. If he really thought about it, it was hard to tell one cock from another, so he wouldn't miss Mickey’s once he got back into the groove.

Seriously? His bitchy brain was taunting him. The man didn't just suck you off. He seemed to worship you. You're not going to pursue anything with Mickey Warren because he's ten years younger? You're not lonely, you stupid fuck? You think running around chasing twinks at your age is dignified?

His mind took on a life of its own, and it was blatantly honest. Yes, Jon was lonely, but he was also stupid. He was totally bored with his superficial friends, and he was growing to hate his job at the firm. He needed to make changes to some aspects of his life, but he couldn’t figure out which ones.

Before he could stop himself, Jon was calling the cowboy’s cell phone, frowning as it went to voicemail. That wouldn't do, so he decided to send a text.

Michael-I need to speak with you. Please call me when you have time.I'm done walking away.

He reread the message about a dozen times before he hit the send button. He sat on his bed and contemplated the situation.

There had never been a serious lover in Jon’s life. In truth, he hadn't even tried. Anytime a guy tried to get too close, Jon had backed away and had given the guy the oldit's not you, it's mespeech. It always worked like a charm because Jon believed gay men weren't meant to be monogamous. Too many times he’d been proven right, sadly. The younger ones thought they wanted it, but they always changed their minds when someone with a tighter ass, a bigger cock, or a heftier bank account came along.

For the first time in his life, Jon couldn’t justify leaving Mickey behind, and it was fucking with his head. After a month of soul-searching, he admitted to himself Mickey rejecting him was his greatest fear, and his ego would take a huge blow because hewasn'tthe one who was rejected—ever.

Jon pursued, conquered, and walked away without looking back. He'd seen guys get shot down over the years, and it didn't look fun to be humiliated by another person, so Jon steered clear of it.

With Mickey, however, the old playbook was useless because the young cowboy didn't follow the usual rules. The guy was honest, which was a new thing to Jon when it came to dating. Every guy he knew padded their dating resume, but Mickey had told him the truth about a former relationship and how it had gone up in flames, breaking his heart in the process.

Jon was sure Mickey wouldn't hurt him because he’d been hurt by the last guy, and he’d taken time to get his head together and get over the heartbreak and the rejection. Hell, of the two ofthem, Jon wasn’t sure he was the more mature. Mickey seemed far wiser than his young age.

Yes, something in Jon’s life needed to change. And no, he definitely didn't want to be alone anymore.

Jon sent a message to his friends, Aaron and Rick. He told the men that he'd be unavailable to meet with them on Thursday or anytime soon due to a full schedule, but he gave them Audrey's contact information and suggested they email her regarding the adoption they hoped to pursue.

Jon knew Audrey wasn't a fan of the couple, but she'd be good counsel in their pursuit of having a child. She was likely on the same page in her relationship with Lyla, so she'd be more empathetic to their situation than Jon was sure he ever could be. He wasn’t sure he'd ever be qualified to be anyone'sfather.

If Jon was newly married—not that he believed it would ever happen—he’d want the two of them to have time to fuck on every surface of their home before any talk of children. He'd want to give all the passion its place between them, honoring it, even. He'd want to have his partner to himself for a while before they considered adding to their family.

After a few deep breaths, Jon spread out on his bed with his cell phone resting on his chest. He prayed he'd hear back from the cowboy, but if he didn't? Jon wasn't prepared to contemplate that outcome.

As much as he protested and told himself a relationship wasn’t in the cards for him, deep inside, Jon simply wasn't ready to give up on love, as much as it chapped his ass to admit it. Worse yet, he was pretty sure he could fall in love with the cowboy.

"Karen, anything I need to worry about?" Jon walked by his assistant’s desk and into his office. It had been another two weeks since he'd sent the message he needed to speak with Mickey, and there was still no response, which first broke his heart—then it pissed him off severely.

Audrey and Lyla had made their grand announcement to Sherm and Marnie regarding their engagement, and Audrey’s parents were thrilled, much to Jon’s surprise.

There were wedding plans immediately in the works because it seemed Audrey's parents had suspected she was withholding information from them for several years. At lunch the day after Audrey and Lyla had been to the Langley house for dinner, Jon’s best friend repeated the story with a happy, glowing smile on her face.

"We had drinks on the deck, and I noticed Mommy kept staring between the two of us. Of course, Lyla kept her left hand in the pocket of her sweater because she refused to take off the ring until we told them what was going on.

"Finally, Daddy said, 'What brings you girls over on a weeknight?' You know Daddy, he can't keep a secret, so when he smiled, I cracked up and just announced it. 'I've asked Lyla to marry me. She said yes.'

"Daddy and Mommy hugged each other and hugged the two of us, and we had a champagne toast. After dinner, Mommy took Lyla into her office so they could start making wedding plans, and Daddy and I went to his study for a glass of scotch. I asked him how he knew, and he said straight out, 'Sweetheart, someday when you have little ones of your own, you'll understand how easily you can read your children. I know you and Jon love each other like brother and sister, but I can see how much you love Lyla. How long do we have to wait to announce it?'

“We can hold off on the announcement, Jonny, if you want us to," she offered.

"No, Audie. It's your time. You go right ahead and shout it from the rooftops,” Jon told her. They hugged each other, and he wondered what it would feel like to be as fantastically happy as Audrey was at that moment.

A week later, his family had attended a dinner in celebration of the engagement and his mother kept giving him knowing glances, but he was yet to reveal anything. Hell, he had no reason to “out” himself. He didn't have anyone pushing him like Lyla had pushed Audrey.

---