Page 78 of Needing Your Love
But the warmth of his lithe body, the twinkle in his eyes, the laughter we shared while doing a whole lot of nothing made it easy to ignore the warning signs.
I didn’t want anyone intruding in on our peace, but I’d already invited Jamie and Chaz over the following Sunday afternoon. While my son and I had chatted throughout the week at work, I’d kept personal shit on the quiet side, but Babs clued him in on the fact that I’d taken Jimmy home with me last weekend and that he hadn’t left.
Jamie showed up with a six-pack of Stella, Chaz on his heels.
I gave them both a bear hug, clapping them on the backs while welcoming them in out of the cold. October had brought in fall and the smell of decayed leaves and woodsmoke from those around town heating their home with firewood.
My favorite time of year and the best scents to fill a man’s nose.
“Jimmy’s still upstairs getting ready.” I made the excuse for my perpetually late lover.
“It’s just us,” Jamie said, putting the beer in the fridge.
“Yeah, but he likes to get all pretty for me,” I said, heat settling in my cheeks.
Chaz snickered. “And you love it.”
“Goddamned right I do,” I said with a sigh and smile.
Jamie clasped my shoulder but didn’t speak as Jimmy flounced down the stairs.
“Hey,” he said, breathless, blue eyes sparkling, pink staining his cheeks. He’d slickened his lips with gloss, and I drank in the sight of him in his tight maroon crop top and skin-hugging jeans.
Jamie and Chaz greeted Jimmy while I swallowed back a groan, turning toward the oven.
I seriously needed to get to the store for groceries, but those damned distractions lately…
Pulling a tray of frozen dough rolls from the oven, I glanced over to find Jimmy reaching into the overhead cabinet for bowls and plates.
His shirt rode high, teasing me with a swath of pale skin, his plump little ass making my mouth water more than the scent of fresh bread and the stew I’d had in the crockpot all afternoon.
My son and his fiancé made Jimmy feel as though he belonged, neither of them asking any hard questions or prodding into personal territory.
It was Chaz opening up after dinner while we sat in the living room that erased any questions in my mind over their acceptance of Jimmy possibly becoming a part of our small family.
“My marriage had been on the rocks even though I denied it,” Chaz said when the topic of how he and Jamie got together came up.
I hadn’t shared the heartache Chaz had gone through with Jimmy since it wasn’t my story to tell, but reliving it now hurt almost as much as it had the day I’d gotten the call about his wife being in the car accident that had claimed her life.
Chaz left out the part about her being pregnant with another man’s child, and I had to respect him for looking after the memory of her even though she’d betrayed him. But he hadn’t been an angel either, having an affair with Jamie behind her back.
Tears slid down Jimmy’s cheeks over the story, which caused my heart to ache.
I tugged him against my side, kissing his temple when Jamie did the same to Chaz. “Anyone want another beer?” I asked, pushing to my feet. The heavy talk had made me thirst for another.
No one did, so I went to the kitchen, popping the cap and enjoying a cooling swallow.
“Did your dad ever blame you for your mom leaving town?” Jimmy’s quiet question drew me up beyond sight of the living room entryway. While I wasn’t one for eavesdropping, I wondered where this topic had come from—or why Jimmy would even wonder such a thing.
I hadn’t told him the reasons behind Darla’s taking off, so he’d probably only heard the gossip that had littered the town.
“Never,” Jamie stated. “I had nothing to do with her shitty choices. Neither did Dad.”
I moved into the room, settling into my vacated seat.
Jimmy sidled up against me, and I gave him the arm around his shoulders he needed. He studied his hands clasped atop his lap. “My mom died in childbirth. Dad said it was my fault.” Tears laced his voice, but none of us interrupted. The fact he opened up with my son and Chaz with what he’d already shared with me caused gratitude to swell in my heart and made me hopeful our future was cementing together.
He explained why he’d always gotten into so much trouble with the law and, most importantly, why he’d never returned for his father’s burial.
