Page 44 of Glass & Groundwork
His eyes lit up and I could see the excitement in his face, but he caught himself and responded with a simple, “Cool.”
As we were getting ready to leave the barn, Yahir stopped me and cast his gaze toward the ground. “Hey, Jasper. I'm sorry for all the, uh, comments I've made.”
I clapped a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention up. Nervously, he ran a hand over his patchy beard, looking so much younger than he tried to portray himself. “It's okay. I know everything with me and Gio has happened really fast. You all just barely met me and now we're married and I moved in.”
“It's not that we don't like you.”
“I know,” I replied quickly, hoping to reassure him. Since the first dinner I crashed, I never felt like they didn't want me around. “It's a big change, though, and that can be hard.”
Yahir met my gaze. “Yeah. I mean, we've never seen him with someone before.Never. But… Papa seems really happy with you and it's nice to see.”
The corners of my mouth tugged up. “I'm really happy with him, too.”
Yahir smiled. “That's good.”
“Listen, I'm totally open if you want to ask any questions about me or about what brought me here, but how about Gio and I worry about our ownequipmentand what we do with it?” I winked, trying to keep it light.
Color rose on his face as he gave a nod. “Yeah. Okay.” Yahir played with his beard, looking as if there was more he wanted to say.
“What is it?” I prompted.
He quirked his lips to the side before he answered. “So the thing is… I know I tease a lot, but I, uh, don't actually have as much experience as I like people to believe I do.”
Ah. There it was. The inner part of me wanted to cheer and shout that he was opening up to me, but I tried to channel Gio and keep a calm exterior. “That's okay, Yahir. Really. You don't have to do anything you're not ready for.”
“I want to, though. Fuck, I want it so bad, but it's hard to let people in, you know?”
“I do, actually. I grew up in a world where everyone had ulterior motives, so relationships were hard for me. What I have with Gio is the realest thing I've ever experienced. He makes me feel safe, like I don't have to wait for the other shoe to drop, or worry that I'll be betrayed.”
Yahir stared at me with an awed expression. It was strange how true that was. My fake—not fake—marriage was the strongest relationship I'd ever had. Wherever it might lead us, whether to something deeper, or maintaining the friendship that was growing, I had never been with someone who I felt so completely myself with.
“Find someone that makes you feel safe,” I told Yahir. It wasn't the quality I would have put on a dating profile, but it was what I needed more than anything. “As far as sex goes, I'm happy to answer any questions about the mechanics of it in as little or as much detail as you want, as long as it's not about the specifics when it comes to me and your papa. Deal?”
Yahir smiled wide. “Deal. Thank you.”
He tucked himself against me, and squeezed me in a tight hug. It was funny considering he was bigger than I was both in body type and height, but he was still just a kid.Mykid.
When he pulled away, he gave me a sheepish look. He thumped his fist against the door frame of the barn and kicked his foot. “Right. Well, okay. I'll catch you later.”
“Later,” I said as I tried to hide my smile at his awkward exit, not wanting him to feel embarrassed, or any more than he probably did at his confession. Yahir's confiding in me meant a lot, and I was feeling damn proud of myself and of him, as I replayed the conversation. Another parenting win as far as I was concerned. Then there was Gio. Gio, who made me feel safe. Gio, who made me feel seen, and allowed me room to be myself.
Jasper
Filled with all the warm fuzzies the day had brought, I practically skipped back to the house. When I entered through the back door into the kitchen, I found Gio holding something behind his back with an eager look on his face.
“I've got really exciting news, Jasper.”
“Oh yeah? What is it?”
Drawing his hand out, he showed me an envelope. “We've got mail from the State of California. Our marriage certificate is here.” He beamed, waiting for my reaction.
I took the envelope from his hand and set it on the table. “It can wait. I have something really important to discuss with you.”
His brows furrowed and concern etched on his face. Gio glanced at the envelope we'd been anticipating and back to me. “That's important, too.”
“It'll keep.” I grabbed his hand and began walking to the bedroom, tugging him behind me. That document might be the single most important piece of paper of my life, but I couldn't care at the moment, not with all the emotion building up in me. Once we were inside, I pushed him against the door as soon as it latched behind us, and I launched myself at him. My mouth met his in a frenzy, needing to show him how much I appreciated who he was and who he let me be.
It only took a second of pause before Gio's arms gripped around my lower back and pulled me closer. His glasses were knocked askew by how intensely we kissed. There wasn't room to even breathe between us, but it didn't matter, because I needed him. A moan rumbled in his throat and it was sexy as hell. One of his hands left my back and found their way to my sweaty hair. He gathered it in his hand and tugged gently, tilting my head back so he could bend over me and thrust his tongue into my mouth.
