Double Full (Nice Guys 1)

Jace warred with himself, and he’d almost bolted, but resolve finally pushed to the forefront. He would make new memories here—it was always the plan. He would force himself to look back on the old ones with nothing more than the nostalgia of good times shared. Jace reasoned with himself, long and hard, for the rest of that entire first day. All these feelings were only because the man he once loved was marrying another, when he couldn’t even find anyone interesting to date. He had managed to bury these feelings once, and he would do it again.

Jace spent much of the first day making a list of needed repairs and then gathering supplies in town. Everything went faster than anticipated. Tomorrow, he would begin the roof repairs and then the paint job. He bought buckets and buckets of paint for the inside and out. The plumbers and electricians would be here in the next couple of days. By the time he left, he hoped the house would be complete for his future visits. And he planned many future visits.

For tonight though, Jace took time off. He’d driven into town a couple of hours ago to purchase more alcohol than he’d drank in the last five years, including half a case of Longboard Island Lagers and a bottle of Malibu coconut rum. He picked up two veggie sushi rolls, an order of pineapple fried rice, and a bottle of white willow bark for the morning. The sushi rolls were long since gone, and he’d made a solid dent in the alcohol. A glance toward the trash bucket and he counted eight empty bottles of Longboards, with one open in his hand right now. Jace felt pretty good, assessing his current state somewhere between pretty buzzed but not quite a solidly drunk yet.

Looking out into the sunset, he watched the light of the sun dip below the horizon. The sunset turned the sky from deep orange and pink to a dark purple. Full on night would be here soon. He wondered what Colt might look like in his wedding tuxedo. With all his dark good looks, a black on black tuxedo would probably look the best. Colt’s sapphire eyes would stand out against the black and sparkle like crown jewels. At least that’s what he would want Colt to wear if they were getting married. The contrast of Colt’s deep, dark tan, jet black hair, and black tuxedo would make him by far the best looking man in the room. Colt probably wouldn’t have gotten more than five feet down the aisle before Jace tackled him to the ground, having his way with him right there.

Honestly, Colt could wear anything and he’d look good. A smile slid across Jace’s lips thinking about how hot Colt always used to look. He made football interesting to watch. Pain sliced through his heart at those thoughts. Running a hand over his face, he reclined against the chair, forcing his thoughts back on the house and the paint color scheme he’d chosen. He could have no room for thoughts of a married man in his mind. A sting skidded across his heart again in a fast sweeping motion just like before. Paint colors and cheerleading routines were all he would allow inside his mind for the rest of the night. Hopefully with any luck, he could pull this off for the rest of his life.

***

A flight delay, then problems with the rental car, made Colt’s trip longer than expected. He followed the headline news on his phone and listened to the radio news stories closely, but surprisingly no one called. As best he could tell, the authorities weren’t involved and out looking for him. Those were good, yet surprising, signs.

Colt used his driver’s license and credit cards to buy the airline tickets and rent this car. If the authorities were involved, they would see all his activities, he hadn’t hidden anything. Maryia’s publicist had put out a statement of false starts, and the couple sneaking off for a private affair, asking for privacy, but nothing more. That did make Colt laugh. No way would Maryia do anything without the cameras trained on her. The wedding alone would have been a financial gain of almost three million dollars, all going directly to her.

What Colt couldn’t figure out… why hadn’t his father or Johnny called?

Deciding he’d dodged the first wave of the storm, and for some reason the second wave wasn’t hitting him quite yet, Colt concentrated on driving the stretch of road from the airport to Jace. It must be somewhere around two in the morning. Exhausted from the time change and the travel, he pressed on, refusing to wait another minute.

Colt pulled in the long drive of Jace’s bungalow, parking next to a Prius and killed the engine. He sat staring at the house. Jace was there. His only reason for living was just inside the quaint little cottage. Would Jace reject him after all this time? Turn him away?

“God, I hope not.” Colt sighed. With apprehension, he forced himself out of the car. Anxiety filled his soul, his palms were sweaty and his heart began to race. Funny, he hadn’t been really scared or nervous until he got within a few feet of his past.

A broken down sidewalk began from the gravel driveway. He wound his way to the porch steps leading to the front door. For the first time since leaving New York, he realized Jace might be here with another man. Why hadn’t that occurred to him before? Shit!

The thought stopped Colt in his tracks. Jace didn’t wear a ring, but had Colt banked everything on the absence of that ring? Texas wasn’t a gay marriage state. Jace may not have the ring but might be in a committed relationship.

The pain and fear of that thought almost sent Colt to his knees. Then envy filled his soul. Jace was his, no one else’s. Jace always belonged to him from the first moment he’d laid eyes on him. Colt had claimed Jace then and never truly let him go! Those primal thoughts came to an abrupt end just as they started. Regardless of what might be going on inside this house, Colt would apologize. He would be honest, tell Jace everything, and if he left without Jace, at least he’d tried. Colt would set the record straight. Tonight, he would have his answer, one way or another.