“That’s because you are,” he whispered. “I love you so much, and I’m terrified of pushing you away.”
“I won’t let you.”
Jeremy looked up, his heart in his throat. “Promise?”
“I do.” Reg held Jeremy’s face and gazed into his eyes. “This thing between us, it’s forever.”
Clutching Reg’s forearms, Jeremy nodded and hoarsely said, “Yes.” After a few seconds of silence with the air between them thick and electric, Jeremy said, “I want to get married soon. I don’t want to put this off for months and months.” He licked his lips. “I want a ring on your finger. I want legal papers. I want to call you husband. I want….” He didn’t want to lose this man. He wanted to bind them together in every way he knew how. “Soon, yeah?”
Reg nodded. “Soon.”
“WHY IS she calling me?” Jeremy stared at his phone and tried to figure out what was happening.
“Only one way to find out,” Reg said from the sofa where they’d been snuggling while looking at real-estate listings on the laptop.
Reg wanted to live close to the beach so they could learn to surf. Jeremy didn’t care where he lived as long as it was with Reg, so he happily agreed. They’d been looking at listings for a few weeks but hadn’t found the right place yet.
“I just talked to her a few weeks ago.” Jeremy looked at the phone suspiciously. “There’s no reason for her to call.”
“It isn’t a snake.” Reg chuckled. “Answer the phone and talk to your mother.”
As much as he’d resented being forced to come home instead of traveling the world with Reg, the previous couple of months had been wonderful. They’d celebrated Christmas with Reg’s family, which had been slightly awkward at first, but once Reg’s brother, sister-in-law, and mother had gotten past the starstruck stage, Jeremy had enjoyed spending time with them. And Reg had fit into Jeremy’s life with his usual easygoing grace. Everyone who met him loved him, but he never took center stage, preferring to stand behind Jeremy, lending quiet support.
The only hitch so far had been wedding planning. Jeremy didn’t have time to do it, and Reg hated it. They managed to fix that pretty quickly when Becky suggested a wedding planner. Reg asked for a small, simple ceremony. Jeremy’s only request had been to make it happen quickly. It turned out late April was the best the planner could do. They were two months out, and Jeremy was counting down the days.
And though Reg never said a word about it, Jeremy noticed things were easier in his life. Conflicts were resolved quickly and often without him getting involved. Arguments tended to deflate before they ever happened. Everyone who worked for him learned pretty quickly to go to Reg if they wanted to get something done because if they went to Jeremy, he ignored them or yelled until Reg stepped in. So they left Jeremy alone, and he’d been able to focus on what he loved—his music and Reg.
His phone stopped ringing. “I guess she didn’t need anything after all,” he said as he started walking back toward the sofa. “So what were you saying about that one house? I know it’s on the beach, but—”
His phone rang. He flinched, guessing it was his mother again and knowing what Reg would say.
“JJ, answer the phone right now.” Reg set the laptop on the coffee table and sat up. “That’s your mother calling.”
Yeah, that. He knew Reg would say that.
“Hello?”
“Jeremy, thank goodness. I’ve been trying to reach you.” For thirty seconds. She’d been trying for thirty seconds. “It seems there might be an issue, and I thought you’d want to know.”
Without conscious thought, Jeremy hurried over to where Reg was sitting. Talking to his mother was stressful in and of itself. Having to deal with anything she was labeling an issue was sure to be worse.
“What issue?”
Whether in response to that question or Jeremy’s expression he didn’t know, but Reg suddenly looked concerned. He also looked inviting, one hand held out toward Jeremy and the other patting his muscular thighs. Jeremy climbed onto his lap.
“It seems Harold didn’t take my decision not to star in his little project well.”
That wasn’t a surprise. The man had spent close to a year with Paula Radcliffe, and there had never been any doubt that he was in it for his career, not for his heart. Jeremy huddled close to Reg.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I’m afraid he became completely unglued. It was irrational for him to believe someone of my caliber would perform in a film without studio backing or a more prominent director. Unfortunately, there was no reasoning with him and listening to his constant demands became tedious, so I broke off the engagement.”
“You were engaged?”
“Very briefly,” his mother said. “Though the ring is lovely. I might have the stones set in a bracelet. Or perhaps a necklace. I’ll speak with my jeweler soon and—”