Defined By Deceit

“So how long you been married, man?” Llew asked. Shane sat down next to him, propping one boot up on his knee, resting his palm on Llew’s thigh.

“Four days.” Ace winked, bright blue eyes gazing up into Jessup’s face. The big man leaned down and kissed his husband passionately. A thick tongue delved deep into Ace’s mouth, greedily tasting him until they were both breathless.

“Wow. You guys are hot as hell,” Shane said boldly, making them all laugh again.

Ace was flushed when he looked back at them. “I got out last Wednesday. The first thing I did after I was released was I got a real haircut.” Ace rubbed his hand over his short blonde hair. “Then we were off to Vegas, baby.”

“You guys drove to Vegas and got married?” Llew said, in shock.

“Yep. Been planning that for seven damn years,” Jessup said, sadness just beneath the surface of the relief in his voice.

That was a long time to wait for what you wanted. But Llew knew that all too well. It wasn’t until he met Ace and became his friend that he’d learned how to hope and dream again. It wasn’t until he met Shane that all his dreams finally came true. He stared across the small coffee table at the happy couple, realizing just how much he owed them. Damn, he’d missed his friend so much. He’d had half a mind to go and visit Ace after he hadn’t heard back from him. It was driving him crazy to know.

“Why didn’t you write me back, man?” Llew asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Jessup and Ace looked back and forth between Llew and each other. A concerned expression crossed Jessup’s face. He leaned in and kissed Ace on the forehead, urging him to talk. “Tell him, honey.”

Ace turned back to face him, his eyes filling with moisture. “I’m sorry, Llew. I got every letter, brother. I read ‘em every day. When you finally got out of there, I didn’t think I’d make it, man. I missed you, dude. You leaving was like me losing my best friend all over again.” Ace wiped the tears that began to fall again. This was the most emotional Llew had ever seen him. “I just wanted to get the fuck out of there and come see you. It was like losing Jeremiah all over again.”

“Is that the guy I reminded you of? You never told me.”

Ace smiled through his tears. “Yeah. I did eleven years for manslaughter, Llew. I killed the bastard that took my only friend. Me and him had been friends since elementary school. Ever since he started giving me half of his small lunch because my mom was too hung-over to make mine. A man that was as innocent and pure as love, who would take from what little he had, to give to stranger. Never hurt a soul.” Ace looked at Llew as he remembered his friend. “With dark dramatic eyes that told a beautiful story if you took the time to look at him. A man that god created and broke the mold after.” Jessup held his husband close as he struggled to talk about his loss. “He was on his way home from work. Headed back to the shitty apartment we shared, when he saw a woman being dragged into an alley by her pimp. He tried to intervene and the bastard shot him in cold blood and left him there on that filthy street, like he was trash. He was all I had, the brother I took care of. The one night I didn’t walk home with him… one goddamn night.”

Ace tucked his head into Jessup’s arm and cried quietly against his strong husband. Shane held Llew’s hand while his body shook from the emotional impact of Ace’s story. He could feel his friend’s pain. He remembered all the times Ace had held him when he was losing it, all the times he told Llew to keep fighting. Now he knew why Ace didn’t give up on him. Even thought he’d sought out and administered street justice for his friend, he was still trying to make up for the guilt he felt over not being there for Jeremiah by being there for Llew.