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Fifteen
Julia and Albert Robinson’s patio was a work of art. The built-in stone grill sat in the center, the matching tiled bar top wrapping around each side. It took up at least half the space available, the other half filled with an oversize square outdoor dining table and eight chairs. Overkill for their modest house, but his mom wouldn’t let Jayson buy her a house. He had to be happy with what they’d accept—in this case a brand new back patio design for her for a Mother’s Day gift. Next year he’d talk her into an in-ground pool.
His mother deserved to be spoiled, though he would admit his stepdad did a good job of spoiling her in all the ways he could. Albert had padded their retirement fund, made sure she felt safe and loved. But Albert couldn’t afford the extras that Jayson could provide. Jay made a hell of a lot of money and without a family of his own to support, figured he could afford to spoil them.
The glass patio door slid open and Chester, Mason’s husband, stepped outside with a tray of burgers and brats, the vegetarian versions for himself. “Mas, hon, bring me a beer,” he called over his shoulder.
“Can I help?” Jayson held out a hand.
“Yes, occupy your brother so he doesn’t get in my way,” Chester said with a good-natured eye roll.
While Chester and Albert decided what grill arrangement was optimum for the burgers and brats, being careful not to “contaminate” Chester’s veggie fare, Mason and Jayson sat at the far side of the newly built bar. Their mother was inside finishing up her famous deviled potato salad.
“I like this dining set,” Mason said before sipping his beer.
“Glad they let me do it.”
“You’re a good son. If you’re trying to win, you’ve done it.”
Jayson knew his brother was kidding. Mason was driven, ambitious—one didn’t accidentally become a standout photographer in the fashion industry—but he was also laid-back. When the topic of conversation rounded to Natasha, Jayson shook his head.
“I should have warned you,” Mason said. “She’s a diva. Gorgeous, but a diva.”
“Gia’s prettier,” Jayson muttered.
Mason’s silence was deafening. He smirked. “What is going on?”
“Nothing’s going on. It was just an observation.” Jay took a swig of his own beer.
“I noticed you were in a better mood than usual and I couldn’t figure out why. Now I know. Sex with the ex.”
“Don’t be crass,” Chester called out before addressing Jayson. “I would love it if you two found your way back to each other.”
“He’s a romantic,” Mason chided.
“Romance is a tall order for Gia and me,” Jayson said, meaning it. They’d tried the happily-ever-after route, went off-road and ended up in a ditch.
He considered Albert, and his mother who joined him at the grill, and Mason and Chester. Maybe romance wasn’t a tall order for his family, but it seemed an insurmountable leap for Jayson.
“I’m going to check the garden.” Jayson stood abruptly and left his family on the patio. He stepped around the side yard to where his mother kept a small herb garden. Over the fence, the neighbor’s squatty bulldog barked hello.
“Hey, Ollie.” He grinned down at the portly dog who wagged the entire back half of his body since his nub of a tail was incapable of the action. Jayson bent over the top half of the fence and gave Ollie a scratch before settling on the stone bench next to the garden.
He’d always wanted this sort of peace for his mother. This house, this neighborhood was a huge step up from where he’d grown up with a father who made their lives a living hell for far too long.
Only a boy at the time, Jayson had vowed to save his mom from the adult man who wasn’t man enough to pick on someone his own size. Thankfully his mother had friends. The first—and only—time Eric Cooper had hit Jayson in the face, she’d left with Jayson in tow and had run straight to those friends.
By the time they’d returned home two days later, Eric was gone. Julia changed the locks and began looking for a new apartment immediately—even before the house was listed on the market.
She’d picked up a second job, and then a third, and Jayson grew up fending for himself. He’d seen his role as the protector, until Albert stepped into their lives and took over. Albert, a nerdy type who at first didn’t seem capable of slaying a butterfly let alone a dragon, had been adamant about their boys being kids and not worrying about adult problems. He assigned household duties, relegating Jayson to trash duty and Mason to lawn mowing.
Jayson grew up the rest of the way like a normal kid, and would be forever grateful to Albert for giving him a good childhood. He hadn’t known at the time that Albert was saving him, though. There’d been moments where he’d argued and yelled, but Albert seemed to understand that Jayson had been raised by a man with no boundaries. Boundaries that Albert set gently, but firmly.
Once grown, Jayson was determined to provide his mother and stepfather with the sorts of things they’d done without on their quest of raising two teenagers—one of them angry thanks in part to DNA and past trauma, the other struggling with his sexuality.
Jayson had been lucky. Some kids didn’t make it out of a dark past as cleanly.
When he’d met Gia, his world had stopped. Honest to God, it’d been like a movie. He’d spotted her across the room, the soundtrack of a cheesy ballad playing in the background.
