I Got You | A Gay Romance: A Boyfriend for Rent Book | Gay For You (21 page)

He bent over and kissed Alberto on the forehead when he heard shuffling noises behind him.

"Oh, I ... didn't know you'd be here." The Latina sophisticated woman adorned in Prada, diverted her eyes from him. He recognized her immediately as Alberto's mother.

"Mrs. Garcia," he said, sucking up whatever tears were left. "It's nice to see you."

She clutched the cross dangling from her neck and pushed past him as she leaned over and pulled the blanket down.

"He's cold," Jake told her.

"I'm his mother. I know what he needs."

His lips tightened. Now, she wanted to be a mother after not appearing for all this time?

"I left quite a few messages for you. I'm surprised to see you here." He had to say it, passive-aggressive as it was.

"I wasn't ... ready. I did a lot of praying and ... I forgive him."

"Forgive him? For what?" Jake asked. He knew their whole backstory of how his parents kicked him out for being gay, how he was publicly humiliated and treated like an outcast.

"For his sins," she said.

"You mean, being gay."

"That's one of them. I'm actually glad you're here. I wanted to give you an opportunity to say ‘goodbye’."

"Say ‘goodbye’? Where are you moving him?"

"I'm not moving him at all. We're pulling the plug. He's been through enough."

"Hell, no!" Jake said, his voice booming.

She clutched her cross. "I beg your pardon."

"I'm his legal guardian. He —"

"I'm his mother."

"Oh, are you? Were you his mother when we lived on the street and he had pneumonia? Were you his mother when we had to turn tricks to survive? Were you his mother when he was dying in the middle of fucking nowhere after we'd been gay bashed? Huh? Were you a mother then?"

"You have no right to talk to me that way. Have respect."

"Respect? Bitch, respect has to be earned not given."

She locked eyes on him. "Be careful, Jake. I have attorneys and we will win this. Don't try to fight me."

She was right. There was no way he could win it with all the money they had. As she stepped toward the door he said, "He loved you, though. Always talked about you. How things were before ... he came out.  He sent you a birthday card, Mother's Day card, Christmas gift any time he could scrape up enough money."

She froze, her back facing him.

"Don't do this, Mrs. Garcia. Don't kill your son. I don't know if I believe in God, he hasn't been there for me much lately. But I do believe in miracles. Alberto was a miracle to me at a time when I really needed somebody. Please, be a miracle to him."

She turned, the stoic face softened, tears budding. "You know, I read that letter he was going to send to you.”

“What letter?” he asked.

“Come on, ‘Dear Jake, I love you. I can’t wait until we can be together and stop hiding our feelings for each other.’ ... You two disgust me.”

“What are you talking about?” Jake asked.

She shook her head, turned around and said, “I'll pray for you,” as she exited.

CHAPTER 35

Jake wanted to stand guard day and night next to Alberto, but that was useless. His mother was clearly out of her mind making up that letter thing. He didn’t know what she was capable of.

He wasn't ready to give up on Alberto, not yet, but he had to face reality. His best friend might be leaving him forever and in fact, maybe it was the best thing for him.

Genie suggested that the best way to get his mind out of the situation was to start dating someone else. As hard as it was, he forced himself to do it. It was weird going to clubs in Portland without his best friend. He felt like such a loser walking around the perimeter of the clubs, nursing his drinks, watching everyone with no one to make catty comments with. He figured he could at least get drunk out of his mind and escape. He was such a lightweight as it was, and it didn't take long before he was plastered. He didn't give a fuck and for the first time in weeks, he didn't have to feel anything at all.

He must have been harassing people because before he knew it, a bouncer grabbed him by the collar and shoved him out the front door. He screamed back. What he said, he didn't know or remember, but he sobered up real fast when he saw the big man's fist drawn back.

All of a sudden Benjamin came out of the blue, pushing the man away, then kicking him square in the face. He grabbed Jake by the arm and helped him in his truck.

It happened so fast, it wasn't until Benjamin blazed down the street that Jake realized what was happening. "What are you? Why am I here?"

"What the fuck were you thinking, getting drunk like that?" Benjamin scolded.

"I'm just having fun. How'd you find me?"

He switched lanes and glanced at Jake long enough to let him know he was serious. "Nevermind that. I don't like it when you get drunk. Someone can take advantage of you."

Jake chuckled. He knew he shouldn’t say it, but the hurt he’d experienced needed an outlet. "Take advantage of me. That sounds good."

He glared at Jake, adjusting his rear view mirror. "Is that what you want? Someone to
—
whatever, dude. I'm not talking to a drunk. Fucking hate dealing with drunks."

He felt ashamed, to be honest. Having a buzz was one thing, but getting so drunk that he’d almost gotten into a fight, was too much. He cracked a smile. "Whatever, Superman. Thanks for rescuing me.”

Benjamin hid his smile. "Smartass.”

Something didn’t quite add up. He had to ask, though putting his sentences together, let alone forming them with his mouth was a challenge. “Seriously, no seriously Benj-a-minnnnn. How did you find me?"

He sighed, biting his lower lip and shifting the truck’s gear. "I've been watching over you."

Was he hearing things? Jake was drunk, but not that drunk. "What do you mean?"

"I told you, I got you. I've been making sure you were alright. Didn't want you to freak out, so I always kept a distance. I just didn't want anything to happen to you."

The words softened Jake's heart. He didn't even know what to say to that. What do you say to a person that cares that much, even if they don't act like it half the time? What do you say to someone who’ll watch over you like a guardian angel, no matter how much it hurt?

"I'm taking you home," Benjamin told him, making a sharp right turn.

His words slurred no matter how he tried to over-enunciate to compensate. "I don't want to wake up my sister."

He lowered his voice, and squeezed Jake’s hand. "No, babe.  I mean, my home."

CHAPTER 36

Jake was sick to his stomach. He'd never had a hangover that bad, but instead of scolding him and making him feel even more like shit, Benjamin took care of him. He cleaned up after him, fed him hot tea, his homemade recipes for hangovers and bathed him with a steamy hot, wet cloth. It helped to alleviate the physical symptoms, but Jake still felt awful inside. There was silence between them as the two men looked at each other.

"I feel so embarrassed."

"Don't. Everyone fucks up sometimes. I know I have."

"Thanks.  I ... appreciate this. I should get going. I don't want to—"

"You're not going anywhere," Benjamin said firmly. "Not until I know you're alright and even then, I want to keep you here for awhile." He placed a hand on Jake's head, and the act of affection was just what the doctor ordered.

"For awhile?" Jake said.

"As long as it takes."

"As long as it takes for what?" Jake asked, looking at Benjamin through half-lidded eyes. His words slurred and heavy, and every breath was an effort as he tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in the knot of his stomach. Would things ever be the same again with him and Benjamin? Did the man even want him anymore?

"As long as it takes for you to get through your head that I'm not going away. That I'm right here for you." He followed it up with a smile.

The sentiment warmed Jake's heart. The way the light glowed off Benjamin's skin, Jake was getting hard. He wanted nothing more than to show his gratitude to Benjamin in the best way he knew how. He leaned forward, but Benjamin stopped him, holding out a hand to push him back.

"No." The word was sharp and fresh, like a hot slap to the face.

"No?" Jake felt rejected. Had he really pushed things too far this time? Or was Benjamin just trying to protect his heart from being hurt once again? Had he lost his chance to be with Benjamin? To be friends was one thing, but with Benjamin he wanted more, so much more. The truth was, he couldn’t imagine his life or future without him.

"Not until you're sober. I won't take advantage of you. Believe me, I want it. I want you more than you can imagine. There's nothing more that I want than to be inside of you, to kiss you, to show you how much I missed you."

He caressed the side of Jake's face with the back of his hand and looked deep into his eyes. Jake could look into those crystal blue ones forever. Lost in them, in their love, in their silence, like a sea of wonder he wanted to explore and never leave.

"I want to take care of you," Benjamin told him. He cracked a smile again, but this was a smile that Jake hadn't seen before. Usually his smiles were playful and teasing, but this time, he had genuine affection in his eyes, and it warmed Jake's heart. It was more than he could ever have dreamed of. It made him feel special, and closer to Benjamin.

"You are taking care of me." He’d taken care of him like no one ever had before, not even Alberto. He just wished his best friend could have experienced a love like this, before he ended up in a coma.

"Yes, but I want to protect you too. I want us to be together. For real this time. No games. I missed you like fuck. You have no idea how much I missed you. How much I need you," The man said, pouring his heart out like never before.

"Please, just
—
" Jake started to say.

"Just what?"

"Tell me, why did you leave me? Why were you so cold after we ... went all the way?" Jake asked. The question had been puzzling him ever since that day and he had to know.

Benjamin sighed. "You have to understand. I've never felt this way about anyone before. And you said that you'd cheated on that dude."

"That was a long time ago," Jake said, defensively. He wasn’t a bad person. He’d made his mistakes, sure, but he’d learned a lot from them.

"Doesn't matter. Once a cheater, always a cheater." Benjamin crossed his arms and looked away for a moment, staring out the window as if he were watching a memory.

"That's not true." Jake laid his hand on Benjamin’s shoulder. He knew he must have hurt the strong man. He knew first-hand what it was like to be scarred by a past relationship. That it hurt so badly, it seemed you’d never make your way back to love again.

"My ex-girlfriend, she ... and my best friend ... they hooked up."

"Wait, what?"

"He did it to get back at me, cause I wouldn't admit how I felt about him.  He was heart-broken. He always was a vindictive guy."

"Fuck."

"Yeah. And my girl, my ex, we had problems. Like I said, I wasn't always the nicest guy. But I never cheated on her, not once. When I want to be with someone, I want to be with them and only them. Loyalty is more important to me than anything."

"I didn't know she ... they ... I'm sorry. But you have to know that I'd never do that to you, Benjamin. When I couldn't reach you, when you didn't call me..."

Benjamin lifted Jake’s chin so their eyes would meet. "I did call you. A million times, but your sister said ... our sister said..."

"She told me you didn't call."

"She lied. I was worried sick about you. That's why I've been—"

"Stalking me?"

He cracked a smile. "I was going to say watching over you but, yeah. That and ..."

"And what?"

He pulled Jake closer. "I didn't want any other dudes to touch you. You're mine, dammit. Why can't you get that through your head?"

"I know. And you're mine."

His eyes were sincere, but they were stable as if to tell Jake no matter what they were going through, he was in control. "It's not going to be easy with ... our situation, but you're worth it. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"But what about your son? What about
—
?"

"Let me figure that out ... Besides, she's got secrets of her own."

Jake’s eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Secrets?"

"Yep. I'm a good daddy to Cody. Until recently, I'm the only father he's ever known."