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  He was in awe, not of the castle—which was as beautiful as he remembered—but that he was here. He was here with Jase all these years later and it didn’t matter if his brother himself was standing across the majestic lawn watching.

  Not that Mateo would be there. Ase didn’t have a clue what his family was doing or how they’d fared. He’d not spoken to any of them again. Even the memories of his last encounters with him weren’t enough to ruin his mood, though. Not that day.

  It’d taken another year of therapy and of figuring out what he wanted to do with his life, since it was finally his decision alone to make, to get to where he was. Where he was was fucking happy, in love, content. He still strutted his ass off in heels on the weekends, bartending at the same restaurant with his friends, and he dragged Jase away on adventures when they could get away. Sometimes the trips were for photography, sometimes they were to dance their hearts out in gay bars, and sometimes they just went to spend time with Jase’s nieces and nephews. Because things were good with Jase’s family. His mother even accepted Ase in the end.

  Sadly, Jase’s mother had died earlier in the year, just as spring bloomed, before they’d decided to take this trip back to where they’d first started.

  Jase had decided to let his brother and sister-in-law sell up the ranch, though he’d kept the cottage and the acre it sat on so they could have a place to get away. And they did. They sometimes hid out for the weekend, sometimes had the house full of friends and family.

  But they loved San Antonio. They’d built a good life, finally moving in together. Their condo was big and spacious and Ase had his own dark room. He could spend hours in there, and when they’d first moved in he’d had to. The stress of fearing he’d fuck everything up and some of the ghosts from both of their pasts sent them into snark-fests and had them retreating to their own corners. But they’d made it through. It wasn’t all roses, sunshine, and sunny days, but they stuck it out. They fought because they deserved it.

  Taking Jase’s hand, Ase shook his head, thinking about all the they, all the us and our in his head these days.

  Even when Ase went back to school to become a physiotherapist, he’d done it for himself, but also for his and Jase’s future. He’d remembered how much the physio had helped Jase’s family, and he still wanted to help people. He just didn’t want to be a physician or a surgeon. And Jase had helped him every step, helping with paperwork and studying. It’d been a team effort. The best part of their team was that each of them had grown and was their own man, not completing each other, but complimenting each other.

  Ase was still a moody bastard, Jase was still the laid-back, even-headed one. Ase still tended to make rash decisions and impulsively follow his heart, while Jase tended to be measured and thoughtful. But they found that since they’d pooled those parts of each other together, it’d made them stronger, especially together.

  Ase couldn’t believe that out of the nightmare and mistakes and separation and complications and all the anger he’d thrown at Jase, not to mention Jase’s daddy issues… here they were.

  He pulled Jase’s hand up to his lips, kissing the simple gold band he’d placed there in the JP’s office the night they flew out of Texas. It’d been just the two of them and that’s how they’d planned it. They didn’t want a fuss, didn’t want a party. Ase and Jase took each other to be the other’s spouse and it had felt like the rest of the biggest moments of their lives: special because it was just the two of them.

  Of course, Ryan had found out and immediately told Dustin—why they were together was hardly a mystery, though they pretended they weren’t an item—and now everyone wanted to celebrate when they returned home. But for the next two weeks it was just the two of them, dancing and singing and on another adventure. Even if it was an old adventure.

  The kiss made Jase turn to look at Ase, eyes full of wonder. Love you, he mouthed.

  Ase pulled Jase into his side, wrapping an arm around his waist. “I love you too,” Ase said. Then lowering his voice said, “And tonight, I’m gonna fuck you in nothing but a jockstrap and your wedding ring.”

  Jase’s cheeks held a pink glow, but he asked in a husky tone, “What was it you were saying about me being evil?”

  “What was it you were saying about not having any more juice?”

  Jase huffed. The tour group had gotten away from them, heading into the castle while Ase and Jase stood several yards away. And Jase stopped Ase, turning to kiss him and it may have gotten a little deeper than they’d intended because stopping was hard—pun intended.

  “God, I get the whole newlywed cliché, now,” Ase said, roughly.

  With a tug on his hand, Jase started them moving again. “If I’m wearing a jockstrap, what about you?”

  Ase raised a brow, and in his most sultry Ariel Del Rio tone said, “Only heels, darling.” Jase shuddered, dropping his forehead to Ase’s shoulder.

  “Come on, babe. Don’t wanna miss the tour!” Ase said, tugging on Jase now, using his brightest smile. And they went in with their group. And then they went to have a pint and chips at a familiar pub. After that, they sped down the Autobahn in their rented car and went to see familiar friends at a drag bar in Glockenbachviertel who wished them happy.

  And at the end of the night, they left together. No one was driving away, leaving the other behind this time. They had new heels to break in and a future to start.

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Kade Boehme is a southern boy without the charm, but all the sass. Currently residing in New York City, he lives off of ramen noodles and too much booze.

  Most of his free time is spent dancing, arguing with his cat, debating politics, or with his nose in a book. He is also a hardcore Britney Spears fangirl and has an addiction to glitter.

  It was after writing a short story about boys who loved each other for a less than reputable adult website that he found his true calling, and hopefully a bit more class. He hopes to write about all the romance that he personally finds himself allergic to but that others can fall in love with. He maintains that life is real and the stories should be, as well.

  Feel Free to Get in Touch With Kade:

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaderadenurface

  Facebook: http://facebook.com/kade.adam

  Blog: http://kaderade.blogspot.com/

  E-mail: [email protected]

  More Books By Kade Boehme

  NOVELLAS

  Wide Awake* (Wide Awake #1)

  You Can Still See the Stars in Seattle (Wide Awake #2)

  A Little Complicated*

  Gangster Country*

  Wood, Screws, & Nails with Piper Vaughn

  Keep Swimming* (Keep Swimming #1)

  Going Under (Keep Swimming #2)*

  Chasing the Rainbow*

  Good Enough

  WANT

  Exes

  Slade*

  Ferry-Tale (Landmarks #1)

  NOVELS

  Don't Trust the Cut

  Trouble & the Wallflower*

  Where the World Ends*

  Teaching Professor Grayson with Allison Cassatta*

  We Found Love with Allison Cassatta*

  Chance of the Heart*

  Borrowing Trouble*

  Simple Things*

  SHORT STORIES

  Proud Heart: A Chance & Bradley Pride Short

  *available in paperback