Page 11 of Broken Promises (Soho Knights #5)

He took the post and signed for them, wondering why the postie’s eyes had widened, then realised he was wearing the “Mr Do Me Right Now” T-shirt – oops!

Jason couldn’t resist giving the old guy a flirty wink before he closed the door.

He recognised the handwriting on his first card, which was from his mother.

The prison stamp was another giveaway. He’d look at that later.

She would not ruin his cheerful mood. The other card had the address printed and was the one he’d had to sign for.

He opened it and was sure his heart stopped beating: Happy Birthday, Husband!

It had taken two years, but Grant had found him.

Was it because of the divorce conversation?

Had someone contacted him? Jason was surprised it had taken Grant this long to find him.

He didn’t want to open the card and see what he’d written, it would just get in his head, but his brain was no doubt coming up with far worse things than what was actually there. He opened it.

My Baby,

Happy Birthday on your special day. I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved and can’t wait to celebrate with you. Enjoy your dinner at KC’s and we’ll talk soon. Happy marching tomorrow!

Lots of love,

Your loving husband xxx

Jason burst into tears and ran to his room, throwing himself on the bed.

How did Grant know all his plans for today?

Which of his brothers had betrayed him? Nobody else knew what they had planned, did they?

Did that mean Langdon knew about him and Grant?

Why was be being so nice earlier if he knew?

Jason felt like his head was going to explode, and he was struggling to breathe.

He stood up and walked back into the living area.

Unable to process anything, he started walking back and forth the entire length of the flat, focussing on his breathing.

His brain was going a hundred miles an hour, thoughts spiralling to dark places.

Why had one of his brothers betrayed him?

It was the only explanation as to how Grant knew his plans.

Where was Grant now? Was he going to knock on the door, or was he still in Liverpool?

What was he going to do with Jason? They were still married.

Could he force Jason to go back home with him?

No, Jason could make his own choices, but he knew Grant wasn’t someone who took no for an answer.

He pulled out his phone and brought up Charlie’s number.

Then he stopped himself. Charlie was at work, and he had Sebastian now.

He didn’t need Jason’s drama. But who else could he speak to?

Nobody else knew about Grant. The call rang out, and Jason threw his phone across the room in a flash of rage.

He then panicked and rushed to pick it up, checking he hadn’t damaged it.

Thankfully, it was okay, but he needed to be careful.

When he was extremely stressed, he had a temper on him.

He’d never hurt another person, but he’d often lash out at inanimate objects, and had broken some of his possessions in the past. It was his volatile nature when he was a teenager that had gotten him kicked out of the house at sixteen.

If he hadn’t been kicked out, he would have been there that night, and he could have stopped .

. . no, no, no, he could not think like that.

It wasn’t his fault. None of it was his fault.

It was that bastard who was now rotting in hell.

Jason went back to his room and flopped down on the bed.

He needed to stop spiralling. Grant had no control over him.

They’d been separated for over two years.

Jason wasn’t going back to him. He had a wonderful life here with his brothers and a job he enjoyed – oh fuck!

He was supposed to be meeting Jane for lunch.

What time was it? He scrambled to get his phone and knocked it onto the floor, face down.

His heartbeat sped up as he picked it up, thinking the screen would be cracked given it had landed on the wooden floor, but it was fine, and he still had over an hour before he was due to meet her. He could relax for a bit.

Jason ran from the Tube station to meet Jane near St Paul’s.

He’d nodded off after he’d calmed down and was now half an hour late.

Luckily, she’d known Jason a long time and had told him not to rush.

She was sitting outside on the terrace of the restaurant they liked, enjoying the sunshine when he got there.

The weather forecast looked positive for the weekend, which would make for a great Pride celebration, but even a rainstorm wouldn’t stop the gays from marching through the streets looking fabulous.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, bustling onto the terrace, being mindful not to knock other people’s chairs over.

The terrace was busy, but then it was a Friday in the summer. The city was often quiet on a Friday, with many people working from home. St Paul’s was in a unique place, as you had city workers and tourists, so you always had an eclectic mix.

“Happy birthday, honey,” she said, giving him a big squeezy hug.

Jane was like his big sister. She knew about him being married to Grant, but didn’t know the full details of what had gone down between them.

She’d never liked Grant, but Jason hadn’t been an innocent in the whole thing.

Nobody could know what he’d considered in that moment.

They would all look at him differently if they did, and he couldn’t bear that.

Growing up, he’d always been looked at differently because of how he behaved.

His brothers didn’t need to know that he was a monster as well.

“I got us a bottle,” she said, pouring him a generous glass of their favourite Sauvignon Blanc. “How has your day been so far?”

“Langdon bought me a rubber fist,” he blurted out a bit too loudly.

Jane looked at him for a second and then cracked up laughing. Thankfully, nobody seemed to hear, or didn’t care.

“Never change, honey. Life would be too boring.”

Jason preened at the compliment. He loved being praised. He wondered if Patrick liked to give out praise when he was splitting someone in half with his dick.

“What’s his name?” asked Jane.

“Who?”

“The guy you’re thinking about and looking all dreamy?”

“Oh, nobody obtainable, sadly.”

“Is Jason Morris backing down from a challenge?”

“He wants serious, and I don’t do that.”

“Tell me about him.”

“I haven’t seen him for about three months.”

“And you’re still thinking about him? Must have been good.”

“Oh, we haven’t. Nothing happened. ”

“Wow. This is serious, then. You’re never like this with anyone, and he’s under your skin without you even getting naked with him.”

“This is a weird conversation to be having with my boss.”

“That’s never really been our dynamic, though, has it, honey? Besides, I’ve got some news about that.”

Oh fuck!

“I’m leaving JenSure.”

His entire body tensed, and his stomach felt like it had fallen out of his arse.

“And I’m recommending you as my successor.”