Page 89 of The Road Home

"You no longer hate doctors?" Jared grinned.

"No, in fact, I'm madly in love with one."

"Good, because this doctor loves you just as much." Jared leaned in and kissed him softly.

Orson took several bites of his food before glancing over at Jared. "So, are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Jared tore a bite of sausage off.

"Cameron sort of outed you at work last night."

Jared sighed. "Yeah, I didn't quite expect that to be how everyone found out, but there's nothing I can do about it. At least no one freaked out. I'm nervous, but it was for the best. I know me. I would have kept putting it off, avoiding it as long as I could. At least this way, it's done, and all I have to do is deal with any fallout."

"There might not be any." Orson wiped a drop of moisture from the glass he held.

"Maybe not, but people will talk. Even last night they were looking at me differently, whispering when they thought I wasn't watching."

"The gossip will fade though, and hopefully in time, people won't even think about it." Orson leaned over and bit a chunk of sausage off the piece Jared held.

"I guess, the only other people I have to tell are my parents." Jared sighed.

"Only if you want to. We're here, they're there. I understand if you don't want to tell them about us."

Jared shook his head. "I've hidden long enough. I'm not ashamed of loving you. I'm not going to hide us anymore. I was wrong to want to do it in the beginning. I'm a grown man. If my parents don't like it, I just come home. I'm not a kid anymore. They can't do to me what yours did to you. It's time I stand up, be who I am, and stop hiding it from the world. I don't want to hide with you. I want to experience everything with you proudly by my side."

The words hit him hard, drawing more emotion than he thought they would. He blamed the pills for his being emotional as he blinked back tears. "I love you so much, Jared. As long as I have you by my side, have your love, it's enough. It's more than I ever thought I'd find, and something I will never take for granted."

Jared smiled as he set his own tray aside, then took Orson's. Once the food was out of the way, he gently pulled Orson into his arms. "I've spent my life thinking I'd never be brave enough to find true love, What I didn't know was, I wasn't the one who needed to be brave. I just needed the right man to be brave enough to give me a chance. I hope you know, I'm never going to let you go."

Orson smiled. "I don't want to go." He kissed Jared hard before pulling back and staring into his eyes. "I'm finally home."