Page 111 of When Ben Loved Jace

“There’s only one bedroom?” Jace asks.

Greg nods. “That’ll hurt your resale value, since families won’t be interested.”

“We’ll just have to sell it to another gay couple then,” I reply.

“Assuming we move at all,” Jace adds.

“You know what?” Greg gestures to the hall. “Discover the rest on your own. I’ll be out front.”

There isn’t a lot more to see. A separate kitchen occupies one side of the house, a bathroom and bedroom filling up the rear. The hallway that runs down the middle of it all ends in a door that leads outside to a patio and a backyard even more overgrown than the front.

“The fence is in good shape,” Jace says before smiling at me. “What do you think?”

“I’m crazy about it,” I admit.

“Me too!”

“I wonder how much it costs.”

That puts a damper on our enthusiasm. Neither of us wants to be disappointed.

“But if it was within our range…” Jace says leadingly.

“Let’s find out before we get our hopes up.”

I follow him to the front, but it’s too late. When walking down the hall, I can already imagine our lives here. Waking up in the bedroom together each day, basking in the kitchen’s natural sunlight while having breakfast, cuddling up on the couch in the living room… I want this!

Jace opens the front door. “How much?”

Greg spins around. Then he tells us.

Jace nods solemnly. “Just a moment please.”

He shuts the door again and turns to face me. “What do you think? It needs a lot of love.”

I smile. “That’s the one thing we have plenty of.”

He grins. I follow him outside to the front porch.

“Well?” Greg asks with transparent hope.

“We’ll take it,” Jace informs him.

“Yes!” Greg leaps up and down before plowing into us both for a hug. “I’m so happy!”

Jace chuckles. “You’re welcome to crash on the couch anytime you like.”

“Or the bed,” I say as Greg’s muscular torso presses against me.

“I’ll be sleeping in the trailer,” Greg says. “You horn-dogs are way too loud. But yeah, I’m gonna be over here all the time. Especially when I get in trouble with Michelle.”

“Our house is your house,” Jace assures him.

I already love how that sounds. Our house! The one that I will share with my husband. I can hardly believe my luck, because at the tender age of twenty-five, all of my dreams are coming true.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Moving day is fast approaching. Allison and I have been packing all week. The experience is bittersweet, because I’m going to miss living with her. Then again, the past month has been magical. Ever since Jace and I were given the keys to the home we’re going to share, we’ve been fixing it up, learning new skills to save money on repairs. His trailer is already parked outside, so we had somewhere to escape what often felt like a construction site. Not anymore. The house has really come together. My mother, the interior designer, deserves the most credit. She helped us paint, choosing colors that complement our existing furniture. No boring white walls for us! The house already has personality, and we haven’t even moved in yet. I can’t wait!