Gabe by M. Tasia

Author:M. Tasia [Tasia, M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: struggle leads to forever, one man is haunted by his past, living life on your own terms, Romance, small town texas, contemporary, over coming the odds, contemporary gay fiction, firefighter romance, devasting betrayal, saving his lover from himself, love story
Goodreads: 31928083
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Published: 2016-09-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Two weeks later

The interior of Hidden Treasures felt more like your favorite aunt’s house than a store. Well, in Johnny’s case, the store was owned by Gabe’s four aunts and his mom, so it wasn’t too far off base. The store smelled like fresh cinnamon rolls, which Aunt Flo baked religiously every morning while the others dusted and arranged beautiful displays of stained glass, jewelry, carvings, metal sculptures, colorful artwork, and much more from local artists. Several carved wood pieces of local wildlife and paintings of a nearby lake now graced Gabe’s house.

Though several of Johnny’s belongings had made their way over to Gabe’s house, he still felt like a guest. No matter what Gabe said or the fact that they slept together in the master bedroom every night—though without sex until Johnny was physically cleared—it didn’t help ease his worry that once he was better he would have to leave. He wasn’t sure what it would take to make Gabe’s house feel like home. In fact, if Johnny were honest with himself, he hadn’t felt as if he had a real home since his mother had died. Perhaps he never would.

“Do you want to walk over to the diner with me and pick up lunch, Johnny?” Aunt Jane asked as she walked out of the back storage room carrying a stunning new watercolor painting delivered that morning.

Johnny’s lungs had been healing very quickly after his second visit to the hospital, and all his stitches had been removed, but his hands were still mainly wrapped, making it difficult for him to handle daily tasks. Gabe was on shift at the fire station and refused to leave Johnny on his own just yet, so here he sat behind the counter as Aunt Jane and Aunt Flo helped customers and unloaded stock. Johnny desperately needed to feel useful again.

“How about I walk down to the diner and pick up our order and bring it back here for lunch?” Johnny suggested, liking the idea more and more. He could use the small walk across town to clear his mind. “It shouldn’t take me too long.”

“Are you sure, Johnny? How’s your breathing today?” Aunt Jane asked, clearly not liking the idea of letting him go out on his own.

“Oh, let the poor boy go. He has to be suffocating under everyone’s care. Johnny’s well enough to walk down to the diner on his own.” Aunt Flo winked at Johnny to let him know he had one sister on his side.

“But what about his hands? How can he carry the bag without hurting his hands?” Aunt Jane wasn’t ready to give up just yet, but Johnny wasn’t either.

“Just loan me one of your fabric reusable bags with the handles. Jesse can put our lunches in the bag and I can put it over my good arm.” There, that sounded logical to Johnny, and before Aunt Jane could come up with anything else, he slipped the handle of the bag over his arm and headed for the front door.

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