Chance to Bloom Read online

“He’s not my fr—” Ethan couldn’t get the last word out past the lump in his throat. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice from shaking as fresh tears welled up in his eyes. Though how he had any tears left to cry, he didn’t know. “He’s not my boss. I quit my job, Mom.” Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but Ethan held up his hands in a mock surrender. “And I don’t wanna talk about it right now. I can’t. So just… make him leave, okay? Please?”

  Shockingly, she didn’t say a word. Didn’t even look like she wanted to object or argue. She simply spun on her heel and walked away, and that was good enough for Ethan.

  He put his earbuds back in, rolled back over and closed his eyes, ready for another round of Adele, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Jack was standing at the front door—just in the other room. And even though Jack was the last person Ethan wanted to see, he was still somehow the only person Ethan wanted.

  Another knock on his door set his teeth on edge and made every muscle in his body tense up. He should have known she wouldn’t give up that easily.

  I will not yell. I will not yell. I will not yell.

  He inhaled slowly, then exhaled as he counted to three… then counted to three again. When he finally felt composed enough to speak, he surprised himself at how calm he sounded.

  “Is he gone yet? I just want to sleep.”

  Ethan plucked an earbud from his ear and waited for a response, staring blindly at the wall in front of him. And waited.

  And waited.

  He heard his door open and footsteps fall on the floor behind him.

  Ugh, seriously? “Just yes or no will work, Mom, honestly.”

  “No, sorry—” Jack’s deep voice was so low that Ethan could feel it rumble next to him as he scrambled to turn over and stand up all at once. “—I’m still here.”

  And there he was, looking sad and sheepish and sexy as hell, just a few inches away. Ethan was too surprised—too shocked—to think, but even through the confusion and the lingering anger, he could already feel something else bubbling up, a feeling of hope—a joy that he couldn’t suppress.

  He knew better than to trust those feelings, though. Not this time. Not again.

  “Jack, what the—” Ethan blinked, then his eyes narrowed. “How did you—oh my God. I’m gonna kill her.”

  “Ethan, wait. Please. Don’t be mad at your mom. I begged her.” Ethan doubted Jack had needed to do much begging to get in the house, but as he looked at Jack—looking back at Ethan with eyes full of humility and sincerity—Ethan believed that Jack would have begged, if it had come to that. “And I bribed her with flowers. And then I brought more. For you.”

  Ethan glanced down at the bouquet in Jack’s hands, noticing it for the first time.

  Orchids.

  Just like the ones he’d brought the night of their first date, except these weren’t purple. They were white.

  The color of peace. Of serenity.

  Of fresh starts and new beginnings.

  “You… brought me flowers?” Ethan frowned as he took the carefully wrapped bundle, inspecting it in spite of his feelings. Then a thought occurred to him. “You made this arrangement?”

  Jack nodded.

  “By yourself?”

  “Not too bad, huh?”

  Ethan nodded, then shrugged, deciding to stay noncommittal. It was more than good. It was beautiful, and the choice of flower had made Ethan’s throat close up with emotion, but he wasn’t ready to shower Jack with compliments. He still wasn’t sure why Jack was even standing in front of him, offering him flowers in his bedroom.

  Then it all came rushing back. Not only the feelings, but the reason behind the feelings. Ethan set the flowers on his nightstand carefully, then turned to face Jack again. The earlier feeling of joy was pushed aside, the recently familiar tightness of anger and uncertainty taking its place.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be meeting with Mike today? I don’t want to keep you from that.”

  “I already met with him,” Jack said. “But I—”

  “Then we have nothing to talk about,” Ethan cut him off, moving toward the door. “I’ll have Frankie get my stuff out of the office, and you can mail me my last check. Please leave.”

  “I didn’t sell it.”

  “Jack, just leave, please—wait, what?” Ethan cocked his head to the side. “Didn’t sell… But you said… what?”

  It didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense. He understood the words that were coming out of Jack’s mouth, but he wasn’t about to get his hopes up. That route had already failed him more than once.

  “I didn’t sell the flower shop, Ethan. I couldn’t.” Jack shrugged and looked down at the floor for a moment before meeting Ethan’s gaze again. “I was going to. I’ll admit it. I was going to take the easy way out. But I just… couldn’t.”

  “Um, what? I don’t understand.”

  Even though Jack had just spelled it out, Ethan was having trouble following. His heart was still too raw. He wasn’t sure he could afford to believe in Jack again.

  “I want to stay here.” Jack’s voice was quiet, but full of emotion. “In Bridgewater. You were right, Ethan. About everything.”

  “And now you’re going to run the shop? I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time following. Is this real life?”

  Jack smiled, his eyes crinkling as he took a step closer to Ethan, easily closing the distance between them. “It’s real. I’m here. But I’m not gonna run the shop. I want you to do that… if you’ll come back. If you’ll forgive me.”

  The joy was coming back, along with that same faint trace of hope and a whole bunch of butterflies. Ethan couldn’t find the words to say what he was feeling, though—and didn’t trust his voice not to betray his emotions. Wasn’t sure if he trusted his heart, either. He still had to hear more from Jack.

  Jack—as always—seemed to instinctively know exactly what Ethan needed. “Ethan, I love you. I love you. And even though I really hope you’ll come back and be my partner at the flower shop, that doesn’t really matter to me as much as you do.” He reached out to tip Ethan’s head up, to look directly into his eyes. “If you’ll forgive me, if you’ll give me a second chance, I’ll prove to you that you’re the only thing that matters—”

  Whatever Jack had been about to say was cut off when Ethan’s mouth covered his. Ethan wasn’t sure how he’d even ended up in Jack’s arms, but that didn’t matter. Jack loved him. Wanted him. That was the only thing Ethan had heard, the only thing he cared about.

  And when Jack’s lips moved from his mouth to his jaw… his throat… Ethan remembered what he’d been too overwhelmed to say before.

  “I love you, too, Jack. I think I loved you from the first time I saw you. But are you sure? About the flower shop? About me? About… everything? Because I really can’t even if you’re just—”

  “Yes.” Jack grinned as he gently put a finger against Ethan’s lips, only to replace it with another quick kiss that felt like heaven. “I’m sure. I love you, and we’ll figure out the rest. Whether I have to take out a mortgage, or a loan—credit counseling or whatever, we’ll figure it out together. I’m more certain of that than I have been about anything else in my life. I just hope you’ll forgive me. I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove it.”

  “I will. I do—I mean, yes. I love you, too. And yes, I forgive you. I forgave you already, the moment I left yesterday. I was just hurt. And angry.”

  “And I never want to make you feel those things again. I promise that I’ll never intentionally hurt you. I never would, and I never will.”

  Everything inside Ethan knew and believed what Jack was saying was true. It was love. It was strong enough—they were strong enough together—to get past the temporary hurt and pain they’d both been feeling.

  “I know, Jack. Thank you. I believe you. I love you.”

  And when Jack put his arms around Ethan and pulled him close, kissing his forehead and telling him again how much he meant
to him?

  It was perfect. It was home.

  It was everything Ethan wanted, and he felt his heart—the heart that had felt broken before Jack had walked back in—start to open. And he already knew he could trust it this time. That Jack’s love was what it had been waiting for, was all his heart had needed to finally have the chance to bloom.

  Epilogue Part 1

  Jack

  One Year Later, Valentine’s Day

  Jack heard the truck door slam outside and moved quickly to the window he’d been pacing in front of for the past half hour. It was only seven o’clock in the morning, but Jack had been awake since five, mentally walking through the day ahead, trying to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

  Looking out the window, he could see the men unloading the ladders and tools they’d need for their job. The large sign in the back of the pickup looked perfect, even from a distance. It was exactly what Jack had hoped for when he’d placed the order, but now, in person? It was fantastic. Better than he could have imagined—and that was saying a lot, since he’d thought of little else over the past few weeks.

  Months, really, since the idea had first started to take root.

  He grabbed the keys to the shop off the dresser and looked over at Ethan, still sleeping soundly. Jack grinned. Ethan had no idea what was about to happen, and it made Jack almost giddy with happiness to imagine the look on Ethan’s face when he woke up and came downstairs, when—hopefully, please God—Jack had everything set up and looking fantastic.

  The year before, Valentine’s Day—Ethan’s all-time favorite holiday—had passed in a blur, the shop so busy and Jack still so new to it all that other than a huge bouquet and a nice dinner, he hadn’t really had the chance to show the man he loved just how much he, well, loved him.

  Ethan knew, but still, not a single day passed that Jack didn’t feel grateful to his father… to Bridgewater… to God or the universe or his own dumb luck that Ethan had come into his life and that, by some miracle, Jack had found a way to turn that into forever.

  Or… hopefully forever.

  If Ethan said yes.

  A rumble from the truck outside and the faint sound of voices from the workers who’d come to install the sign jolted Jack back into action, and he took the stairs down to the shop so quickly he had to catch himself a couple of times to keep from slipping.

  That would be just great, wouldn’t it? All this excitement, only to surprise Ethan with a trip to the hospital.

  But no. There would be no hospital trips that day. This was Valentine’s Day, Ethan’s favorite day of the year, and it was going to be Ethan’s day, Ethan’s show, Ethan’s time to shine.

  And Jack wouldn’t do anything—accidentally or otherwise—to screw it up.

  Hurrying through the shop, the grin that he’d been wearing ever since he’d woken up got even wider. Ethan was amazing, and over the last year, the cheerful, welcoming atmosphere of the place that Jack had noticed the first time he’d walked in had been… not changed, but definitely transformed.

  It had become something more.

  More welcoming. More cheerful. More polished and professional and efficient, but more wonderful, too. With Ethan’s innovative business ideas and the support of their customers, Jack’s decision to keep the place had proved not only right, but immensely profitable. Working together, Jack and Ethan—and Frankie, too—had been able to make the business Gary had started to honor Jack’s mother truly bloom.

  “Good morning,” Jack said, finally making it out to the parking lot just as the two sign guys were getting everything set up. He greeted them with a friendly wave, sure that his excitement about the day—about Ethan’s surprise—was visible on his face. “Thank you for coming out so early. I know it’s not the typical way you guys do things.”

  “You’re right about that,” the bigger of the two men said, grinning back at him. “But we were told this was a special occasion, so we’re happy to help.”

  No doubt the sizable extra fee Jack had paid to arrange the before-hours sign delivery and installation had made them a bit more enthusiastic… or maybe they were romantics, and had been able to guess that this wasn’t just about business. Jack stifled a laugh, the thought making him realize how much his life had changed over the past year. Doing anything purely for romantic reasons wouldn’t even have crossed his mind before meeting Ethan—before finally becoming comfortable in his own skin, and with who he loved—but now? Now, he was seeing hearts and flowers everywhere he looked.

  Hazard of the job, but one he’d happily embraced.

  And this? Even if the burly men preparing to lift the large sign from the bed of the pickup were only doing it for the money, he didn’t mind. It would have been worth it to pay twice as much to make this happen. Even more. No amount of money would be too much for the reaction he knew he’d get when Ethan came downstairs in a bit.

  Well, the reaction he hoped to get.

  “Any other special instructions?” one of the men asked, grunting out the words as he and his partner carried the sign toward the building.

  Jack shook his head. “I just want things to go as quickly and smoothly—and maybe as quietly—as possible.”

  How they’d manage to get it above the awning between just the two of them was a mystery to Jack, but he wasn’t about to question it. Everything else with his surprise had gone smoothly so far; now he just had to have faith that this final piece would work out, too. And faith in things working out? It was still a new sensation, but one he’d started to get better at with practice.

  Another new development over the past year.

  “Get it done before my boyfriend comes down and you guys can have breakfast next door at Magic Beans on me,” he offered impulsively, partly to spur them on but partly because he was just… happy. It seemed natural to share it.

  “Don’t worry about it taking too long. It’ll go pretty quickly once we get it in place. The next few minutes might be a little tricky, but after that,” the man gave a nonchalant shrug and snapped his fingers. “Piece of cake.”

  His partner threw Jack a cheerful smile. “And we’ll definitely take you up on that breakfast offer. Magic Beans has the best pastries in town.”

  Jack grinned, agreeing completely. He couldn’t quite contain a frisson of nerves at the “might be a little tricky” comment. His gaze kept darting from the progress the two men were making with the sign to the second-story window where the bedroom he shared with Ethan overlooked the parking lot as he tried to quell his last-minute anxiety that something would spoil the surprise. So far, though, there didn’t seem to be any lights on, so he was going to assume that Ethan was still sleeping.

  The sign finally rocked into place, settling against the building with a thud that Jack was certain must have rattled through the entire building. He winced. Ethan was a sound sleeper, but if he’d managed to sleep through that, it would be a miracle. At least if Ethan got up and looked out the window now, though, he wouldn’t be able to see the sign until he actually put clothes on and came downstairs… and that would hopefully buy Jack and the guys the extra time they needed to make sure everything was just right for the big reveal.

  “Just a few more minutes,” one of the sign installers said, grinning over at Jack as if he’d been able to read his mind. “Don’t you worry. You’ll have your surprise ready and we’ll be off enjoying that breakfast in no time.”

  Jack nodded, deciding to take the man’s word for it. After all, it looked like it was almost done, and maybe some of Ethan’s natural optimism had finally rubbed off on him, because for once, Jack’s naturally skeptical inner voice had actually shut up. He was just… excited.

  A few minutes later, the men had finished bolting the sign in place, and Jack took a moment to admire the new sign, nearly bubbling over with anticipation as he tried to imagine Ethan’s reaction. When he finally got the thumbs-up, he was back inside and taking the stairs to the apartment two at a time before they’d even managed to get
back in their truck. He’d have to thank them later, but knowing they’d be enjoying some of Luca’s mouthwatering baked goods on him relieved him of any guilt.

  Besides, at the moment, there was something much more important to take care of.

  Ethan.

  And just like that, as if his lover had been conjured by his thoughts, Ethan was standing in the doorway of the apartment, his brow furrowed in confusion as he blinked at Jack sleepily.

  “Is everything okay?” The worry in Ethan’s voice sent a pang of guilt through Jack, briefly tamping down his excitement… but only a little. “You weren’t in bed when I woke up, and then you weren’t here… I was just about to call your phone.”

  “I’m sorry, babe.” Jack kissed Ethan on the forehead. “Everything is good—great, actually. Really great. Whatever comes after great.”

  Jack’s grin stretched his cheeks so wide they almost hurt, and he knew he’d been babbling, but he didn’t care.

  “O-kay…” Ethan was looking at him like he’d suddenly grown two heads. He clearly hadn’t been expecting Jack’s energetic response, but his lips started curling up in an automatic response to Jack’s enthusiasm.

  “I promise,” Jack said, finding it adorable that Ethan still looked confused. After all, it was Valentine’s Day. But clearly—whether it was just due to sleepy confusion or the assumption that Jack wouldn’t have anything more than another pretty bouquet for him—Ethan wasn’t anticipating any kind of surprise. Not at this hour. Jack laughed, too happy to contain it, and added, “It’s gonna be a good day. But I need you to get dressed and come downstairs for a minute, please.”

  “What? Why?” The line in Ethan’s forehead was so cute Jack had to kiss it, even though that only made the crease deeper when Ethan looked up at him. “What’s going on, Jack? It’s like… seven in the morning or something crazy.”

  Jack grinned. He knew how ridiculous it was to expect Ethan to put clothes on and go down to the shop before he’d even had his morning coffee, but he also knew it would be so worth it. Assuming he could talk Ethan into moving his cute little ass, of course.