Unquiet (41 page)
“Feeling okay, hon?” Loren’s voice broke into Eliot’s thoughts, and when he turned around to wrap Eliot up in his arms, Eliot gave him a reassuring kiss.
“Feeling fine.”
“Have I told you today how much I love you?” Loren whispered, and Eliot smiled against his lips.
They swayed there together for several minutes, kissing and murmuring to each other until the sound of laughter coming from the Jacuzzi below caught their attention. Loren pulled on a pair of board shorts, and then arm in arm, they walked down to the large flagstone deck overlooking the ocean, accepting their plastic glasses of sparkling cider from a grinning DeShawn before slipping into the warm water to sit with their friends and watch the sun go down.
Kai and Jeremy were already in place, sipping from their glasses as the water bubbled and foamed around them. Jase and Carey appeared next, Jase waiting while Carey removed his prosthetic leg and set it aside before he gently wrapped his arm around Carey’s waist to help him down into the Jacuzzi. He lowered himself in after him, and Eliot could see through the clear water as Jase pulled Carey’s stump onto his lap and started a firm massage of the scar tissue for him.
DeShawn topped off glasses, and then he and Jasmine joined everyone in the water. The sun slid lower on the horizon, touching the edge of the sea with a dazzling display of pinks and purples, a truly awe-inspiring sight.
That was the cue for Jase to raise his glass in what had become their evening ritual, a toast to something memorable about the day, or anything else they, as individuals or couples, wanted to acknowledge.
“To beautiful young women,” Jase said, tipping his head in Jasmine’s direction and giving her a devastating smile. “For being you, and for helping me remember and appreciate my roots as a big brother, a caretaker, and friend. To Jasmine.”
Blushing furiously, Jasmine hid her face against Kai’s shoulder.
Jeremy was next, and he raised his glass.
“To my children,” he said. “DeShawn and Jasmine, who gave me new life, who lit candles of love in me that burn so brightly sometimes I feel choked with the abundance of blessings I’ve been given. To D and my sweet Jazzy.”
Both kids leaned in for hugs, and then it was Kai’s turn. He looked at Loren as he said in a husky voice, “To friendship, and to always being just a little bit in love.”
Loren winked at him, and Jeremy pulled Kai to him and kissed him on the cheek.
Carey shook his head with a smile, declining to toast like he usually did. He was a reserved, private man, but Eliot had seen the way he looked at Jase; his feelings were written all over him. Eliot didn’t think he’d ever seen two people so openly adore each other.
And then it was his turn. He gave the same toast every night, because it was true of every day: “To stability. To strength and perseverance, and unconditional love.”
Then Eliot turned to Loren, looking deep into his eyes as he continued, his voice clear and strong, “To the man who’s always, from the moment we met at six years old, treated me like a miracle, a gift he’s been given instead of a burden to shoulder. The man who’s always loved me for exactly who I am, batshit craziness and all.
“To Loren… for always seeing the moon.”
There were a few audible sniffs from around the Jacuzzi as everyone raised their glasses in silent acknowledgment, and Loren pulled Eliot to him and kissed him softly, whispering against his lips: “To us. Forever.”
A Resilient Love Story
What happens when friendship catches fire?
Former Marine and lower-leg amputee Carey Everett keeps a grueling schedule of counseling fellow war veterans and their families. The injury he received in Afghanistan forces him to rely on a reserve of strength he didn’t even know he had. A much deserved vacation will let him reconnect with his best friend, who saved his life and has been there for him through devastating injury and painful recovery.
Part-time EMT and aspiring singer Jase DeSantis has been in love with Carey for years, but he’s come to accept that his straight friend will never be able to offer more. Jase fills his days with band rehearsals, ambulance shifts, and willing groupies, all while trying to cope with debilitating PTSD.
A week of sun, fun, and music in San Diego changes Jase and Carey’s lives forever when their relationship takes an unexpected turn. Jase has been longing for that change, but it leaves Carey reeling with confusion. As Jase fights to hold things together, Carey deals with doubts, fears, and his own preconceived notions about labels and the true nature of love.
A Resilient Love Story
Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.
High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.
An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.
Everything Changes
“This is one emotionally charged read and I loved it!
Everything Changes
is Melanie Hansen’s debut novel and I have to say for me it hit all the right buttons.”
—MM Good Book Reviews
“This is by far one of the best books, if not the best book, I’ve read in 2015… From cover to cover a MUST read!!!”
—Love Bytes
“
Everything Changes
is a fast-paced, sexy read between two men who finally allow their true feelings and attraction toward each other. It is a very solid, interesting storyline that will easily grip many readers attention.”
—Top 2 Bottom Reviews
Signs of Life
“Definitely my favourite of the series so far and I can’t wait for more!”
—Prism Book Alliance
“I really, really loved this story. It will count among the year’s best for me and I highly recommend it.”
—The Kimi-chan Experience
“
Signs of Life
is a poignant, heartwarming and scorching hot romance.”
—Book Reviews & More by Kathy
MELANIE HANSEN
has spent time in Texas and Florida prisons…for work. She’s been in a room with a seventeen-year-old mass murderer who was also one of the most soft-spoken and polite teenagers she’s ever met. After a thirteen-year career as a court reporter, she can tell many stories both hilarious and heartbreaking.
She grew up with an Air Force dad and ended up marrying a Navy man. After living and working all over the country, she hopes to bring these rich and varied life experiences to her stories about people finding love amidst real-life struggles.
Melanie left the stressful world of the courtroom behind and now enjoys a rewarding career transcribing for a deaf student. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.
Contact Melanie at:
Twitter: @MelJoyAZ
Email: [email protected]
RESILIENT LOVE
Everything Changes
Signs of Life
Unquiet
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Unquiet
© 2016 Melanie Hansen.
Cover Art
© 2016 Natasha Snow Designs.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63476-741-5
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-742-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015917571
Published January 2016
v. 1.0