A Decision for Jarren - 39. Epilogue and Author's Note

Jarren winced as the first sting of the tattoo needles pierced his skin. They hadn’t forgotten about their pledge they made with with Cassie and Mazen. Those two had gotten their tattoos a few months ago. Ian had designed an Awen Celtic symbol for them. The symbol had multiple meanings and interpretations, but Ian felt that the symbolization of the light rays standing for man, woman, and the balance between them fit Mazen and Cassie to a T. He had put his skills to good use and had created a beautiful depiction. The outer rings were designed like thin ropes and the rays were bright yellow-gold, highlighted in such a way that it almost looked the light was actually emanating from their skin.

Jarren and Nash had trouble finding time that matched when Ian was available. Jarren had finally decided to get the ball rolling and had met with Ian last week to show him what he had in mind. Ian grinned and told him it was perfect. Once Jarren saw the revised sketch that Ian created he knew he made the right choice.

Ian was willing to give up some of his Sunday morning and afternoon for the cause. He said that each tattoo should take a couple of hours at most. Nash had dropped him off after they had a late breakfast at Betty Ann’s, and would meet them a little later to get his done.

Winter was starting to lose its grip and now that March was going out like a lamb, the construction on the Larkin project was gearing up to full throttle. They had a short window of some down time before warmer weather would allow for the construction to pick up. They were still on schedule and wanted to stay that way.

Ian was able to fully concentrate on his work and still hold a conversation. He and Jarren caught up with each other and what had been going on in their respective worlds. It had been a while since they had been able to get together with each other, both couples being busy with day to day life. Ian told Jarren that he usually went to Boston once a week to work in the shop that Cassie had gotten up and running. He had hired four more tattoo artists who were almost as good as he was. One of them managed the everyday operations for them. They had a steady stream of referrals and the shop kept busy. His own shop here was doing extremely well too, in part due to the exposure from the Inkwell Foundation. In addition to Brie, he had hired two more artists and they had plenty of work to keep them busy. His reputation made him a sought after artist. Casey had a high school student helping her out part time, answering phones and scheduling appointments so she could keep on top of everything else that needed to be done to keep the office running smoothly. She still did all of the piercings that came through as well.

Lex had been busy with his IT work. Lex didn’t have to work, but he enjoyed what he did and was extremely good at it. He was comfortable enough now to take a few jobs that required some travelling. He kept his trips short, no more than three nights once a month or so, as it was important to him that he was there for Keon and Ian. Keon was doing much better as well. He had signed up for lacrosse and while he still wouldn’t bare his torso in the locker room, he was alright with now wearing short sleeves. He had some scarring on his lower legs, but puberty had given him enough hair that the scarring was hard to make out.

Liam and Keon were still best friends and Liam was helping Cassie and Kathy plan a party for Keon for his fourteenth birthday in a few weeks. Liam was now walking all the time without crutches, Katie close by his side. Karl had made a set of modified blade prosthetics for him and Liam found walking a lot easier in them. He could even run for short distances. It was his goal to play baseball again and he was working hard to get there. He still lost his balance occasionally, but Katie was trained to help him get up on his own.

Jarren was impressed with Ian and his ability to talk and tattoo at the same time. He got used to the stinging of the needles after a while. He was having his left shoulder tattooed and Nash would have his right one done. After an hour and a half the whirring noise stopped as Ian shut off the tattoo machine. He wiped off Jarren’s shoulder and grinned.

“Nash is going to love it. It’s perfect.” he told Jarren as he nudged him toward the full length mirror on the wall.

Jarren looked at the completed tattoo and smiled. It was absolutely spot on. He loved it and told Ian so.

“I can’t wait for you to do Nash’s. He’s going to shit a brick!” Jarren said as his grin nearly split his face in two. He shot off a quick text to Nash, letting him know that he was done and to head over.

Ian cleaned up the freshly inked skin and covered it with a protective, clear bandage. Jarren took one more look before grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his head, covering up the artwork. It was another ten minutes before Nash arrived.

It didn’t take long for Ian to get Nash’s shoulder area cleaned and prepped. He opened up a fresh packet of needles, inserted them into the machine and slid his rolling stool close to the chair that Jarren had recently vacated and Nash had taken over.

Jarren snickered as Nash hissed and uttered a soft “Fuck!”, as the first sting hit his nerve endings. After a few minutes he got used to the stinging and settled down. Jarren leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. The hour and a half passed quickly, the three guys laughing at the latest antics of the kids and dogs. Jarren was surprised when Ian turned off the machine and silence descended for a moment.

Ian repeated the clean up process on Nash, but left his skin uncovered and nodded his head at the mirror. Jarren watched nervously as Nash slid off the seat and stepped closer to the mirror.

Neither Jarren nor Ian missed the sharp intake of air that came from Nash as he saw his tattoo. He turned slightly, and moved closer to get a better look. Jarren saw his teeth catch his bottom lip as he tried to rein in his emotions. He failed as he turned and caught Jarren looking at him. Tears welled up and Jarren quickly crossed the few steps and pulled him into his embrace. He held Nash as the man let the tears slide silently down his face. Neither of them noticed Ian slip out of the room.

Nash finally pulled himself together and said “You are incredible. I had no idea what you had planned and honestly thought it was going to be some sort of elaborate symbol like Lex and Ian’s or Cassie and Mazen’s. But this? This is more than perfect. Thank you. I love it, just as much as I love you.”

Jarren’s eyes were drawn to the image on Nash’s shoulder. It was Juju’s drawing of her and Nash as stick figures, only Ian had modified it with Jarren’s idea. In addition to stick figure Nash, and stick figure Julia, there was now a stick figure with blond spiky hair on the other side of Nash with tiny slashes indicating that they were holding hands too. On the other side of Julia was a stick figure boy with curves at the end of his legs, clearly a child’s rendition of prosthetic limbs. There was even a rendition of a stick figure dog with a long red tongue hanging down, sitting next to the boy. The additions were drawn in such a way that they looked like they had been drawn by the same child’s hand. All of the figures had the same big heads and lopsided smiles. The whole thing wasn’t very big, it spread from the front of the shoulder about six inches or so across the upper arm to the top of the back. The tallest stick figure was about four inches high, the cockeyed sun about an inch above them. The haphazard grass with the small dabs of color representing flowers had been extended so that it was underneath all of the figures.

Jarren pulled off his shirt and showed Nash the mirror image of the same tattoo on his shoulder. He held his breath for a moment until Nash smiled brightly before pulling him in for a heated kiss that lasted several minutes, firing up nerve endings in more ways than one.

Pulling apart, Nash rested his forehead against Jarren’s and looked into his eyes. “You certainly know how to make me love you more each and every day. There is no need for you to ever doubt yourself. I can’t imagine loving someone as much as I love you. Thank you for this. It’s absolutely the best thing anyone has ever given me. Let’s go find Ian so I can thank him too. He is wicked talented.”

Jarren laughed at Nash’s use of the word ‘wicked’. He grabbed his shirt, leaving it off for now. Ian said he wanted a picture of their tattoos. He would take another one in a few weeks when they were fully healed. Jarren grabbed his phone and shoved it in his pocket. They stepped out into the hallway and saw that the door to Ian’s office was open.

Ian looked up from the sketches he was working on and smiled. Nash went over and pulled him up into a hug. “Thank you Ian. Your work is stunning, as always. I absolutely love it. Jarren couldn’t have chosen anything more perfect.”

“You’re welcome. Just don’t complain when Liam starts hounding you to get one inked on him. I’ve already heard him and Keon plotting. And yes, I’ve already told them emphatically that they have to wait until they are 18. Keon’s already tried to get me to commit to covering his scars when he’s sixteen. I keep telling him that it’s not going to happen and he keeps trying to chip away at my resolve. Kids.” Ian told them as he sighed, smiling at the same time.

Jarren and Nash knew that Liam probably would ask for a matching tattoo for himself, but they agreed with Ian. He’d just have to wait. Ian grabbed his phone and took a few shots of the tattoos at different angles. When he finished he made the guys promise to get together the following weekend. They were overdue for an evening of drinking and card playing. Jarren and Nash promised and after thanking Ian again they headed home.

Liam was still over at Keon’s house and Lex had already told them that he would drop him off after they ate supper. It wasn’t even five o'clock, and Nash had already decided in the truck on the way home to take advantage of the empty house. He pinned a feral gaze on Jarren as soon as they entered the house. Jarren gave him a lopsided smile and swallowed hard. Nash watched the movement of his Adam’s apple with narrowed eyes. He zeroed in on Jarren’s lips and stepped into his personal space, kissing him with a passion fueled by the overwhelming love he felt for the man in his arms.

Jarren responded with his own passion that matched Nash’s in its intensity. When they broke apart, Nash led Jarren to their room. One look was all it took, one look that told Jarren that Nash was in the driver’s seat and he was along for the ride. Nash went over to their closet where they had installed a small, locked cabinet to keep curious eyes from prying and discovering things that they didn’t need to see. He unlocked it and pulled out the black, silk blindfold that he loved to see on Jarren. Jarren sat on the bed and let Nash cover his eyes with the material. Nash tapped his shoulder and he automatically lifted his arms so Nash could pull his shirt off. He then let Nash finish stripping him of the rest of his clothes.

Nash stripped off his own clothes, smiling as he watched Jarren’s dick twitch. He knew that Jarren was mentally picturing him naked, and once he was, he nudged Jarren gently and told him to lay on his back. Nash them proceeded to tease Jarren, randomly kissing, and nipping at his sweet spots. Without warning he enveloped Jarren’s cock within the hot wetness of his mouth, swallowing as much as he could. He popped off just as quickly, leaving Jarren whimpering with need.

Jarren's favorite toy was the Wartenburg wheel and Nash wielded it with expertise. Jarren thrashed and twisted with every swipe of the wheel over his sensitive skin. Nash enjoyed every second of it.

Needing to feel Jarren's tight heat around him, Nash grabbed the lube and slowly proceeded to open his lover. His fingers glided in and out of Jarren's ass, stretching, rubbing and teasing in all the right places.

Jarren reached his breaking point and growled, "Fuck me Nash, I need your cock right now!"

There was no way that Nash could deny that request. He pushed the blindfold away from Jarren's eyes. He needed to see them as he slid his rigid shaft past the tight ring of muscle. Nash pushed until just the tip popped in. He stayed perfectly still, letting the tightness wash over his senses, almost in a trance.

Jarren arched his back, forcing Nash's cock to slide in a little further. That was the nudge that Nash needed. He pushed Jarren's knees back and watched as he slid the rest of his cock into the heated channel. He loved watching his cock slide into Jarren.

Nash set a steady pace, thrusting in and out, nailing Jarren's love nut more often than not. Jarren encouraged Nash nonverbally, soft moans and grunts making his needs known. Soon Nash picked up the pace and wrapped his hand around Jarren's rock hard shaft, pumping it to the same rhythm as his thrusts.

Jarren yelled as the first wave of pleasure washed over him and he shot out ropes of cum across their torsos. Nash exploded soon after, letting Jarren's spasms milk his cock dry. He collapsed on top of Jarren, fusing their skin together.

It was several minutes before either of them started to recover. Neither man would ever tire of the intense connection they created. When they were able to move they realized that they needed to hustle and get cleaned up. Lex would be there with Liam soon.

After a quick shower, they were dressed in record time, which turned out to be a good thing. They had just sat down at the table with some sandwiches when they heard Lex's SUV pull up. They could also hear Liam chattering as he made his way into the house. Lex greeted them and then chuckled. He knew exactly what they had been up too.

Sure enough, Liam demanded to see the tattoos and he was moved to tears like Nash had been. Once his dried up, he immediately asked if he could get one and scowled when they said he would have to wait until he was 18. Lex admired his husband's work and then said goodbye.

They stayed in that evening and Liam told them that Lex had let him make spaghetti and meatballs for them by himself. He had become pretty good in the kitchen. Maggie had tutored him well and had even passed on some of her recipes, meatballs being one of them. She still hadn’t coughed up her baked bean recipe, no matter how much Liam had begged. She told him he would have to earn it.

The following Saturday Jarren and Nash hosted their friendly get together. Lex, Ian and Keon arrived with Halo trotting alongside. She and Katie were best buddies when Katie’s harness was off. It hadn’t taken Halo long to figure out that Katie wouldn’t play when she was wearing the harness and in typical doggy fashion, she ended up picking up a few of Katie’s tricks. Halo could now open the refrigerator and take out various items. The only problem was that she didn’t know what to do with them. More than once did Lex find her standing in the kitchen with a bottle of salad dressing or some other condiment in her mouth, looking lost. It wasn’t until after a particularly bad case of gas constantly coming from the dog that Lex figured out she had found a package of cheese and must’ve eaten the whole thing after taking it from the shelf. She had been banished to the porch for the duration of that episode.

Cassie and Mazen arrived shortly after Lex’s family and Cassie was carrying a box of cream puffs. Jarren salivated just looking at them. The evening was spent in great company. Jarren and Nash showed off their tattoos and everyone who hadn't seen them yet loved them. They ate more than they should have and it was well into the evening when Ian noticed something was off. Cassie hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol. Her Tervis tumbler that was normally filled with her favorite liquid Cinnamon Toast Crunch had held nothing but water all night long.

Ian called her out. “Cassie, do you have something to share with us?”

Lex rolled his eyes and muttered “It’s about time one of you finally caught on!”

Cassie and Mazen looked smug as she announced, “Busted. You guys are gonna be uncles again!”

Effusive declarations of “Congratulations!” filled the room with everyone talking at once. Ian pinned his gaze on Lex and asked, “How long have you known?”

Lex blushed and replied “Longer than anyone, even Cassie. Do you know how hard it was not to say anything? Then when she finally figured it out, I still had to keep it to myself cuz she wanted to break the news to you. Of course she just had to see how long it would take you guys to realize she wasn't drinking.”

Cassie laughed at Lex. She loved teasing him.

Jarren looked as his brother with nothing but pure happiness. He could see by the look on Mazen’s face that his twin was both thrilled and scared shitless. Jarren chuckled to himself. Personally he thought that Mazen was going to be a great Dad. He wasn’t going to tell him that, instead he would tell him how much he was going to screw up the kid’s life. It was his job as a twin brother, after all, to be a pain in the ass.

After finding out that the little one would be making an appearance sometime shortly before Thanksgiving the evening continued on in a happy manner. Good news always bolstered everyone’s spirits. Liam and Keon ensconced themselves in an Xbox game and every once in a while could be heard laughing and swearing as one of them killed the other.

Jarren kissed Nash as he got up to get a few more beers for the guys. After grabbing the brews he stood for a moment and looked at his extended family gathered in the living room. He watched Nash throw his head back and laugh at something Cassie said. As he watched the merriment of those he loved so much he realized that he had everything he could ever want. He and Nash had walked through fire to get to where they were and Jarren knew that it had been worth every minute. He would never regret the best decision he ever made.

The End.

Author’s Note

Whew! I made it to the end! My first thought is Wow, how the hell did that finally happen? I didn't think this story was going to be as long as it turned out to be!

I started writing Jarren’s story before I finished posting ‘A Tattoo for Lex’. Silly me thought I’d just roll right along. Wrong! Jarren was a pain in the ass from the start. I literally had six or seven chapters written before deciding that I hated the way the story flowed. It was heartbreaking to hit the delete button. The storyline is still in my head, it just wasn’t Jarren’s story.

So back to the drawing board I went. Reluctantly, Jarren spit a few ideas into my brain and I grabbed onto them. Slowly they morphed into what was eventually posted. Some chapters were easy to write, the words flowed pretty seamlessly. Other chapters, well let’s just say that I know without a doubt where Cassie gets her swearing ability from.

I knew from the get-go that Nash was going to be the one who was injured in some way, shape, or form. I originally had the idea that he was going to be shot in a public shooting. That idea went out the window pretty quickly. I just couldn’t bring myself to write a scene like that. There’s too many mass shootings happening all over and sure enough a couple of weeks after I tossed that idea there were more shootings here in the U.S. Nope, not going there.

Next, I actually had most of a chapter written where Nash was injured in a building collapse. Yeah, well that didn’t feel right either. Delete.

So, I finally settled on the old true and tried car crash. It’s a standby that a writer can always count on. More than realistic and so many people can relate. The only thing that remained the same in all the scenarios was that Nash was destined to lose his foot. Sorry Nash!

Liam was a surprise. Sneaky little imp wormed his way into the story and once he was there, no outcome other than him getting adopted by Jarren and Nash, was possible. I knew without a doubt that the end goal was adoption. So I finally had the ending to the story, all I had to do was fill in the middle. Taking the boys back to Massachusetts felt right. Jarren is a family guy at heart and Nash needed a family.

It was fun to revisit characters from ‘Tattoo’. However, this was Jarren’s story and they were secondary, which is why I tried not to focus too much on them. Keon was another surprise. I’m not known for my love of kids, so for Liam and Keon to get the attention they did, surprised me. I said it more than once in the comments that I can’t see myself writing in detail about a relationship between two kids who are so young. There’s a big ick factor for me. That being said, it was fun to plant the seeds for a possible relationship when they get older. Thirteen was a long time ago for me, but I can still remember the uncertainty about boys! That was around the time of my first kiss too. Definitely do not miss all the angst and self doubt that comes with hitting puberty! Now I have menopause to deal with… or rather my family does….bwahahaa!! (Is it hot in here?)

Jarren still gave me a lot of fits as I was writing. It’s probably my inexperience as a writer, combined with a little bit of OCD and anal retentiveness that made me stress over the fact that at one point I was only four chapters ahead of my postings when compared to what I had written. I honestly thought I was doomed if I posted a chapter without having the next one written. My biggest pet peeve when I first started reading stories on this site was getting into a story without realizing that it was ‘in process’ and at the end of the last chapter discovering that the author hadn’t posted anything in over a year. I promised myself that I would set a schedule and stick to it. Hence the panic when it looked like I might catch up to myself.

Thankfully that didn’t happen. As I write this I still have a few chapters left to post. I consider that a success. At outward appearances, I tend to be really laid back in the real world, however I internalize my stress. That, my dear readers, eventually catches up to me.

This has been an unusually stressful year, I was out of work for 3 ½ months and needed to utilize every penny of our emergency fund. Luckily I am employed again and enjoy my job, but am now playing catch up. There have been heartaches too. As I mentioned at the beginning of the story my 33 year old nephew died of a drug overdose on July 4th. I wasn’t really close to him, I moved out of Massachusetts when he was barely a teenager and only saw him occasionally during the subsequent years. My memories of him are most vivid from when he was really little. He was so cute and just a sweet little boy. It’s a shame how drugs shatter so many lives, especially when those who are closest thought the worst was behind them. My brother told me that when he called his daughter to tell her what happened she said “Dad, I thought we were beyond this phone call.”

In addition to losing my nephew we also discovered that my younger son was going through some really tough stuff as well. Thankfully not drug related, but horrible in it’s own way. The stress of watching your child hurt and not being able to fix it is shattering to a mom’s soul. He’s in therapy and doing much better, but we’re trying to deal with the fallout ourselves. Then there’s my older son trying to complete his FASFA application and I somehow screwed up our taxes this year and need to file an amendment so he can get financial aid for school. Add in some in-laws who don’t bother listening when you tell them that’s it’s not a good time to visit and you have the recipe for one stressed out author.

I can honestly tell you that so many times your comments have bolstered me through a tough spot. When everything else around me seems like it’s going to shit, at least I can count on somebody making a comment that will make me smile.

Life is looking up again and I have some more ideas rattling around my warped brain. One of my biggest guilty pleasures is stories involving shifters. It’s a world I enjoy getting lost in. I just might try my hand at writing such a tale, after all, what’s not to love about a sexy guy that goes all wolfy! I think, however, I will take a short break, maybe get through the holidays, before aggravating the tendonitis in my left hand.

Not only has this year been tough mentally, physically it’s absolutely sucked as well. I have two knees with osteoarthritis that are way overdue for steroid shots, plus an achilles tendon that probably is going to need surgery. I’m just too chicken to go have it checked. Throw in the fact that the deductibles are so high with insurance, it makes it nearly impossible financially. Ugh. I’m currently looking into better options for next year. Fingers crossed!

Enough of the bitching, it is what it is and I just have to deal with it. There’s more to life than working yourself to the bone. Time, I have discovered, is a precious commodity that is taken for granted way too often.

So, dear readers, I am going to take a little time to chill and let my brain wrap itself around one of the random thoughts that floats around like bits of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. So a huge THANK YOU once more for sticking with me for the ride. I hope you enjoyed Jarren’s story. I’m going to leave the Berkshire boys to fend for themselves for a while. Next time I visit Massachusetts it will hopefully involve a visit with my own best friend and a lot of wine.

Please feel free to leave one more comment, or better yet a good(hopefully) review.

Until next time,

Kbois