Carter laughed. "Yeah, well. Carrie Darling has her own ideas of what is ‘helpful.'"
Jeremy wrapped his arms around Carter's shoulders from behind. "I'll say. Remember when you were going to basic and she had a write up in the local paper?"
"Don't remind me. At least this just gets business for the gym."
Carter finished up a degree in business. His parents hadn't been thrilled. It had been too general a major for their tastes, and his express lack of interest in any future dealings in politics caused quite a few tense conversations. But he was going home, to Chattanooga, and he had bought in on Chris's gym. He had been helping expand it with money from his trust. He had also trained a lot more so he could help teach boxing, though he would be more of a figurehead until he got his personal trainer credentials in Tennessee.
"It'll be nice having you back home. Between Jeremy and my husband, I hear more about you moving back than how wonderful I am."
"Oh, heaven forbid," Carter teased.
"Always Carter this, Red that. It's exhausting talking about you so much. Even my mom is raring to pick out china patterns for the next wedding."
The choking sounds Jeremy made had Carter laughing loudly, patting Jeremy's back. "Yeah, well, maybe she can let us live together for a while." He nudged toward Jeremy. "And no way am I marrying this starving artist until he's not … um, starving anymore."
Jeremy had left the band, and though it made Carter twitch at first, Milo had come to help him record his first solo album. The sales had been pretty low key, but it had been enough to get Jeremy back out on the road touring. He had come to New York several times to perform at local venues. Carter was thrilled for him because Jeremy seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Working with his dad had been good for Jeremy, too. They'd forged a good business relationship, if not totally mended their personal one. They'd definitely done much better than Carter and his parents, who still were all pretty stand-offish because it was hard getting to actually know each other again.
But for all that, Carter found himself even more a part of the Beck family than he'd been before. Even if it had been slightly awkward at first, Jeremy's parents had been extremely supportive of their relationship, especially after Jeremy confessed about why he and Carter had been estranged and how losing Carter's friendship, and what he thought had been him losing Carter's respect, had been his wake up call.
Jeremy's mother had visited Carter, along with Daphne, more than Carter's own mother had.
They had all come just days earlier, Sarah in tow, for Carter's graduation. And now Carter and Ella were moving out. Carter was headed back to Tennessee, Ella to an internship in Paris-arranged by Carter's parents.
"Where is Ells?" Carter asked absently.
"Oh, she went to help my mom set up for the graduation party everyone thinks you don't know about." Sarah rolled her eyes, then glared at Jeremy.
"You guys can't tell me secrets that I don't know are secrets and expect me not to tell the guy who's literally got my dick in his hands."
Carter nodded. "And he knows I don't like surprises because you all know I don't like the attention being on me. You're lucky I'm showing up at all."
Sarah put a dramatic hand to her chest. "You'd deny our mothers this moment?"
Carter quirked a brow. "Funny, I could swear this day was about me."
Jeremy snorted. "Yeah. And so was Sarah's wedding day."
Carter and Sarah both winced, remembering the momzilla that wedding had created.
"Speaking of," Jeremy said, standing and holding out a hand. "We should go to my hotel now that the moving guys have everything under control. We both have to get ready." He gave a very not-so-sly wink.
"God. Sometimes I miss when you guys were trying to be all stealth like," Sarah grumbled.
Carter just laughed and took Jeremy's hand. Sarah gathered her things and Carter wandered off to make sure he had the last of his luggage. Jeremy's booted feet thumped in behind him. Jeremy turned Carter and kissed him. "You good?"
"Yeah. It's just crazy how much has changed since this time last year." He looked around his apartment. "I'll miss New York. And this place."
Jeremy waggled his brows. "Me too. We had some wild times in here."
Carter glanced over Jeremy's shoulders to make sure no one could hear. Jeremy rolled his eyes, so Carter leaned in and licked the shell of his ear. "Wanna go put a rebellious bone in my body?"
Jeremy snorted, then laughed out loud. "Oh, Red. I've taught you well."
Carter took Jeremy's hand and walked out of his apartment for the last time. The ride down the elevator was the fastest he had ever remembered it. And that felt like so many moments with Jeremy. Fast and crazy. Though sometimes, it was slow and frustrating. But as he thought about the condo they'd found, the one with the hardwood floors, the short drive to the gym, and just far enough away from the Becks' farm, he was looking forward to every crazy minute they had coming.
Jeremy's dramatic side had this fun, overwhelming capacity to love so hard and so strong, it was almost incongruous with what Carter had thought of Jeremy for so long. Though, it seemed much more like the boy Carter remembered Jeremy had been before sex, drugs, and indie rock and roll. And now, Carter was so at peace in his skin and had a direction, he couldn't imagine life being any different than it had turned out. He felt so different from the Carter he'd been, the one who had spent quiet holidays alone and hid in his apartment.
And it was all from loving Jeremy. Because no matter what Jeremy said, there was nothing simple about their families or their lives over the last year, nor was it simple loving the crazy bastard. Turns out, nothing was better for the introverted prince than being dragged out of his tower by his red hair by a moody, playful musician.
But it was so worth it.
Jeremy had stepped off the elevator when it made it to the lobby, and when he turned back, the sun was shining through the front door in such a cheesy, dramatic way that was just so … Jeremy for him to practically pose there in it. He tilted his head. "You ready?"
Carter smiled. "Definitely."
THE END