wasn’t sure what to do. My life seemed to be coming down around me in one day. I don’t know how I can make it up to you. I don’t even know if there is a way to make it up to you. But I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.” Then he reached out, took Jase’s hand in his, and held it tightly. “I won’t blame you if you can’t find it in your heart to forgive me.”
After that, Gage went into a detailed account of the events in his own life that had led him to the point of assuming Luis’s identity. As Jase sat there and listened quietly, he had to admit the guy hadn’t had an easy time of it. He’d taken care of his mother and father—Luis’s parents—until they died, he’d moved to New York with no money at all, and he’d found a way to survive on his own. Though Gage and Luis hadn’t been close in years, Jase found it remarkable that their stories were so similar. It seemed as if the only two good things that had happened to Gage so far in New York were that he’d now reconciled with Luis and he’d fallen in love with a nice cab driver he’d recently met.
When Gage and Luis finished speaking, Jase sat back and rubbed his eyes. “Ah well,” he said. “I have to admit this is one unusual story, especially the part about me spending the entire weekend with Gage, thinking Gage was really Luis. You could have just kept that part to yourselves. I would never have known.” He felt duped. He’d gone to bed with the guy. They hadn’t had sex, but still.
Luis reached for Jase’s hand. “I wanted you to know the truth. So did Gage. I don’t ever want any secrets to come between us. And I’ve been telling you all along there are things about my family I had to tell you when the time was right. I should have told you about my twin brother much sooner and this never would have happened. I’m sorry for that.”
This was true. Jase had known bits and pieces about Luis’s past. He knew Luis had been kicked out of the house by his overly religious parents when he was very young and he’d gone to live with an older man, a doctor in Tennessee. After that, Luis ran away to New York. But Luis had never discussed his parents, getting kicked out of the house for being gay, or anything else about his family in detail. He’d always said it was too painful to talk about. And Jase had always let him off the hook.
Gage frowned and looked down at his lap. “Don’t blame Luis, Jase,” he said. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have locked him up and I shouldn’t have pretended to be him. But I’d read so much about you and Luis I wanted to find out what Luis’s life was really like. When I did, and when I saw how much you loved each other and how happy you were, I couldn’t continue with the charade. I don’t blame you if you’ll never be able to forgive me. But please don’t blame Luis. He’s done a lot of things to me in my life that weren’t very nice, but this time it was my fault.”
Luis sent his twin brother a quick glare. “We’ve both done things to each other we regret.”
“I’m sorry,” Gage said. “Luis is right. We’ve both been very competitive all our lives.”
“At least I know Luis wasn’t turning me down for sex all weekend because he’s tired of me,” Jase said. He’d never felt so rejected in his life as he had the previous weekend. Each time he tried to make love to Luis, unaware that it was really Gage, he’d received rejection. Now that he knew it was really Gage and not Luis, he felt a sense of relief. “I was really starting to worry there was something wrong.”
Gage shrugged. “I couldn’t have sex with you, Jase.”He glanced at Luis. “And I couldn’t betray Luis that way either. By the time you arrived at Cider Mill Farm, I wasn’t sure how to get out of the situation without getting into trouble.”
“I agree,” Jase said. “I’m glad you didn’t carry the entire charade out. That would have been wrong.” If Gage had slept with him,
After that, Gage went into a detailed account of the events in his own life that had led him to the point of assuming Luis’s identity. As Jase sat there and listened quietly, he had to admit the guy hadn’t had an easy time of it. He’d taken care of his mother and father—Luis’s parents—until they died, he’d moved to New York with no money at all, and he’d found a way to survive on his own. Though Gage and Luis hadn’t been close in years, Jase found it remarkable that their stories were so similar. It seemed as if the only two good things that had happened to Gage so far in New York were that he’d now reconciled with Luis and he’d fallen in love with a nice cab driver he’d recently met.
When Gage and Luis finished speaking, Jase sat back and rubbed his eyes. “Ah well,” he said. “I have to admit this is one unusual story, especially the part about me spending the entire weekend with Gage, thinking Gage was really Luis. You could have just kept that part to yourselves. I would never have known.” He felt duped. He’d gone to bed with the guy. They hadn’t had sex, but still.
Luis reached for Jase’s hand. “I wanted you to know the truth. So did Gage. I don’t ever want any secrets to come between us. And I’ve been telling you all along there are things about my family I had to tell you when the time was right. I should have told you about my twin brother much sooner and this never would have happened. I’m sorry for that.”
This was true. Jase had known bits and pieces about Luis’s past. He knew Luis had been kicked out of the house by his overly religious parents when he was very young and he’d gone to live with an older man, a doctor in Tennessee. After that, Luis ran away to New York. But Luis had never discussed his parents, getting kicked out of the house for being gay, or anything else about his family in detail. He’d always said it was too painful to talk about. And Jase had always let him off the hook.
Gage frowned and looked down at his lap. “Don’t blame Luis, Jase,” he said. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have locked him up and I shouldn’t have pretended to be him. But I’d read so much about you and Luis I wanted to find out what Luis’s life was really like. When I did, and when I saw how much you loved each other and how happy you were, I couldn’t continue with the charade. I don’t blame you if you’ll never be able to forgive me. But please don’t blame Luis. He’s done a lot of things to me in my life that weren’t very nice, but this time it was my fault.”
Luis sent his twin brother a quick glare. “We’ve both done things to each other we regret.”
“I’m sorry,” Gage said. “Luis is right. We’ve both been very competitive all our lives.”
“At least I know Luis wasn’t turning me down for sex all weekend because he’s tired of me,” Jase said. He’d never felt so rejected in his life as he had the previous weekend. Each time he tried to make love to Luis, unaware that it was really Gage, he’d received rejection. Now that he knew it was really Gage and not Luis, he felt a sense of relief. “I was really starting to worry there was something wrong.”
Gage shrugged. “I couldn’t have sex with you, Jase.”He glanced at Luis. “And I couldn’t betray Luis that way either. By the time you arrived at Cider Mill Farm, I wasn’t sure how to get out of the situation without getting into trouble.”
“I agree,” Jase said. “I’m glad you didn’t carry the entire charade out. That would have been wrong.” If Gage had slept with him,
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