Redemption Chapter 5
“Karen, can you come give me a hand?” Alex called from behind the counter where a line had started to form. The Episcopal Church held afternoon services and the creamery was the next stop for most of the members.
“Coming dear,” she sing-songed, “You boys be good.” She dropped a kiss to the crown of Jared’s head and petted over the twins’ before pecking Jensen lightly on the cheek. “I’ll take care of everything, Jared.” She hurried to the counter to help her husband and Erin prepare the customer orders. “Free cherries for everyone,” she laughed when Alex playfully goosed her as he walked by.
“She’s not serious, is she?”
Jensen pulled his eyes from his parents, a fond smile on his lips. “Cherries come on just about everything anyway. I don’t think she’s giving away the bank.” He gathered up their empty dishes, balling up napkins to be thrown away.
“No,” Jared laughed, watching the older Ackles dance around each other to My Girl while making sundaes and ice cream cones. Erin tried to stay out of the way near the register, taking orders and money, a look of loving exasperation on her face. “I meant about, you know, the…help.”
Jensen stood, pushing his chair in, winking at the twins when they followed suit. “Have you met my mother?” He grinned, snatched his hat from the window sill and took their dishes to the kitchen.
*****
“Teddy, start running a bath and Benji get out some pajamas and clean underwear. I’ll be up in a minute to help. I just want to say good night to Deputy Ackles.” Jared called after the two forms, dragging their way up the stairs. He chuckled at them and shook his head, turning his attention back to the man beside him. “They’re worn out.”
“Looks like,” Jensen followed the boys’ progress up the stairs.
After ice cream, Jensen took the boys over to a small park near the center of town. A few years back, the Ladies’ Auxiliary in Plymouth had sponsored the renovation of their children’s playground, making it the envy of the tri-county area. Not to be outdone, the Wowakan Ladies’ Auxiliary had plans drawn up for a larger and more modern play place and funded it by conducting several cake auctions and numerous bake sales. The construction was completed a few months before and Jensen had to admit that it was pretty impressive. The twins crawled, climbed, swung and slid over every piece of newly installed equipment for the better part of an hour while Jensen and Jared sat on one of the benches - made from recycled plastic because ‘Wowakan is a community concerned about the environment’ - surrounding the perimeter of the rubber mulched area. When the ladder scaling slowed and the swinging lazed, Jared and Jensen herded the tired boys into the car, smiling knowingly at the chorus of yawns that emanated from the back seat.
“Thank you,” Jared said softly, “It was nice to get out of the house and the park was good for the kids.”
“Anytime, Jared,” Jensen gazed at Jared sincerely, “I had fun today. I liked seeing the town through the twins’ eyes - the parlor and the park. Reminded me of how great it was growing up here.”
“I want the baseball ones, Benji.” Jared turned his head, one eye narrowed as he listened to the exchange upstairs to decide if his intervention was going to be needed. The twins were normally excellent to each other, but they were still brothers.
“You wore the baseball ones last time, Teddy. I gets to wear them this time. You can haves the football ones or the dump trucks.” Jared shifted a step closer to the stairs, waiting for his cue.
“Are the space ones clean?”
There was the squeak of drawers being opened. “Yep!”
“Okay,” Teddy replied, appeased.
Jared rolled his eyes and spun back to Jensen. “Sorry about that. I guess I…” Jensen had apparently moved with Jared and when he turned they were now standing nose to nose, “should buy two of everything.” He spoke slowly, mesmerized by Jensen’s familiar eyes and smell. Jensen never wore cologne, unlike Timothy who practically bathed in Obsession each day, so his smell was a unique combination of soap and warm musk that was unique to Jensen as far as Jared had been able to find. He inhaled deep, his eyes falling shut of their own volition and a small smile danced at the corners of his mouth. He’d missed Jensen - his smell, his laugh, his sly wit.
“Jared,” Jensen breathed, nuzzling the younger man’s nose with his own. He wanted to kiss Jared, had from the moment he’d seen him at Collins’ store, and now their lips were almost touching, exhales ghosting over the sensitive flesh. His hand came up unconsciously, fitting to the sharp curve of Jared’s hip.
Jared’s heart was hammering in his chest. He wanted this, wanted Jensen. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt that fire of desire, of want. He swayed forward into the warmth, the promise of love and passion being panted against his mouth. All it would take is a touch, whisper light and feather soft, for everything to consume him. Just the barest…
A splash and giggle from upstairs and Jared froze, eyes blinking open.
He could feel the coarse fabric of Jensen’s shirt fisted in his right hand, completely unaware he had grabbed it, and the hard press of his need against the confines of his jeans. “Jensen,” he looked into green eyes and his heart felt heavy at the resignation and acceptance he found there, “I can’t do this. It’s not just me anymore. I,” he stepped back, hand unclenching and smoothing over flannel to rest on Jensen’s chest, “I have the boys to think about. They have to come first.” He bit his bottom lip. “I’m sorry.”
Jensen chuckled mirthlessly and nodded. “I understand,” he murmured and, at Jared’s skeptical look, continued stronger, “I do.” He moved back and put a little more distance between them, the temptation still too strong, “They’re your children, Jared. They should come first. Nothing says we can’t be friends. We’ll just be keep things the way they are now.”
“Yeah, friends,” Jared ran a hand through his hair and stared at his feet.
“Good,” Jensen rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, “You work all week, right?”
“Eight to three, Monday through Friday,” Jared smiled, excited about being behind a camera again.
“Why don’t I come by next Saturday and we’ll get started on painting the inside rooms. No sense stripping the floors until the walls are done in case you splatter paint on them.” He teased, reminding both of them of painting Jared’s apartment in Savannah. Jared’d ended up with more paint on him than on the walls.
“Very funny, Deputy,” Jared’s lips twitched with the effort of containing his smile. His eyes turned shrewd. “Okay, only on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Jensen asked suspiciously.
“Well, you said you were still shit at cooking. You let me make you dinner during the week and I’ll let you help me on the weekends. You don’t starve and I get free labor.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, obviously proud of the deal he’d brokered.
“Sounds like a win-win all around,” Jensen grinned and extended his hand, “agreed.”
“Agreed,” Jared confirmed, shaking Jensen’s hand and allowing the touch to linger longer than he knew he should.
“Daddy! We’re ready for our hair,” a shrill voice echoed down the stairs.
“Coming Benji-boy,” Jared called back. “I should, um, I should go. Last time I let them do it, shampoo ended up on the ceiling.”
“Okay,” Jensen moved to the front door, followed by Jared. Opening it, he looked over his shoulder, “Good night, Jared.”
Holding the door open, Jared leaned against it, “Good night, Deputy.” He waited until Jensen was in his car, then shut the door and turned out the porch light. He pressed his head to the cool glass set in the door and closed his eyes, breathing deep.
Friends.
“Daddy!”
“Coming!” He swallowed down the heartache and climbed the stairs.
“Coming dear,” she sing-songed, “You boys be good.” She dropped a kiss to the crown of Jared’s head and petted over the twins’ before pecking Jensen lightly on the cheek. “I’ll take care of everything, Jared.” She hurried to the counter to help her husband and Erin prepare the customer orders. “Free cherries for everyone,” she laughed when Alex playfully goosed her as he walked by.
“She’s not serious, is she?”
Jensen pulled his eyes from his parents, a fond smile on his lips. “Cherries come on just about everything anyway. I don’t think she’s giving away the bank.” He gathered up their empty dishes, balling up napkins to be thrown away.
“No,” Jared laughed, watching the older Ackles dance around each other to My Girl while making sundaes and ice cream cones. Erin tried to stay out of the way near the register, taking orders and money, a look of loving exasperation on her face. “I meant about, you know, the…help.”
Jensen stood, pushing his chair in, winking at the twins when they followed suit. “Have you met my mother?” He grinned, snatched his hat from the window sill and took their dishes to the kitchen.
*****
“Teddy, start running a bath and Benji get out some pajamas and clean underwear. I’ll be up in a minute to help. I just want to say good night to Deputy Ackles.” Jared called after the two forms, dragging their way up the stairs. He chuckled at them and shook his head, turning his attention back to the man beside him. “They’re worn out.”
“Looks like,” Jensen followed the boys’ progress up the stairs.
After ice cream, Jensen took the boys over to a small park near the center of town. A few years back, the Ladies’ Auxiliary in Plymouth had sponsored the renovation of their children’s playground, making it the envy of the tri-county area. Not to be outdone, the Wowakan Ladies’ Auxiliary had plans drawn up for a larger and more modern play place and funded it by conducting several cake auctions and numerous bake sales. The construction was completed a few months before and Jensen had to admit that it was pretty impressive. The twins crawled, climbed, swung and slid over every piece of newly installed equipment for the better part of an hour while Jensen and Jared sat on one of the benches - made from recycled plastic because ‘Wowakan is a community concerned about the environment’ - surrounding the perimeter of the rubber mulched area. When the ladder scaling slowed and the swinging lazed, Jared and Jensen herded the tired boys into the car, smiling knowingly at the chorus of yawns that emanated from the back seat.
“Thank you,” Jared said softly, “It was nice to get out of the house and the park was good for the kids.”
“Anytime, Jared,” Jensen gazed at Jared sincerely, “I had fun today. I liked seeing the town through the twins’ eyes - the parlor and the park. Reminded me of how great it was growing up here.”
“I want the baseball ones, Benji.” Jared turned his head, one eye narrowed as he listened to the exchange upstairs to decide if his intervention was going to be needed. The twins were normally excellent to each other, but they were still brothers.
“You wore the baseball ones last time, Teddy. I gets to wear them this time. You can haves the football ones or the dump trucks.” Jared shifted a step closer to the stairs, waiting for his cue.
“Are the space ones clean?”
There was the squeak of drawers being opened. “Yep!”
“Okay,” Teddy replied, appeased.
Jared rolled his eyes and spun back to Jensen. “Sorry about that. I guess I…” Jensen had apparently moved with Jared and when he turned they were now standing nose to nose, “should buy two of everything.” He spoke slowly, mesmerized by Jensen’s familiar eyes and smell. Jensen never wore cologne, unlike Timothy who practically bathed in Obsession each day, so his smell was a unique combination of soap and warm musk that was unique to Jensen as far as Jared had been able to find. He inhaled deep, his eyes falling shut of their own volition and a small smile danced at the corners of his mouth. He’d missed Jensen - his smell, his laugh, his sly wit.
“Jared,” Jensen breathed, nuzzling the younger man’s nose with his own. He wanted to kiss Jared, had from the moment he’d seen him at Collins’ store, and now their lips were almost touching, exhales ghosting over the sensitive flesh. His hand came up unconsciously, fitting to the sharp curve of Jared’s hip.
Jared’s heart was hammering in his chest. He wanted this, wanted Jensen. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt that fire of desire, of want. He swayed forward into the warmth, the promise of love and passion being panted against his mouth. All it would take is a touch, whisper light and feather soft, for everything to consume him. Just the barest…
A splash and giggle from upstairs and Jared froze, eyes blinking open.
He could feel the coarse fabric of Jensen’s shirt fisted in his right hand, completely unaware he had grabbed it, and the hard press of his need against the confines of his jeans. “Jensen,” he looked into green eyes and his heart felt heavy at the resignation and acceptance he found there, “I can’t do this. It’s not just me anymore. I,” he stepped back, hand unclenching and smoothing over flannel to rest on Jensen’s chest, “I have the boys to think about. They have to come first.” He bit his bottom lip. “I’m sorry.”
Jensen chuckled mirthlessly and nodded. “I understand,” he murmured and, at Jared’s skeptical look, continued stronger, “I do.” He moved back and put a little more distance between them, the temptation still too strong, “They’re your children, Jared. They should come first. Nothing says we can’t be friends. We’ll just be keep things the way they are now.”
“Yeah, friends,” Jared ran a hand through his hair and stared at his feet.
“Good,” Jensen rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, “You work all week, right?”
“Eight to three, Monday through Friday,” Jared smiled, excited about being behind a camera again.
“Why don’t I come by next Saturday and we’ll get started on painting the inside rooms. No sense stripping the floors until the walls are done in case you splatter paint on them.” He teased, reminding both of them of painting Jared’s apartment in Savannah. Jared’d ended up with more paint on him than on the walls.
“Very funny, Deputy,” Jared’s lips twitched with the effort of containing his smile. His eyes turned shrewd. “Okay, only on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Jensen asked suspiciously.
“Well, you said you were still shit at cooking. You let me make you dinner during the week and I’ll let you help me on the weekends. You don’t starve and I get free labor.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, obviously proud of the deal he’d brokered.
“Sounds like a win-win all around,” Jensen grinned and extended his hand, “agreed.”
“Agreed,” Jared confirmed, shaking Jensen’s hand and allowing the touch to linger longer than he knew he should.
“Daddy! We’re ready for our hair,” a shrill voice echoed down the stairs.
“Coming Benji-boy,” Jared called back. “I should, um, I should go. Last time I let them do it, shampoo ended up on the ceiling.”
“Okay,” Jensen moved to the front door, followed by Jared. Opening it, he looked over his shoulder, “Good night, Jared.”
Holding the door open, Jared leaned against it, “Good night, Deputy.” He waited until Jensen was in his car, then shut the door and turned out the porch light. He pressed his head to the cool glass set in the door and closed his eyes, breathing deep.
Friends.
“Daddy!”
“Coming!” He swallowed down the heartache and climbed the stairs.