Chapter Six
Plantation Pointe was decorated tastefully for Christmas. Every home owner followed the strict rules of the ordinances and covenants of the neighborhood association when it came to yard ornamentation and door décor. As Jackson ran the streets of his community, he was struck by how dull and identical each house looked, every door boasting the exact same wreath, every house festooned with ivy and pine but absolutely no Christmas lights of any sort. Christmas lights, according to the neighborhood association, were strictly forbidden outside of the residences but were allowed, within reason, indoors.
Little details of his life, such as the Christmas decorations of his neighborhood, never used to bother him. After returning from the mountains, he noticed changes, some subtle and some not so subtle, to his way of thinking. Gone was the desire to fit into the fashionable social set or the desire to be seen at the hip new restaurants and trendy cafes. He could barely stomach the conversation of his circle of friends, each one focused on status and style. If someone announced a baby shower, everyone critiqued the invitations and the store where the mother-to-be or dads-to-be were registered. It was sickening.
These days, he spent more time by himself, running, seeking out new places to fish, and basically eschewing the hip, trendy life of Charlotte’s urban elite. The high points of his new life, as he called it, were the weekly phone calls to Mike, sneaking away when he could to see him and pondering his future. When he was at work, he did his job, but he no longer had the passion to succeed as he once did. He was a partner, so all he could hope to achieve was senior partner and then where would he be? A senior partner but still alone in his great big house in Plantation Pointe?
Even at the office, he often closed his door, sat in his tasteful leather chair and surfed the internet, looking for property within half an hour’s drive of Copper Falls. It was on one of these fantasy property searches that he had an idea. What if he moved to Asheville? It was only half an hour away from Mike. It was trendy and fun but still had some of the best hiking and running trails in the state. He could find a nice little cottage up there and settle into early retirement or open his own practice. It was a tempting idea, and one he thought about every day, as he distanced himself from the life he once knew.
Finishing his run on the Thursday morning before Christmas, he saw a familiar silver Audi convertible parked in his driveway. The top was up because the weather was cold, but he recognized the car and the man standing beside it. The handsome man was wearing a fashionable coat and expensive scarf and a conceited look on his handsome face.
“Hey there, stranger. I see you’re back to running again,” Chris said with a dazzling smile.
“What are you doing here and how did you get past the guard?”
“I used to live here, remember? I let you buy out my half of the house, but I still kept the key and the guard at the gate has a crush on me.”
Jackson rolled his eyes as he walked past Chris. “Get the hell out of my driveway before I call the cops.”
“You don’t want to do that, do you? Not after what we had together. Come on, it’s almost Christmas. Invite me in, I’m freezing.”
“Not on your life. You have five seconds to tell me why you're here,” Jackson replied, surprised by his own tone of voice. During the summer, he would have crumbled at the sight of Chris, pleaded with him to stay. This morning, he didn’t want to look at him or hear his voice.
“Touchy. What’s wrong? Are you still miffed about our little break up? You’re a big boy. You got to know what I did didn’t mean anything. I just wanted to have some fun. You used to be fun before you got promoted. You and I can get back together and maybe you can be fun again. What do you say?”
“Fun? You threw away our history, us, how much I loved you for some fun? Screw you, Chris. I don’t have time for this.”
“Yes, you do. Come on, let me in. I promise to make it up to you.”
“The only way you could make it up to me is if you left right now and I never saw you again.”
“What?” Chris asked, his smile turning to an expression of shock.
“You heard me. What happened? Your young lover realized you were old and washed up? Maybe you weren’t handsome enough or fun enough for him,” Jackson said with a smirk. “Go on. Get out of here, you old, washed-up has-been. Go find some other hot attorney to bother, because I don’t have the time.”
“I'm not washed up. You’ll see. You'll be begging me to come back, just wait,” Chris declared as he marched down the driveway to his sports car. Squealing the tires, he backed out onto the street as Jackson raised his middle finger to him.
As the sports car disappeared from his view, Jackson realized that he no longer cared about anything in his old life. His idea about moving to Asheville was growing on him at an alarming rate. If he could sell his house, he would come out ahead. He had added a pool and a pool house since purchasing the property which would count for something. His partnership could be sold for a nice profit, and then there was his investments. Yes, he decided he could change his life completely, but he wouldn’t do anything yet. Not until he talked to Mike.
Twenty minutes later, he was backing out of his driveway. His hair was still wet from the shower, his excuses made to the office. He was heading to Copper Falls on a mission. He was going to see Mike, and this time there was not going to be any reason why they couldn't be together.
Driving out of Charlotte, he turned the satellite radio to his new favorite station, classic rock mixed with 90s tunes. He was thinking about what he wanted his new life to be like, how he wanted to live it according to what made him happy. Mike was part of that, part of the new life he was planning, but he wasn’t everything. Jackson knew now that he didn’t need someone else to make him happy, not when he was happy with himself. He just wanted to spend his life with Mike, not sacrifice who he was to be with him.
A part of him that he remembered from years ago longed to wear jeans, to go running and occasionally camping. That wasn’t who he was in Charlotte, but that was who he could be in Asheville. He was being given a second chance at his life, at love, and he could not wait for it to begin. As he drove, he watched the four-lane highway turn to a two lane and then turn to narrow mountain roads. He was close to Copper Falls when he called Mike.
The phone rang until he heard Mike’s familiar mountain drawl, “Hello, beautiful, I was just thinking about you. I miss you.”
“Mike, I’ve been thinking about you too. I want to see you. Can you meet me in twenty minutes?”
“Twenty minutes? Jackson, are you here?”
“I am. Just name the place.”
“How about the Falls? I can be there in half an hour.”
“See you then,” Jackson said as he hung up.
Driving toward the Falls, he was excited, his whole body filled with anticipation. He couldn’t wait to see Mike and tell him about his plans. Humming along to his new favorite song, his mind was filled with Mike, filled with his ideas for his new life. Rolling down the window, he breathed in the cold mountain air, feeling exhilarated.
Pulling into the parking lot half an hour later, he saw Mike sitting in his pick-up, a smile on his face. Jackson jumped out of his SUV, racing to see him. Mike climbed down from the truck and greeted him with a kiss.
“This is a surprise. Is everything all right?” Mike asked, talking over the noise of the Falls in the distance.
“It’s better than all right, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. What if I moved to Asheville, started my own practice there? What would you say to that?”
Mike’s eyes opened wide, “You would do that? For me and you? For my son? Is that what you’re asking, what I would say?”
“Yes,” Jackson answered. “You could see your son, live in Copper Falls, keep your business. I’m done with Charlotte. I need a change. I would be half an hour away, so we would have no more reason not to be together.”
“You would do that? Jackson, I have no right to ask you to do that, but yes, we could be together. I want nothing more in my life than to be with you.”
“I love you, Mike,” Jackson said as he kissed him.
“I love you, Jackson Sasser. One day, when Patrick is grown, I promise to make it up to you.”
“There is nothing to make up. You have shown me true love and that is all I ever want from you. Kiss me again and say that you’ll never leave.”
Mike caressed Jackson’s face in the cold as he gazed into his eyes. “I promise I will never leave.”
Mike kissed Jackson, holding him in the cold December air. As Jackson melted into Mike’s arms, he didn’t feel cold. He felt warm, happy, and alive.