Vision Of Love (Cold Case Detective Book 0) by Pandora Pine (2)

 

 

 

24
Truman

Truman was biting his lip so hard to keep from laughing that he was afraid of drawing blood. Poor Carson looked like Bambi trying to keep his balance on his ice skates.

He hadn’t been on skates in nearly eight years now, but it had all come back to him the minute he’d laced the boots back up. Carson had watched him take a spin around the ice with awe in his eyes.

Carson hadn’t lasted two seconds on the ice before he’d ended up on his ass. Truman helped him back up but after that, Carson had insisted he could get the hang of it without his boyfriend’s help. It wasn’t going well. 

Carson’s arms pinwheeled through the air and he landed on his ass. Again. “Maybe now is a good time to grab some peppermint chai and a bag of kettle corn?” Truman offered his hand down.

Snorting, Carson took his hand. “My ass hasn’t been this sore since the first time we had sex.”

Truman burst out laughing. “Shh, there are little kids here.”

“It’s true. I’m gonna be limping after this, just like I was after that.” Carson was laughing so hard he had to lean on Truman for support.

Truman managed to get them both back to the bench outside the rink. “It was your idea to do this, remember? He knelt in front of Carson to loosen the laces on his skates.

“I thought it would be romantic to skate together like you see in the movies. We’d loop around the rink, holding hands and then maybe you’d twirl me into a dip.”

“Twirl you?” Truman was trying hard not to laugh again. He could see how serious Carson was being.

Carson wedged his feet back into his shoes. “Yeah, you know how dancers twirl and dip their partners?” He sighed dreamily.

“You’re so romantic. You know that?” Truman kissed him and grabbed both of their skates.

“Only with you. I was never like this with other boyfriends. It never crossed my mind to go skating or bring other guys flowers or plan dates at Italian restaurants.”

Truman was truly touched Carson would go to those lengths for him. He turned their ice skates back in to the attendant with a smile. “What is it about me that brought that side out in you?”

Carson linked arms with Truman. “I know it’s a cliché, but everything about you makes me want to be a better man. You deserve the world and all I want to do is give it to you. Since I can’t, I try to find little ways to show you how much you mean to me. Flowers, dinners, angels. Every time you smile, Truman, it fills my heart with joy.”

“I don’t think it sounds like a cliché at all. I guess that’s what being in love does to a person.” Truman kissed him. “All I do is think about you all day at work. I count the hours until I can get the hell out of the office and see you again.” Truman leaned forward to kiss him again but pulled back at the last possible second. “Oh! That reminds me.”

“Something reminded you not to kiss me?” Carson reached up on tip-toes to kiss him anyway.

“My company Christmas party is on December 22nd. For some reason it’s really late this year. We have it in the lobby of our office building. Anyway, I’m rambling.” Truman started to laugh. “You’re my boyfriend and I love you and I don’t know why I’m so damn nervous. Will you come to the party with me so I can show you off?”

Carson’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before he seemed to compose himself.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to or if you already have other plans.”

“No! It’s not that,” Carson said. “You’re right, the office party is just really late in the holiday season. I’d love to be your arm candy!”

“Arm candy?”

“You tell me all the time how gorgeous I am. Wait until you see me all dressed up in a suit. Hell, even your straight co-workers are gonna want a piece of me.”

Truman snorted. “My straight co-workers?”

“We’ll be the talk of the entire party. I guarantee it!” Carson pulled Truman in for a hug.

Truman held on tighter when he realized Carson wasn’t letting go. There were odd times when Carson was a bit more snuggly than others. Not that Truman minded. “Hey, how about we go get our pictures taken with Santa?”

“Aren’t we a bit old for that?” Carson grinned up at him.

“No way! This is our first of many Christmases together and I want to do this up right! Besides, I haven’t written my letter to Santa yet and with it being so late in the season, he might not get it on time.”

“What do you want for Christmas, Truman? I mean you already got me.” Carson waggled his eyebrows.

“I can’t tell you what I want for Christmas. Then I won’t get it.” Truman rolled his eyes.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure telling me what you want for Christmas is sort of the point. Otherwise, how would I know what to get you? Its birthday wishes you’re not supposed to share with anyone else.”

 “Whatever.” Truman rolled his eyes. “Hey we’re up with Santa.”

Both men knelt on either side of Santa Claus to have their picture taken. Truman could tell this was a real-life Santa’s helper. His beard and white hair were real as were his sparkling blue eyes.

“Hello there, little boy, what’s your name?” Santa pointed to Carson.

“I’m Carson and this is my incredibly gorgeous boyfriend, Truman.”

Truman held out his hand to shake with Santa. He was so excited to be here with Carson like this, making memories and starting their own Christmas traditions. He knew without a shadow of a doubt they’d be back to do this again next year.

“What do you want for Christmas, Carson?” Santa asked.

Carson set his hand over his heart. “A lifetime to love Truman.”

Santa smiled up at Carson before patting his arm. “I’m not sure I can fit that in my sleigh young man, but I’ll do my best.”

“How about you, Truman? What would you like for Christmas? The same thing?”

Truman shook his head. “Since Carson has our future covered, I want an X-box.”

 

 

 

25
Carson

After a quick trip to CVS for more condoms and a frame for their Santa picture, Carson had driven them back to Truman’s house.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Carson asked while Truman poured them each a glass of wine. “Or were you serious about an X-box?”

“I was just so blown away by what you said to Santa.” Truman handed him a glass of wine.

Carson had meant every word he’d said. He’d spent every spare minute he had in the last two weeks praying to God, Jesus, his mother and any spirit who would listen to him to spare Truman’s life. Why not ask Santa Claus for his help too?

“Once I saw your face, babe, nothing else on this earth mattered to me.” It was as close to the truth as Carson was willing to admit at the moment.  “We both keep talking about how soon it is to feel this way about each other, but the minute I saw you, I knew I’d found my reason for being. My reason for living.”

“I love making memories with you.” Truman leaned over the kitchen counter to kiss Carson.

“And traditions,” Carson agreed. He sent up another silent plea that they would be back at the outdoor skating rink one year from tonight, eating kettle corn and ice skating, after they took a picture with Santa.

“I’m getting you a pair of ice skates for Christmas so that we’ll have time to practice for next year. So I can dip you.”

“Why don’t you dip me right now?” Carson set down his wine glass and stepped into the middle of the kitchen floor. “No reason we can’t practice that part of it.”

“You just want my hands on your body.”

“Can you blame me? I keep telling you how handsome you are. I figure at some point you’re gonna start believing me.” Carson winked at him.

“Come here, you.” Truman tugged Carson into his arms, waltzing him around the kitchen floor in their stockinged feet. “You know what else this is good practice for?”

“Yeah.” Carson chuckled against Truman’s broad chest. “Our wedding. I remember you saying you wanted us to dance together until sunrise.”

Truman tried to twirl Carson around, but he got stuck halfway and ended up on his ass in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Carson burst out laughing.

“It’s a good thing we tried this on solid ground. We would have ended up in the emergency room if we’d given this a go on the ice.” Truman joined Carson on the floor.

“That’s one tradition I don’t want to start.” Carson shivered. That joke hit too close to the mark.

“Amen to that.” Truman climbed over Carson, straddling his hips. “How about starting this tradition though?”Truman shoved his hands under Carson’s ugly Christmas sweater to tease his nipples.

“What tradition would that be?” As if he didn’t know.

“Kitchen floor sex.” Truman waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“I’m not sure about that. Convince me.”

“Convince you?” Truman’s green eyes darkened as he shoved Carson’s sweater over his head. He tossed it aside.

“Ohh, the tile is cold on my back.” Carson shivered for a different reason this time. “Gotta tell you, so far, kitchen sex isn’t turning me on.” He bit his lip so he wouldn’t start to laugh.

“Oh yeah?” Truman palmed Carson’s blue jean-clad erection. “What’s this then? You got a banana down here?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” Carson winked at Truman.

Truman went for the button and zipper of Carson’s jeans and fished his length out of his pants. “Convinced yet?”

Carson was totally convinced. Every time Truman touched him he was convinced he’d found his perfect match, but that didn’t mean he was just going to roll over and make it easy for the handsome bastard either. “Not quite.”

“Oh really?” Truman arched an eyebrow before stroking Carson’s length from root to tip.

“You’re getting warmer, babe. Why don’t you keep that up and I’ll let you know when I’m convinced.”

“Why do I feel like I’ve been had?” Truman giggled.

“Oh, you’ll know when you’ve been had.” Carson smirked at his boyfriend before pillowing his arms behind his head. He wanted a front row seat to all of the dirty things he knew Truman was going to do him.

His boyfriend didn’t disappoint.  Truman started by gently stroking him with his right hand, but before long, he was using both hands on his cock and balls.

“I’m kinda warming up to this.” Carson had the best boyfriend in the world. He was going to reward Truman later for this treatment. Just not on the kitchen floor. He was going to tell Truman all about his master plan to ride his cock to victory, when Truman bent his head to take the tip of his cock into his mouth.

“Oh hell yeah!” Carson grinned, reaching for Truman’s face. “You always take such good care of me, baby. Now how about taking a little bit more of me?”

Truman rolled his eyes, but obeyed, sinking slowly down to the root, lashing Carson’s length with his tongue.

“Oh, God, just like that! Fuck me, Truman! I love having sex on the kitchen floor!” Carson felt his eyes roll back in his head and his balls start to draw up. He knew he wasn’t going to last much longer with Truman’s sucking him off like this.

Truman smiled around his mouthful and moved his tongue faster.

Carson stared into Truman’s too-green eyes and let himself go. His cock pulsed once, then twice in Truman’s mouth. He watched while his lover’s throat worked to swallow every drop. He was too lost in those storm-tossed orbs to cry out or tighten his hold. He just stared as if all he had in the world was time.

 

 

26
Truman

“Knock, knock!” Cassie stuck her head inside Truman’s office door right before lunch on Friday morning.

“Hey, Cassie! I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I’ll be so fricken happy when Christmas is over. Making sure next week’s office party goes off without a hitch is such a pain in my ass.”

“Amen to that!” She shut the door behind her and hurried to sit in the chair in front of his desk. “I brought you these to share with Carson.” Cassie set a brown paper bag on his desk. “And then these are for my Sadie.” Another bag joined the first.

“Cass, you didn’t have to do that.” Truman peered into the bag and saw chocolate chunk and oatmeal raisin cookies.

“I wasn’t sure which kind of cookies Carson liked, so I made two kinds.”

“You’re the best, best friend ever.” Truman closed the bag up.

“I know!” Cassie laughed. “Are you still up for going to West Side Magick with me tomorrow? I know going to see a physic isn’t your thing, but I love to shop for my mom there and I’m gonna treat myself to a reading. If you can open your heart up to love after the awful break-up you had with Mitch the bitch, maybe it’s time for me open myself up too.”

Truman remembered Carson saying he had plans with his brother tomorrow during the day, which left him free to spend the day out with Cassie. She was right, psychics weren’t his thing, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun walking through the store with her and hearing all about her reading over lunch.  “I’d love to come. I don’t have plans with Carson until later on tomorrow. We’re going to grab dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at the mall and grab some last minute gifts for the kids.”

“Boy, things are really moving right along with the two of you.” She shook her head.

“He’s coming with me to Sunday dinner. It’s the last big step before…” Truman trailed off, not sure if he should spill the beans. He didn’t want to jinx things.

“Before what, Truman?” Her eyes glowed. “I’m already on the edge of my seat, don’t leave me hanging!”

Truman reached into his top desk drawer and pulled out a black velvet ring box. “Meeting my parents and sisters is the last step before this.” He turned the box around and opened it.

“Oh my God!” Cassie gasped. Inside the box was a shining platinum wedding band. “It’s been like two weeks and you bought a ring. Oh, Truman! I’m so happy for you!” She ran around the side of his desk to hug him.

Truman still couldn’t believe it himself. He’d been lying in bed listening to Carson breathe the other morning when he’d held up their hands together. He couldn’t help noticing that even though Truman was a bit taller, their hands were about the same size.

He couldn’t just give Carson the Prince Charming doll for Christmas and thought maybe he’d get him a nice pair of gloves, but then all of a sudden on the way home from work last night, he’d ended up in the jewelry store trying on wedding bands.

The band sitting in the box on his desk had caught his eye the instant the sales assistant had taken it out of the box. The center of the band looked like brushed nickel while the outer rims of the band where highly polished. For whatever reason, Truman knew that band was meant to be Carson’s.

Instead of finding a clever hiding spot for it at home, he’d put it in his briefcase and brought it to work with him today. The idea of not having it with him was unbearable.

“When are you going to pop the question?”

“Either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Which one do you think is more romantic? Should I wrap the ring and put it under the tree?”

“It’s so exciting. Do you want to get down on one knee and ask him to marry you or do you want to take his hand and ask him after he’s unwrapped the box and opened it for himself?”

“I don’t know. It’s all so new. My head is still spinning with it. I’ve never wanted to marry anyone before.”

“It will come to you, Truman! The right time and place will come to you.” Cassie stood up. “Hey! Maybe you could ask my psychic tomorrow what he thinks about your future.”

Truman started to laugh. He could see his entire future mapped out in Carson’s blue eyes. What did he need a psychic for?

 

 

27
Carson

Carson had stopped at Truman’s favorite Chinese food place on his way over after he’d closed up the shop for the night. He knew Truman loved the Pu pu platter and their pork fried rice. Those things also happened to be his favorites as well. He figured they’d been running around for the last two weeks and a nice quiet Friday night at home might be just the thing for them. Maybe they could rent a sappy movie like The Notebook and cuddle.

Truman had asked about why they hadn’t been to Carson’s place before and he’d said Cole was in the middle of studying for finals, which was technically true. He’d barely seen his brother in the last two days. So far as Carson knew, his last final was coming up on Monday.

Once they got through Truman’s company Christmas party on December 22nd, and Truman was safe and sound, Carson was going to tell him everything. He was going to explain about the visions and how Carson felt like he was sent to find Truman and save his life. He’d tell him about Cole and their mother and Corny and the store. Carson would tell Truman everything.

Then he would begin the long process of rebuilding Truman’s trust in him. Carson was hoping that his boyfriend would be so grateful to be alive that forgiving Carson would be as easy as breathing, but if it wasn’t, then the fact that Truman would still be breathing would be what mattered most. 

Carson could hear Sadie barking when he rang the doorbell. He'd missed the little lady in the hours since he’d left for work this morning.

"Surprise!" Carson announced when Truman opened the front door to him.

"Oh God, is that Chinese food from Lotus Blossom I smell?" Truman grabbed the bag from him and leaned in to kiss Carson.

"It sure is. Are you hungry?" Carson hoped that once Truman's appetite for crab rangoon, fried shrimp, and chicken wings had been satisfied he'd been in the mood to satisfy another kind of appetite entirely.

"Starving. It’s like you read my mind. Take a look at the coffee table." Truman pointed as he carried the bag toward the kitchen.

Carson could see the menu for Lotus Blossom sitting on the table. "Great minds, huh?" He followed his boyfriend into the kitchen and slipped his arms around his hips when Truman set the bag of food down on the counter. "You know what I hate about the winter?"

Truman turned in his arms. "Uh, everything! What do I win? What do I win?" He kissed Carson hard, digging his erection into his stomach. 

They were on the same page, as usual, about satisfying other appetites as well. If Truman kept kissing him like that, he was going to win a cold egg roll and a reciprocal kitchen blow job. 

"Seriously, though," Truman said, taking a step back, a cheeky grin on his face. "What do you hate most about winter?"

"No picnics." Carson frowned. “I want to lie on a blanket and feel the sun on my face and have a picnic with you.”

"You like having picnics?"

Carson nodded, wrapping his arms around Truman, and resting his face against his chest. He could hear his boyfriend's beating heart. Slow. Steady. Alive. 

"Wait! I've got an idea." Truman took off out of the kitchen and into the living room. He heard a door open, probably the hall closet door, and then heard Truman command Sadie onto the couch before the lights went out in the living room.

"Carson, come see!" Truman called. 

He walked into the living room to see a blanket spread out in front of the Christmas tree. The white lights cast the room in a soft glow. "This is perfect. I love it." Only Truman would think of spreading a blanket out in front of the Christmas tree. 

"Grab the food. I'll get plates." Truman brushed a kiss against the top of Carson's head on his way past him.

He looked at the tree for one last second before following Truman into the kitchen. "How was work today?"

"I'm swamped with last minute details for this party next week. Who knew that much work went into planning a simple hors d'oeuvres party for a hundred people or so? I had to sort out a paper plate SNAFU.” Truman rolled his eyes. “Apparently my boss wanted silver plates and the ones that arrived today were gold. He said we’d keep them for the New Year’s Eve party, but I still needed to re-order silver ones and at a discount since they messed up the first order.”

Carson laughed. “Is anyone really going to notice the paper plates?”

“No one is really going to notice anything, with the exception of the fact that they’re missing time with their families on the last Friday before the holiday. The owner of the company is a miserable prick who has no family of his own, so he delights in holding us hostage for our Christmas bonus. If we don’t come to the party, our check gets donated to the charity of his choice.” Truman stacked silverware on the plates and walked back toward the living room.

“Jesus Christ! Is that even legal?” Carson didn’t like the sound of this at all.

Truman shrugged. “That bonus is enough to make one extra mortgage payment on this house. So I wouldn’t miss this party if my left leg were hanging on by a thread. I’d get my wonky ass into a wheelchair and pick up that check come hell or high water.” Truman sat on the floor and handed Carson his plate. “After the paper plate drama was settled, I spent the rest of the day making sure the canapés had been ordered correctly and signing off on the menu.”

Carson sat cross-legged on the blanket and pulled out the food setting a couple rangoons on Truman's plate before adding a few to his own. "Is that what's being served at the party? One bite food?"

The second Truman mentioned the party Carson felt his heart rate kick up in his chest. He thought he had seven days to figure out a way to keep Truman away from the party, but now he was going to have to figure out a new strategy.

Maybe he could take a tumble down the stairs and sprain his ankle like Mrs. Salazar's sister had done? If he had to go to the ER for x-rays or a cast, Truman would go with him for moral support, wouldn't he? Just so long as his tumble happened after Truman got his check, but before the gunman showed up.

Truman seemed to be the one in charge of this party, would he have to be there for the entire party no matter what? Would his boss force him to choose between his job and his boyfriend and, ultimately his life?

Carson instantly discarded that idea. Staying at Truman's side was paramount. They couldn't get separated no matter what. The best course of action would be to keep his boyfriend home, but hearing how much that bonus money meant to Truman meant that keeping him home was almost an impossible sell.

“What is it about picnics that you love so much?” Truman held out a sweet and sour dipped crab rangoon to Carson. “I mean there are ants and sunburn and chances of a thunderstorm.”

Carson crunched into the deep-friend treat. “Remember in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts talked Richard Gere into taking time off work?”

Truman snorted. “Are you calling me Julia Roberts?”

Carson poked Truman’s side. “No, it was just so romantic that he took the time to spend with her and they laughed and…”

“And fell in love.” Truman kissed him. “I love that you’re such a romantic. I never would have thought to do this. I would have left the television on and would have focused on some re-run of The Golden Girls instead of you.”

“Not that I don’t love me a dose of some sassy Blanche.”

Truman laughed. “I always loved Dorothy with her dry humor and lines about sending her mother back to the nursing home.”

Carson rested his head on Truman’s shoulder. “Never forget how much I love you.”

“What brought this on all of a sudden?”

“This relationship is so new and shiny.” Carson sniffled, burying his face in the sweet smelling crook of Truman’s neck. “I know that we’re gonna hit a bump or two in the road and I just want you to always remember how much I love you. I never thought I’d ever find a love like this in my life, Truman.”

“What did you think would happen to you?” Truman wrapped his arms around Carson.

“I thought I’d have a string of boyfriends. Maybe find comfort here or there along the way. But finding true love? I mean the real deal? I thought that was a fairy tale. You know, the kind of thing people make up fake posts about on Facebook so you think they’re living this perfect life, when they’re just holding on by their fingernails until they can have that next glass of wine.”

Truman snorted. “I’m not laughing at you, babe. I thought I was the only one jaded enough to think those perfectly posed Facebook posts were bullshit. I’ve had my own run of bad luck when it comes to awful relationships. I guess that’s how I knew that you were my meant-to-be when we met. I’d kissed my share of frogs and knew my Prince when I met him.”

“I’m gonna fuck up, Truman. I guarantee it. I’m gonna say something stupid or do something stupid or buy something stupid.” He took a shaky breath. Carson was so close to losing it completely and confessing it all. They were one week away from the party. One week until Truman died horribly at the hand of a gunman. “Just promise me you’ll give me enough time to explain. Promise me, Truman. Promise.”

“I promise, baby.” Truman rocked him, holding him close. “There’s nothing you can do that I can’t forgive. You’re my now, my future and my forever.”

Carson held on tight. It was all he could do. He’d heard every word Truman had said. He only hoped that when this was over and he’d confessed all, that Truman kept his promise. 

 

 

 

28
Truman

 

It had been a bit of a long night for Truman. He hadn’t slept well at all. 

After he and Carson finished eating, they’d spent the rest of the night curled up on the sofa watching episodes of The Golden Girls. When it had been time for bed, they’d ended up cuddling instead of making love.

He knew that over the long haul of a relationship it wasn’t possible to have sex every night. He could tell Carson needed the safety of his embrace rather than bone-melting, sex. They could do that anytime.

When they’d gotten up this morning, Carson had seemed almost back to his usual self. He was happy about going Christmas shopping with his brother and then getting together later on that night for a dinner date.

Truman couldn’t help but wonder why Carson had brought up the idea of him messing up at some point in the future. Every relationship went through rough patches. Partners lied, kept things from each other, and even cheated on each other. Truman wasn’t naive enough to think his and Carson’s relationship would be immune from those things.

Was Carson keeping something from him? Was Carson lying to him about something?

Truman took a deep breath. He reminded himself that he and Carson had only been seeing each other for a few weeks. Even though the feelings for him were there and ran deep, they still didn’t know each other that well.

It was possible that Carson could have been feeling a bit down or been having trouble with his self-confidence. He could have had an ex-boyfriend who ran him through the gauntlet over the tiniest infraction, real or perceived, and maybe Carson did something that Truman would have found benign, but that would have set the ex off.

He’d gauge his boyfriend’s mood later and see if they needed to talk more about it over dinner. Truman was sure everything was fine though. Just a bit of new relationship insecurity.

In the meantime, he was getting more excited over his trip to the psychic store with Cassie. Maybe the guy could recommend a gift for Carson. He had no idea if his boyfriend believed in that kind of stuff, but maybe he could get Carson a crystal or some kind of talisman that would ward off evil or could ease anxiety? He shook his head. Cassie would know more about that kind of thing than he would.

The doorbell rang just as he was about to look up charms on his phone.

“Hi, Truman!” Cassie chirped as he stepped outside, following her down the front steps to her car.

“Good morning,” Truman said with more cheer than he felt. He needed to snap out of this and focus on having a great day with his best friend.

“You look exhausted. Were you two up all night doing the horizontal hula?” Cassie burst out laughing.

“No, we had a quiet night. Carson was upset about something and it worried me a bit.” He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share with Cassie, but with her being a woman, she might have an insight into Carson’s problem that he might not be able to see himself.

“What’s he upset about?”

“Nothing specific. He just said that he was going to screw up in the future and do something stupid and he hoped I would forgive him when that happened. Then he cried. Ugly tears, Cass.” Truman couldn’t get that image out of his head.

“So he was really upset, not just being dramatic?”

Now that Truman thought about it, Carson really was upset about something. He seemed downright terrified. “I think he’s scared of something.”

“Something in his past maybe?” Cassie sounded concerned.

“I don’t know.” Shit. Maybe they should have spent a bit more time talking about their lives and a little less time getting to know each other with their lips and tongues.

“I know you’re not really into the idea of talking to a psychic, but maybe you could ask this guy a question during my reading?”

Truman was about to turn her down, but really, what could it hurt? “Okay. If he doesn’t mind, maybe I will ask.”

“Really? Truman, that’s so cool!”

“I was also thinking about asking about some kind of talisman or charm for Carson. Maybe something that would help with his anxiety. Do you think that’s a good idea or am I overstepping?”

Cassie parked the car across the street from West Side Magick and turned to look at Truman. “You are buying a gift for your soon-to-be-fiancé out of love. How could that possibly be overstepping anything? Come on, you’re gonna love this guy!” Cassie hopped out of the car.

“What’s his name anyway?” Truman asked as they crossed the street together.

“Oh! That’s so weird. His name is Carson too! I never made the connection until now. Two Carsons in a city as small as Salem. What are the odds of that?”

Truman shrugged. “It’s a different name but not as odd as naming your kid Apple or Saint.” He grabbed the door and pulled it open.

“Hi! Welcome to West Side Magick. I’m Cole. Let me know if there’s anything I can help you find.”

“I’m Cassie Wilkes. I have an 11am reading with Carson.”

“Oh, hey, Cassie. Carson’s just finishing up with a client. He’ll be with you in a moment. Feel free to browse around. Let me know if you have any questions.”

“Thanks, Cole.”

“Okay, now that is weird. My Carson has a brother named Cole too.”

Cassie turned around to look at him when the door opened.

“You are so welcome, Mr. Provencher. I hope speaking with your daughter today will bring you the closure you deserve.”

Truman froze. He’d know that voice anywhere. It had whispered his name in the middle of the night. Yelled for him to go faster, harder when they were making love and told him “I love you.” That voice belonged to the psychic who Cassie had come to see today. That voice belonged to his Carson.

Truman couldn’t breathe. Carson was a salesman for the shoe company that was next door to Gemtronics. What was he doing giving psychic readings at this shop? More to the point, why hadn’t Carson ever told him that he was a psychic?

Was this what he’d been upset and crying about last night? Or was there more his boyfriend was hiding from him?

“Carson, Cassie is here for her 11am reading.”

“Hey Cassie, I’m Carson Craig. Is your friend here for a reading too?

Truman pulled off his hat and turned around, watching closely for the moment Carson recognized him.

“Oh.” Carson said, his entire body deflating and sinking toward the floor. He reached out for the counter, but his fingers slipped off the polished wood.

“Jesus, Carson!” Cole grabbed him just before he hit the floor. “Who are you?” he asked once he had hold of Carson.

“Truman Wesley. I’m your brother’s boyfriend. Or didn’t he tell you? Seems there’s an awful lot he’s been keeping from people.”

“Oh, my God. Truman?” Cole said, with shock in his eyes. He half-dropped Carson the rest of the way to the floor and stood back up. “I should have recognized the green eyes. Carson and I talked about what and when to tell you and I guess…” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I should shut the hell up now.”

“Oh, no, keep talking. At least one of you has the knack.” Truman had no idea what was going on here. He could feel his temper rising along with the rest of his emotions. If this kept up, he’d be crying and screaming like a shrew in a few minutes.

Carson slowly climbed back to his feet. “Why don’t we all have a seat in the reading room? Cole flip the closed sign, would you? This is going to take some time to explain.”

“Is this what you were going on about last night, Carson? Is this what you were crying about?” Truman’s hands were balled into fists at his sides. His feet felt rooted to the floor, which he guessed was a good thing. At the moment he could knock Carson out.

Carson nodded. “Yes.” There was defeat in his tone of voice.

“God damn it! I knew you were too good to be true. I just knew it!” Truman needed to get himself under control. He could feel the shrew inside of him quickly rising to the top.

“Truman, please calm down for a minute,” Cole said. “Just listen to what Carson is going to tell you, please. I promise you are going to want to hear every word.”

“And then what?” Focusing on Carson’s brother seemed to be helping him keep his temper under control, for the moment, anyway.

“And then you can decide what happens next,” Carson added. “You said last night that there wasn’t anything I could do that you couldn’t forgive. I’m hoping you meant those words.”

“Are you fucking around on me?” Truman’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“No, Truman. I never lied to you about my feelings. I’m going to explain everything else, but I never lied about being in love with you or wanting to spend the rest of my life loving you and raising a family together. I swear it.” He took half a step toward him, but stopped dead in his tracks when Truman moved backward.

Truman stared at the man, who up until ten minutes ago, he’d been ready to marry at a moment’s notice. He thought he had his whole life mapped out in front of him. He wasn’t sure about anything anymore. 

Cole had asked him to sit and listen to what Carson had to say. Carson had said he wasn’t cheating and wasn’t that the worst offense he could commit?  Truman would sit and he would listen.

At this point, it was all he could offer to the man he’d thought was his now, his future and his forever.

 

 

 

29
Carson

 

Carson was surprisingly calm for a man whose entire world had just come crashing down around him. Maybe it was because he’d been rehearsing this speech in his head for days now. After asking Cole to flip the closed sign on the shop, he’d also asked his brother to grab something from upstairs. The story he was about to tell was going to make Truman even more angry and emotional than he was now and he was going to need a visual aid.

He waited until everyone was settled in his mother’s reading room before following them in and taking his mother’s usual seat. “Truman, thank you for agreeing to hear me out.”

“Yeah, well. I’m sure this story is going to be a good one.” Truman crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around the table. He knew this moment would come sooner or later. The fact that he’d been rehearsing this speech in his mind for weeks now was of no comfort. He still had to say the words out loud to the man he loved. “I’m a sham. A fake psychic,” Carson began.

Cassie gasped. Truman slapped a hand on the table and Cole groaned. “Jesus Christ, Carson. Way to go.”

“I promised Truman the truth, Cole, and this is it.” He turned back to Truman.

“That’s your lead off?” Truman muttered, one eyebrow raised high.

Carson ignored Truman’s comment and powered on. If he started to break down now, he’d never get through it. “Our mother had the gift. She could talk to Spirit, she had premonitions, and could use the crystal ball.” Carson reached out to touch it, but pulled back at the last minute, remembering he could use it now too. “Our father was a charmer and a fast-talker. The type who could sell ice to an Eskimo.”

“Obviously you favor him.” Sarcasm dripped from Truman’s lips.

“Tru,” Cassie set a hand on his arm. “Please give him a chance. You’ve been gushing over him for weeks now, about how in love you are with him and don’t forget our chat yesterday.” She raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to Carson.

Carson shot her a grateful nod. Whatever she was hinting at got Truman to refocus on him. “You’re right, Cole and I do take after him. Our mother opened this store in the early 1980s. She did readings and our father ran the store. He was also a pick-pocket. After my brother was born my mother kicked our father out and we haven’t seen him since. I was ten years old when that happened. I’d come home from school and help with the store and with Cole.”

“This walk down memory lane is fascinating, Carson, but-”

“Truman…” Cassie warned.

This wasn’t going the way Carson anticipated, but then again, he wasn’t expecting Truman to be so frosty toward him either. He was hoping Truman would at least be open-minded enough to hear him out and then decide what happened next between them.

This man wasn’t the Truman Wesley he’d fallen in love with. “When our mother was dying from breast cancer last year, she begged Cole and me to keep the store open. It was her life’s work. She knew neither one of us had any genuine psychic talent like she did, but it was so important to her to keep this store open, so we did.”

“So every reading you’ve done since she passed has been a lie?” Cassie asked gently.

Carson nodded. “A lie in the sense that I wasn’t getting any information from Spirit, but I can read people, Cassie. Like I could tell when I saw you this morning how much had changed in your life in the six months since I’ve seen you last. The cloud of sadness hanging over you is gone and you’re ready for a new relationship.”

Her mouth dropped open and she exchanged a surprised look with Truman. “Your whirlwind relationship with Truman has been an inspiration to me,” Cassie admitted.

Carson could see Truman rolling his eyes and knew he needed to get on with the story. “Anyway, I was a fake psychic, until December 1st. One of my regular clients had to reschedule her Tuesday appointment to that Friday. She was the last reading of the day and after I checked her out and locked up after her, I came back into this room to blow out the candles and say goodnight to my mother. The Tibetan chimes on the wall behind me are hers and ever since she passed, I always ask her to ring them if she’s in the room with me. She never does, so I ring them. I said goodnight to her and was passing by the table and ran my hand over her crystal ball. I heard a rumble of thunder and saw a flash of lightning. The crystal ball started to get cloudy and I tried to pull my hand away from the glass but I couldn’t and then I saw…”

He sucked in a harsh breath. It wasn’t that it was the moment of truth and that he had to tell Truman about the vision. It was that he could see it again. He could see the whole vision playing out in his mind’s eye. Carson could feel tears starting to build.

“It’s okay, Carson.” Cole set a hand on his shoulder.

“What did you see?” Truman leaned forward in his chair.

“I saw a handsome man with dark hair and green eyes.” Carson looked up at him. “The man was wearing a white dress shirt and a tie with Christmas trees all over it. He was holding his arms up in the air like this.” Carson put his hands up like he was being robbed.

Cassie gasped.

“Then his body jolted and a patch of crimson appeared over his heart and started to spread. A second later his body melted to the ground. I could see the dark marble floor he landed on. It was blackish, with threads of iridescent white running through it.”

Truman and Cassie exchanged a shocked look between them.

“A short blond woman ran to the man’s side. I couldn’t hear what she was saying but another person came into the picture and started dialing 911. The woman started doing CPR, but…”

“But what, Carson?” Truman asked. When he didn’t answer, he looked around the table. “But what?” he shouted.

Tears cascaded down Carson’s cheeks. “I watched the light and life drain from the man’s eyes. I watched him die, Truman. I watched you die.” Carson looked up at Truman who was just staring back at him with his mouth hanging open silently.

The room was silent for a minute. “Then my eyes snapped open again and I was on the floor. I could hear the chimes ringing only there was no way I could have rung them. I told Cole about the vision and we both decided that Mom sent it to me.” Carson paused to look up at Truman who was now wearing an unreadable look on his face. “I decided that I needed to find the man that I saw, uh, die, and save him.” Carson saw the look on Truman’s face change to shock.

“How did you find him?” Cassie asked.

“When Truman was standing with his hands up, there was a banner behind him that said, ‘Merry Christmas from Gemtronics,’ so I had a jumping off point.”

“A jumping off point?” Truman sounded dubious.

“Yeah, I Googled the company. I’d never heard of it before. I mean, there wasn’t much I could do if the company was in California. I don’t have a lot of money, but, when I saw it was here in Massachusetts, I got in the car and programmed Google Maps to take me there. I sat in my Honda and watched for you and then when I saw you run to the little café, I followed you in.”

“Wait!” Color flooded Truman’s face. “You stalked me? You followed me into the restaurant and sat down with me at lunch, all on purpose?”

“I didn’t stalk you, Truman.” Christ, he was making Carson sound like a criminal.

“You showed up the next day too, like it was some kind of fucking coincidence. Like you never thought you’d see me again, but you’d been sitting in your car watching me like some kind of a stalking sicko!”

“I didn’t stalk you!” Carson swiped away at angry tears. Talk about worst-case scenario.

“What the hell would you call it then?”

“I was running intel.” Carson threw up his hands. “I saw a man I didn’t know die. What was I supposed to do, Truman, let you die? I took time away from my life and my business to track down a total stranger. At the time, I didn’t know if you worked for Gemtronics or if you were someone’s plus one. I couldn’t walk into the building and ask if a dark-haired, green-eyed man worked there because how crazy is that? So I sat in my car in the freezing parking lot all morning, hoping to find you. Then, when I did, I had to go to the bathroom so bad, I was on the verge of having an accident.”

Carson swiped away at more angry tears. He thought Truman would at least listen to what he had to say, but honestly hadn’t expected this much open hostility from him. He knew how crazy this story sounded, but shouldn’t the love Truman had for him earn Carson some good faith?

“So I followed you into the restaurant and watched you order your lunch. I was praying the whole time that you’d eat-in so I could run and pee and not miss you leaving. When I came back out, my adrenaline wasn’t pumping as hard anymore and I realized I was starving. I only had a donut that morning, so I grabbed lunch too.” Carson took a deep breath, this memory of there only being one empty seat in the place was his favorite. He knew Truman would sneer over it and he just wanted one more moment for it to be special without it being ruined. “I was going to sit near you and just watch you, but the only open seat was the one right across from you. Shit, Truman. For the last two weeks you’ve been talking about how we were meant to be and how it was fate that brought us together that day.”

“It was a crime that brought us together that day,” Truman sneered, reaching into his back pocket for his phone. “I should call the cops on you right now.”

“For what? Trying to save your life?” Carson threw his hands up in despair.

Cassie grabbed his arm and yanked him back into his seat. “Truman, I swear to Christ. Shut the hell up and let Carson finish. I know you’re angry, but look at him. This is a man who loves you and telling this story is tearing him apart. He watched you die, Truman.”

“Three times,” Carson whispered.

“What?” Truman sounded stunned.

“Tell him the rest,” Cole urged.

“There’s more?” Truman looked like he couldn’t believe there was more to the story.

Carson nodded. “I didn’t know if the first vision was a lark or… I didn’t know what it was, so I came back in here with Cole and asked my mother for more help. I told her I wanted to see the shooter or see more of what happened to you. I figured the more information I had, the better I could protect you.” Carson shrugged and took a deep breath. “This time the vision wasn’t like the first one. This time I was you. I was the one who was shot. I could feel the pain. I could see through your eyes. I hit the floor and I could see the color of the marble tile and I could see everyone’s shoes. The shooter was wearing dark work boots. Snow was melting off them and was making puddles at the base of them. He had on dark blue or black jeans and a stained tan-colored Carhartt jacket and a dirty Red Sox hat. His eyes were bluish and filled with rage. He held the gun in his left hand. A blond woman bent over me. I know now it’s Cassie. She kept yelling, ‘Stay with me, Truman. Stay with me.’ I tried to focus on her when she was doing CPR, but it kept getting harder and harder to do that. Finally my sight, your sight, Truman, faded out altogether.” Carson took a harsh breath. He was battling not to break down into tears again.

Cole set a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “After the vision ended. He fell to the floor and when he woke up, he asked me to grab my sketch pad. I drew this.” Cole flipped over the drawing.

“Oh my God!” Cassie clutched Truman’s arm.

“Do you know who that is, Truman?” Carson asked.

Truman nodded. “It’s Mike Davenport. It’s the guy I fired on December 1st.”

Carson relaxed back into his seat. At least Truman believed him. Maybe now he had a chance to save his soulmate's life.

 

30
Truman

 

Even though he was seeing the drawing with his own eyes, none of this made sense. Visions. A sketch of a man he fired. Carson knowing what the lobby of his office building looked like. His dead body lying on that very floor. His head was spinning and he couldn’t make sense of any of this.

“You said there was another vision?” Cassie asked. She was still clutching Truman’s arm. She looked pretty shaken by the drawing of Mike Davenport.

Carson nodded. “My mother used to tell us the future was fluid. That it changed when other influences acted upon it. Any moment can be a new start, she’d tell me. After Truman and I fell in love and said those words out loud, I hoped that was enough to change his future. So I tried the ball again.” Carson angled his chin toward the crystal ball but made no move to touch it. His blue eyes glittered with unshed tears.

“What happened?” Cassie asked.

“I watched Truman die for the third time, only this time I was the shooter.” Carson’s voice was barely above a whisper. It was dead-silent in the room. “I heard a crack of what I thought was thunder, but it turned out to be the gunshot. I saw the bullet strike his chest. I saw the crimson bloom through his shirt. I saw him fall.” Carson’s eyes looked unfocused and blurry with tears. They started falling down his face.

“All I could feel was rage. It was in every cell of my body. It burned white-hot like no anger I’ve ever felt in my life. Once Truman fell and the pool of blood started to spread around him, I felt this bone-deep satisfaction. An eye for an eye is how the feeling read, like he’d done what he’d come there to do. Then I was tackled to the ground and the vision ended.” Carson looked up at Truman. “I’ve never been angry at my mother in my entire life, Truman. Not when she brought Cole home from the hospital or when she kicked my dad out. Not even when she died. But I was mad at her that night. I was angry that I couldn’t see a vision of you where you weren’t lying dead in a pool of your own blood. I begged her to see our lives if I succeeded.”

“Succeeded?” Truman didn’t recognize his own voice.

“If I managed to somehow save you from the gunman’s bullet.” Carson shook his head. “So I touched the ball again, but nothing happened.”

Truman snorted and rolled his eyes. Of course nothing happened because this was all a bunch of bullshit.

“Then I smelled tomato sauce and you hugged me from behind. I opened my eyes and I could see your kitchen and could hear two toddlers squealing your name-”

“Okay, that’s it!” Truman stood up quickly knocking the chair back behind him. “I can’t take anymore of this.”

Carson gasped and tears started streaking down his face.

Cole reached out for his brother, pulling him into his arms.

Truman could see Cole whispering to him, but couldn’t make out the words. Truth be told, he didn’t want to make out the words.  "So that's it" Truman demanded. "That's the whole story?"

Carson pulled back from Cole. He wiped his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, that's it. I lied to you about working at the shoe company and kept the visions and what I really do for a living a secret, but everything else is the truth. I love you, Truman. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I truly believe my mother sent me that first vision because you're my soulmate."

"Soulmate?" Truman scoffed. "You lied to me. Deceived me. Stalked me. Lied to me. Fucked me. Staked me out and lied to me and I'm your soulmate?" He laughed. "Well fuck, Carson! If this is love, I'd hate to see how you treat someone you hate."

"Now hold on a minute, Truman." Cole stood up. He was an inch or two taller than Truman.

"It’s okay, Cole. Truman has every right to be angry at me,” Carson said quietly.

"Oh, do I, Carson? Thanks for that." 

"All that matters here is you surviving, Truman. I set out to save your life, and love me or hate me, that's all that matters right now. You said that you need that Christmas bonus to pay an extra mortgage payment on your house? Tell me the amount and I'll write you a check now." Carson dashed out of the room. He came back in a second later carrying a checkbook. 

"We can't afford that, Carson," Cole whispered. 

"I'll get a job working nights at the twenty-four hour Walgreens over on Market Street. I love him, Cole. Even if he hates me. I've lived with the vision of his dead eyes in my mind for weeks now. If that vision becomes a reality, I won't survive it."

"Oh for God’s sake," Truman scoffed. "You said it yourself that you’re a fake psychic. Now you expect me to believe this isn't some huge put up job? How the hell do I know you weren't stalking me from the beginning? You said your father was a thief, maybe you are too. Maybe you were looking for a gullible man who was an easy mark."

"Jesus, Truman, no! For the last time, I was not stalking you! I love you." Carson took a step forward, stumbling before he caught his balance again. 

"I don't believe you. I don't believe any of this." Truman meant every word. The man standing in front of him couldn’t be his soulmate. He was a total stranger.

"Tru, how do you explain Carson knowing about the marble floor in our lobby, or about that ridiculous Christmas tie you wear every year or about Mike Davenport?"

"Jesus, Cassie, these people are professionals. There must be pictures of last year's Christmas party all over the internet. Pictures of me in that tie. Pictures of the lobby at Gemtronics. Let's go. I can't stay here one more minute." Truman strode toward the front door.

"Please don't go to the party!" Carson cried out. "Truman, please!'

Truman heard every pained word Carson shouted, but it was too late. He wasn't turning back. 

 

 

 

 

31
Carson

 

Carson collapsed back into his seat the minute the shop door slammed behind Truman. Cole sat down next to him. Neither of them moved. Neither brother said a word.

He could still smell Truman's light cologne and knew it would be for the last time. Carson didn't need to be a real psychic to know he'd blown it. He'd been given one job: save Truman's life, and he'd failed. "He's going to the party. It's like when you tell a kid not to touch a hot stove and they do it just to spite you. Only he's not gonna get burned, Cole. He's going to die."

"Does this mean you're giving up?" Cole’s dark eyes focused on his older brother.

"Realistically, what are my options? Show up at the party uninvited? Wait in the parking lot for this Davenport guy and confront him myself? Call the cops and sound like a crackpot? What if Truman files a restraining order against me?" Carson sighed.

"Our options are limited," Cole agreed.

"Our options?"

"You're my brother, Carson. You know I'm in this with you all the way."

"I know." Carson felt the tears starting again. He was a mess, but now wasn't the time to give in to the tears and let them fall.

"Touch the ball."

"What?" Cole had lost his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was touch the ball again. What if things had gone from bad to worse? What if someone else besides Truman died now? What if Cassie tried to talk the gunman down and he shot her too? According to Truman, she was in the room when Davenport was fired.

"Maybe this fight changed things? Cassie believed you. I could see it in her eyes. She was scared for Truman and they are obviously close. She might be able to talk him out of going to the party.” Cole sounded hopeful.

"I'm scared, Cole."

"I'm right here, brother."

"You always have been." Carson held a shaking hand out and touched the crystal ball. The faint rumble of thunder sounded in his ears and then there was nothing. There was no sound, no light, no smell. He was about to pull his hand off the cool glass when an image swam into view. 

He could see a swirl of red and white lights and the wail of sirens. Voices swam up to him calling out like in a medical drama on television before he was looking at his brother again.

"What happened?" Cole's look was anxious.

"I don't know. I could hear sirens and see flashing lights. Then I could hear paramedics or maybe doctors shouting fast-talk like you hear on television. I don't know who the patient was. I don't even know if this had anything to do with Truman. I could be on to my next case, like a weird psychic version of Mary Poppins." Carson laughed ruefully.

“He’ll come around.”

“I don’t know if he will.” Carson had been watching Truman closely the entire time he’d been talking. He’d seen the play of emotions in his eyes. Anger. Fear. Disbelief. Hate. “All I wanted to do was save his life. I didn’t go into this planning on falling in love with him.”

“I know you didn’t, but Mom or God or fate had other plans.” Cole pulled Carson in for a hug. “We still don’t know how this story is supposed to end.

Carson held on tight and prayed for Truman.

 

 

 

32
Truman

The car ride back to Truman’s house was quiet. Cassie hadn’t even turned on the car radio. She pulled into an empty parking spot in front of his house and hopped out of the car. He hadn’t been expecting that. He’d ruined her fun day out at the psychic shop. The last thing he expected was for her to be in the mood to baby him.

“Come on! Out!” Cassie’s voice was tight. Her anger barely restrained.

Okay, maybe babying him wasn’t on her top ten list of things to do this afternoon. Truman climbed out of the car and fished his keys out of his pocket. He wasn’t sure if Cassie was coming into the house with him or if she was going to get back in the car and speed off. If it was the latter, he wouldn’t blame her at all. If she came into the house with him, he’d have to hide the cutlery. She looked fit to be tied.

He trudged up the front stairs. Sadie was barking for him in front of the door. The little dog was going to be disappointed to see Carson wasn’t with him.

Where had that come from? Sadie was going to have to get used to not having him around anymore. As far as he was concerned, Carson Craig and his crazy, stalking ass were out of his life forever.

“Hello, Princess. Daddy’s home.” He turned to look behind him and saw Cassie on the stairs. Auntie Cass is here too.” He stepped into the hallway and toed out of his boots.

Cassie took off her coat before bending down to scoop Sadie into her arms. “Hello sweetums. I could sure use some love.”

Truman walked past her into the living room and sank down into the couch, his arm slung over his eyes to protect them from the light. He had one hell of a headache brewing.

“Oh good. You’re going to die in six days and you’re lying down on the couch. Good strategy, Tru.” Cassie carried the dog into the kitchen. Truman could hear her rummaging around.

“Cassie, what are you doing?” Truman called from the couch. She still sounded pissed. He was sort of scared to walk into the kitchen and confront her anger. He was half-convinced he deserved it.

Against his better judgment, Truman hauled himself off the couch and into the kitchen. His best friend was making tea. As far as he knew, tea never actually made anyone feel better, but if Cassie wanted to make it, he’d sit and drink it.

“I’m making tea and trying to figure out how to get you to listen to reason.” She added a tea bag to each of their mugs before grabbing the steaming kettle off the stove and pouring the water into their cups.

“Reason? Is that what we sat and listened to?” Truman’s head was still spinning over the story Carson told them.

“Truman, three hours ago you were so in love with this man that you were going to propose to him. Yes, he lied to you about his job and how you met, but Jesus, we’re talking about your life here. If you want to be mad at him, be mad at him, but at least be alive to be mad at him!”

“That made no sense.” Truman dunked his tea bag, knowing full well he was supposed to let the peppermint tea steep.

“What are you really upset about here?” Cassie blew out a frustrated breath.

That was a fair question. What was he really mad about? Carson hadn’t cheated on him. Truman was in his right mind enough to have believed that part of the cockamamie story Carson had spun for him this morning.

“Are you mad at Carson for lying or are you scared about the visions and what he saw?”

Truman looked up at Cassie. His best friend had tears glittering in her eyes. “You’re scared.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, I’m scared, you idiot! You know I love you like a brother. I was angry at first too, Tru. I was mad that Carson deceived me and took my money when I was in his store last year, but then he said his mother died a year ago. It’s nine days until Christmas, Truman and his mother died about a year ago, so that boy was just trying to live out his mother’s dying wish by keeping their family business open when he read me last year. I can’t be angry at him for that. Then, I was angry at him for stalking you, like you said, but then I thought about that too. Carson didn’t know you from Adam, but he tried to find you so he could save your life.”

“Jesus, Cassie, I-”

She held a hand up to stop him. “I’m not finished. Think about how terrified he must have been to have that first vision. To see a man get shot and die in front of him. How brave was it of him to set off to try to find you. How much braver was it to meet you and befriend you? Then he fell in love with you knowing he could lose you! Or knowing what happened today was a very real possibility. Not to mention that admitting how he earns a living could ruin him if you breathe a word of it. He risked everything to find you and love you, Truman.”

“I risked a lot too.” Truman knew he sounded bitchy, but Carson shouldn’t get all the credit here.

“I know you did, sweetheart. Falling in love is always a risk.”

“What if this vision thing is all a bunch of bullshit? What if he made it all up?” Truman was serious. He wasn’t asking this question out of spite. What if Carson made it all up?

“We both saw the same thing today. We saw a man in anguish. Granted, you know him better than I do, but he looked like a man on the edge, desperate to save you from something awful.”

“Or he was desperate to save his mark.”

Cassie deflated right before his eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me, Truman? That’s the line you’re going with? You told me every time you went out, Carson paid. If he was trying to take advantage of you, he would have let you pay. Christ, he offered to write you a check today for your Christmas bonus so that you wouldn’t go to that party. His brother’s eyeballs almost popped out of his head. They obviously couldn’t afford that, but he was willing to do it to save you.” Cassie shook her head and dumped her tea down the drain. “I have to go. I can’t sit here and listen to you talk like this. Six days, Truman. You’ve got six days to come to your senses and save yourself. I can’t do it. Carson sure as hell couldn’t. All you’ve got left is yourself.”

 

 

 

33
Carson

 

It hadn’t been easy, but Carson had managed to pull himself back together to get through the rest of his readings on Saturday. With it being this close to Christmas, he’d been booked solid with readings.

With the shop being closed on Sunday, he’d spent the entire day in bed. It was supposed to have been the day he met Truman’s family for the first time. He couldn’t help wondering what excuse Truman had given them for his absence, if Truman had gone to dinner with his family at all.

He’d had his phone in his hand a dozen times over the course of the weekend, but had no idea what he’d say to Truman. Should he apologize again? Should he ask to see Truman so they could talk one-on-one? Should he just send his love?

Carson had no doubt that his now ex-boyfriend still loved him. Feelings that strong don’t just evaporate like a puddle on a sunny afternoon.

He felt lost for so many reasons. He’d meant what he said yesterday that it didn’t matter if he and Truman never got back together. All that mattered was that the gunman was stopped and that Truman was okay.

Rolling over in bed, he saw it was almost 9am. Another Monday. The last thing he wanted to do was go open the shop, but it was December 18th and Christmas was his busiest time of year. He had three readings scheduled today and now that school was over for the semester, Cole would be working full-time with him.

His brother was making pancakes when he stumbled into the kitchen after a quick shower. “What’s all this?”

“Couldn’t sleep, so I made us pancakes. You didn’t really eat much this weekend.” Cole hugged him.

“Yeah, well, when the love of your life hates you, and oh, by the way is gonna die in a few days, it doesn’t exactly inspire me to want to eat.” Carson rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be like that, but…”

“I hear you,” Cole sighed. “Did you come up with any new ideas to get Truman to listen to you?”

“I thought maybe I’d reach out to Cassie. Maybe I’ll call her at the office today.” It was obvious how close the two of them were. Cassie was Carson’s last best hope to save Truman’s life. Before she’d left the store Monday, they’d exchanged cell phone numbers. “My only other option is to kidnap him.”

“That’s not a bad idea you know,” Cole said thoughtfully.

“Jesus, Cole! I was kidding.” He wasn’t. Not really. It was the last, best option Carson had.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. I mean we’re talking about his life. If it were just a break up, you could live with that, but he’s going to die, Carson. You’ve seen it. I’ve seen what those visions have done to you. Even if I weren’t your brother I could see that you were telling the truth even though Truman couldn’t.”

“He’s just angry and hurt.” Carson didn’t mean to make excuses for Truman.

“He doesn’t have that luxury right now. His pride is going to get him killed!” Cole shouted.

“Let me call Cassie today and if she can’t get anywhere with him then we’ll revisit the idea of kidnapping, okay?” Carson couldn’t believe he was even considering the possibility of committing a crime, but if it saved Truman’s life. He’d do it in a heartbeat. No regrets.

After a quick breakfast, Carson headed down to the store. He was sweeping the reading room when a jingle of the front door chimes alerted him to the first customer of the day. “Good morning!” he greeted, walking into the main room of the store. A familiar face was waiting for him. “Cassie?”

“Good morning, Carson. I hope I haven’t come at a bad time?” She looked nervous.

“No, I don’t have a reading scheduled until 11am this morning. Let me just get my brother to come watch the store.” With shaking hands, Carson dug his phone out of his back pocket and sent a quick text to Cole. “I owe you a reading anyway. Come on back.” He held out a hand to escort her to the reading room when he heard his brother’s heavy tread on the back stairs.

“Can you do that now? I mean, for real?” Cassie slid off her coat and sat in the seat she’d taken on Saturday.

Carson nodded. “A little bit with my new found psychic abilities. I’m still learning how to use them.”

“If you don’t mind me saying so, you look like shit.” The look on her face said she wasn’t kidding.

Carson burst out laughing. It was the first time he’d laughed since the last night he’d been with Truman. The sound rang hollow in his ears. “Feel like shit too.” He shrugged. “Have you spoken to Truman?” He wasn’t sure he should ask Cassie since she was Truman’s friend and didn’t want her to break his confidence, but Carson had to know.

“I went home with him on Saturday. He’s as stubborn as a pack of mules. I tried to get him to see reason, but he’s angry and hurt. I haven’t heard from him since.” She took a deep breath and focused on Carson. “I’m here because I need you to be straight with me, Carson. Did you really see what you claimed? Truman thinks you Googled him and saw his Christmas tie or saw pictures of last year’s Christmas party and that’s how you know what the lobby of our building looks like. I Googled it myself and couldn’t find any pictures like that. There was nothing online about Mike Davenport either.”

“Everything I told you on Saturday was the God’s honest truth. I’d never seen Truman before the vision. I’d never seen him in the flesh until he came out of the Gemtronics building all bundled up in his winter coat running toward the café.”

“That was the Monday after we’d fired Mike. He was so rattled by what happened. A fired employee had never gotten physical with him before. He told me later that he was scared to leave the building that day. He didn’t even know why he did it.”

“He did it because we were supposed to meet each other.” Carson shrugged. “I truly believe I’m meant to save him.” And love him… Now wasn’t the time or place to say that though.

"Have you tried to touch the crystal ball since Saturday?" Her eyes wandered over to the clear orb.

Carson nodded. "I could see a blur of red and white flashing lights and hear the wailing sirens of an ambulance. Then I could hear fast medical speak like you hear on ER or one of those medical drama shows. I don't know who the patient was or even if the vision had anything to do with Truman."

"Now what?" Cassie sat forward in her chair.

"Cole thought maybe I could kidnap him."

Cassie started to laugh. "The stubborn bastard would deserve that."

"Is he really that stubborn or is he just that mad at me?" Carson couldn’t decide for himself.

"I don't know, Carson. Did he ever tell you about his ex Mitchell?"

"Is that the perfectionist?"

Cassie nodded. "Yeah. That prick really did a number on his self-esteem. It took him a long time to bounce back from that. When he met you, he changed for the better. There was always a genuine smile on his face and he was so happy. He was encouraging me to find love myself because he wanted me to be as happy as he was with you."

"I never meant to hurt him. I just didn't know how to tell him about this. I mean, how do you tell your boyfriend that you had a vision where you watched him die?" Carson could feel the tears coming back. He'd managed not to cry all morning, but he couldn't bear the thought of Truman cold in his grave. 

"I can see how much you love him." Cassie dug into her purse and pulled something out. She pushed an envelope across the table toward him. 

"What's this?" Carson flipped the unsealed envelope over.

"It's your ticket to the Gemtronics Christmas party. If Truman doesn't come to his senses by Friday night, at least you'll be able to get into the party without causing a scene.”

"I can't thank you enough for this, Cassie. Maybe now this means I won't have to kidnap him."

"That's a shame, I was kind of looking forward to the ransom notes and pictures of him duct taped to the Christmas tree!" She burst out laughing. "So now that I've done you a solid, what do you see in my future?"

"You're going to marry my brother. Welcome to the family!' Carson slapped his hands over his mouth, his eyes going wide.

"Very funny." She studied him for a second. "Wait! Are you serious?"

Carson nodded, his hands still over his mouth. He could see it all clear as day. "Your dress is one of those high-lo things where it’s longer in the back than in the front. You’re at the beach and Cole is wearing a Tommy Bahama shirt. So am I, but I don't see Truman..." Carson trailed off and burst into tears. 

 

 

 

34
Truman

 

"You went to see him, didn't you?" Truman demanded first thing Tuesday morning.

Cassie was still wearing her winter jacket. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, good morning to you too, sunshine."

"You didn't answer my question." Damn, he was an asshole. This wasn't like him at all. He wasn't this guy.

"Sit down and shut up, Truman." Cassie shrugged out of her coat and went to hang it up on the peg attached to the back of her office door. 

Truman had never heard that tone in her voice before. He obeyed and sat down.

"You seem to think this is some kind of a joke. Like at some point Carson, Cole and I are all going to jump out from behind some door and shout, 'Surprise!' Well, this isn't a joke, Tru and this isn't Candid Camera." Cassie slumped into her office chair and turned on the computer. 

Truman studied his friend. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep. It wasn't like her to call in sick on a Monday. Whatever she'd been off doing yesterday, it wasn't sleeping. 

"You look like shit and you smell. When was the last time you ate, slept or even showered?"

Those were good questions. "I don't know. I might have gotten an hour or two last night and I think I showered Saturday morning."

"You realize this is Tuesday, right?" Cassie asked.

Truman half-snarled at her. "You didn't answer my original question."

"You mean your original demand, Inquisitor?"

"Cassie," Truman warned. This attitude wasn’t like him at all. This whole thing with Carson really had him turned inside out.

"Yes, I went to see Carson yesterday. For your information, he looks as bad as you do, although I will say at least he's showering."

"Why did you do that?" He could feel his anger rising. She was his friend. What the fuck was she doing going to visit Carson?

"Are you going to listen to what I have to say or are you going to be so angry at me that you block out everything I have to say just like you did with Carson?"

"I didn't do that,” Truman said softly. He might have done that. Sort of. Maybe.

"Yes, you did. If you didn't, you wouldn't be acting like a fucking pre-schooler who needs a nap and a juice box."

Truman pouted. He knew he was proving Cassie's point. 

"This is your life, Truman. Whether you believe in psychics or not, we're talking about your life here. What the fuck harm will it do to stay home from the party on Friday night? So you miss making an extra payment on your house. Big deal, at least you'll be alive to make the January mortgage payment."

Truman rolled his eyes. It always came back around to Carson and those damn visions.

"Would you believe the message if it came from anyone else besides Carson?" Cassie threw her hands up in the air.

"Are you consulting other psychics? Greek oracles perhaps? A magic eight ball?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Cassie shook her head, when she looked up at Truman her eyes were filled with tears. "I believe what Carson said, not because I believe in psychics, Greek oracles and magic eight balls, but because I could see the raw pain in his eyes. That man loves you and it's killing him to think that he failed you."

"He shouldn't have lied to me." Truman folded his arms over his chest. 

"What would you have done if he'd told you about the vision that first day at the cafe?"

"What?"

"You heard me, Tru. If instead of getting to know you over lunch that first day, what if he'd introduced himself as Carson Craig, the West Side Psychic, and told you that he had a vision where he saw you get shot by a gunman at a Christmas party. What would you have done?"

What would he have done? "I would have called him a crackpot and walked away."

"Don't you think he knew that? Carson was between a rock and a hard place, Truman. He needed to find a way to meet you and get you to trust him enough to tell you the story so he could save you. He didn't anticipate falling in love with you."

He had no snarky comeback for that.

"You've got three days left, Truman. Maybe you'll spend a minute or two of that time thinking about how you would have handled this situation if you'd been the one in Carson's shoes."

"You sound like you're on his side."

"There's only one side here, you ridiculous man! No one wants to go to your damn funeral. Now get out of my office! I have work to do."

Truman did what she asked and headed back to his own office. He sent a quick email to his boss telling him he was taking the rest of the day off. He'd spent the weekend bumming around his house doing everything in his power not to think about Carson. Maybe now was the time to do what Cassie said and look at this from Carson's point of view. 

 

 

 

35
Carson

Friday morning dawned cold and grey. Carson knew it would. He’d seen the melting snow on Mike Davenport’s boots in his vision, so he knew the weather was going to take a turn for the worse at some point during the day.

He’d sent Truman half a dozen messages over the last few days, but his ex-boyfriend hadn’t responded to any of them. Thanks to the cruel technology of his iPhone, he could see that Truman had read them, but so far, radio silence. The last message had been a simple, “I love you.” If those were the last words they ever exchanged, Carson was glad they were words of love.

No matter how much he and Cole brainstormed, they hadn’t been able to come up with any other ideas, apart from kidnapping Truman, to keep him from going to the Christmas party tonight. Carson wasn’t willing to let Cole be a part of anything like that, and truth be told, doing something like that to Truman wasn’t fair.

His mule-stubborn ex had a right to his own opinion and if he didn’t believe in Carson’s visions then that was the end of the story. Carson would have to find some other way to stop Mike Davenport from killing him.

While he thought things over, Carson was standing in the doorway of his mother’s reading room staring at the crystal ball as if he were trying to size it up.

“One more time for old times sake?” Cole asked from behind him.

Carson shrugged. Hell, what did he have to lose? He sat at his mother’s usual spot and waited for Cole to sit next to him. “Please, Mom,” he whispered before reaching out to touch the crystal ball. 

Carson saw a blinding white light. His eyes slammed shut against it. He gave himself a moment to adjust before trying to open them again. This time, the light wasn’t so harsh and he was able to keep them open. The light surrounded him on all sides and there was no sound. He was alone. “Mom?”  Carson turned around and could see nothing. He couldn’t sense anyone there with him. “God, if you can hear me, please spare Truman. If you have to take someone, please take me. Please let Truman live.” Carson shut his eyes and let the light hold him.

“Damn it, Carson! Wake up!” Cole was shaking his shoulder. Hard.

“What? I’m right here!” Carson didn’t understand why his brother sounded so panicked.

“Jesus Christ, Carson! You weren’t.”

“What do you mean I wasn’t? Did I disappear?” He felt totally at peace. It didn’t make any sense that Cole was panicking like this.

“No, you were here, but you weren’t responding. I don’t think you were breathing.” Cole sat back, looking like he was trying to catch his breath.

Carson searched Cole’s dark eyes. He could see residual fear there. With everything going on with Truman and the visions, he was going to keep what he’d just seen to himself. He had a feeling white light plus him not responding to Cole might mean he’d been in heaven. “I’m sure that wasn’t the case, Cole. Some psychics who have visions enter a deep state of mediation like the Tibetan Yogis where they only breathe a few times a minute.” He had no idea if this was true or not, but based on the relieved look on his brother’s face, Cole believed him and that was all that mattered.

Cole hopped back to his feet and pulled Carson up with him. “What did you see?”

“Nothing.” Carson braced his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths.

“Come on, seriously. You were barely breathing.”

“I saw nothing, just white light. No sound. No color. Nothing.”

Cole looked stunned. “What do you think it means?”

Carson thought it meant someone was going to die, but he wasn’t about to tell Cole that. “I think it means I’ve gotten all the information there is to give.”

“What’s your plan for the night?” Cole helped Carson sit back down.

This was the part of the conversation he was dreading. “Sit, Cole. I have a lot to tell you.”

“Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a bad conversation?”

Carson shrugged. “Because it is.” Even though he’d been sending Truman messages all week and had been praying to God and any Spirit who would listen, Carson had still been putting things in order. “There’s a folder on the desk in my bedroom marked with your name on it.”

“Okay. What’s in it?” Cole wore a wary look.

“My will,” Cole said simply. Of course that wasn’t all that was in the accordion file.

“Jesus Christ,” Cole murmured.

“Trust me. It’s for the best. “I left everything to you. My half of the house and the store. I’m not going to make you promise to keep it open like Mom did to us. That’s not fair.”

Cole nodded silently.

“I’ve also been to McMurray Funeral Home.”

Cole sputtered, but couldn’t seem to find any words.

“I picked out everything, down to the clothes I want to be buried in and the headstone. All of the information is in the folder, along with a letter to Truman. Will you make sure he gets it?”

Tears tracked down Cole’s cheeks. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this, Carson. We only lost Mom a year ago. I can’t lose you too. You’re all I’ve got.”

Carson set a hand on top of Cole’s. “No, I’m not. There’s someone else on your horizon.”

“Shit, now you sound like Mom.” Cole half-laughed.

Carson laughed along with him. “I know. She came to me out of the blue, but I’m positive I’m right.”

“What’s on the horizon isn’t the point. You’re my brother. I want you in my life. I don’t want to have to touch some damn crystal ball to talk to you.”

“This is all just in case.” Carson’s heart pinched. He couldn’t help remembering the way Truman laughed over his just-in-case bag with its overnight supplies and oversized packages of condoms and lube. “I need to know you’re protected if the worst-case scenario happens tonight.”

“So let me come with you, so we have two sets of eyes on the gunman.” Cole’s eyes were filled with desperation and fear.

“No way! I’m not putting you in the middle of this. Having Truman and Cassie there will be bad enough.” Carson hoped Cole didn’t ask why Cassie figured into the equation of people he needed to protect. It was just one more layer of why tonight meant so damn much.

If his stubborn-ass ex-boyfriend would just stay home, none of them would be in harm’s way. Cassie had promised to keep him up-to-date with Truman’s movements tonight, so he’d know what was going on. In the meantime, the only thing he could do was pray.

 

 

36
Truman

Truman tugged on his Christmas tree tie. Even though it was tied loosely, it felt like it was cutting of his air supply. He was standing in the lobby of the Gemtronics building watching as his fellow co-workers enjoyed themselves at the party. He was miserable.

He’d spent the last two days lost in a mire of his own thoughts. One minute he was reliving all of the happy moments he and Carson spent together and the next minute he was raging over Carson’s betrayal.

Trying to take Cassie’s advice and put himself in Carson’s shoes had been hard. He was man enough to admit his ex had been between a rock and hard place when it had come to finding the right time and place to tell him about the visions.

Guilt swamped over him again. He remembered telling Carson there was nothing he could do that Truman couldn’t forgive, but he hadn’t been able to forgive this, so far.

Part of him knew that Carson believed in the visions but the other, admittedly more cynical part of himself, believed the idea of a psychic vision was pure bullshit. He was here at the party tonight because that side of himself insisted he come.

He reasoned that on the off-chance that Carson was right, he’d be able to see Mike Davenport coming a mile away. Carson said that Mike would be wearing a Sox cap and a dirty tan-colored jacket. In a crowd of people dressed in suits and fancy sequined dresses, Mike would stand out like a sore thumb.

Just in case, he’d made sure the alarm was set in all other areas of the building aside from the lobby and spoke with the attendants who’d be taking tickets for the party at the door. He made sure to stress, several times in fact, that no one was to be let inside without a valid ticket. 

Mike had been let go before tickets to the party had been handed out to employees and he hadn’t gotten around to giving out the plus one ticket he’d gotten for Carson. No one who didn’t belong at the Gemtronics party would be able to get in.

Not that Carson had been lurking around or been trying to make contact with him, aside from a few well spaced out text messages. Truman had gotten them all and read them several times. He hadn’t written back.

The truth of the matter was that he wanted to write back to Carson at some point. He was trying to work through his anger and stupid pride. Part of the anger involved in this whole tangle was at himself. Why hadn’t Carson thought he couldn’t come to him with these visions?

It was a ridiculous thing to ask considering the way he’d flown off the handle when Carson had finally told the story. Truman had reasoned with himself that he wouldn’t have been this upset if Carson had come to him with the truth first instead of him having to find it out because he and Cassie had walked into his psychic shop on the Saturday before Christmas.

Of course Carson would call it fate. He called this whole thing fate. “The hand of fate was touching all of this,” isn’t that what he’d said?

“Truman?”

“Jesus Christ!” He jumped a mile and spun around to see Cassie standing behind him.

“Jumpy much?” She raised an eyebrow in question.

Truman sighed. This was the first time since his mini-meltdown in her office on Tuesday that he and Cassie had spoken. “Hi, Cass. I’m such a jackass.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Tru.” She hugged him. “What the hell are you doing here?” She shook her head. “I mean I know you’re pigheaded sometimes, but this goes above and beyond that.”

“I’m not…” He sighed. “I just…”

“Spit it out.”

“I figured forewarned is forearmed, right? I mean if we know Mike is coming, we can guard against him.”

Cassie knocked against his chest. “How do you figure? He has a gun and you’re not wearing Kevlar, Superman.”

“I spoke with the people taking tickets at the door. They aren’t going to let anyone in who doesn’t have a ticket. And I set the alarm on its highest level so if anyone tries to access the building from any other point of ingress, the alarm will sound.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Right and so when Mike says he had already turned his ticket in before he ran out to his car to get something and the five dollar an hour guy just lets him into the building, then what? Or when he tries to open one of the alarmed doors and the friggen alarm is going off and people are running to get out of the building and he shoots you in the chaos, then what? Or didn’t you think of these things, Einstein?” Cassie rolled her eyes heavenward as if she were asking for patience. “Carson had this crazy idea to kidnap you and duct tape you to the bed. I should have agreed to help him.”

Truman stood there thinking over what Cassie had just said. How could he have been that stupid? That simplistic? He felt a cold hand of dread snake around his heart and squeeze.

He was the one who’d been issuing tickets to this party. There were one hundred two co-workers and their plus ones, not to mention the five people who’d be stationed at the door taking tickets and the twenty or so people who were catering the event.

There were one hundred twenty-seven people here in this building. Truman suddenly felt very crowded and very alone at the same time. “Shit, Cassie, maybe we should go?” He reached out for her hand when a tall man stepped up to them.

“Going somewhere, asshole?”

 

 

 

37
Carson

The weatherman had been off about his prediction for when the snow would start and how heavy it would be. Carson should have known and should have planned ahead. The party started at 8pm and he wanted to be there at 7pm. Instead, he never ended up getting there until closer to the start of the party.

It had been his plan to sit in his car and watch people going into the party and keep his eye open for Davenport. With the snow falling as heavily as it was, it was hard to see people clearly enough to tell if they were alone or part of a couple or a group.

If he got out of the car now, this early, he risked Truman seeing him and causing a scene. On the other hand, if he waited too long, he might miss the enraged ex-employee going inside the building and wouldn’t be able to stop him from shooting Truman.

He pulled out his phone and texted Cassie. He’d have to count on her to keep Truman busy so he could get into the building without his ex seeing him.

It felt like hours passed before Cassie texted him back to say she was with Truman and had him positioned away from the door. He shoved the phone back in his jacket and bolted from the car.

Carson slipped twice on the slushy snow quickly building up in the parking lot. If he got to Truman on time he was going to have a strong word or two for him about the state of the parking lot and the people who plow it for Gemtronics. A guy could kill himself out here.

When he got to the door, Carson had a moment of pure panic when he couldn’t find his party ticket. Thankfully, he remembered that he put it in the inside pocket of his snow parka. His hands were shaking so badly when he handed the ticket over the man at the door, he was afraid they might not let him in. He shouldn’t have worried, the kid barely looked at him.

After he turned his coat over to the attendant, he set out to find Cassie and Truman. He was going to have to keep a low profile and stay out of Truman’s line of sight, while at the same time keeping his eyes peeled for Mike Davenport.

At least Carson had the foreknowledge of what this guy looked like and what he’d be wearing. He wasn’t going to be dressed to the nines like all of the other men here. He was also a tall man and would have a Red Sox cap on. That alone would make him stand out even more.

He was slowly turning around looking out for Truman and Mike when someone bumped into him from behind. “Sorry, man. I’m looking for my girlfriend.” A guy dressed in a dark suit grinned and hurried off.

Shit… Carson couldn’t afford distractions like that. He scanned the room and thought he saw Truman near the ten foot tall Christmas tree. He moved in that direction and got caught up in a sea of humanity who seemed to be moving en masse toward the makeshift bar which was set up behind him.

His heart rate kicked up when he caught a glimpse of Truman and Cassie standing together. Carson could see stone-cold fear on his lover’s face and he tried move faster to get to the two of them.

He was only a few steps away when he saw a Red Sox cap moving toward Truman and Cassie. Carson didn’t think. He just moved, shoving people out of the way as hard as he could.

“Going somewhere, asshole?”

Carson vaguely heard the man in the ball cap say. What caught his attention more was the glint of light off the barrel of the gun held in his left hand. Even though he knew he was running, it felt like he was moving in slow motion.

He saw Truman push Cassie behind him and saw his lover’s hands come up in the air. It was just like his vision and it was all coming true. Truman was going to end up with a bullet in his heart unless he could stop the crazed gunman from shooting him.

Running full-tilt, Carson knocked into Truman. He heard a loud report and felt a searing pain in his chest. His body hit the floor hard and he skidded for a few feet before coming to a stop.

It was absolute chaos. People were screaming and running for cover. All he could see from his position on the floor were polished loafers and glitzy high heels running for their lives.  Above the fracas, he thought he could hear people calling his name.

Truman’s face hovered above his own and he could see Cassie nearby. She was pulling out her phone. Carson snorted, hoping to Christ she was calling 911.

“Carson! Jesus Christ, can you hear me?” Truman asked. Tears were streaming down his face.

“You’re okay?” Carson whispered. The pain was almost too much for him to bear. He could feel himself starting to fade out of consciousness and knew he only had a few seconds left.

“I’m fine. You saved me. Your vision was right.” Truman sounded dazed.

“Don’t ever forget how much I love you…” Carson shut his eyes and saw no more.

 

38
Truman

Truman watched in horror as Carson’s blood flowed onto the lobby floor. People were screaming and running for cover.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his boss, Mark Rutherford, had tackled the shooter to the floor. In all of the chaos, he had no idea where the gun was.

“Truman!” Cassie shouted.

He turned his eyes back to her. “What?”

“Take off your shirt.”

He blinked but didn’t move.

“We need to stop the bleeding. Take off your shirt.” She reached across him and started yanking his white dress shirt out of his pants before going for his necktie.

He tried to undo his top button but his fingers wouldn’t work. This was his fault. Carson was lying on the floor bleeding because he’d been too stubborn to listen to Carson’s warnings.

Cassie grabbed him and started undoing his buttons. “Take it off, now!”

Moving mechanically, Truman managed to do what she asked. He watched while Cassie balled up his white shirt. She pressed it against the gunshot wound on Carson’s chest. “Put both hands here and press. Hard.”

When he set his hands on Carson’s chest, Cassie pressed her fingers to the side of Carson’s neck.

“Is his heart beating?” Truman’s voice was ragged.

“Yes. I hope the paramedics get here soon.”

“I think I hear the ambulance now.” Truman could hear the wail of sirens over the scared sounds of his coworkers.  He looked up when police officers burst through the door, guns drawn. They converged on where Truman’s boss was holding Mike Davenport on the floor.

“What’s going on?” one of the officers asked.

“I fired Mike Davenport a few weeks back. He came to the party with a gun tonight and tried to shoot me. My boyfriend saw what was going on and pushed me out of the way and he was shot instead of me.” Truman had no idea how he said those words without breaking down in tears.

“The ambulance is right behind us. Is he still breathing?”

“Yes,” Cassie said, “but his heart rate is slowing down.”

“Paramedics!” a shout went up.

“Here!” The cop shouted.

The medics rushed in. Cassie pulled Truman out of the way when they got to Carson.

Truman watched, stunned as they assessed Carson’s condition and packed him up to go. Within a matter of minutes, they had him loaded onto the gurney. “Where are you taking him?”

“Lawrence Mercy Hospital. You his husband?”

“Boyfriend,” Truman blurted out, knowing he didn’t have the right to call himself that anymore. Not after the way he’d treated Carson over the last week.

“Come on, there’s room for you.”

“Call Cole!” Truman shouted out. “Meet me there?”

Cassie nodded.

Truman ran after the paramedics. The cold December wind hit him in the face when he went out into the storm. He’d guess there was about six inches of fresh snow on the ground. No wonder it had taken the police and ambulance so long to get here. It could be a dicey ride to the hospital even though it was only a few miles away.

“Hold on, Carson,” Truman prayed as he climbed into the ambulance.

 

 

 

39
Carson

“Carson?” a familiar woman’s voice whispered.

“Mom?” This couldn’t be happening. His mother passed away a year ago. He couldn’t be hearing her voice now. Unless he was suddenly able to speak with the dead.

“Carson Craig, you open your eyes this second,” Bertha Craig demanded.

 “Mama, is that you?” Carson tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids wouldn’t budge. They felt like they were weighted down with concrete.

He tried to relax and focus on what was going on around him. Carson could hear the wail of an ambulance siren and when he was able to flutter his eyelids open for a second, he could see a vague shadow of red and white flashing lights. Men were shouting about loss of blood and being a mile out from the hospital.

It crossed his mind this was exactly what he’d seen and heard in his second to last vision. The only difference was that his mother hadn’t been there with him.

“Carson?”

He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. When he turned around, there stood his mother. Bertha Craig looked the way he remembered her on the day she brought Cole home from the hospital, young and full of life. Thankfully, she looked nothing like she had on the last day of her life, cancer-ravaged and begging to go home to God.

“Mom!” Carson ran to her and hugged her. She felt solid in his arms. The thought briefly crossed his mind that this wasn’t happening. He was in an ambulance a mile from the hospital losing blood, but his mother was hugging him back with the fierceness she had in life.

Maybe he was dead too, like in that last vision when he’d been in the white light and Cole said he’d stopped breathing. “Am I dead, Mom?”

“No, Carson,” his mother shook her head. “Not yet anyway. This will give us a minute to talk though.”

“Did you send me the visions about Truman?”

“Yes, and yes, that stubborn, stubborn man is your soulmate.” Bertha shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Carson snorted. “Is he safe now? Or is death going to stalk him since I saved him tonight?”

Bertha grabbed Carson’s shoulders, giving them a gentle shake. “He’s safe, but you need to fight for yourself now, baby. Do you understand me?”

In the back of his consciousness, he could still hear the wail of the ambulance siren. “I understand, Mom. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“I don’t have to tell you what to do, Carson. You’ve been fighting your entire life. You fought to keep our family together when Corny would end up in jail. You fought for your brother when he was too little to stand up for himself. Now it’s time to fight for yourself. You’ve got a lot of people on your side. Even that stubborn man of yours will be by your side, but that doesn’t mean you need to forgive him right away, you understand me?”

Carson laughed. He’d always been the one telling his mother she’d been too quick to forgive Corny after she’d bailed him out of the Essex County Jail, again. It was fitting she’d turn that advice back around on him. “I’ll take that advice under advisement.” That was the line she’d always throw back at her son who had grown up way too fast.

“No one likes a smart ass, Carson. Not even a half-dead one.” Bertha laughed.

“What about those babies I saw, Mom? With the future being fluid and all?”

Bertha shrugged. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what kind of fighter you are, son. My guess though is that the boy will have your gifts. The girl will take after Truman, but…”

“My gifts? You mean I get to keep them?” Carson didn’t know which thing excited him more, being a family man or a real psychic like his mother.

“Fight for them, Carson. Fight for Truman, those babies and your gifts. That’s all I can tell you.”

“Will I see you again?” His mother seemed to be getting further away and harder to see.

“You’d better not! Or I’ll tan your hide. You hear me, son. Tell Cole I love him and he’s next. Tell him to dust off my cards. His gift has been waiting for him inside them all along.”

“Mom! Don’t go! I love you!” Carson reached out, but she was gone.

When Carson’s eyelids fluttered open again, he could see a blur of white lights passing overhead and could hear a creak of metal on metal. The sound reminded him of a wonky-wheeled carriage at the grocery store. He knew this wasn’t the supermarket.

“Single gunshot wound to the chest. He’s lost a lot of blood...”someone to his left shouted.

“Carson! Fight!” Truman yelled loudly before his voice was drowned out by more doctor-speak.

“Mr. Craig, we’re going to take care of you,” a gentle voice said, slipping a mask over his face.

“Fight,” Carson whispered before his eyes slipped shut again.

 

 

 

40
Truman

Truman’s ass hurt from sitting in the hard plastic chair in the emergency room waiting area. It felt like he’d been sitting there for hours. With the snow falling as hard as it had been when they’d left the party, he wasn’t surprised Cassie hadn’t gotten to the hospital yet.

Same went for Cole. It was a forty-five minute ride from Salem to Lawrence with no snow, so it was going to be a while before Cole made it to the hospital. And that was the rub, since he wasn’t related or married to Carson, he knew the hospital staff couldn’t give him any information about Carson at all.

“Are you Truman Wesley?” a police officer asked.

“I am.” Truman tried to stand up, but his legs went rubbery and he collapsed back into his seat.

“Why don’t you come with me?” The officer took his arm and led him away from the emergency room waiting area to a different part of the hospital. He pushed open an unmarked door where a doctor wearing blue scrubs was waiting.

“Mr. Wesley, I’m Doctor Harrigan. I need to perform a forensic exam on you and collect your clothes. I understand you were with Mr. Craig when he was shot and we need to collect any evidence you may have on you.”

“Is he okay, Doctor? Is he…?” He couldn’t bear to finish the sentence or say the last word that was sitting on the tip of his tongue. Truman could feel his entire body trembling. If Carson died, he would never know how much Truman still loved him.

“He’s still in surgery. What’s important right now is tending to you, okay?” The doctor’s eyes were kind.

Truman nodded his head. He patiently obeyed all of the doctor’s commands to take his clothes off and put them in evidence bags. He was allowed to dress in blue hospital scrubs, once the doctor collected evidence from his hair and from under his fingernails.

He hadn’t even realized his hands were covered in Carson’s blood. Truman had to wash them three times before he’d gotten it all off and out from under his fingernails after the doctor was done scraping potential evidence out from under them.

The police officer who had led him back to this room escorted him to a private waiting area where Cassie was sitting alone. She was also dressed in hospital scrubs.

“Tru!” She ran to him and hugged him. “What about Carson? They won’t tell me anything about him.”

“The doctor who did my forensic exam said he’s still in surgery. I don’t think we’ll hear anything more until Cole gets here. He’s Carson’s emergency contact. The doctor’s won’t be able to give me any information since I’m just his ex-boyfriend.”

Cassie wrapped her arm around Truman and led him to one of the couches in the room. “Here, sit.” She helped him get settled and then took the empty seat next to him. “Carson took a bullet for you tonight. I’d guess that still means he’s your boyfriend.”

Truman felt tears start in his eyes. “Why did he do that, Cassie? I was so awful to him. I told him his visions were bullshit. I didn’t answer his texts. The last one he sent me said, ‘I love you.’ I didn’t write back to him. I thought this morning that I’d write back to him after Christmas. You know, after I’d punished him enough for lying to me. Now he’s in an operating room with a bullet in his chest. A bullet that should have killed me.”

Cassie wrapped her arms around Truman and held him as he cried.

“Cassie! Truman! Oh, my God, is Carson…?” Cole was panting when he ran into the room.

Cassie popped up and grabbed Cole’s hand, pulling him to sit down between them. “We don’t know anything.”

“The last we heard, he was in surgery,” Truman said. “Jesus, Cole. I’m so sorry. I don’t have words for this.”

Cole turned to Truman. “He loves you so much. All he wanted to do was save you. Here.” Cole pulled a sealed envelope out of his coat pocket. “He wanted you to have that in case he doesn’t make it.”

Truman pulled back like he’d been burned. Cassie reached around and took the letter. She folded it in half before tucking it into the front pocket of her scrub top. She linked her hand with Cole’s. “He’s going to be okay, Cole. I can feel it.”

He turned to look at her. “I can too, but this shouldn’t have happened. He wouldn’t let me come with him tonight. If there had been two of us there, then we could have both tried to keep each of you safe.”

“What do you mean each of us?” Truman asked.

“Why do you care, man?’ Cole turned back to Truman. “You don’t believe in Carson’s visions anyway.” He pulled his hand away from Cassie to stand up and pace around the room. “You don’t give much of a fuck about your friends either. Cassie was in the room when you fired that asshole. Did it ever cross your mind that Mike might have wanted to hurt her too? Did you ever think I could have lost my soulmate in the violence tonight as well? Just because Carson saw you die doesn’t mean you were going to be the only victim.”

Truman felt the blood drain out of his face. Was Cole saying that he and Cassie were meant to be together and that she was also going to be a victim tonight? “I don’t understand.”

“No, you don’t. But you had a week to come to either me or Carson and ask about it!” Cole shouted. He turned away from Truman and braced his hands on the wall. His chest rose and fell as he took deep breaths. “Carson is all I have in this world. He isn’t just my brother. He raised me to be the man I am today. I can’t lose him, Truman.”

“You might not believe me, but I don’t want to lose him either.” Truman’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“You have a hell of a way of showing it,” Cole snarled.

“We aren’t losing him tonight,” Cassie said firmly. She reached her hand out to Cole who stared at it for a minute before he took it and sat on the other side of her, away from Truman.

“Was anyone else hurt tonight?” Cole asked softly.

“No, Truman shoved me out of the way when Mike approached us and pulled the gun. Then, I was questioned by the police after the ambulance left to bring Carson to the hospital. That’s why it took so long for me to get here.” She looked over at Truman. “After Mike shot Carson, he was tackled by our boss, who is a former football linebacker. Mark always came off as such a pussy to me, but he came through when we needed him most. He managed to hold Mike down until a few of the other guys from sales could help subdue him.”

“What do you mean ‘subdue?’” Cole asked with the beginnings of a grin on his face.

“Off the record, they may have bashed his skull on the marble floor a few times until Mike was out cold, but neither of you heard that from me.” Cassie shrugged.

Cole made a motion with his right hand like he was zipping his lips shut.

Good, Truman thought. At least no one else was hurt and his actions might have saved Cassie. Although if he hadn’t been such a god-damned asshole and stayed home tonight, none of this would have happened.

“Mr. Craig?” a doctor dressed in green surgical scrubs asked as he walked into the waiting room.

“I’m Cole Craig.” He stood up and walked toward the doctor.

“I’m Doctor Greer Danforth. I’m the surgeon who operated on your brother. He’s out of surgery and being moved to the ICU. The bullet missed his heart by about half an inch and the care he received while waiting for the ambulance to arrive kept him alive long enough to get to my operating room. Your brother is a very lucky man. He’s got a long road to recovery, but he’s going to be all right.”

Truman watched Cole shake hands with the surgeon and then hug Cassie. No matter what happened next, at the very least, Carson was going to be okay. He buried his face in his hands and wept.

 

 

 

41
Carson

Carson could hear Truman’s soft snores. He knew he was dreaming because Truman broke up with him and there was no way they were sharing a room, let alone the same bed. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy a few more minutes of Dream Truman snoring.

As his senses slowly came back to him, he realized Truman’s snores weren’t the only thing he could hear. There was a machine beeping, slow and steady, like the kind you’d hear on a hospital drama on television. Only when you heard them on TV, the machine was usually one monotonous tone as the patient flatlined.

He opened his eyes slowly and could see he was in a small hospital room with a lot of machines. Thanks to his endless fascination with shows like ER and Chicago Hope, he had a feeling he was in the ICU.

Turning his head to the left he was able to see Dream Truman wasn’t a dream at all. His ex was sleeping on a small hospital sofa, curled up on his right side, still snoring softly. His hair was a mess and he looked like he was wearing hospital scrubs.

As for his own body, he felt like he’d been run over by an eighteen-wheeler. He could wiggle his toes and fingers, thank Christ. His legs moved too, but that was about as far as he got when Truman shifted.

“Carson? Are you awake?” He got quickly to his feet and hovered over the bed.

“Hi,” Carson managed to whisper. His voice sounded harsh and almost all of his energy was gone from uttering that one syllable.

“Oh, thank God.” Truman breathed an audible sigh of relief. “The doctor said you’d wake up on your own, but it’s been so long and I didn’t know when you’d wake up.”

“Why?” Carson was trying to ask why Truman was here, but couldn’t seem to form the rest of the words.

“You were shot. The doctor said you might not remember that either. You came to my Christmas party because I’m a stupid, stubborn asshole who refused to listen to reason. Mike Davenport showed up with a gun and tried to shoot me, but you shoved me out of the way and the bullet hit you instead. The doctor said the bullet missed your heart by half an inch.”

That’s what his mother must have meant by him needing to fight. Christ, it really had been a close call, but Truman hadn’t answered the question he’d been trying to ask. “Why?” he repeated, pointing a shaky finger at Truman.

“Oh. Why am I here with you?” Truman’s green eyes lost a bit of their shine.

Carson managed a brief nod.

“Cole went home to shower about an hour ago and last night was Cassie’s night to sleep in her own bed. We’ve all been taking turns staying with you so you wouldn’t wake up alone.” Truman paused. “Well, they’ve been taking turns. I haven’t left your side since they let us in to see you. I’ve been sleeping here on this couch. What little sleep I get and I’ve been taking sponge baths in your bathroom sink, since you’re not using the bathroom.” Truman huffed a rough laugh.

“How long?” Christ, if Truman was talking about them taking turns staying with him then he must have been out of it for a few days.

“It’s Christmas Eve, Carson. Only a few hours to go until it’s Christmas.” Truman looked behind him. “I had Cassie pick up your presents from my house and we brought in a little fake tree.” Truman pointed across the room.

Carson squinted. He could barely make out a tree with colored lights and a few packages sitting near it. “Thanks.” He took a breath. Truman still hadn’t answered his question. “Why, here?”

Truman pointed to the edge of Carson’s bed. “May I?”

Carson nodded. Shit, he sure hoped Truman spit out what he was going to say. He didn’t think he had the strength to stay awake much longer.

“I was a complete and total asshole. I promised you that there was nothing I couldn’t forgive you for and then I went back on my word. You could have just walked away from me like I did to you, but you showed up at that party and saved my life, Carson. How can I ever thank you for that?” Truman swiped at the tears that started to gather in his eyes.

Carson had no idea what was going to come out of Truman’s mouth once he started to speak, but those words and this penitent Truman were a surprise.

“I’m so sorry, Carson. I’m sorry for not believing you and for not giving you a chance to explain. I’m sorry for not forgiving you and for thinking you deserved to be punished for lying to me about the visions and about how and why we met. I’m so stupid. Do you think you can ever forgive me for that?”

Reaching out his fingers to Truman, Carson managed to nod. He could forgive Truman for the way he acted. Being able to forget and move on? Well, that would be a different story.

“I know you have a long road to recovery ahead of you. If you’ll let me, I want to be there for you and for Cole. The owner of Gemtronics has been all over the news offering to pay all of your medical bills thanks to Cole and me telling your story.”

Carson shot Truman a confused look. What the hell was he talking about?

Truman grinned. “We did interviews with local television stations. Cole explained how you had no health insurance and how you’d taken a bullet for the man that you loved. I told the same story and then the media started asking more questions when I let it accidentally-on purpose slip that attendance at the Christmas party was mandatory to get our bonus checks. Then Cassie and I told the owner how magnanimous he’d appear, especially during the season of giving, if he offered to pay your hospital bills and that includes physical therapy. We got him to cut a check then and there. He also put me and Cassie on paid administrative leave because there was no security measures in place to protect us against Mike Davenport. We’re in negotiations for a fat settlement as we speak. Neither one of us are going back to work there again.”

Carson’s head was spinning. Medical bills. Settlements. Truman and Cassie no longer working for Gemtronics. The one part of Truman’s story that stood out to him was that Truman wanted to be there for his recovery.

“You’re tired. I should let you rest.” Truman went to get up.

Carson remembered what his mother said about not forgiving too quickly. Now that he was on the other side of the equation, he could finally see why his mother kept forgiving Corny time after time. He’d keep his mother’s words in mind, but it wouldn’t hurt to let Truman know he wanted the man to stay. He reached out his fingers to the man he loved enough to take a bullet for.

 

 

 

42
Truman

Truman looked over at Cassie and Cole who were sitting side-by-side on the ICU couch holding hands. It was Christmas night and they’d brought the celebration to Carson. The only problem was, Carson was still asleep.

Cassie had baked a batch of Truman’s favorite chocolate chunk cookies. Cole had brought their mother’s crystal ball and for some reason he hadn’t been able to explain to anyone, his mother’s deck of tarot cards. He’d also brought the small stack of gifts Carson had wrapped for everyone.

For his part, Truman had decorated Carson’s room a few days ago. Cole had been kind enough to tell all of the ICU nurses and doctors to give Truman and Cassie any information about Carson that they wanted to know. They hadn’t had a lot of chance to talk over the last few days, but at least there was no more hostility between them.

“Cole?” Truman asked carefully.

“Yeah, Truman.” Cole looked up from where his eyes had been focused on his brother.

“Did Carson tell you about that vision?”

Cole frowned. “Which one? There were several.”

“The one about our babies?” He’d been a complete fool not to listen to Carson about the visions that warned about him dying. He’d been a complete and total asshole for cutting Carson off when he’d been about to tell him about the vision he’d seen about their future family.

Cole nodded. “Yeah, he told me about that one.”

“Can you tell me? I was such a fool not to listen. I didn’t want to hear him tell me about our children because…” Truman trailed off, embarrassed.

“Because if you believed him about your kids then you had to believe that a crazed gunman was going to shoot and kill you,” Cassie finished for him.

Truman nodded. “I never claimed to be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.”

“I’ll second that,” Cole added with a smile. “No, Truman. I’m not going to tell you about that vision. That’s Carson’s story to tell.”

“What’s Carson’s story to tell?” Carson asked, his voice sounding groggy.

“Hey, big brother!” Cole got up and pressed a kiss to his messy head. “Merry Christmas.”

“Is it Christmas? Shit, feels like I’ve been sleeping for a month.” Carson yawned and looked around. “Merry Christmas little brother, Cassie.” He looked across the room and smiled. “Truman.”

“Merry Christmas, Carson.” Truman wasn’t sure he’d ever get to say those words to the man he loved. The man who’d almost given his life to save Truman’s.

“What’s all this?” Carson pointed to the bedside table loaded with presents.

“We knew you wouldn’t be home for Christmas, so we brought Christmas to you.” Cassie grinned before she wrapped an arm around Cole.

“Well this happened faster than I thought.” Carson raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s just say you’re not the only one getting messages from Mom.” Cole grinned.

“Her tarot cards?”

Cole looked stunned. “How did you know?”

“I saw Mom when I died in the ambulance and she had a message for you about her cards.”

Truman felt his knees go out from under him. He managed to grab Carson’s bed before he hit the floor. “How did you know you died? Who told you?”

“What are you talking about? He didn’t die.” Cole looked back and forth between his brother and Truman with a confused look on his face. “Did he?”

“He flatlined in the ambulance, Cole,” Truman said quietly. “They lost him for ninety-three seconds.”

“Wow, it seemed like I talked to Mom for a lot longer than that.” Carson gave his head a little shake.

“What happened?” Cassie asked.

“In my second to last vision, I saw red and white flashing lights and heard the wail of an ambulance siren. That’s what I could see and hear after I was shot, only Mom was there. She told me that Truman would be safe now and that I needed to fight harder than I’d ever fought in my life to make it through this. She told me that your gift had been hiding in her cards all along, Cole, and that I shouldn’t forgive Truman as easily as she always forgave Corny.”

Cole burst out laughing. “That’s our Mom. Especially if she’s talking about Corny from the afterlife.” He shook his head. “Well, she’s right about the cards. I’ve been working with them for a week or so and I’m starting to see things.”

“Mom said that you’re coming into your gift, Cole. She also said that I’d get to keep my gifts too.”

“Speaking of gifts, it’s Christmas. How about we open some presents?” Cassie asked.

Cole walked around the room handing out presents to everyone, saving the last one he was holding for Cassie. She ripped off the paper to see a hand-drawn sketch of the two of them together.

“Cole, I love it. You’re amazing!” She pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Truman, what do you think?” Cole asked excitedly.

He’d torn the paper off his package to see a picture of Sadie. The dog had her head tilted and she was wearing a pink bow. He recognized the image as a picture Carson had taken of Sadie the first night he’d ever spent the night there. “I love it, Cole. Thank you so much.”

“Mine is a picture of our little family.” Carson turned it around so Truman could see it was a drawing of the two of them and Sadie.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d forgiven Truman yet, but I figured what the hell, it’s Christmas.” Cole laughed. He stood up and pulled Cassie to her feet along with him. “It looks like the two of you have a lot to discuss. We’re gonna go grab some of that top-shelf chocolate pudding in the cafeteria, but we’ll be back in time for Christmas dinner. Rumor has it, Carson’s going to be able to have some broth.”

“Oh joy, a Christmas miracle,” Carson deadpanned.

“Text if you need anything,” Cassie called over her shoulder.

As they were leaving, Truman walked over to the little tree and grabbed the presents he had for Carson. “Am I forgiven?” he asked sheepishly.

“Maybe. Mostly.” Carson shrugged before wincing in pain. “You were a huge tool, Truman, but you were here for me when it counted, so that levels the playing field a bit. Where do you stand now when it comes to my visions? Because according to my dead mother, I’m going to have a lot more of them.”

Truman barked out a rough laugh. “God that felt good. After being hurt and angry and then terrified out of my mind that you weren’t going to pull through this, it feels good to laugh again.”

“Shit, if I tried to do that, I’d probably pop all of my stitches and I’d end up bleeding to death.” Carson rolled his eyes.

“You’re going to be fine. The doctor said it’s going to take a while to get all of your strength back, since you almost did bleed to death, but you’re not going to pop a stitch if you laugh.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Truman.” Carson arched an eyebrow.

“Oh, right the visions…” After the last one came true with chilling detail, how could he ever doubt Carson again? “I’m a believer now. I should have been a believer then.”

“Damn straight.” Carson grinned, them grimaced.

“Carson, can you tell me about the one I wouldn’t listen to?” Truman sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

Carson looked at him like he didn’t understand. Then his eyes lit up. “Truman, the future is fluid. My mother always used to tell me that. What I saw in that vision could have changed already. Those little souls might not be destined to be ours anymore.”

“Please,” Truman begged.

Carson nodded. “I was making tomato sauce when I felt you hug me from behind and then kiss the back of my neck. When I opened my eyes, I could see I was standing in your kitchen and there was also a pot on the stove with boiling pasta. Twin toddlers were strapped in to booster seats at the table and they were scribbling with crayons. Both of them were screeching your name: Daddy. You were peppering their little heads with kisses.”

“They were calling me Daddy?” Truman couldn’t believe it. “Are you sure they weren’t my niece or nephew?”

Carson shook his head. “One baby had your eyes, the other had mine. I assumed we used a surrogate to have them, rather than adopting. Their names floated through my head and when I reached out to touch them, the vision ended.”

Truman’s heart broke that he got to kiss their children and Carson hadn’t been able to. “What were their names?”

“Don’t you want there to be any surprises?”

Truman shook his head.

“Brian and Stephanie.”

Truman gasped. “Those were my favorite baby names when I was a kid. I always said when I grew up I’d have two kids named Brian and Stephanie.”

“Looks like you might get your wish.” Carson smiled.

“Do you think you can forgive the horrible things I said to you?” More than anything, he wanted to hold those vision babies in his arms and raise them with Carson by his side.

“I’m going to have to if we’re going to be parents to twins, right?”

Truman burst out laughing. “I have something for you.” He hurried over to the two presents he’d bought Carson for Christmas. He handed him the bigger one first.

“Truman, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Carson looked thrilled that he had. He ripped off the paper to find the stuffed Prince Charming doll. “Oh my God. You got me my own prince.”

“You said on our first date that you were always partial to Prince Charming, so I got you one of your own.”

“You are my Prince Charming, Truman.”

“I hope you mean that, Carson.” Truman set the smaller box in front of him.

“What’s this?” Carson asked, picking up the box. He rubbed his fingers against the black velvet. Understanding dawned in his misty blue eyes. Carson knew exactly what the box was.

“Open it and see.” Truman had never been more nervous in his entire life.

Carson did what Truman asked, gasping when the platinum ring glittered up at him. “Oh my goodness.”

“I bought this ring when we were crazy in love with each other. Before I was an asshole and before you were my hero. Now that we’ve seen what life can throw at us and what we can survive together, I’m more convinced than ever that we belong together. Carson, will you marry me?”

Carson looked back and forth between the ring and Truman’s face. “I think we are still crazy in love with each other. When my mother told me to fight, I was fighting for you, Truman. Everything I’ve done since the moment that first vision ended was to get to this moment with you.” He swiped at the tears gathering in his eyes.

As pretty as Carson’s speech was, he didn’t answer the question. Truman took the ring out of the box and held it up. “You didn’t answer the question, Carson.”

“Forgive me, you stubborn man, I have a hole in my chest that makes me a bit forgetful. What was the question again?”

 “Carson Craig, will you marry me?”

“Yes!”Carson laughed. “I heard you the first time. I just wanted to hear you ask me again.”

Slipping the ring on Carson’s finger, Truman bent forward to kiss the love of his life. “I love you so much, Carson.”

“You better. I took a bullet for you.”

“I’m never gonna hear the end of that, am I?” Truman laughed.

 

 

EPILOGUE
Six months later…

Carson

The battery on his iPhone was about to die. Between the number of pictures he’d taken since midnight and the music that had been playing non-stop since the DJ abandoned ship around 1am, the end was definitely near.

The same could also be said for his newly-minted husband. Truman had been on his last legs for an hour now, but they were so close. The sun’s awakening rays were just beginning to light up the morning sky.

They’d been married at midnight on the beach at a quaint little hotel in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Carson and Truman loved Cape Cod and this hotel was run by four gay men who’d been friends since high school. The topping on the wedding cake was the lighthouse tower on the roof of the hotel.

Carson and Truman had been dancing together on the beach and taking selfies ever since they’d cut the wedding cake around 12:30am.

“For the love of God, Carson. Are we there yet?” Truman groaned.

“Five more minutes, husband,” Carson drawled. “You promised we could dance until the sun came up on our wedding day. It’s 5am, sunrise is in five minutes.”

“Why can’t I ever deny you anything?” Truman asked, pressing a kiss to Truman’s lips.

“Because I’m handsome and charming!” Carson laughed.

“And you saved my life in more ways than one,” Truman added.

Truth be told, Carson never brought up the shooting that nearly took his life six months ago. He saw the scar over his heart every day when he took a shower or changed his shirt, but after he was discharged from the hospital on New Year’s Day, he and Truman had made a pact never to talk about it again.

The physical therapy he’d had to endure to get himself back into shape had been grueling. When he’d first come home from the hospital, he’d lived on Truman’s couch with Sadie. He didn’t even have the energy to make it up the stairs to sleep in Truman’s bed at first.

His shiny new fiancé had slept in front of the Christmas tree on an air mattress until Carson had been strong enough to make it up the stairs on his own.

So many changes had gone on in those early days of the cold and snowy New Year. Cole had taken over the psychic readings at the shop while Carson was recovering and since Truman had left Gemtronics after the shooting, he’d been helping Cole to run the front end of the store.

It turned out Truman had a Corny-like knack for running the store and booking appointments. So many customers had come into the store in the aftermath of the shooting and Truman had been there to speak with them and hold their hands through their worries. He’d even had them record messages for Carson on his phone to help with his recovery.

West Side Magick’s customers had also been there with food, dropping off casseroles and other baked goods. Mrs. Salazar had been the one to organize the volunteers. Now that she knew her husband wasn’t cheating on her, she’d had more free time to volunteer in her community.

Cassie had left the safe confines of her mother’s house to move in with Cole to the house above the store. Nearly losing Carson had convinced the young couple there was no time like the present to move their relationship on to the next step. They’d gotten married in a surprise spring equinox wedding at the beach. Sadie had been the flower girl and Truman had given the beautiful bride away. Their first child was due around Christmas.

As luck would have it, the store front adjacent to West Side Magick had been available for rent and Cassie, with a little help from Truman on the business side of things, opened her own bakery. The first two months had been a little slow, but once the summer had arrived, and with it the tourists, the crowds had turned out in droves and orders were already piling in for the Halloween season.

“Here comes the sun!” Carson spun Truman to face the breaking waves.

“Now that we’re married, it’s time to start talking about starting a family, don’t you think?” Truman kissed his husband again. “We can try surrogacy again since it failed the first time a few months ago.”

Carson hadn’t told his husband yet, but he had a present waiting for him that he was going to go bananas over. He’d spent a lot of his free time convalescing to hone his psychic abilities. Although he kept his crystal ball in the reading room, he didn’t need it anymore to channel Spirit.  “Come sit, I want to show you something.”

“Thank Christ. I wasn’t going to make it through one more song!” Truman half-collapsed into one of the chairs at the head table that had been set up on the beach for them.

Carson took the seat beside him. He lifted the plate with the remains of their shared slice of wedding cake and pulled out a sealed envelope. “This is your wedding present. I know I promised never to keep anything from you again, but I think once you see what is inside you’ll forgive me.”

Truman shot him a fake frown and opened the envelope. He pulled out a sheet of paper and looked up at Carson before he flipped it over. His husband shrugged at him.

“Go on, flip it over. I love you and I guarantee you’re going to love this surprise.” Carson’s eyes were misty.

Truman flipped over the paper and gasped. “It’s a sonogram,” he half-laughed. “Wait, is this ours?”

“It’s ours!” Carson agreed, before Truman pulled him into his arms. “I may have misled you when I said the in-vitro procedure didn’t work.”

They’d talked a lot over the last six months about Carson’s vision where he’d seen twin toddlers at the kitchen table. They’d both agreed they wanted to start a family sooner rather than later. They’d initially gotten a negative pregnancy test back when they’d done the procedure with their surrogate, but Carson’s visions kept telling him the test was wrong.

“But the test was negative.” Truman looked confused.

“The test was defective.” Carson smiled at his husband. “When we retested a month later, we were so close to the wedding that I thought it would be amazing to surprise you with this tonight.”

“It’s one hell of an amazing present, but I don’t understand.” Truman set Carson down to pick the grainy sonogram image back up again. “Why are the letters A, B and C marked on here?” Truman asked, sounding confused.

“The letters stand for each of the babies…” Carson trailed off, waiting for understanding to dawn on his husband.

“Three babies? We’re having three babies? But, you only saw two in your vision!” Truman’s eyes were practically popping out of his head.

Carson laughed. “Maybe baby C was in the living room or hiding under the table where I couldn’t see her.”

“Her?” Truman gasped, tears gathering in his eyes. “Baby C is another girl?”

Carson nodded. “Stephanie, Brian and Bertha, after my mother.”

“I love it. That’s perfect.” Truman agreed. “Just like you.”

“You’re not mad I kept our surrogate’s pregnancy a secret?”

Truman shook his head. “This is the best wedding present ever.”

Carson couldn’t agree more. It had been a tumultuous six months filled with laughter, love and a little bit of pain. And to think it all started with a vision of love.