From This Day

Yes–it’s that time. Finally the book JR and I wrote together is OUT!!! Woohoo! AND…we’re going to have a contest. Two people will win a copy of From This Day. 🙂 First…book info. And make sure you go to the end so you see what you have to do to be entered in the contest. ALSO–make sure to leave your email address so we can contact the winner.

BLURB:

Joshua Ames and Roman Johnson have been together for eight happy years when some visiting friends get engaged, sparking Roman’s desire to tie the knot with Joshua. But Joshua claims marriage spells disaster for any couple. Suddenly Roman finds himself rethinking their relationship. Taking some time apart could prove Joshua’s point that even talk of marriage is toxic—or it might prove that absence makes the heart grow fonder and show him that love is worth the risk.

EXCERPT:

Chapter 1

ROMAN JOHNSON writhed as Joshua Ames licked a trail down his back.

“Josh, we don’t have time for this. Steve and Bri will be here any minute.”

“We always have time for this,” Josh murmured against his ass.

Roman moaned as Josh wiggled his tongue into his rosette. “Fuck.”

“I’m working up to that.” His lover chuckled, the vibration making Roman shudder.

Roman pushed back onto the spine tingling intrusion. “More.” He’d started to wonder whether he would last until Josh was inside him when the doorbell rang. “Noooooo.”

Josh bounded off the bed.

“Wait!” Roman yelled.

“What?”

“You’re naked. And hard.” And as sexy as he’d been when they first met.

“It’s nothing they haven’t seen before.”

“Our neighbors haven’t been so lucky, so could you please put some shorts on?”

“Fine, but I’m slipping the Scotts a note naming you as the reason they’re being deprived of my nude goodness.” Josh stuck his tongue out.

Roman just shook his head and willed his erection to go down. He, Josh, Steve, and Brian had spent months trying to coordinate their schedules for this one-week visit. Too many years had passed since they’d seen the guys. The four had been inseparable during college—man, had they raised hell—now, they were all responsible adults.

He scrambled out of bed and bent to retrieve his clothes from the floor, where they had been tossed when Josh stripped him earlier. Josh took the opportunity to smack his ass, and Roman rolled his eyes. Well, mostly responsible.

“Payback’s a bitch, you know.”

“It better not be.” Josh faked a stern look. “I don’t like girly bits.”

Roman laughed and hurried to get dressed. “Go answer the door already.”

“You keeping him locked up now?” Roman heard Brian inquire as he left the bedroom.

“If anyone needs to be locked up, it’s Josh, not me,” Roman interrupted before Josh could answer. He hugged Steve and Brian. “It’s great to see you two.”

“I was just telling Josh how much I missed your fine mocha ass,” Steve said. “We’ve got to stop letting so much time go by between visits. We saw more of you guys when we were living in Spain.”

“Yeah, but have you seen los hombres in España? We weren’t there for you. At least I wasn’t.” Amidst laughter, Roman ducked the punch he knew was coming from Josh. “You hungry? I was getting ready to fix a snack. Or do you want to eat out?” Roman asked.

“I’m starving, but no way do I want to squeeze into a car now or walk farther than your dining room for food. And I need to be horizontal for a bit.” Steve reached up, locking his fingers together for a full-body stretch.

“I’ll say. You’re looking a little peaked there, princess,” Josh teased.

“Bite me, bitch.”

Their bickering faded as Steve headed for the couch and Josh took care of the luggage.

“From the flush on Josh’s face when he answered the door, I’m pretty sure food was not what you were getting ready to fix.” Brian shot Roman a knowing look.

“And I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Roman countered.

“Uh-huh.” Brian followed Roman into the kitchen. “When did you learn to cook? I never thought you’d be playing the missus.”

Roman snorted. “The ‘missus’? What are you, living in 1950? And who even talks like that anymore? Anyway, takeout got boring after a while, so I took a class or two. Don’t worry. You’ll get to sample my master chef skills while you’re here. So what have you and Steve been up to?”

“Same ol’, same ol’. Business is good, we can’t complain. Things were rocky for a bit with the recession and all. I’ve never been so glad Steve is great with numbers. I swear that man added elastic to the money at times. God knows we needed the stretch. But we’re doing well enough now that we’re not worrying about money too much.”

“You still taking turns behind the counter?”

“Of course. But it isn’t as much kicks as when you were there with me, and we went all Cocktail on the place.” Brian chuckled.

Roman grinned. It had been a fun way to help out Steve and Brian in the early days.

He grabbed the eggs and bacon from the fridge. It wasn’t quite lunchtime but the four had always believed breakfast made for a great meal any time of day. “California still crazy enough for you? I think the only thing I miss is the weather.”

“Actually, Steve and I were thinking of leaving Cali, especially with all the Proposition 8 drama. You don’t know how lucky you are to be living in New Hampshire. Well, except for the snow.” Brian shuddered. “It would mean starting over, but we’re old pros at the bar business now, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Do you and Steve want to get married? Is that what the ‘missus’ crack was about?”

“I figure we will eventually. Don’t you and Josh?”

Roman sobered as he considered Brian’s question. “We never really talked about it.”

“It just seems like a natural progression. I don’t see myself with anyone else.” Brian shrugged.

Roman worked on fixing the meal, and Brian continued in the background, filling him in on all the gossip.

“Is the food done yet?” Steve entered the kitchen with Josh right behind him.

“I’m dishing it up now. Babe, you wanna get the juice out of the fridge?”

Josh grazed Roman’s ass with his hand on the way to get the drinks. The rhythm they’d established over the years flowed with ease. Married. Roman looked at Josh. He would love to be Josh’s forever. Officially. They should talk about it. Brian was right. It was the next step to show how committed they were. Maybe he’d bring it up later.

“Dig in, you guys.” He joined the other men at the table. His friends had just arrived, but now Roman was looking forward to some time alone with Josh so they could talk. It seemed so silly that he hadn’t considered getting married before.

JOSH whistled as he cleared the table. Rome loved to cook, and Josh always thoroughly enjoyed his efforts. It was only fair he was on clean-up detail, and he didn’t mind.

“Gotta question for ya, babe,” Rome said from his seat at the bar.

“Shoot.”

“What do you think about us getting married?”

“What?” Josh nearly dropped the stack of plates he’d been carrying to the sink. Talk about an ambush. Sure, they lived in a state where same-sex marriage was legal, but after eight years and no mention of marriage, he’d figured they dodged that bullet. Shit.

Okay, there was no need to panic. This could be evaded. “Where’s this coming from, Rome?”

“I was just thinking that marriage is the logical next step in our relationship.”

“There’s nothing logical about marriage,” Josh stated flatly, fighting the urge to shout. Steve and Brian were out cold in the guest room, recuperating from their long flight, and he didn’t want to wake them.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rome’s forehead crinkled in puzzlement.

“Look, can we not talk about this right now?” He brushed past Rome and snagged the glasses.

“And when would be a good time to discuss this?”

“Never is sounding pretty good,” Josh muttered as he loaded the dishwasher. Marriage ruined relationships. It was a fact. If watching his parents destroying each other hadn’t been enough, helping his sister Tracey pick up the pieces of her life after leaving her douchebag husband had sealed the deal.

And that was just family. His friends were just as bad. He didn’t know one couple whose marriage hadn’t ended in heartache. He loved Roman. No way was he fucking up what they had by getting married. But his reasons would sound ridiculous to Rome. Goddammit.

“What did you say?” Hurt filled Rome’s voice.

Josh dried his hands and turned to face Rome. “Nothing. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I love you. You know that. I just don’t think marriage is for me.”

“It won’t only be you, dumbass.” Rome tugged him into his arms and gave him a kiss. “I’ll be a part of this marriage too.”

Josh suppressed a grimace. He had to get Rome off this track.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Rome pulled back, a frown on his handsome face. “Of course I do. Why would you ask that?”

“So why this sudden insistence on us getting married? We’ve been together for eight years, and as far as I’m concerned, we’ll still be together eight years from now, and eight years after that. We don’t need to get a piece of paper for that. I trust you. I trust in what we have. Obviously, you don’t.”

He walked away, ignoring the stab of guilt that accompanied his little speech. If manipulating Rome was what he had to do to save their relationship from the talons of marriage, so be it.

BUY HERE

Now for the contest. 🙂 Please answer the question I’m going to post.   We will pick a winner in a tonight! We will notify the winner by email so make sure you leave an email address in the comment as well to make it easier to find you! AND…we will pick TWO winners. They will receive a copy of From This Day! Woot!

Now…what is the question? What would you do if you brought up marriage and your significant other thought it was a the beginning of the end?

27 Responses to “From This Day”

  1. I’m not sure, I’ve been married for so long and it was sort of a forgone conclusion at the time…
    But, I think I would be hurt and take it as a sign they didn’t love me as much as I loved them maybe….

    Doublemom2001(AT)googlemail(DOT)com

  2. Chris Roberts Says:

    Been married 25 years, but I think it would be different depending on my age at the time. In my 20’s, I would have worried that they weren’t in it for the long haul like I was….But now that I am in my 40’s, if we were good before it came up then I think I would be good not getting married.

    jrobe 10689 at aol com

  3. I would want to know why they felt this way. Did they always see divorce in a marriage or after a marriage maybe he saw a great deal of difference in a couple once they got the piece of paper.

  4. I am the one who is not so sure marraige is the right answer. I have first hand knowledge that people change once the I do’s have been said.
    tetebay@aol.com

  5. I would be upset, but I would then try to subtly change his mind. 🙂

    Susanmik AT gmail DOT com

  6. Actually that’s me. I’ve been with my boyfriend for 8 years and he’s the one that wants to get married and I don’t. I was married once and I didn’t do it well. I think my expectations changed when I got married and not in a good way.

    jennpurr1970@yahoo.com

  7. I don’t know. I just came out of a not so good marriage so I’m not really eager to go there again. On the other hand, if I wanted to and had been with someone for a long time and they didn’t want to I would be rethinking my relationship with that person. I’d have to ask why they wouldn’t want that commitment and legal protection.

    moriamccain @ gmail.com

  8. I would be hurt. Later, I would want to talk about the issue again and see if there was another reason.

    strive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com

  9. nancyg5997 Says:

    If we had been together for any length of time, I would be upset that I had misread the situation, and would try to talk things over to see if we had been on the wrong page all along. If that was the case, I would probably get out before I got in any deeper.

  10. God, Jam. I’ve been married so long I’d probably say “Hallelujah!” Lol but I guess if it was something I really wanted, it would make me second-guess whether my dreams fit with my “other’s”.

    Book sounds amazing by the way. Pick me Pick me! 😉

    Hugs
    K-lee

    kleemoon66 @ gmail dot com

  11. I was thinking about your question and I have no idea how to answer that. I was with my sons father for 5yrs and I loved him with everything I am. And in those 5 yrs he asked me to marry him more times then I can remember. But I couldn’t do it. Every time he asked me if felt like my lungs closed off and I couldn’t breath. Like suffocating. It didn’t mean I didn’t love him and didn’t want to be with him. It was just something I couldn’t bring myself to accept. Sorry I couldn’t answer but that’s all I got.

    So I think if they weren’t ready for that step I wouldn’t push it. Respect their decision. A piece of paper doesn’t define the relationship or at least it shouldn’t.

  12. I’m not sure. I’ve been married for 23 years and if something happened I’m not sure I would marry again. If the right person came along and that was what they wanted them I would have to think long and hard.
    carottop1@yahoo.com

  13. I think I would move on. One person cannot build a relationship alone.

  14. I would think that he/she would be afraid of commitment and maybe move on.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

  15. Wow. I would try and figure out why it was the end of the world to them. Some people have only ever seen the bad side of marriage and if they can make the commitment without the paper then I’d go for it. I’ve been married 5 years and if there was a way to get the same benefits without the paper, we probably wouldn’t have gotten actually married. I do know I would try and make it work instead of just writing them off as a lost cause, sometimes people just need time and patience.

    smurfettev AT gmail DOT com

  16. Pat Nelson Says:

    I’d ask him why he thought that way and listen to his reasons. Then I’d try to work it out.
    My email address is npat78@yahoo.com

  17. arella3173 Says:

    Congrats on the release!!!
    It sounds good! Eek! Thank you for the contest!!

    and quite honestly, I don’t believe in marriage. It’s all blah to me. I’d be like Goldie Hawn. lol… BUT…I don’t know… If I ever, I would at first roll my eyes at him. Then tell him to calm the hell down, if he’s still freaking out, I would make him sit down and tell me why he’s freaking the hell out over the prospect. and if that still doesn’t work, I’d smack him over the head and tell him to calm the fuck down, it’s just words on paper and legal shit. Otherwise, It’s the same as we’d be going before… LOL… I think that’s what I’d do. haha…

    Thanks again for the contest!

    Judi
    arella3173_loveless@yahoo(dot)com

  18. AJ Kelton Says:

    Oh cool! It looks great! Can’t wait to read!

    AJ
    ajkelton1@gmail.com

  19. Oooh…that’s a great question. I think I would have to re-evaluate that relationship. If my partner and I weren’t on the same page as far as the future of our relationship went, I would have to figure out if simply living him would be sufficient, but questions would probably creep in. Is there a reason he wouldn’t want to get married? Is it an easy out? It would take a lot of thought, but in the end, if my partner and I don’t want the same things for our future, we’d either have to figure out how to move past it with no regrets or end it…which would be beyond hard.

    I look forward to reading this Jambi!!

    morris.crissy@gmail.com

  20. Being in the midst of one divorce and one divorce behind me….I am thinkin that I would never bring up the subject of marriage again to anyone!!! hahahahaaha and if anyone would bring it up to me I would run, wheel, away as fast as possible….I would leave a smoke trail I’d move so fast!!!! hahahahahaha

    Count me in! the book sounds great!

    jo
    johannasnodgrass@yahoo.com

  21. Thank you for all the WONDERFUL answers!!! I’m going to close the comments now and pick two winners. Good luck!

  22. AND…the winners are Pat Nelson and Jbst. I’ll be emailing you shortly! 🙂

  23. Great question, and marriage means many things for many people. I’ve been married for more years than I’ve ever been single. We will be celebrating our 37 years this month on the 19th. I couldn’t imagine my life without my other half especially after everything we have been through over the years. I am so happy after all the voting yesterday that 3 states have pass same sex marriages laws…now that just tickles my heart…..*S*

    Darcy
    pommawolf @hotmail.com

  24. I can’t imagine since I’ve been married for 33 yrs. But I think I come from a generation that believes in marriage more then younger people do today. Not that I’m that old. Ha! I just feel like I’ve been married so long it would be hard to imagine my significant other not wanting to be. I would be very hurt for sure and would hope I could change their mind.
    fcammer2@comcast.net

  25. j.r. patrick Says:

    I loved reading your comments. A lot of you are like Josh. 😀 Congrats to the winners!

  26. Don’t enter me but congratulations.
    Z

Leave a reply to Jbst Cancel reply