Schoolteacher Julian Reynolds is disillusioned with the seedier side of gay life in New York City with its self-absorption, vanity, and preoccupation with sex. When his long-time relationship with his high school sweetheart ends, he returns to his hometown and vows to live a simple life free of the extremes of the gay lifestyle and romantic entanglements. With that end in mind, he rents the carriage house next door to a large Tudor-style home.<br><br>Tate Butler, a former student of Julian’s, lives in the big house with his mother. Tate is bitter and withdrawn after losing a leg while serving in the Marine Corps during the war in Afghanistan. Fearing rejection from his mother and blaming himself for his father’s death, Tate stays firmly in the closet and punishes himself by refusing to learn how to walk again.<br><br>Can Tate and Julian help heal each other’s pasts and forge a real and lasting future together? Or will the driveway that separates their houses prove too wide a gulf to cross?

The Marine Next Door

The next few weeks were wonderful, yet awkward at the same time. Julian loved his classes. His students were great. He discovered he liked middle-schoolers as much as he did the older high school students. He enjoyed establishing friendships and working with his colleagues.


Mary was impressed and pleased with Tate’s progress. He had mastered the use of his prosthetic leg to the point that his gait looked almost completely normal. He had even begun jogging, and had encouraged Julian to accompany him, saying, “It’s not only healthy, it gives us a chance to be alone.”


Chapter 29