Ben Haggerty is devastated when he returns home from work to discover his lover of eight years has gone off to complete his master's degree at another college -- and left no forwarding address. Not only has Ben chosen Rick over his beloved family, but he's supported his boyfriend both financially and emotionally the entire time. Unable to remain in their shared apartment, Ben moves and spends a miserable holiday season alone. With the New Year, however, he's determined to make a fresh start, so he manages to obtain Rick's address and sends him a card asking if Rick ever plans to return. Somehow, the card winds up in the wrong mailbox.<br><br>Jason Prescott is a genius, having obtained his first master's degree at twenty-one and now working on his second. When he receives a card in error, he returns both the card and a card of his own to be courteous, expressing his hopes Ben can get in touch with his boyfriend. This begins a correspondence that leads to friendship, and ... the start of something more? Jason introduces Ben to his family and reunites him with his own.<br><br>But will Jason, who's even smarter than Rick, be satisfied with someone as ordinary as blue-collar Ben feels himself to be? Or will Rick, realizing what he's let slip through his fingers, manage to persuade Ben to take him back?

Always, Ben

It had been a long night, and the morning seemed to be stretching out even longer. Everything was in order, but now he had nothing to do except drift through the house, trying to distract himself. Dammit, he should have nailed Ben down to a specific time.


Didn’t the minute hand move? He was ready to swear the clock had said ten fifteen half an hour ago.


Okay, he’d pull out the text Dr. Hewitt suggested he study.


No, if he did that, he’d lose track of time. Wait, wasn’t that what he wanted to do?


He went from room to room again to make sure everything was in order. The scent of lilacs filled the house.


Did the television screen need to be dusted again? Should he have dry-mopped the hardwood floor? What about—


Oh, that had better not be Gabe with his magazine subscriptions. He stalked to the door and pulled it open.


Chapter 31