Like he knew just what Ramsey was questioning. Like he knew how hard this was for him.
And, Ramsey realized with a bolt of recognition, hedid.
“You’re something else, you know that?” Ramsey said.
If a trace of smugness joined the other emotions on Nate’s face, Ramsey supposed he couldn’t blame him for it. “I think sometimes you forget that you’re not theonlyone who can make a good plan and execute it.”
Ramsey thought about saying that hedidn’tforget—it was instead that nobody had ever met him plan for plan, action for action, before. Nobody except Nate.
Instead, he said, “I won’t forget anymore.” Because now he’dknowthat part of Nate’s love—just like Ramsey’s—contained this element. That he could expect it, that he couldrelyon it.
For a long moment, they didn’t say anything, just looked at each other. Ramsey felt like his heart was in his throat.
“So, what do you think?” Nate asked.
It was a ridiculous question.
Nate knew how good he was. Knew intrinsically how perfect he was for Ramsey. It was why he’d been so pissed when Ramsey had run, and Ramsey couldn’t even blame him for that.
“I think . . .” Ramsey huffed out a breath. He wanted to be annoyed. He wanted to push all this away, but that was only the fear talking, and he didn’t even want to listen to it anymore. It was easier than anything he’d ever done to dismiss it. “I think it’s going to be good. Living here, with you.”
“Yeah?” The smugness wasn’t only in his eyes now, it was in his smile, but Ramsey couldn’t even be mad about it, because he wasright.
“You did better than I could,” Ramsey admitted. It had been a little scary calling off Barty and the trade possibility to the Leafs, because on the other side had been this enormous gaping unknown. He’d never been in a relationship before. He hadn’t even known whatthatlooked like, nevermind a relationship like the one he’d be building with Nate.
But Nate had known that, had taken his hand, and had said,here, let me show you.
Turned out it didn’t just have form and shape, but all the possibilities spinning out, beginning to fill in the space, they werebeautiful.
Ramsey pushed off the counter and tucked himself into Nate’s embrace. “I’m gonna remember that,” Nate murmured into the top of his head. “How about alongside,you were right.”
Ramsey choked out a laugh, suddenly, unexpectedly emotional. “What aboutI love you?”
Pulling back, Nate cupped a palm around Ramsey’s cheek. “Always.”
Ramsey leaned in, ready to kiss his boyfriend—the guy he was going to be building this new life with—but Nate suddenly jerked away.
“Shit, I almost forgot,” he said and dug into his pocket, bringing out a small velvet pouch. “I got this for you. For well . . .because of what happened to the other one.”
Ramsey would deny it until the end of time, but his fingers were trembling as he opened it up and tipped the contents out onto his hand.
He’d known it wasn’t a ring, and he was glad—not because he wasn’t interested in that kind of commitment, but because,God, maybe hewouldbe interested in that kind of commitment—and it would have been insane to get engaged before they’d even lived a part of this life they were going to build together.
A long chain coiled up on his palm, twinkling under the kitchen lights.
Ramsey swallowed hard. “You replaced it.”
“Jordan kept making noise that he was going to, but . . .” Nate shrugged, cheeks flushing. “But I’m enough of a caveman that I don’t want to see another guy buy you jewelry. Not something like this. Something you’ll wear every day.”
“It’s beautiful.” It was. No question.
And Ramsey knew, also, without a single doubt, that every diamond sparkling on the chain was real.
Unlike the one he’d given up, easy as breathing, to save Jordan’s skin.
He should’ve told Nate, long ago probably, but there were some things that were so ingrained, that he’d held close to his chest for so long, that he didn’t know how to admit them. He’d worried too, that Nate would think that somehow his whole persona was like the necklace—a fake front that couldn’t be trusted.
But Nate wouldn’t think that now. Ramsey knew that. Ramseytrustedhim to never think that.
