At.
All.
Never let it be said that Gene didn’t shock the hell out of him on a regular basis. Someone had been planning, clearly.
He simply stared.
“I promise to love, honor, and never betray you. I’ll love you no matter what happens, and I’ll be by your side through it all. I promise to protect your heart and be the armor to your soul so that no one ever hurts you again.”
Tears filled Ethan’s eyes.
“I promise to make sure that each day I celebrate our love, and show you that not only are you my work partner, but you’re also my chosen partner in life. I love you, EJ. Be mine.”
He didn’t answer, but instead he held out his hand. Gene didn’t hesitate to slide that ring onto his finger.
“Forever,” Gene promised. “Until death do we part, and then, even afterward too.”
Ethan’s heart hitched.
“Let me have the other ring,” he finally said, his heart racing in his chest.
All day, he’d been working, but thinking about how he could give Gene the commitment he needed. It puzzled him, since he wasn’t the romantic one.
Everything he knew about wooing his man, was being learned on the fly.
From his man.
Why wasn’t he shocked that Gene had beaten him to the punch on this one?
At his request, Gene gave it to him.
And Blackhawk made his commitment.
“I love you,” Ethan admitted. “I love you because of how big of a heart you have, and how much you make me feel special. No one ever has,” he said. “But you, Gene Patrick Cantrell havealways made me feel like I’m the most important person in the world.”
Gene was pulled up to his feet, and Ethan mimicked what Gene had just done. He went down on his knee and stared up at his man.
“Before you, I thought I’d be alone. Now, I know that we are meant to be and always will be. I don’t doubt it for a single second. Wear this ring for me, so every time we see it, we know that this…this is the most valuable thing in our lives. I have faith for the first time, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I promise that one day, I’ll marry you and make it official. I’ll give you me now, and later.”
He slipped the ring onto Gene’s finger and got up.
“Forever, Gene. You and me until the end, no matter where the journey takes us.”
That worked for Gene.
Pulling him into his body, he found his mouth, and they merged together in a kiss. In it, there was promise, love, and everything that was yet to come.
Slowly, Gene broke the kiss.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I don’t need the paper, EJ. This is a commitment to me. In my heart, we’ve made that vow. You’re finally mine forever.”
Those words helped heal Ethan. Someone wanted all of him and asked for nothing back. All Gene wanted was to walk with him through the shadows—not leave him behind.
Ethan stared into his eyes.
“Forever.”
They stood there in silence, just staring into each other’s eyes. They were the windows to the soul, and in them, they both saw so much.
