He blinked back the emotion swirling behind his eyes. “My dad and I were pretty close, especially after Jacob died. We’ve always been a close family. I can’t imagine not seeing them as often as we do. Hell, I’d babysit Olive more if I had more free time.”
“You’re lucky,” Wyatt murmured.
John glanced down at the highlighted blond locks curling through his fingers. “Yeah, we are.” He took a sip of wine, letting his emotions settle, letting the quiet stillness of the night roll over his body and the warmth of Wyatt against him. “My parents were lucky, too. They fell in love fast and hard. Said ‘I love you’ after only three months and got engaged within a year. My parents found their soulmates, and it made me and my sister silly romantics too, believing in true love.”
“Do you still?” his voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard it.
“The honest answer… I dunno anymore. I spent nearly ten years married to a woman I thought I loved. I eventually realized that it wasn’t love—it was people-pleasing and avoidance. She worked a lot. I worked a lot. Whenever we finally were in the same place at the same time, we were too exhausted to do much other than sleep. We didn’t do this,” he admitted roughly.
“Do what?”
“Cuddle by the fireplace and just talk.”
Wyatt’s hand reached over and found his, dragging it away from his hair and over his chest. The steady beat of his heart ticked beneath his palm, soothing him.
“My ex and I fought,” John heard himself say. “Not enough to divorce, but enough to hurt each other. We tried for a baby, ignorantly thinking that would fix the issues between us. And then she couldn’t have kids, and that was it. All that time, putting our energy into hope only to have it be denied, killed whatever was left between us. She left a few months later. The divorce was…” he sighed heavily, “well, it was pretty gruesome even for an ED doctor.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I want to still believe in soulmates like my parents,” he murmured, his hand stroking Wyatt’s chest, smelling his faint natural scent mixed with fire and wine. “I do know one thing,” he said, voice unexpectedly shaking. “I’ve never felt like this with someone before.”
“Probably because I’m pretty fuckin’ incredible,” Wyatt teased arrogantly, rolling up to glance at him. The firelight danced over his beautiful face and John, at that moment, was in awe, smiling down at him.
“That you are,” he replied, swallowing the emotion.
“You are too, you know.”
Something quiet passed between them, and John kissed his shoulder, “Thanks.”
“Come with me to Arizona,” Wyatt said, surprising him.
He blinked, hesitating.
“Come with me,” Wyatt pressed firmly. “And then when we’redone, we’ll come home.”
Emotion, like a gut punch to his stomach, hurdled through his entire body. “Home?”
“Here,” Wyatt breathed. “Right here with you.”
John closed his eyes briefly, realizing that everything he just said to Wyatt was a lie. That he did believe in soulmates—not just because of his parents—but because of him.
Wyatt sat up, slipping his hands around John’s waist and drawing him close, releasing a long sigh. “I don’t wanna go anywhere without you. I don’t think I can anymore. You’ve ruined me entirely. I’m addicted to the crinkled laugh lines around your eyes, your half-hearted smile, your fuckin’ beardy kisses, and the way you look at me… just me. I would imagine it’s the same feeling the moon gets when it looks at the stars. Or when the sun looks at the flowers in spring.”
John’s eyes watered and he laughed weakly, “Now who’s the romantic?”
“I’ve always been a romantic. You just gave me permission to actually be one.” Wyatt kissed him tenderly, lovingly. “Say yes, John.”
He nodded, heart aching. “Yes. I’ll come with you.”
Wyatt kissed him harder then, looking victorious for only a moment before picking up their wine glasses and standing up. “Let’s go to bed. We have an early flight tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Seriously?”
“I booked an extra ticket, hoping you’d say yes.”
He opened his mouth to protest when Wyatt cut him off with a firm head shake.
“You know all we gotta do is tell Steph and she’ll handle it.”
