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“I love you too, darling.” Konrad leaned over and pressed his lips to Jasper’s temple.
“I don’t love you just in the right now way. I love you in the forever way.” Jasper swallowed, turning Konrad to face him, chewing his bottom lip for a moment before releasing it. He met the dark brown eyes where he saw his heart looking back at him. “You were the one who asked me to dinner. You were the one who asked to be with me. You were the one who asked to make love to me. You were the one who asked me to move in with you. For once… I want to be the one to ask you.”
Jasper shakily went down on one knee and took the ring out of his pocket—just the ring, since his pants didn’t leave enough room for a ring box without it being obvious. He held it up between them and met Konrad’s eyes that had gone wider than before. “Sweetheart. My love, my Starlight. You’re so much better at words than I am, so I’m sorry I don’t have a whole speech, but I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. Konrad Aksel Iversen, will you marry me?”
The gold band glistened in the sunset that had started to purple with the oncoming twilight. It was a simple band set with a kite-cut salt and pepper diamond, with three tiny, circular rubies clustered on either side. A diamond with his darkness, and rubies surrounding it like roses.
Jasper choked on a tight laugh as he looked up at the man he wanted to make his fiancé. “Please say something?”
“Yes,” Konrad gasped immediately, like he was startled into the realization he hadn’t spoken. “Jasper. Elskede. Yes, please. Of course. My darling, there is nothing else in the world that would bring me greater pride and happiness than to be your husband.”
Jasper’s face hurt with how widely he smiled. He put the ring on Konrad’s finger, and Konrad pulled him up, right off his feet into an all-encompassing embrace, burying his face in Jasper’s neck. Jasper could feel wetness against his skin and hugged Konrad all the tighter for it. His Konrad. Soon to be his husband Konrad. He’d never known it was even possible to love someone as much as he loved this man.
The tears turned to sobs, and Jasper leaned back, taking Konrad’s face in his hands. “Sweetheart?”
“Forgive me. It’s only that I—I want to tell Anna. God, Jasper, she would love you.”
“Come here.” Jasper pulled him back into his arms, brought Konrad’s head back down to lay on his shoulder. “Never apologize for missing her. When we get home, let’s go show her your ring.”
“Yes. I… I would like that.”
Jasper didn’t tell him that he’d visited her grave alone before they left for their trip to ask for her blessing. That was between him and Anna. He wasn’t sure what he believed about death and what came after it, but he did believe with all his heart that if any part of her lingered, she had given her blessing. She had wanted Konrad to be happy, and somehow, Jasper was the man who was lucky enough to be the one to do that.
“Yours is in my desk,” Konrad said, leaning back to be able to look down at him. Jasper’s brow furrowed, and Konrad added, “I was waiting until Halloween.”
Understanding dawned on him hard. A smile split Jasper’s face. “You were going to propose to me on my favorite holiday?”
“Darling, I would have proposed to you the very first Halloween you were mine, were I not concerned about asking too soon.”
Jasper believed him. From day one, Konrad had wanted him with a certainty that Jasper couldn’t fathom having for a complete stranger, but his Konrad was a romantic.
Just as ink went beyond the epidermis to make a permanent place below the skin, Konrad had gotten under all of Jasper’s defenses and made him feel like maybe he wasn’t broken beyond repair. Jasper had learned to be whole again in Konrad’s arms, and that’s where he wanted to stay for the rest of his life.
