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“Be honest. You’re excited to be getting back to work, aren’t you?” Charlie asked as soon as I was in the car, and I turned to smile at them. They looked so much better now. Their hair was back to its shiny, curly mess, their beard just long enough for me to scrape my nails through them. Their baby-blue eyes were bright as they smiled at me, and I couldn’t stop myself from leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss on their smiling lips. I licked the taste of cherry lip balm off my lips, yearning to press forward and really kiss them, but I held back. If I started now, I wouldn’t stop, and I really was eager to get to work, now that Charlie had convinced me.
“Of course I am. Doesn’t mean I don’t wish you were in bed, resting like you’re supposed to.”
“One week. The doc said I had to stay in bed for one week! You made me stay for three. I would’ve turned into a vegetable if I didn’t move around.”
I laughed at their complaint, and after a second, they joined me, and we were still laughing when we parked in front of the café—well, we only drove a few blocks, but still.
“I still think we should’ve walked over. Now you’ll have to drive the car back since there’s no parking here,” Charlie said, and I rolled my eyes.
“I was not going to make you hobble all the way here. Come on. Let me get you settled, and I’ll go drop the car.”
Once I had stationed Charlie in a comfy couch near a window and threatened Kasey with her life to make sure they didn’t leave their seat, I got back into the car and drove it home—thinking about Charlie’s place as home still gave me all the warm fuzzies—before walking back to the café. Over the last few weeks, my whole family had chipped in and helped me move all my stuff to Charlie’s. Now their living room also held a cabinet showcasing all my cute gifts—including the sketch they’d given me on my birthday and the new sketches they’d made recently since they couldn’t do much else in bed—and Cherry’s toys were strewn about in the guest room that had been designated as her highness’s room. I loved seeing our things together. It made me feel like I had the family I’d always been looking for. One that was warm, caring, affectionate, and full of love they didn’t hesitate to show.
When I got back into the café, I made a beeline for Charlie, pressing a slow, sweet kiss on their lips before asking if they’d like something to eat. Once I had their order—which sounded something likewhatever you want; just go work already—I made my way behind the counter, and Kasey pulled me in a hug.
“It’s so good to have you back. We missed you. Do you want a coffee?”
“Yes! And one for Charlie too, please. I’ll handle the customers.” I settled back into the role of a barista with ease, and the familiar act of filling up coffee orders and chatting with customers had me smiling widely as I worked. The regulars asked me where I’d been, and when I told them my partner had been hurt—my eyes always drifting toward Charlie where they sketched in their notebook—they made sure to go over and wish them well, showing me exactly how much they really cared about me. I wasn’t just some guy in makeup who made their coffee; I meant something to them, and that warmed my heart to the core.
When I had a break in customers, an idea hit me, and I grabbed a plate and sliced a big piece of chocolate pastry and grabbed a caramel latte before placing them in a tray and making my way to Charlie’s table. I set the tray on their table and grinned when they didn’t look up, too caught up in sketching what looked like me working behind the counter.
I gripped the edge of the table as I leaned forward and spoke, amusement clear in my voice, “Are you sketching me, sexy stranger? You know, that seems pretty stalker-ish to me.”
Charlie looked up at me, eyes wide for a second—and I was sure they were remembering the first time we met in this same room—before a smile broke out across their face, and they laughed, a free, sweet sound that had me smiling. As long as I could make Charlie smile like that, as long as the two of us were together, everything would be okay.
I sat down across from them, grabbed the fork, and held out a bite to their lips. Because this time, they weren’t a sexy stranger anymore. They were my love, my heart, and my forever. They were my happily ever after.
Epilogue | Brady
IsmiledasIlooked around the room, my heart overflowing with happiness as my eyes fell on Charlie, who was dressed to the nines in a mesh top and a plaid skirt paired with stockings that made me want to drag them into the bedroom and devour them. But I controlled myself because a) this get-together had been my idea and b) I loved how happy Charlie looked as they laughed at something their brother had said.
It had been two months since Charlie was attacked, and they were finally, completely healed. So of course I had to throw a party for them. In the end, I’d invited everyone who had helped me out over the past two months to our house, and it seemed like my idea had been well received.
Mama D, Ryan, Luke, and Scott sat around the dining table. I was pretty sure they were still discussing their impending wedding. They had decided to get married on New Year’s Eve so they could start the new year as a married couple, and as expected, Mama D was over the moon about the idea.
Angie, Rohan, and Jo stood off to the side, talking in low tones. I was glad to see Jo smiling, and I made a note to go talk to them before they left. Two of their stepbrothers had been caught a week after the attack, and since Charlie had remembered almost everything from the attack, the assholes were now in jail for the foreseeable future. The other two were still hiding somewhere, but I was hopeful the cops would find them soon. I couldn’t imagine what Jo must be feeling, to have stepbrothers who hated them so much that they were willing to ruin their own lives.
My eyes drifted back to my partner, and all my worries disappeared just like that. I took a moment to admire their bright eyes, the wide smile on their face, the spot-on makeup they’d done all on their own, and my heart swelled with pride as I made my way to them. I wasn’t nervous, not really, because this felt like the right thing to do.
They looked up as soon as I drew close, and their smile widened when they spotted me. I sidled up to them, kissing their jaw without having to lean up—thanks to my six-inch heels. I extended my hand, and they took it with a puzzled look. “Come dance with me,” I said, pulling them toward the middle of the living room. I looked over at Angie, and she gave me a thumbs up, and a second later, a slow song started playing. I pulled Charlie closer, wrapping my arms around them as theirs came to rest on my waist. We swayed to the music, my cheek resting against their chest as I breathed them in. I took a long, deep inhale as I steeled myself before looking up at them.
“Charlie, will you marry me?”
Charlie stumbled a step but steadied themselves, their eyes wide as they looked into mine. I hoped they could see all my love for them, all the longing in my heart to call them my other half.
Slowly, their lips tilted into a soft, shy smile, and they pulled back slightly, only to drop down on one knee and pull out a box from their skirt pocket. There were gasps around the room and the sound of phones clicking pictures, but all I could see was this beautiful person down on one knee before me. My hands came up to cover my mouth as my eyes filled with tears.
Charlie gave a low chuckle before opening the box and pulling out a platinum band that was encrusted with the tiniest of diamonds and seemed to glitter as they grabbed my hand. “Why do you always have to be the one in the lead?” They slid the ring onto my finger without saying another word. And honestly, words weren’t required at all, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to speak anyway.
As soon as they were standing, I flung myself into their arms, knowing they’d catch me and never let me fall. I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with them.
