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“I think someone needs to keep an eye on you. For the good of humanity.”
“Somebody should think of the children,” Ben added, already feeling a thousand percent better with Simon by his side.
“They should, and I’m just the man to make that sacrifice.” Simon reached out to cradle Ben’s face. “Ben?”
“Yes?”
“Sweetheart?” Simon stared down into Ben’s eyes intently. He looked like he was going to ask something crucially important.
“Yes?” Ben repeated, breathless.
“When were you planning on telling me your given name is Ebeneezer?”
The question was a bit like being hit by another car. “What?” he asked.
“Ebeneezer. Apparently, it’s your birth name. It’s why I couldn’t find you. The only name on your ID is Ben. Finding a Ben Miller when you should be looking for an Ebeneezer Miller is a problem.”
Ben groaned. He’d always hated his name. It was absolutely impossible, not that his mother had cared.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were named after Scrooge inA Christmas Carol?”
“Because I wasn’t. It’s a biblical name. Dickens just made it famous. Or infamous. Like Nimrod.”
“What?” asked Simon, who was clearly no Bible scholar.
“Nimrod. He was a great king and accidentally became a term for someone stupid. Ebeneezer is the same.” This was why Ben never told anyone. The whole thing was ridiculous.
Simon’s brow furrowed. “Who was Ebeneezer? Another king?”
Ben sighed. “Worse. It’s a place.”
“So Ebeneezer is like the biblical version of Dallas or Dakota?” Simon asked. The twinkle was back in his eyes.
“I guess,” Ben said, laughing despite himself. “Ebeneezer is the hipster version of naming your kid after a place. I still want to be Ben, though.”
“My Ben,” Simon agreed, then added, “if you want to come back. And stay.”
“Aren’t you angry with me?” Ben asked.
Simon bit his lip then said, “A little, to be honest, but I’m far angrier with my mother and myself.”
“I didn’t want to come between you two,” Ben insisted. “I wouldn’t ever want to do that.”
“Sweet, Mother and I have our own issues to work out and you have nothing to do with them. She wasn’t angry about you, not really, and even if she was, she’d just have to get over it.” Simon pursed his lips and looked serious.
“She would?” Ben asked.
Simon nodded. “She would. Because she’s my mother, and she’ll always be that, but you’re the man I’m in love with.”
Ben squeaked in response. He couldn’t seem to say anything at all coherent.
Simon leaned down to kiss first Ben’s forehead then his mouth. “Please come home with me, Ben. I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you the rest of my life. I don’t want to be without you ever again.”
“I—”
Simon shook his head. “Think about it, please. I know it’s a lot. ThatI’ma lot, and I asked you this question before but I did it badly and for the wrong reasons. I love you, Ben. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And no, I don’t know if everything will be perfect. It probably won’t be. We’ll probably disagree sometimes and even argue and one of us will hog all the covers and we won’t agree on what color the new couch should be. But that’s life. There are always ups and downs. I don’t care how many downs there are. Even if I were to lose every last cent I have. I want to spend every second I can with you, and then I’ll be happy. So think about it, okay?”
Ben choked back another sob. He was feeling extremely emotional and wondered if he could blame it on the anesthesia, but knew deep down it was just him, being his usually messy self.
