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“And it is, indeed, a gift.”
“Shut up.” Ben tried, unsuccessfully to tug his hand free.
“I love you,” Simon said, holding onto Ben’s hand despite his best efforts to wriggle free.
Ben hmphed.
“I really do,” Simon added.
Ben hmphed again.
“And I’m never,” Simon punctuated his sentence with a kiss, “ever,evergoing to let you go. Until I die. And then I’ll try to haunt you.”
Ben tried to look affronted and lost. “That is the least romantic thing anyone has ever said.”
“Oh, that’s nothing. How about, shacking up with me beats living in a cardboard box? That’s pretty unromantic.”
To Simon’s delight, Ben’s face had become all dancing eyes and wicked smiles. “Like that book I read in high school.Pride and Prejudice. The girl in it doesn’t want anything to do with the guy until she sees his house.”
“Are you calling me Mr. Darcy?” Simon asked with amusement.
Ben’s expression screwed up in thought. “Pretty much, yeah.”
“You’re not a lot like Lizzy. I think you’re more of a Jane.”
“Who? Sorry. I read that book a long time ago.”
“You forgot who the narrator or the book was but you remember the hero’s house.”
“Spoiler alert. It was a really nice house,” Ben replied with a yawn.
“It was,” Simon whispered back. “You should try to get some more sleep, Benny. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Ben gripped Simon’s hand tighter. “Can you just… hold my hand a little longer?”
“Of course. Just give me a second.” Simon moved the recliner so it sat on the other side of Ben’s bed, then he reached over and took Ben’s hand in his. The fingers, he noticed, were no longer cold. “Good night, love.”
“Night,” Ben said sleepily.
Simon held Ben’s hand until both Ben and Simon’s arm were fast asleep.
35
Ben Comes Home
Sunday, December 24
Simon’s townhouse
The Gold Coast
“Let’s not go in through the front,” Simon said.
“Sure thing, boss.” Hudson drove around the block then pulled into an alley. From there, he pulled up behind two garage doors. One went up and Hudson pulled in smoothly, parking beside the Bentley in the tidiest garage Ben had ever seen. Once they were out of the car, Simon took Ben’s hand and led him to a staircase that went up. It seemed the garage was below the townhouse, attached to the basement.
Walking into Simon’s house truly felt like Ben was returning home. He felt more at home there than he had anywhere in what seemed like forever. But everything about this house, where he should have felt entirely out of place, was perfect. It even smelled of gingerbread and chocolate.
Ben followed his nose to the kitchen where Roberta reigned supreme. She looked Ben up and down with a disapproving look on her face that made Ben’s spirits sink. Hudson hadn’t treated Ben at all differently and he’d hoped Roberta would be the same. Ben stood before her feeling like a disobedient child.
