AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And what about you, old friend?" Leo aims a friendly smile my way. "How is settled life treating you?"
I lick some frosting off my thumb before answering. "It's brilliant. If I'd known it'd be this fucking good, I would have settled down years ago."
"But then we wouldn't have had twenty years of foreplay," Marsh says with a grin.
"True."
I look over at him, the man I love more than anything. He's swapped out his flannel shirts for what they call singlets here in Oz. It's like a tank top, but with a thinner shoulder strap. Rove teases him that they lookbogan, which roughly translates astrailer trashin American, but that only makes Marsh wear them even more.
Why did I wait so long to make a move? Oh, that's right. Because I was emotionally stunted and numbed myself with work and casual sex.
Marsh and I share a look before we dig back into the heavenly cake. I'm so glad I told him how I felt. I had no idea how it would go. He could have reacted in any number of ways. But it just goes to show, life is about taking chances, because when they pay off, they pay off big-time.
"When do you guys fly to the US?" Rove asks.
"Next month," I reply.
"And do you plan on doing anything other than fucking until then?" Leo quips.
"Hey." I fling a bit of cheesecake his way. "That's not all we do."
"That's right," Marsh steps in. "We also eat and sleep."
Everyone laughs.
"Seriously, though, I've been looking into photography options, and there are a few wedding businesses in town," I say. "Thought I might reach out when we get back here again and offer my services, at a heavily discounted rate, of course."
Marsh nods. "And I spoke to the head of a local construction company last week. They're always looking for casual contractors. I need to get some certs, which I'll do online when we go back home, and then I'll pick up some work when we get back."
"Sounds like you two have it all sorted," Leo says, and I can hear the happiness in his voice.
"We sure do."
Did I ever see myself settling down with one guy? No. But then, I'm not settling down with just some guy. It's Marsh, and with him, forever feels like the most natural thing in the world. There's nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with him.
He's tucking into the birthday cake, chatting away to Rove, and I smile. I'm so proud of him. On the outside, he looks every bit the mountain man. But only I get to experience his true softer side, his submissive side.
And there's no greater gift in the world than someone sharing their vulnerabilities with you. It doesn't make a person weak, it only makes them stronger, if you ask me.
"Oh, hey. Here you go." Leo comes over and hands me a rectangular present. "We got you something. Nothing big, but we hope you like it."
"Aw, you guys didn't have to get me anything."
I unwrap it, and it's a beautiful painting of the marina we're docked at.
"It's by a local artist," Rove explains. "It's part of a series, and this was the second last one left."
"Second last?"
"Yeah." Leo smiles. "We got the last one."
"Nice. I love it. Thank you so much."
We continue eating, and when Marsh and I take the plates into the kitchen, he leans over and whispers into my ear. "I've got something for you, too. But I'll give it to you when we get back to the States."
"Oh. It's that big, is it?"
"Nah. It could fit in your pocket."
