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Caleb’s heart felt like it had doubled in size. “I’m not that easy to get rid of.” He took the leap. “Because I love you.”
Roman’s breath caught. “You do?”
“You know I do. I’ve fallen hard for you.”
He didn’t have to wait long for Roman’s response, thank fuck. “I’m so in love with you. Head over heels, crazy for you.”
Caleb leaned his forehead against Roman’s. “I’ll never take that love for granted. Ever.”
“Neither will I, though I’m bound to fuck up. I’m not good at this, my sweet Caleb. My track record shows that. But I want to get it right this time, with you. I want to be worthy of you.”
“You already are, just the way you are.” Should he ask the question that had been on his mind so often lately? If not now, then when? Wasn’t that part of this conversation? It should be. “Can I ask about your job? Because you said before you couldn’t come out.”
“It would’ve been really, really hard, but I would never have asked you to be my dirty little secret. You mean too much to me for that.”
He spoke in the past tense as if he no longer had that problem. What did that mean? “I’m glad because I wouldn’t have done that. No matter how much I love you, I can’t be shoved back into a closet. I’m too out and proud for that.”
“As you should be.”
“So what’s the solution?”
Roman inhaled sharply. “After my leave of absence officially ends, I’ll be resigning.”
What? He couldn’t do that. Caleb didn’t want that responsibility on him. “Roman…Sir…you can’t do that for me.”
“It’s not for you. You played a part in my decision, but the biggest reason is Whitman. We can’t bring him down by playing by the rules. He’s got too much power for that. So we have to color outside the lines, and that’s incompatible with my job. I take my ethics too seriously for that. So it’s time to walk away.”
“B-but what will you do?”
Roman brushed through Caleb’s hair. “Wander offered me a job.”
“On our team?”
“Yes. Would you be okay with that, working with me when we’re together?”
“Hell, yes. One hundred percent. In fact, I would be…” Caleb, lost for words, kissed Roman. Hard. “Perfect. It would be perfect.”
“I’m glad because I have two weeks of leave yet, and once that’s done, I’m resigning.”
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll miss it?”
“I’m sure I will, and it won’t be easy in the beginning. Prepare for a grumpy boyfriend.”
Caleb grinned. “Like you’ve been Mr. Sunshine so far?”
Roman put his hand over his heart. “Ouch. Have I been that bad?”
“No. Not at all.” Caleb kissed him again. “And even in the moments that you struggled, I understood.”
Roman caressed his shoulder. “Thank you. I asked Master Mark to train me.”
“You did?”
“Thought it was time I learned the ropes. Literally.” Roman’s attempt at humor veiled the gravity of his decision, and Caleb saw through it.
“You’ve been making big decisions.”
Roman frowned. “Should I have discussed these with you?”
