AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re where you want to be,” he told Nick as they slow danced in the great room.
“You’re my home, Saint.” He’d repeat the words as often as Cash needed to hear them.
The biggest celebration came at the end of October when Cash turned fifty. Dylan smoked pulled pork, brisket, and turkey legs while Harry and Rory made a dozen side dishes. The bash was fit for the king of Redemption Ridge and Nick’s heart. The cold front and freshly fallen snow kept the party inside, but they laughed, danced, and basked in the joy they found in each other’s company.
Nick went to the kitchen to get water and found Tyler doing dishes. He knew he should mind his business, but it pained him to see Ty hurting so badly. If Nick could spare someone else a dozen years of pining, he would. Tyler glanced up and offered a pitiful smile when he approached.
“Why are you hiding in here?” Nick asked. He picked up a towel and went to work drying dishes.
Tyler shrugged. “Just kind of feel like a third wheel sometimes, I guess. Then I feel like an awful person for thinking that way. Keegan has been through so much, and Owen brings him peace. I’d have to be a real jerk to make things harder for them to be together.” There was a slight emphasis on the last word that struck to the heart of the problem.
Nick knew he needed to tread lightly. “They’re not together romantically.”
Tyler shrugged again and shoved his hands into the soapy water.
“That isn’t what romantic love looks like, Ty.” If you could only see the way Owen looks at you.
Tyler’s hands stilled, and he met Nick’s gaze. His eyes were wide and wet with unshed tears. “When did you know you were in love with your best friend?”
Nick set his towel down and crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t have a big a-ha moment,” he admitted. “It happened slowly. I noticed little things at first. Catching guys checking Cash out made me jealous. Thinking of him falling in love with someone else and being intimate with them drove me mad. Not being with him became a bone-deep ache.”
Tyler emitted a feral little growl that caught them both by surprise. He rubbed a hand over his chest like that might make the hurt go away.
“You’ll miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take,” Nick said. “I wasted so much time pining after something that was mine for the taking all along. Swing for the fences, Ty.”
“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”
“But what if he does?” Nick patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t wait too long.” He grabbed two waters and headed back to the great room, where he celebrated the man he loved.
When everyone left, Nick grabbed drinks, towels, and Cash’s hand. He’d saved his birthday gift for when they were alone. They moved to the hot tub much quicker when it was colder, but the contrast between the chilly air and bubbling hot water made it worth it.
“Ready for your birthday gift?” Nick asked.
Cash slid his hand up Nick’s thigh. “Always.”
“You know how you whisked me away to Denver to relive our first weekend together?”
“Vividly.”
Nick smiled and kissed him. “I want a do-over of our first vacation, so I booked a trip to Cabo. We leave in two weeks.”
“Baby, that’s incredible. Thank you so much.” Cash pulled him close for a long kiss that threatened to derail Nick’s thoughts.
He had more he wanted to say, so he reluctantly pulled away. “This time I won’t go to my lonely room and wish I was with you. I can tug your ridiculously small swimsuit off with my teeth and blow you behind a waterfall. I will hold your hand and show the world you’re mine, and I’m yours. I am going to kiss you when the sun rises and sets and when the stars come out to play. One glorious week, just you and me.”
Cash was almost breathless by the time Nick finished. “I want all those things too, but on one condition. I want to take this dream trip with my husband.”
“Damn it, Saint. I was going to propose behind the waterfall.”
“Mmmhmm. Before or after you blew me? What was the order supposed to be? Climb behind the waterfall, hit your knees to propose, rip my swim briefs down, and blow me? Or get me all sexed up and then ask me to marry you? And where the hell were you going to hide the ring? If my briefs were small, yours were downright micro.”
Nick cut off his diatribe with a hard kiss. “I would absolutely love to marry you, Saint. But we can’t pull off a wedding in two weeks.”
Cash’s grin was downright wicked. “Bet me.”
The End!
