Through the crowd, Liam charged over and gave Evan a giant bear hug. “Hot damn.”
“We’re back in business.”
“The fall is a great time to build,” Liam said, his spirit undaunted. “We’ll sell some units for Christmas.”
Christmas. That made Evan think of what he wanted the holidays to be—and where. He made his way through the crowd, accepting congratulatory handshakes as he went. Jess was similarly swamped on the other side of the room, but Brent was alone on a bench at the back of the hall.
Evan sat down next to him and stretched his arm out behind his boyfriend.
Brent bumped his knee into Ev’s leg. “Having fun?”
“More than I ever have before.” His hand curled around Brent’s far shoulder and he squeezed. “You?”
“That was wild.”
“Things get heated here from time to time. But Jess owned the room.”
“She did. It was amazing.”
“Listen, I wanted to run an idea past you. What do you think of holding a Christmas open house? A party. For everyone here, everyone in town. Open doors, open invitation.”
“At your place?”
Evan hesitated. “It could be our place, you know.”
Brent went quiet. Thinking. “Christmas?”
“I know you’re looking for a job here. I thought, when you move down, maybe don’t move into Jess’s little house. She can keep that as her office, but it’s too small for more than one person. And my place is big enough for all three of us.”
Brent searched the room for his wife. “Let’s ask her first.”
Evan nodded.
His lover turned and smiled. “Don’t be mistaken—the answer is yes. But I want her to be the one to say it, okay?”
Evan pulled him for a quick, light kiss. It would always be okay that Brent loved their woman as much as he did. “Yeah. Oh yeah.”
* * *
Brent: Mr. S, about that conversation we had re: me moving out
Mr. Subramanian: Did you finally start dating someone?
Brent: I’m moving to Wardham to be with my wife. And her boyfriend.
Mr. Subramanian: I didn’t see that coming.
Brent: Honestly, Mr. S., neither did I. But I’m pretty darn happy about it.
Epilogue
Evan tapped the remote button for his garage and watched as the carriage door lifted open. He slid his car into its spot and gave a sigh of relief at Brent’s pick-up truck parked on the far side of the garage.
He’d spent too long coming home to an empty house. He’d built up all sorts of walls around himself, convincing himself that it was fine to be alone.
And maybe for a long time it had been fine.
But now he yearned for his partners when he was away on business.
