And Noah wasn’t letting go.
Chapter Twenty
Eli hadn’t expectedto sleep.
His mind had been a riot of images: pine lights, Noah’s trembling smile, his name spelled in tiny bulbs, followed by those heart-stopping words.
Will you hold my hand forever?
But somehow, wrapped in Noah’s arms, Eli had drifted into the best sleep he’d had in years.
He woke to gentle morning light and Noah’s arm draped over his waist. Noah’s breathing was deep and even, and there was a faint smile on his lips as though he was enjoying a wonderful dream.
I hope it includes me.
The ring on his finger was a glorious reminder that it had all been real.
Noah blinked awake, and smiled the moment he saw Eli.
“Hey,” he whispered.
Eli smiled back. “Hey.”
Noah leaned in and kissed him, a half-asleep, affectionate brush of lips.
For a few peaceful minutes, the world comprised nothing but soft sheets, shared warmth, and the quiet certainty that last night had really happened.
Then Noah said it.
“Good morning… fiancé.”
Eli made a noise somewhere between a groan and a laugh and buried his face against Noah’s neck.
“Please stop saying it like that.”
“Why? You don’t like it?”
Eli’s voice was muffled. “I like it too much.”
Noah laughed. “Me too. In fact, I like it so much, I may start every day with those words, right up to the moment you become my husband.”
Husband.
Warmth suffused Eli in a slow tide, filling every part of him.
They lingered for a while, wrapped in blankets and kisses and the surreal weight of the word that had stuck in Eli’s mind ever since he’d seen it in lights.
Forever.
“We have a big important job to do this morning.”
Eli smiled. “I thought that was what you did yesterday.”
Noah chuckled. “I was so busy twisting those lights into words that I didn’t have time to decorate the tree. I think it’s time we brought it in from the cold, don’t you? That’s if we can even see it. There was more snow last night.” He cupped Eli’s chin. “It’s something we should do together. The first time, with many more to come.”
Eli beamed. “I’d like that. But do we have to do it right away?”
Noah’s eyes sparkled. It was as though he’d sloughed off all traces of sleep in a heartbeat.
