“Here we go.” Emilio sank gracefully down onto the comforter.
“This is cozy,” Rayne said as he sat down beside Emilio. Between the Irish coffee and the muted pop of the fireplace, he was growing relaxed, and he was grateful for a chance to unwind after the performance. “I think our number went well, don’t you?”
“I think it was fantastic.” Emilio was leaning back against the sofa, and he scooted over until he and Rayne were sitting snug against one another. “Holiday Pines has never seen anything like it, but it’s time. We sure as hell won’t hide our relationship. Right?”
“I don’t plan on hiding anything.” Rayne slid his arm around Emilio’s shoulders, enjoying the feel of Emilio leaning against him, which was both new and familiar at the same time. Emilio’s shoulders were broader now, and he had the body of a man, not a boy. “I’m proud of you.”
“And I’m proud of you.” Emilio pressed his lips to Rayne’s cheek and then drew back slightly. “Which brings me around to what I wanted to talk to you about. There’s a bit of a story involved, if you don’t mind indulging me.”
“Of course not.” Rayne leaned back so he could watch Emilio, curiosity at war with a twinge of apprehension.
Emilio took a sip of his coffee and then looked into the fire. “I don’t know how much you remember of the stories Mama used to tell when we were younger, but her family is a very old one. They were nobles at one time, but over the centuries things changed, and rather than knights and conquistadors, they became dancers.”
“I remember her stories,” Rayne said with a little nod. “She made them sound like fairy tales. I always thought if our teachers were like her, I might’ve done better in history.”
“Maybe we both would have.” Emilio chuckled. “I never realized how much those stories affected me, but I think they call to my blood. But anyway, one of the stories—the traditions, if you will—about our family is that we love only once, but we do it with all our heart. Mama has all the family records she brought from Spain years ago after her father passed away. In the Alvarado line, there aren’t any records of a divorce. Not one.”
“Seriously?” Rayne stared at Emilio, his eyebrows climbing.
“Seriously. Though, to be honest, I can’t swear that there aren’t a few errant spouses bricked up in walls back in Andalusia,” Emilio said, his eyes dancing with mischief. Then he sobered slightly. “But I think those stories are one reason I was so certain about us from such a young age, you know? I found my true love, I never felt I had to look further. Then when you broke up with me…” He shrugged. “I thought the family legends must all be romantic nonsense, or that maybe, since I loved a boy, it didn’t count for me.”
“I’m sorry,” Rayne said softly, and he rubbed Emilio’s arm. “I never meant to give you so many doubts.”
But Emilio shook his head. “No, please, I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad. Or to make it seem like I still feel angry or resentful. I don’t. You changed that, Rayne. I realized it the night you showed me the house decorations. I don’t think you ever stopped loving me after all. We lost our way, but I don’t think you could have created something so wonderful, so perfectlymeif you’d stopped caring. You certainly wouldn’t have been so worried that I wouldn’t like it either. I could tell how much it mattered that you’d made me happy.”
Rayne’s first inclination was to dismiss Emilio’s claim as romantic nonsense, but he paused and gave it serious consideration. Maybe Emilio was right. For twelve years, he’d tried to leave his old life and everything in it—including Emilio—behind, only to realize his new life didn’t make him happy. He was ready to come home for good.
“It did matter,” he said with a wry little smile. “Very much.”
Emilio nodded, and his eyes were full of tenderness. “That’s when I realized that nothing else mattered, Rayne. I still love you, and I always have. I was hurt and angry, but the love never, ever went away. I think that’s the real reason I never tried to find anyone else. My heart knew it belonged to you and looking at anyone else was useless.”
Rayne set his mug aside and captured Emilio’s hand. “I love you too,” he said, pressing Emilio’s palm against his cheek. “I think I needed to leave so I’d be able to appreciate my real home when I inevitably returned.”
“I think you could be right.” Emilio put his cup down as well and then leaned in to kiss Rayne very gently on the lips. “And if you can stand another small bit of family history, I have a question to ask.”
“What is it?”
Emilio reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and then pulled out his hand, holding it closed. “One other thing Mama brought from Spain, besides her love of dance and her stories, was something very special. It has been passed down in the Alvarado family for generations, and since her father had no sons, it came to her. And from her to my father, and from my father to me.” He turned his hand over and opened it, revealing a very old, heavy gold ring set with gems. “According to the stories, the first Alvarado to possess the ring was a conquistador. The gems are rubies set around an emerald, all from South America. It’s been worn as a wedding ring for generations.” Emilio drew in a deep breath. “And so, with that… Rayne Sadler, will you marry me and wear my family ring?”
Stunned into silence, Rayne stared at the ring, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. A few weeks ago, he’d thought Emilio hated him, and now Emilio was proposing. Rayne’s heart pounded so hard that he felt like it might break out of his chest as he nodded.
“Yes!” He managed to get the word out even though his throat was tight and his eyes were stinging.
Emilio’s smile was radiant, and he took Rayne’s left hand in his, slipping the ring onto his fourth finger. It felt heavy, solid and real. Emilio lifted Rayne’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his fingers. “Thank you. I’ve wanted you for most of my life, Rayne, and I promise I will love you and want you for all the rest of our days.”
“I love you too, and I want to spend the rest of my life here with you in Holiday Pines,” Rayne said, clutching Emilio’s hand.
“Good.” Emilio raised his free hand to Rayne’s face. “Now that you’ve answered my question—and with the right answer, I might add—you can have anything you want. I’m yours, Rayne. I always will be, heart, body, and soul.”
“I don’t have a ring for you.” Rayne gazed at the ring on his finger, still a little dazed by the unexpected turn of events, and then he looked back up. “We’ll find yours together, maybe even get it designed and made just for you.”
Emilio smiled, lifting his free hand to cradle Rayne’s cheek. “I’m fine with that. I wasn’t expecting a ring, since you were letting me set the pace, but I’d like to have one. I want to show everyone that I belong to you.”
“I’d like that too.” Rayne leaned in to brush a light but lingering kiss to Emilio’s lips.
“Good.” Emilio’s eyes gleamed. “So if we are officially engaged, I don’t have a problem with an anticipatory wedding night.”
Rayne glanced around the cozy little nest Emilio had prepared for them. “I don’t suppose you also stashed lube and condoms somewhere around here, did you?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.
