He kisses my sweaty back. “Worth waiting for?”
“Yes. So worth it.”
We lie still until our breathing is even, then he slips out of me, undoes the restraints, moves me out of the damp patch, and fetches a warm, wet cloth to clean me up with. Once he’s cleaned himself and disposed of the cloth, he tucks us into bed and cuddles me against him.
I rest my cheek on his shoulder and stroke his chest. “I love you, Daddy.”
He kisses my hair. “I love you, too, boy.”
“I can’t wait to move in together.”
“Nor can I.” I can hear the smile light up his voice, which makes me grin and hold him tighter.
EPILOGUE
DAMON
“Let’s decorate!” Rowan is practically vibrating with glee as he sits on the floor, surrounded by bags of Christmas decorations.
It’s the first of December: our second Christmas together and the first in our new home. We moved into the fabulous two-bedroom apartment four months ago. It has fantastic views, plenty of space for the two of us, and already feels like home.
Last year, I wouldn’t have entertained the idea of putting decorations up at all, let alone so early. Over a month of twinkling lights, and a Christmas tree getting in the way? No thanks.
This year is different. I’m with Rowan now, and his Christmas spirit is infectious. He suggested we wait until Christmas Eve. Perhaps the middle of December, but he was so excited about decorating together that I decided we couldn’t put it off. This is his favourite time of the year, and I can’t deny him his joy. I love him. It’s my job to make him happy, not clip his wings.
He quickly decided his decorations wouldn’t be enough for the whole apartment, especially not if we wanted a cohesive look. So, we went shopping together and it was fun. I hadn’t expected it to be. I’d anticipated hating the whole experience.The shops have been playing Christmas music since Bonfire Night, for crying out loud! I’m already sick of it. Yet, with Rowan by my side, I had fun. We chose a colour scheme and decorations together, imagining how they would look in our apartment and figured out how big a tree we needed and where to put it. I drew the line at dealing with pine needles, so we’ve got a fake tree we can reuse year after year. It’s pretty realistic.
“Are we going to the charity ball this year?” Rowan asks, while he opens a box of glass baubles.
“I wasn’t planning on it.” I sit beside him on the floor and open the following box.
He bounces his knees. “We should go! It’ll be fun!”
“It’s Nigel’s job to go.”
“Why, Daddy?”
I shrug. “It’s his business.”
Rowan laughs. “It’s your business, too. Last time I checked, you’re still a partner.” He nudges my knee with his. “You’re still my boss.”
An arrangement which has worked surprisingly well. It helps that Rowan spends most of his time driving Nigel around or running errands for him.
“I have costume ideas,” he says.
“You do?”
He grins and nods.
I sigh. “What ideas?”
He abandons the box of baubles and crawls onto my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck. “You could go as the Ghost of Christmas Present.”
I purse my lips. “Not Scrooge?”
“Eh, you did that last year.”
“We didn’t get to the ball last year.”
