"It's never been this good for me either." I pull a stray lock of hair from his eyes. "I think it's because I've never really been myself with any of my previous relationships. I was always afraid of being found out, mocked, or worse."
"You will always be safe with me, Xander. I want you to be comfortable, free...and I want us to never lose this playfulness."
I run my hand down his chest and let it settle on his waist.
"Have you opened the envelope yet?"
He sighs and lies on his back, staring at the ceiling.
"I'm scared, Xander. I never thought I'd win the competition. How can I manage the farm, work at the market, spend time with the team of editors, designers, proofreaders,andhave time to see you?"
"But—" he shuts me up with a kiss.
"Let's talk about it later. Now, we need to shower because everyone will be here soon."
Ash puts on Christmas music as we get ready to welcome our family and friends. I can't wait for the day when we get to do this, but I don't have to say goodbye to Ash at the end of the weekend.
Mia and Nicki are the first ones to arrive, and as soon as they're through the door, they're showing us photos of the kitten they're adopting together.
"Hold on," Ash says, pouring a glass of wine for each of them. "How are you adopting a cat together if you live on opposite ends of the city?"
The girls look at each other and Nicki raises her left hand.
Ash gasps, and I'm glad I'm close enough to avoid any wine disasters.
As it turns out, Mia went a little crazy after her nephews were born and decided she didn't want to be the single aunt, so she proposed to Nicki, who was upset because she was already planning her own proposal. She still said yes, of course, and we all agree that what Mia and Nicki have is the real thing, so what's a month, or six, when you're really in love?
I just wish I could feel as confident about my own proposal. Not that I think Ash would say no, but he still feels the responsibility of looking after his family, even though Victoria really stepped up to the plate when he was ill.
After Ash recovered fully, they had a long and emotional conversation. One that I was told had started the day of the masquerade ball.
They decided to move on for the sake of their family, and especially the twins, who will now grow up in a happier family environment.
My parents arrive shortly after.
"Ash, darling," my mom says to Ash, holding out the homemade apple tart that she made for dessert. "I followed your advice, and you were so right, a little extra cinnamon never hurt anyone."
The funny thing is that after meeting Ash for the first time, my mom decided she was going to take him under her wing but hasn't noticed she's the one doing everything his way. Case in point, she baked rather than ordering a fancy dessert. I didn't even know my mom could bake.
My dad apologized for his behavior, and after a single evening of talking about Ash's business, he declared that I should aspire to be as good a CEO as Ash is a businessman.
Once again, I am found wanting by my dad, but this time I do not mind it one bit.
"Can we talk, son?" my father asks.
"Sure." I give Ash a kiss and lead my father to my office.
"Today is a day to celebrate, so I'll keep the business talk short," he says, walking over to the window and leaning against the windowsill with his hands in his pockets.
I close the door behind us to give us privacy. My apartment is large enough, but I don't want Ash to overhear us if what my dad is about to say isn't the good news we've been waiting for.
"As you know, we set up the trap for Jessop using the fake accounts," my father says. "Mia's actor friend deserves an award for his performance, by the way. I listened to the recordings of their conversations, and Jessop confessed to passing confidential company information to Mark in exchange for personal information."
I run my hands through my hair. Shock doesn't begin to describe my reaction. "So they really were working together? How?"
"They each had different end games, which would have been harder to catch if it weren’t for Jessop panicking that his wife's company was going to lose business from Blackwood Publishing and leaving some very traceable communication with Mark." My father says before he explains how Jessop lost his job, and his reputation, thanks to a well-timed email to an old friend of his. Mark is also in trouble with his parents, and likely to be grounded until he's fifty, and with a much-reduced spending allowance.
"Of course, the new CEO of Blackwood Publishing can deny all knowledge of this because he was caring for his poorly boyfriend at the time," my father says, and I walk over to him to give him a hug before we walk back out to join everyone.
