“And I’m wondering why”—he paused and rested his palm against Chess’s face—“I’ve waited this long.”
The dark fan of Chess’s lashes swept up high. “Long? What’re you talking about? What’s—”
“Shh.” He placed a finger over Chess’s lips. “Almost nine years, love. We’ve been together almost nine years, and not a day has passed where I haven’t wondered where the hell I’d be if I hadn’t decided to go to that boring university party. I love you more today, but I’m sure it won’t be as much as I will tomorrow. I want to make sure you know how much.”
“André, I know. And I love you too. Forever and always.”
“Marry me.”
Chess paled under the slight sunburn he’d received that afternoon. “What?”
“I know. We’re standing in the middle of Main Street in Southampton, and I should’ve planned it better. You deserve candlelight and music.”
Now it was Chess who put a hand over his mouth. “I don’t need all that.” Shiny-eyed, Chess blinked rapidly, and if the world exploded around them, André would neither notice nor care. Only Chess mattered. “I don’t need anything but you.”
“So?” He kissed Chess’s palm. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes, yes, and of course, yes.” Chess flung his arms around his neck, and André covered his laughing mouth with his lips.
Horns blared on the street, and people clapped around them. He had everything he wanted, and he couldn’t stop smiling as they kissed.
***
They kept their secret to themselves for the night, but the next morning, André entered the airy sunshine-yellow kitchen, and said, “Dottie, do we have a cold bottle of champagne?”
“Yes, we do. Anything special going on?” She wiped her hands, went to the floor-to-ceiling wine refrigerator, and chose a bottle. She handed it to him, then returned to her pastry.
He sat at the huge white-marble island, and as he had as a child, watched her roll out the dough. Freddie sat at the round whitewashed table, snipping the ends off the flowers the gardeners brought in from the grounds and the greenhouse. Classical music played in the background, and André recalled, in the evenings when he’d come home, seeing Freddie and Dottie dancing in the kitchen. He’d laughed at them then, but now he understood the magic the right person could bring to your life.
“You could say so.” Try as he might, he couldn’t keep the smile off his lips.
Dottie, who had her back to him as she was opening the refrigerator, spun around. “André Alcott Webster. If you don’t tell me right now…” Eyes twinkling, she moved quicker than he’d seen in years to stand before him. Waiting.
“I asked Chess to marry me yesterday. And he said yes.”
Her shriek resounded through the room, and she flung her arms around him. “Of course he said yes. And it’s about time you asked him. I’ve been hoping…” She hugged him tight. “You deserve all the happiness. Everything. I wish you would believe it.”
His throat too tight to deny her words, André closed his eyes, breathing in her familiar scent of vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. He might be a powerful businessman, but now it was the strength of a small, seventy-year-old woman he needed.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find a man as good as Chess.”
“He’s the lucky one too.” She held him by the shoulders, gazing up at him. “Start believing it.”
André kissed her cheek. “I’m going outside.”
“Not before I wish you congratulations.” Freddie shook his hand. “I’m glad you’ve found happiness. Chess is a kind, good man, and you’re happier than I can remember.”
“Thank you. I am. I have to learn to accept it.”
“Not always as easy to do as it is to say, but it’s your time. You deserve it.” Understanding brown eyes met his. “Look forward, like you do in your business, not in the rearview mirror.”
André patted him on the shoulder and left, walking out to the deck through the French doors. Dottie had set the table on the deck so they could take advantage of the brilliant blue of the ocean, and he poured a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Elbows on the wooden railing, he savored the sweetness as he listened to the pounding of the waves.
A hand settled on his arm. “You look so serious.” Chess smiled at him. “Everything okay?”
“It is now.”
Shining eyes met his. “I’m still giddy about yesterday. It was so out of left field. But I’d always hoped…one day…”
