“I pick you first for my heart.” Hayden pressed his cheek to Armi’s wet one, soaking in Armi’s heat, wrapping himself in the man’s sweetness. “Is that corny? Yeah. Do I give a fuck? No. Finding you that first night was the luckiest thing to ever happen to me.”
“For me too. I never thought a beautiful man like you would be interested in someone like me.”
“Someone like you—kind and loving, good-hearted and always thinking of others? I’m the damn lucky one.”
Shiny-eyed, Armi tugged at his bottom lip before covering his mouth in a heated kiss he’d remember forever. “You are the one. You give me strength. Self-worth. You accepted me and didn’t try and change me. The only one who’s ever stood up for me. I think I fell in love with you that first day you came to the office and got in Jacob Whitmore’s face to defend me.”
Hayden nibbled on his neck and cupped Armi’s ass. “That was fun. And I’ll do it over and over if anyone ever messes with you again, but I don’t think I’ll need to.”
“Why? He’s never going to change.” Armi’s scrunched up face was so adorable, Hayden couldn’t help kissing the tip of his nose.
“Yeah, but you have. Don’t you know how strong you are?” He squeezed Armi’s ass. “Let’s go take a shower and go to bed. I’m not finished with you yet.”
They picked up their discarded clothing, and hand in hand walked up the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It had been the most perfect weekend he could remember. For the first time, Armi walked through the city as part of a family. Saturday, they’d strolled through Central Park and the zoo, stopping for pretzels from the cart, and then they’d taken a car downtown to the 9/11 Memorial. Later, for fun, they’d ridden the Staten Island Ferry to get a close-up of the Statue of Liberty, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and had pizza. At times, he and Hayden had walked hand in hand—another milestone for him—or he’d talk to Jim about the Kings and what he hoped to accomplish, and Nikki had wanted to know all about how he’d started raising roses.
After dropping Nikki and Jim at Hayden’s apartment to rest up before dinner, they headed back to the town house so they could shower and get ready. Like the previous evening, he wanted to call in a favor and get them a seat at a coveted restaurant. “We can go to one of the best in the city—Carbone. I want to make the weekend special.”
Hayden, who’d showered first, lay on the bed but sat up quickly. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Do what?” He stripped off his sweaty clothes.
“Take my parents to all these expensive restaurants. They’re just happy to be here with us. I bet they’d be happy if we just ordered in sushi. They have no good places upstate close by.”
Armi shrugged. “I want to make a good impression.” He walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the water rain down on him. A few seconds later, Hayden opened the door and joined him. He put his arms around Armi and held him tight.
“I don’t mean to make you feel bad, but you don’t need to spend all that money to make them like you. They love you because you’re a good person with a kind heart.” Hayden’s kiss was warm and soft, and Armi clung to him. “And I love you because you’re all that, plus you turn me on like no one else.”
“I’ve had such a great time with them, I just wanted to make sure they knew the weekend was special.”
“They do. They don’t need fancy dinners to know you care. And all I need is you.”
Armi kissed him. “Sushi it is.”
**
Sunday was a stay-at-home family day, and Armi loved every minute of it.
He and Jim did the crossword puzzle, while Hayden sat next to him, playing with the hair that curled at the base of his neck. Contentment spread through him whenever Hayden’s fingers brushed his skin, and every once in a while, they’d catch each other’s eye and smile. But—and no offense to Hayden, who knew this—the best part of the day was spending time with Nikki in the greenhouse and yard. Armi knew Hayden was interested inhis roses, but Nikki shared his passion, and she’d been thrilled to help him with his latest grafting project. It had taken the better part of two hours, but in the end, he was satisfied with the result.
He stripped off his gardening gloves. “If it takes, I’m going to call it the Nikki rose.”
Big green eyes, so like Hayden’s, grew wide, and beamed bright. “That would be amazing. Will you send me pictures if and when it takes? I’d love to see how it grows.” They walked outside to the garden, and she bent to smell the different flowers. “My blooms never get this big or smell sweet like these.”
“I’m going to send you home with a list of things I use and some samples of special fertilizers and treatments for black spot, fungus, and other diseases that specifically affect roses.”
“Thank you so much.” Nikki wandered some more, stopping at each bush, then with determination in her step, strode over to him. “I’m very happy you and Hayden are together. I think you’re wonderful, Armi. And I see how you and Hayden look at each other, and know that you care about him.”
“Uh, y-yes. I d-do. A lot.”
“Hayden’s always felt he must do everything on his own and be the strong one. We just want him to be happy.”
Never having dated or met anyone’s parents, Armi wasn’t sure how to answer her, but decided to speak from his heart. “Nikki, I can honestly say that meeting Hayden changed my life. And I’m going to always try to make him as happy as he makes me, but I’m not sure that’s possible.”
Apparently, that was a good answer, because she hugged him. “I think it is. Let’s go inside, and you can show me the rest of the house. It’s beautiful.” She hooked her arm through his, but he held back.
