“Always a dangerous thing,” Bobby says from the couch.
James rolls his eyes and walks into the room, lifting Bobby’s feet to plunk down on the couch with him. Bobby winks and wiggles his toes when his feet plop back into James’ lap.
“Sorry, Meredith, you were saying?” James says.
“Well, for starters,” Meredith says, after giving them all a mock-haughty look.
She reaches into a small bag sitting on the center of the table and pulls something out. Both Beth and Gwen gasp. Meredith hands whatever it is over. James glances at Bobby, who shrugs. But then Gwen slides out of her chair and onto the floor, looking up at Beth, on one—oh.
Beth nods eagerly, her face growing pink, and James can just see a tear leak down her cheek in the sunlight that comes in from the spotless windows.
“I love you so much,” Beth whispers.
Gwen slips a plain ring onto Beth’s finger and grips her hand. Beth beams and pushes her chair back, sinking onto the floor with Gwen. She slides a ring onto Gwen’s finger and Gwen whispers something to her before pulling her in for a kiss.
James feels his chest expand and squeezes Bobby’s leg. It’s not just James and Bobby who get a full life together, but Beth and Gwen, now wrapped in a hug and weeping softly into each other’s necks—they get their happy ending too.
“We’ll do our own rings, promise,” Bobby murmurs.
James feels his smile stretching across his face. “Deal.”
They sit for a few minutes in contented silence, allowing Beth and Gwen to gather themselves, and everyone pretends that they don’t spend at least two of those minutes kissing. How he could ever have been afraid to be honest with these people, James will never know.
Well, he does know, but now he knows better.
“All right,” Meredith says finally. “Everyone up. You have rooms to carry on in later.”
“My wife, the romantic,” Albert says as Beth and Gwen help each other up, giggling.
Bobby stands and offers his hands to James, who takes them happily, laughing when Bobby tugs him up and into a firm hug. Bobby dips his head and presses a kiss to his neck. James shivers, zips of arousal flooding through him instantly.
“No more of that,” he hears, and then Bobby’s stumbling away.
Meredith yanks him over to Beth and shoves him in betweenBeth and Gwen. Gwen laughs as Meredith then tugs her across the room and over to James’ side.
“Some courting lessons seem to be in order,” Meredith says.
Gwen snorts. “I’ve been through five seasons, Meredith, I think I know how to be courted.”
“Yeah! I was engaged once before,” Beth puts in.
“And you and Albie dragged me on half of your outings last year as chaperone,” Bobby adds.
The room turns to look at James. He has the absurd urge to duck and hide behind Gwen. “I—created our initial problem with Raverson?” he finds himself saying.
Bobby groans while Gwen laughs and takes his arm. “We’re three out of four, I think we can shape James up without your pedantic—”
“Courting in season, and demonstrating your happy engagements to the entire ton and to the aforementioned blackmailing slimeball, are different,” Meredith says over Gwen’s objections. “We must convince the ton that you are all proudly engaged, that it’s been going on for a while, and that Raverson has concocted an entire slanderous narrative in his head.”
“He—hasn’t?” Bobby says, his cheeks going red.
“Hasn’t what?” Meredith asks, turning to him, hands on her hips. She’s very no-nonsense when she wants to be.
“She’s going to make an excellent mother,” Gwen mutters.
James coughs through a laugh, unable to meet her eyes.
“Well, I mean, I did actually... Raverson has firsthand proof of his claims with me. He also, ah, stole my signet ring,” Bobby admits, eyes trained resolutely over Meredith’s head.
