I pulled the tissue paper out and then a card. The card had a bunch of Christmas trees on it and the outside said, “The best thing about Christmas…” I opened the card to see the rest of the sentiment, “is being with you.” On the opposite side of the card in Russell’s perfect handwriting were a few words that instantly made my chest clench, my throat close, and tears flood my eyelids.
“I can’t promise to be there for the rest of your life, but I can promise to love you for the rest of mine.”
Love Always,
Russell
I leaned forward and rested my forehead on his shoulder. He moved one of his legs, parting them to make room for me to kneel between them and be closer to him. I didn’t let the fact that his parents were in the room prevent me from being as close as I possibly could get to him right now. His strong arms held me close, and he kissed my damp cheeks.
“I’m not going anywhere for a long time, Ryan. Relax, my boy.”
I took a few deep breaths and nodded. Russell put the gift bag in front of me, and I reached in and found another box. Tucked under the white satin ribbon was a small card. I slid the ribbon off and picked up the card that read “Just in case.”
I frowned and looked at Russell.
“Just in case?”
He smiled and leaned forward to kiss me.
“Just in case you decide you don’t want the tattoo ring.”
My eyes widened as it dawned on me this was from our game in the car about the ring.
Was this a …
I held my breath as I opened the box.
“A ring,” I whispered.
“Yes, my boy.”
It looked exactly like his. I was speechless and then suddenly I worried if it meant that things would change with my bracelet collar.
“But I have the bracelet,” I whispered.
“I know. But I want you every way possible, and I want everyone to know it. Nothing goes away or changes, Ryan.” It was like he could read my mind. “You’re mine, and I want you to have a ring … just in case.” He winked at me before he leaned forward to kiss me.
We spent the rest of the day with his parents in their living room by the fire. Stanley and Russell worked on a puzzle on the coffee table while I sat beside Lily on the couch as we went through the photo book again. Russell would add to the stories I shared with Lily about our trip. The entire time I held the book, I kept my thumb on my new ring. It felt amazing, and I loved it.
I was in the kitchen standing by the window watching the snow fall while Russell was saying goodnight to his parents in the hallway. I continued to rub my thumb over my ring, hardly believing that he had given it to me. For a moment, I felt kind of sad that my parents and brother would never know that I was good enough and meant something incredible to someone. Nor would they ever know that for once, I actually belonged to a family who loved me.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear Russell come into the kitchen. I glanced over my shoulder at him when he wrapped his arms around me. He kissed the side of my face and took hold of my left hand with his. I smiled when I felt the metal from our rings touch.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
I took a deep breath.
“I was just thinking about things and how lucky I am.”
“We’re both lucky. Don’t look backward, Ryan. We’re nothing going that way.”
He was absolutely right. We were going forward … together.
