Ciaran licked his lips, his mouth dry. “Before, when you talked about human laws and how getting married was something not to be taken for granted, I could feel how much it meant to you, and I’m sorry for not understanding earlier. It’s your human custom, and I wasn’t respectful of that.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “We’re learning, remember?”
Ciaran nodded. “Yeah. But then I got to thinking....” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple gold ring, holding it on his palm between them. “This is old. Like,old. I’ve had it for many years. Found it on a dive once, and I didn’t know why I kept it all this time. Until now.”
Sawyer’s heartbeat was thumping and there was a whole barrage of emotions pouring out of him. “Ciaran...”
“I want to call you my husband, and I want to be yours,” Ciaran said. “I want you to never doubt what we are, and I know now how much it would mean for you to wear this. We can have a ceremony if you want. We can do it for real if that’s what you want. Whatever you need, Sawyer, just name it. But please, say you’ll take this ring as a token of my eternal love and wear it, always.”
Sawyer’s eyes were glassy, and his chin did the cutest wobble. And he nodded. “Yes. Of course I will.”
Ciaran slid the ring onto Sawyer’s left ring finger, then brought it to his lips. “I love you,” he murmured.
“I love you too.” Sawyer leaned in and kissed Ciaran softly. “But we’re not having Fray dress up as a priest.”
Ciaran laughed. “He’ll be so disappointed.”
Sawyer studied the ring for a moment, then Ciaran’s eyes. Ciaran could feel the overwhelming love Sawyer felt for him. “Idon’t need a ceremony or a certificate. This is enough. You are enough, Ciaran.”
“I was going to give you three rings,” Ciaran said softly. “One for each heart.”
Sawyer laughed, teary-eyed, holding up his hand, looking at the ring. “This one’s perfect.” He kissed Ciaran then, soft and slow, and pressed their foreheads together. “You’re perfect.”
Ciaran hummed, now very interested in how their bodies pressed together so perfectly, how Sawyer lips felt, how he tasted. “Maybe we could miss the party with the boys.”
But Sawyer just laughed. “No, we’re going to be social. You need to be their leader, and I have seven people to get to know.”
“Well, six. Tobin’s still not back yet. He’s due to return soon.” Ciaran slid his hand to Sawyer’s cheek. “Are you sure you want to go? We could stay here and put more than finger marks on the glass cabinets.”
Sawyer snorted and gave him a soft shove. “Gross.”
Ciaran let out a pretend annoyed sigh. “Then, if we must, let’s go be sociable.”
They went out the front door, the cold wind fresh and biting. It made Ciaran feel alive, though Sawyer pulled up his coat collar and hunkered down a little. “Holy shit, that’s icy.”
Ciaran hurried him to Fray’s place, the building blocking the wind coming off the Cove. As they got to the door, Sawyer stopped. “Don’t let me near the water.”
“I won’t.” Ciaran put his hand on Sawyer’s face, their noses almost touching. “Are you sure you want to go in? You know his place has the mezzanine to the dock, so if you start to feel?—”
“I want to do this,” he said. “We need to do this.” Then he whispered, “And I wanna see who notices the ring first.”
Ciaran gave him a quick smiley kiss. “Okay.”
They walked in holding hands, a first for Ciaran, and he couldn’t help the surge of pride and joy he felt.
“Oh, here they are,” Aurin said, winking at Ciaran from across the room. He had a glass of wine in his hand. “Thought you two would be... busy.”
Otis was sitting in the middle of the room with his shirt off, and Hendrix was adding some ink to his back tattoo. Otis waved, and Hendrix, not looking up, chipped him about sitting still.
Kellan was talking to Dylan, and Fray came over with a shit-eating grin and a beer in each hand, giving one to Sawyer and one to Ciaran. Of course he noticed the gold band first.
He took Sawyer’s hand and looked at Ciaran. “Is this...”
“The ring I kept? Yes.”
Fray put a gentle hand on Sawyer’s arm, a gesture of his happiness, then he offered his fist for Ciaran to bump. “Happy to see it finally in its rightful place, brother.”
“Thanks,” Ciaran murmured. “Any word on Tobin...?”
