But it was coming. Tate knew Brady. The man was like Donovan in the sense he was traditional. Probably wanted to ask for her father’s permission first.
“Say yes, Tate,” Reilly urged. “Give yourself permission to be happy. You deserve it.”
“We both do,” he corrected.
“And I think we’re both gettin’ exactly what we wanted this Christmas.” Reilly chuckled. “I mean, it’s not an iPhone or anything…”
Tate laughed, and this time, he knew he hadn’t stifled it. A second later, he heard Donovan clearing his throat.
“I gotta go,” Reilly said. “Brady just busted me on the phone. I’ll talk to you at Mom and Dad’s later, right?”
“You definitely will.”
Tate ended the call and stood up from where he’d been sitting on the closed toilet lid. He opened the door and saw Donovan standing in the doorway, one shoulder against the wall.
He cut his eyes to the phone. “Reilly?”
Tate nodded.
“Did you have a good chat?”
He nodded again.
“Did she convince you it’s okay to say yes?”
Another nod, and this time, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you sayin’ yes, Tate?”
One more nod.
Donovan pushed off the wall, moving toward him.
“Say yes, Tate. I need to hear it.”
Tate tilted his head back, holding Donovan’s gaze. “Yes. I’ll move in with you.”
“And when I ask you to marry me, your answer will be…?”
Tate gasped, and his heart felt too large for his chest to contain it.
Donovan laughed. “Don’t panic yet.” He leaned in and kissed him softly. “Just know it’s comin’.”
Twenty-Two
“You realize we’re gonna be late ifyou don’t get your cute little ass in gear,” Donovan called from the living room.
Tate looked in the mirror, trying to figure out why he was so nervous. He’d been to the Jamesons’ house a million times over the years. Hell, he’d even lived there for a while. He had no reason to be anxious, yet his hands were shaking.
He was still staring at his reflection when he heard Donovan’s heavy footsteps moving closer. A second later, Donovan appeared behind him. His green eyes were filled with both amusement and concern as he studied Tate.
“You okay?”
Tate nodded, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t. It was like he was frozen in place; every cell in his body was buzzing, but he wasn’t sure how to function with all the rioting. He wouldn’t go so far as to say it was fear, but there was some trepidation. He couldn’t seem to stop expecting the fallout. This seemed too good to be true, and from experience, whenever it seemed that way, it usually was. Hell, just look at his track record with men. No matter how hard he tried, he could never seem to make a relationship work. And here was the most incredible man he’d ever met, wanting to give him everything he’d ever dreamed of.
It couldn’t be that easy, could it?
Donovan moved up behind him. The warmth of his body permeated Tate’s as he stood behind him, his big arms coming around him.
