Epilogue
“I can’t believe you went for a run.” Chester lay sprawled on the bed, one arm thrown over his eyes as if to block out the daylight. “I clearly didn’t keep you up late enough.”
They’d been up very late completing the sex-degustation menu, and Garrett had the bite mark on his ass to prove it. He placed the coffee he’d picked up on his way back on the bedside table, leaned over, and kissed him, well aware he was sweaty. The breeze had been nice at first, now he was gritty, and sand clung to his bare skin. He’d been hoping Chester would still be asleep when he returned.
“The beach is pretty when it’s deserted.”
“How can you enjoy it when you’re running?”
He hadn’t because his mind had been elsewhere, mostly back in the hotel room where he was about to make the most important play of his life. He’d needed to run off some tension. It was the last day of their holiday, and when they went home, he’d be heading into pre-season training, so he had to be ready.
When they’d first joked about the holiday, it seemed so far away. So impossible. Now it had happened, and it was almost over.
“Why don’t you drink your coffee while I take a shower? Then we can grab breakfast.”
“Or…” Chester pulled him onto the bed.
Garrett took another kiss as he lay half on top of him.
“You could tell me what’s bothering you,” Chester finished.
He propped himself up on one elbow. “Nothing’s bothering me.”
Was he rushing?
He didn’t think so. It felt right.
“But?” Chester asked, not letting him off the hook.
Garrett drew in a breath. “There was one thing not on your list.”
Chester smiled and his hand skimmed over Garrett’s back to settle on his ass. “There was a lot not on my list. What is it?”
This wasn’t quite how he’d planned on doing it. He’d thought over breakfast. He should’ve done it last night because dinner had been perfect. He was about to fumble this. Garrett took a breath. They didn’t need the perfect dinner or breakfast. Maybe this was the perfect moment for them.
Chester’s eyebrows pulled together. “It’s not a sex thing, is it?”
“It’s not.” He stole another kiss, buying himself a couple of seconds. “But I did pair it with a drink.”
Chester glanced at the mug. There was no point in giving Chester a cup of coffee in the morning. He needed more than that just to wake up.
“Are you telling me to let you go until I’ve had my coffee? That means I need to think.”
“I don’t want you to let me go.” He drew in a breath and held it for a couple of seconds. The ring was still in hiding, but he could grab it after. His nose brushed Chester’s, and he flicked the lip ring with the tip of his tongue. “Ever.”
“I don’t plan on it.” Chester smiled, then his eyes widened as if he’d realized what was going on. “Oh…”
He had to jump now. “Will you marry me?”
“You don’t need to ask that question. You know the answer.”
Their friends joked that they acted as though they’d been married for years, not living together for months. The start of a new season would be the real test because they’d fallen into a comfortable off-season routine after the hectic end to last season. With the end of the season, the media had moved on. They were last year’s news. “I want to hear you say it.”
“Yes,” Chester said, smiling softly. “I want to marry you. But you had better not have stuck the ring in the coffee.” He paused and frowned. “Is there a ring?”
Garrett laughed. “Yes, it’s in the bathroom.”
“You didn’t need a ring.”
“I wanted to… I got a same-but-different matching one for me.” His hand slid over Chester’s hip. “You want to join me in the shower?” Then he’d be able to put the ring on Chester’s finger.
“You’re going to get down on one knee?”
“I’d rather get down on both.”
Chester’s eyes darkened, and his tongue swept over the ball of the lip ring. “Get the water going and then you can do whatever you want with your fiancé.”
“Mmm…” Garrett had a good idea where to begin. “I think I’d like to revisit number three.”