Chapter 21 Gabriel
GAbrIEL
Gabriel
What color tie do I need to buy to match your outfit for the wedding?
Taylor
Burgundy
Really? A one-word answer?
Something was bothering Taylor, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Ever since he’d topped me, it felt like he was putting distance between us. I was trying not to let that hurt because… that night had the opposite effect on me. I’d never felt a connection like that before.
All I wanted was to see him, talk to him, touch him. As much as possible.
We talked every night before bed, just like we had before, but he seemed more eager to get off the phone.
He made excuses when my friends went dancing earlier that week, even though Kai came out.
It took him hours, not minutes, to text back.
All of this was subtle and not entirely out of character, but I felt like I was losing my mind.
When he told me about the inconclusive test results from the doctor, it made more sense, but something still lingered in the back of my mind.
How ironic that I, the guy who was convinced he didn’t want to be tied down, was now complaining about my boyfriend not spending enough time with me. Thankfully, though, the wedding was only a week away, which meant one more thing would be off his plate.
I could wait it out, no problem.
Gabriel
Can I come to your suit fitting so I can see the exact color? We can pick one out together.
Taylor
Sure
Taylor could have easily sent me a photo, but when he accepted my thin logic to spend some time together without a fight, I wasn’t going to mention it. I also brought us smoothies for breakfast. I felt a bit like one of those penguins who kept bringing rocks to their partner for their nest.
Except these rocks were tasty snacks.
For as much as Taylor cared for others, he didn’t do a great job of taking care of himself. I was happy to fill that gap, and I was pretty sure he secretly liked it.
When I pulled up to the suit shop, Taylor was waiting out front. The way he smiled when he spotted me and pulled me into a full-body hug went a long way toward easing that nervous feeling in my gut. I kissed him and couldn’t help but go back in for more a couple of times.
“C’mon, I’m going to be late for my fitting.” Taylor wriggled in my arms, but he was smiling.
I handed over his raspberry citrus crush and sipped on my rainbow sherbet smash with an innocent look on my face. I knew he could see the mischief in my eyes. Taylor touched his hand to my lower back as he ushered me into the small storefront. Everything felt normal, wonderful even.
I’d been overthinking, right?
“Good morning, gentlemen.” A slim, younger man with pretty eyes greeted us. As he walked around the counter, he looked Taylor up and down. “How can I help you?”
“I’m Taylor. I have a final fitting for my suit today.”
I wasn’t the territorial type, but I scooted closer to Taylor and wrapped my arm possessively around his waist.
He looked down at me with raised eyebrows. “And this is my date, Gabriel. He’s looking for a tie that will match. It’s for my sister’s wedding.”
“Awesome, I can help you with that.” Now, it was my turn to be checked out by the flirty salesman. “I’m Elie. I’ll be right back.”
He turned and disappeared into the back of the store.
Taylor let out a small bark of laughter as I pulled him into my arms and squeezed.
“Trying to mark your territory, angel?”
“Always.” I grinned. “Would you rather I pee on your leg?”
Now, he was laughing in earnest, and I took the opportunity to stick my tongue down his throat.
“Damn, you two are hot together.” Elie reappeared with a dark burgundy suit draped over his arm. “I’ll hang this in the fitting room right here.”
Taylor blushed, and I preened a little bit. I couldn’t help it. Smiling widely, I took his smoothie from him so he could get changed.
I was sitting on a small leather settee when Taylor walked out in a perfectly fitted suit.
The jacket highlighted the slope of his shoulders and his broad chest, the pants hugged his ass, and his bulge looked positively sinful.
The color brought out the reddish undertones of his hair.
My mouth watered as he stretched his arms out and spun slowly for my perusal.
“How are you the sexiest person I’ve ever seen?” I asked rhetorically.
“I’m glad you like it.” Taylor smiled shyly.
“I more than like it,” I assured him, trying to subtly adjust myself by shuffling around on the settee. “Margo better bring her A-game if she doesn’t want you stealing the show.”
“I have to agree.” Elie checked over various seams. “The fit is outstanding.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
He giggled and winked at me. “Babe, I have a man. I’m not trying to steal yours.”
I grunted and crossed my arms over my chest, making Taylor chuckle.
Once Taylor had changed back out of the suit, we picked out my tie. It had a subtle shimmery floral pattern in the same burgundy color as Taylor’s suit.
I hung off of Taylor as we checked out, and Elie bagged the tie. He flirted equally with both of us; it must have been his personality, since he said he had a partner.
“Let’s get out of here, caveman,” Taylor said as we walked out the door. I could hear Elie cackling from behind the counter.
“Ugh, I’m sorry,” I whined as I turned to him on the sidewalk out front, returning his smoothie that I’d been babysitting. “Blame it on my complete lack of experience in a relationship. I don’t know how to act.”
I would also blame the weird mood I’d been simmering in all week, but I’d already decided not to bring that up. Taylor took a long sip of his smoothie, tilting his head thoughtfully.
“You’ve been perfect,” Taylor whispered. I might not have even heard him if I hadn’t been looking at his face to see his mouth move.
“Do you have to get going right away? Let’s drive down to the beach.” I wasn’t ready to let him go. “As your official instigator of shenanigans, I think it would be good for you.”
I threw in some puppy eyes and fluttered my lashes for good measure.
I could see the moment Taylor surrendered to my charms.
“I could hang for a bit.”
We settled on the sand, and I immediately pulled off my shoes to dig my toes in. Taylor leaned his head on my shoulder, and for a few moments, we listened to the waves and the people.
He finally broke the silence. “How are things going with your business paperwork?”
“Ugh, I hate paperwork. I just want to do the fun stuff. But everything is filed. It doesn’t feel real yet, though.”
It meant a lot that Taylor kept track of what was going on in my life. The more time I spent with him, the more I felt like the distance I was feeling was something I’d imagined.
“Now I have to decide if I’m going to apply for any farmer’s market booths or make social media pages,” I said. “It feels like the list never ends.”
“One step at a time. I’m proud of you.”
We had our legs stretched out in front of us, leaning back on our hands, and he knocked his shoulder into mine and threw one of his legs over my thigh. Had I ever heard anyone say they were proud of me before? It hit me hard.
“Thanks,” I said to the sea. I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face. “So, what’s next on Margo’s to-do list?”
“We’re mostly done now. Out-of-town guests will start arriving this week.” Taylor ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t wait for all this wedding shit to be behind me.”
“Do you think you’d ever want a wedding someday?” My heart was pounding as I asked the question.
I hadn’t put much thought into whether I’d want a ceremony or a party or all that, outside of the many opinions my mother had expressed on the subject. Now, when I thought of marriage, I thought of Taylor. When had that happened?
“Eh, I don’t think so. I used to think I wouldn’t get married, ever, at all, but…”
Maybe I was a masochist, but I had to know what came next.
“But…”
“I know you haven’t seen Margo and Benji together, but they’re couple goals. Until they started dating, I’d only seen the horrible side of love. It’s made me think that maybe if I could have something like that, it wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Not so bad, huh? Such a romantic.”
Taylor sighed. “My parents were truly, truly awful to each other and to me.”
I wanted to hug him. To reach inside his heart and patch up all the cracks.
At some point over the last few weeks, I’d learned that if I wanted Taylor to keep talking, all I needed to do was wait out the silence—a task that was hard for my squirrel brain but tended to pay off when I could make it happen. This time was no different.
“Honestly, if I ever get married, I’m not inviting any family—aside from Margo, probably. She’d kill me if I eloped without her. I’d rather have something quiet, somewhere outside at sunset. Love shouldn’t be a show you put on for other people, you know?”
I relaxed my head onto his shoulder. “Yeah, that sounds pretty nice.”
“What about you? Do you want to get married?”
My breath hitched.
It’s not a proposal, Gabriel. Get it together.
He literally said he wasn’t sure marriage was in his future. This was a theoretical question, and my body needed to get on board.
“My mom has always wanted me to,” I said. “She’s had lots to say about my being almost thirty and still single.”
Taylor interjected: “Not single.”
“Not single now. Anyway, I’d never thought about marriage one way or the other, except that I didn’t want to do it just because my mom insisted that I had to.
Imagining having another person by my side every day, knowing them better than anyone else, supporting each other through hard things, being able to kiss them whenever I want—I don’t think I need a piece of paper from the government to have that. But I want it.”
Taylor hummed as he finished his smoothie. We both avoided eye contact, keeping our faces turned toward the waves. I was still acclimating to the tide of feelings that came with this new relationship status.
I was almost positive I was in love and felt completely unprepared.