28 The Year
Beau
One year after separation
What I loved about this townhome was the ocean view from the front windows, and the small, gated backyard. One of my first purchases was a comfortable patio table and a Weber Jumbo Joe charcoal grill. Other than that, it was a dog haven. Toys and assorted dog agility equipment to keep them busy were scattered all over the place. Duke and Dixie spent a large part of their evenings here as long as I hung out here with them.
I currently sat at the table, researching the different climbing clubs in the area. It had been well over a year since I’d taken part in a climb. If I could drive to the mountain range, I think Duke and Dixie could take the trip with me. They were well trained. Since all my thoughts these days were centered on Dash, I planned to book a trip for the four of us after the dust wore off of our rusty start.
Dash.
My heart and my head finally aligned, seeking out my guy any time I could find him. I wasn’t sure why I’d put such a long time restriction on us being apart. It seemed silly now. He’d actively shown me how much he’d changed back into the man he once was. Those changes had to be hard to make.
It had taken discipline and structure to keep Dash at a distance. I didn’t have the strength to continue to hold him off. I’d met the goals I set for myself, I lived my life on my terms, paid my way, but it wasn’t near as satisfying a place as I thought it might be.
I loved Dash, nothing had changed for me. An overwhelming love, an all in devotion to Dash, and yes I planned to make him work to be back in my life, but he’d be here with us in the near future, for sure.
My cell phone rang. Scott’s name appeared on the screen. With the swipe of my thumb, I answered. The dogs took notice, standing at alert, which always made me smile. They never figured out where the ring came from. “Yo.”
“What the fuck did you do?” Scott bellowed so loudly I jerked the phone from my ear.
“What?” I asked with the phone about six inches from my mouth.
“Is this some kind of joke?” I had two choices. I could pretend I didn’t know or I could explain.
I decided on the latter, he seemed pretty freaked. “I came into some money, and I shared it with you and the girls.”
“What the fuck,” Scott said. My eyes closed and my chin hit my chest. He sounded frantic, which technically pleased me. The puffing of breath though might mean he was hyperventilating. “Brooks, I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”
“Did you get the information on the girls?” I asked.
“What about the girls?”
I decided to let him figure that out on his own. “Lee, you’re the best friend a guy could have. You make me feel like I’m family.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Scott replied with anger, making me chuckle.
The doorbell rang, causing me to glance at the time. I’d scheduled a mobile dog grooming service to come by every Saturday around two in the afternoon. It was noon now, making them unusually early. Both dogs ears popped up again, and they came to my side of the small table. I pushed my laptop lid closed and rose.
“Then the only thing left to say is… I win .” I couldn’t contain my laughter. I was barely able to say, “Someone’s at the door. I’ll call you back.” Duke and Dixie followed at my feet, ready to accompany me to the door to greet whoever was there. Generally the person on the other side of the door panicked when my good dogs tried to give their happy kisses to strangers.
“Place,” I called, stopping them in their tracks. Based on the way they didn’t immediately still, they weren’t happy with my command. “Place…” I said again, firmer this time. They knew that meant they had to stay where they stood, no matter what happened from this point on, until I released them. The whining they were doing now meant they knew who was on the other side of the door and wanted to greet them.
That was a little weird. They weren’t usually happy to see the groomer. They didn’t like being separated to have their baths and de-shedding treatments. Without looking through the peephole, I pulled open the front door.
Dash stood there, a large suitcase at his feet and a garment bag hanging over his shoulder. He didn’t wait to be invited in, rolling the suitcase over the threshold, while glancing around the townhome.
“It’s pretty. I like the old meets the new. You decorated it nicely. Bohemian. I thought this would be how you made it.”
The townhome wasn’t that big. He kept going a few steps further, fully into the living room where the dogs were better able to see him. They whimpered in earnest as their bodies wiggled, tails wagging, but stayed where I’d left them. In the last year, I’d never seen them behave this way.
“What’re you doing here?” I asked, once I found my voice.
Dash tossed the garment bag over the only chair in the living room as he started for the backyard. From inside his sporty windbreaker, he produced two large treats, taking them to the dogs. Prancing in place was the only way I could describe how they greeted Dash.
“Can you release their hold?” Dash asked, dropping to one knee in front of them to give each a treat.
“Release,” I said, and they did instantly. Dixie leaped forward, knocking Dash to his butt. Duke was right there behind her, making sure Dash couldn’t easily get up. Before I had time to give another command, Dash started laughing a joyful sound, taking Dixie in his arms. Duke had left the scene to grab my sandal by the door, carrying it in his mouth as he trailed back and forth between me and Dash. “They know you?”
“I saw y’all jogging one evening and set out to get to know them.” Dash lifted a hand and arm to Duke, drawing him over for the same greeting he gave Dixie. “I only brought my necessities. Most of my clothes are at the office. I wasn’t sure how much extra room you had,” Dash explained, finally getting to his feet to face me.
“Are you saying you’re moving in?” I asked, completely confused. We had only ever discussed dating once the year was up. I looked forward to the magic of being out with the one you loved, wooing them to your side of thinking.
“I waited a year,” Dash said, coming closer to me. “This is the day you left me one year ago. The second worst day of my life.”
“I meant we’d try to date again after a year,” I said, still clutching the door. After watching him with my dogs, I wanted to shut the door, and lock him inside here with me.
“Oh, I misunderstood,” he said, glancing all around the living room and into the kitchen. “You’re letting the air conditioning out. Close the door.”
Since the air conditioning wasn’t on, I doubted we were losing any of the cool air inside the house but followed his instruction anyway. I wanted us to be a family. Dixie, Duke, Dash and me.
“So this is the living room and kitchen. I like the open concept.” He turned to stare out into the backyard, both dogs at his feet as he rubbed their heads. “Is that fitness equipment for the dogs?” Dash gave me a cheeky grin. “Duke and Dixie. Great names by the way.”
If I didn’t love him so much, I’d question my safety with him here. Investigators had nothing on Dash’s stalking ability. I’d often envisioned him here with us. Mainly, I’d think of him talking about how small the townhome was. That he’d be able to walk the length of the living room in a few steps and complain, but that wasn’t what I was seeing now.
“Where’s the bedroom? Are there stairs I’m missing, or do we sleep on the fold-out couch?”
“The stairs are behind the kitchen. It’s one room with a bathroom up there. Their beds take up a lot of room. And you can stay. Move in,” I finally said, emotion clogging my words. I wasn’t sure if the runaway feelings churning through me were detectable or not, but man, my insides were freaking the fuck out. I’d been a fool. Who cared about making it on my own if it meant Dash stayed on the outside. I was one hardheaded guy. Dash stared at me as I stared directly at him. Slowly, he came toward me, moving around the suitcase.
“Please put your ring back on. For the rest of our lives, I promise to put you first above all else. We’ll make decisions together, live a more normal life that you’re comfortable in.”
I nodded my agreement as my world became complete once again.
Everything that I blocked for so long, all my love and devotion and desire to be with this man, broke free as Dash dug a hand in his pocket then produced the ring again. With an unsteady hand, I extended my fingers, spreading them wide. He slipped the ring back where it belonged. Once in place, Dash stepped into me.
I automatically circled his waist with one arm, bringing him flush against my chest. He tilted his chin up, and I tilted mine down to meet him. Inches from the kiss, his gaze connected with mine. “If you’re unhappy, tell me. Don’t just stay at the office all the time again.”
Dash chuckled. The sound had a throaty quality that sent bubbles of energy coursing through me before it turned into more of a guttural groan. He tenderly cupped my jaw, his fingers tickling the shorter strands of my hair.
“After the severe loneliness I’ve faced and the insurmountable tears I’ve shed, I’ll never be unhappy while you’re with me. I love you. I want to change our commitment to marriage as soon as we can arrange a ceremony. Say yes.”
“Of course, yes.” I pressed my lips into his as fireworks exploded behind my closed eyes. All the emotion I hadn’t let myself feel broke free as I dipped my tongue between his parted lips. Home . I was finally home again. I tightened my arms as if refusing to let him go again. It was him. Always him. Forever him. I’d tell him when we came up for a breath, if we ever did.
Dash suddenly pulled away, his gaze brimming with love as he pulled my arm from around him. I’d wondered how long it might take for him to notice my new tattoos. Something I’d done a couple of weeks ago on a whim. I turned my arm so he could see the stingray on my forearm and the palm tree on the inside of my upper arm. “Tell me about the tattoos, and I want children. I like your hair cut shorter too.”
I tried to follow his mouth, urging him back to the kiss until his words made sense inside my head. “Children?”
The End but not the end
Force, the final in the series, is coming April 21, 2025.