Chapter When I was at a loss for words—again
When I was at a loss for words—again
Nicholas reached under his cloak and removed a small black velvet box. “Anthony thinks we came here to ask for your blessing, but as soon as I learned what you did for a living, I knew I was here with an ulterior motive.”
Ben’s breathing hitched. “Oh my God. You want me to perform a marriage ceremony?”
I had not seen this coming.
Nicholas nodded. “I doubt you’ve performed such a ceremony for two men before.”
Ben grinned. “And there you would be wrong. There are two soldiers on that base who stood before me and exchanged rings and vows. No one else knows, only the three of us.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “And I would be honored to marry you.”
I coughed. “Excuse me? Do I get a say in this?”
Nicholas’s face fell. “Don’t you want to marry me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Duh. Of course I do. But I would still like to be asked, you know? Properly?” I lowered my gaze to the rug and cleared my throat.
He laughed. “Well, seeing as I’m only going to be doing this the once…” He knelt in front of me, the ring box held out. “Anthony James Gordon, will you—”
I was suddenly crying, but they were happy tears. After decades, I was finally getting what I wanted—Nicholas, all to myself.
Nicholas was staring at me in obvious concern, and I knew I needed to snap out of it. “You know my middle name?” Another eye-roll. “What am I saying? You know everything.”
He gave me a mock glare. “Er, in the middle of something here?”
I straightened my features, doing my best not to laugh. “Sorry. Continue.” Inside I was buzzing.
He coughed. “Anthony James Gordon, will you do me the honor of being my husband? Will you share my life…” His eyes sparkled. “For however long that may be?”
Joy bubbled up once more, and this time I couldn’t contain it. I laughed. “Of course I will. Now get up here and kiss me.”
He surged to his feet and a moment later we were in each other’s arms, kissing and crying. Ben cried too, wiping his eyes with his tee. When we stopped, Ben placed his hands on our shoulders.
“Let’s do this.”
We stood before him, holding hands as Ben asked us to put our commitment to one another into words. It took me a minute or two to frame my thoughts, but at last I faced Nicholas, my heart so full I felt sure it would burst.
“Thank you for coming into my life and giving me something to believe in. I keep every moment we’ve ever shared in my heart, and there’s room for many, many more.
I promise to support you, to help you where I can, and to be your rock.
Because my love for you will never waver. ” I swallowed. “For as long as I live.”
Nicholas squeezed my hands, tears sparkling on his lashes.
“Thank you for loving me. I’d accepted my solitude, and then you walked into that living room, and into my life.
I had no idea you’d grow into the man I would fall in love with, but I believe someone brought you into my life for that purpose.
” His deep brown eyes focused on mine. “I love you with all my heart, and I will continue to love you until the stars turn cold.” He eased the ring onto my finger, then kissed it.
“It is my honor—and my joy—to pronounce you husband and husband.” Ben chuckled. “Another wedding no one will ever know about.”
Nicholas kissed me on the lips, a lingering embrace that left me warm and happy. “I love you,” he whispered.
“And I love you too.”
Ben wiped his eyes. “I wish Mom and Dad could’ve been here to see this.”
My throat tightened. I wished that too.
Nicholas reached under his cloak and withdrew a large envelope. “We don’t have much time.” He glanced at me. “We only have until dawn back in New Hope, then we have to go.”
I gaped. “I’m moving tonight?”
He nodded. “Tonight is all we get. And there’s a loose end to tie up first.” He handed me the envelope, and I peered inside.
I frowned. “But… these are the deeds to my house. Why do you have them?”
“Take a closer look.”
I did as he instructed. Oh. Oh. “Ah. I understand.”
Nicholas smiled. “I always said you were a smart man.”
I held the envelope out to Ben. “This is for you.”
“But…”
“Open it.”
“But I know what’s in here. I just don’t see why—”
“Ben, please, do as I ask?”
He pulled the deeds from the envelope and stared at them, frowning. “But… my name is on them.”
I nodded. “I won’t have any use for a house, not after tonight. So it’s yours, to do with as you see fit. You can rent it out, sell it—or keep it. One day you’re gonna retire, and it’s a beautiful place to live.” I smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
Ben seized me in a hug. “Thank you.”
“And now we really must go.” Nicholas hugged him. “Merry Christmas, brother-in-law.”
Ben’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. I’m related to Santa Claus.”
He was still open-mouthed when we winked out of there.
I climbed into the sleigh. “Can we get it all done in time? There’s a lot of stuff in that house.”
Nicholas laughed. “And this sleigh holds how much?”
He had me there.
We sped through the sky towards the US, my heart so light I swore it could’ve flown there on its own. “Wow. Now that’s what I call a Christmas present.” I grinned. “I got a husband.”
His hand curled around mine. “Happy?”
“Unbelievably happy. But a little panicked, I have to admit. Can we do it all in one night?”
He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Relax. I’m Santa, remember?” He paused. “You’re okay with how things worked out with Ben?”
“We got there eventually.” I cupped my hand to my mouth. “Hey, girls? Guess who got married?”
I swear, eight reindeer were cheering inside my head.
The sleigh banked, and we came into land. As soon as its rails touched ground, I sagged against the back of the seat. “We made it.”
“Sorry it took a little longer, but I’m usually coming home with an empty sleigh. I hadn’t factored in the extra weight.”
I was in his lap in a heartbeat, my arms around his neck. “But we’re here. We’re finally here.” I chuckled. “With so much stuff it might take us a while to move it, but hey, we’ve got time.”
“All the time in the world,” he whispered.
It was only just beginning to sink in. For the rest of eternity, it would be me and him, interspersed with yearly visits to Ben.
The prospect no longer daunted me—it filled me with a fierce joy and a hell of a lot of anticipation.
The ease of my acceptance had puzzled me for a while, but now I knew why that was.
I really was made to be his.
Nicholas had once said it would take a special kind of man to adjust to the life of an immortal, but apparently, I was that kind of man.
This wasn’t serendipity—this had been planned.
I couldn’t think about that. I had work to do.
“Of course,” I continued, “you could get it all into the house with just a click of your fingers.” I grinned.
His eyes twinkled. “Getting used to a magical lifestyle, are we?”
“I might be.” I leaned in and kissed his neck, knowing it would send a shiver through him. It always did. “But the sooner we move all this, the sooner we end up in bed, so I can make love to my husband.”
He clicked his fingers. “And it’s done.” Nicholas kissed me on the lips, taking his time.
He was right. We had all the time in the world.
THE END
Hello there, and Merry Christmas!
I hope you enjoyed this story. I was inspired by a video, When Harry met Santa, from the Norwegian Postal service. I saw it Christmas 2021, and I knew I had to write this story.
My friend, photographer Ben Fink, agreed to be my Santa, which was great because he really looked the part. Then I realized his partner Anthony was perfect for the other main character – who then became Anthony.
And that cover…..
Ben did an AWESOME job of capturing the love shared by Nicholas and Anthony. I couldn’t stop looking at it.