Chapter 48
48.
Rafi spent the afternoon helping his mom pack away most of the Christmas decorations, then, with his sisters, carrying the tree to the curb for collection. When Babs realized she still hadn’t sent out her holiday cards, her gaze instinctively slid to Liz. Rafi saw his sister’s shoulders sag.
He jumped in. “I can handle that.”
The smile Liz gave him was worth the three hours of printing and envelope stuffing that followed. He drove into town to get the small mountain of cards into a mailbox, making sure to admire the last of the merry and bright shop windows he passed.
It was dark by the time he returned. Opening the Inn’s cherry-red door, Rafi heard a peal of laughter from the kitchen. He followed the noise to find Liz opening a bottle of Pellegrino, Birdie slicing a loaf of bread, his mother putting the finishing touches on a cheese board, and, rising from a kitchen stool: Ash, in a soft apricot sweater and dark-wash jeans. His jaw was brushed with gold stubble, his eyes the color of butterscotch ice cream.
Rafi’s heart rocketed into his throat. “You’re back!”
“Hi.” Ash stepped forward to catch Rafi’s face with both hands and kiss him flush on the mouth. Stubble and warm lips. Security and heat.
“Get a room,” groaned Birdie. “Not within earshot, please.”
Rafi managed to kick her without breaking the kiss.
His mother and sisters resumed dinner prep, leaving Rafi and Ash to talk.
Rafi wrapped his arms around Ash’s waist, feeling the softness of his sweater and the drumming of his heart, just as fast as Rafi’s own. “God, I missed you.”
“Missed you, Raf Attack.” Ash held him tight, speaking into Rafi’s hair, his voice deliciously deep. “And I have something to ask you.” Shifting back, he addressed everyone else. “Fam? Hey, fam?”
Liz, Birdie, and Babs paused their movement, looking over.
Ash cleared his throat. “Last week, Raf took me to visit Dad’s grave for the first time.” His voice was calm, his expression a look of acceptance. “And while it was very hard, it also showed me what real love looks like. What real care feels like.” Ash smiled at Rafi, his gaze tender and grateful. “Because you were there. By my side. And that made me realize something.”
Ash’s face flickered with something odd. Nerves? He reached into his back pocket.
For one surreal moment, Rafi thought Ash was about to pull out a ring. But to his surprise, Rafi realized that wasn’t what he wanted right now. Marriage was what Rafi had wanted, desperately, for years. But not now. Not yet. His mother’s words from yesterday echoed in his mind. Walk together, side by side.
To Rafi’s relief, it wasn’t a ring in Ash’s hand. It was a key.
Rafi looked up at Ash quizzically.
“This is just the key to the greenhouse,” Ash qualified. “But it’s a symbol. I just signed a lease on a townhouse in North London, starting in March. That’s why I stayed in the city the extra few days, to get it all sorted.” He paused, taking in everyone’s excited expressions before continuing. “Everything that’s happened over the past few weeks has shown me not to take anything, or anyone, for granted. That life is precious, and love is what makes all the tough parts worthwhile.” He stepped closer to graze Rafi’s cheek, his touch summoning goosebumps. “I’m ready for the next phase of my life, Raf. And when you come visit, I want you to see that. For my home to feel like a place that could be your home someday, too.”
“Really?” Rafi searched Ash’s face. “That’s not too fast?”
Ash shook his head slowly, his gaze not leaving Rafi’s own as he drew Rafi close. “No.” Ash’s voice was certain. “I love you with every chamber of my heart.”
Birdie slapped the kitchen island. “Put it on a T-shirt!”
“I love you too.” Finally, Rafi could say it back.
“Crying!” Liz declared, fanning her face.
“I feel like the luckiest guy alive.” Rafi gazed up at the man in his arms. “You’ve been here all along. Is that going to drive me nuts for the rest of our lives?”
Babs shook her head vigorously, stamping her cane. “This was your story, and it’s perfect. No notes.”
“No notes!” Birdie hoisted her Diet Coke. “To the gays!”
“To the gays!” everyone chorused, grabbing a glass to clink.
The two men kissed once more before being enveloped in a raucous Belvedere family hug, a multiarmed monster of arms and chins and laughter, squeezing tight.
He and Ash didn’t have all the answers to life’s big questions. But in this moment, surrounded by the loved ones he belonged to and with, it didn’t matter. They’d figure it out together.