Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next day, a steady wave of flowers, baskets, and gifts started to arrive.
Gio had expected friends and coworkers to send “Get Well” gifts, but their living room and kitchen quickly resembled a flower shop.
It was sweet, but Gio had to turn on the front door motion sensors so his phone would notify him when a delivery person was approaching, allowing him enough time to get to the door before they rang the doorbell and set off the dogs.
With Sacha napping upstairs, Gio decided to catch up on some work in the living room. His phone went off, and he checked the camera—another basket delivery. Standing, he told the dogs to stay and went to the door.
Gio opened the door, smiling brightly at the delivery person on the other side.
“Hi,” the man said, holding up a cellophane-wrapped basket. “I have a delivery for Sacha Wilder.”
“I can take that. Thank you.” Gio signed the electronic pad and took the basket.
With a wave, the man was off, and Gio closed the door and locked it.
He carried the large basket into the kitchen and pursed his lips, Cookie wagging his tail cheerfully beside him.
“Hmm. We’re running out of counter space, Cookie Monster.
” He looked down at Cookie, who opened his mouth happily, making him chuckle.
“Ooh, I think we’ve got just enough room over by the espresso machine.
” He squeezed the basket in and planted his hands on his hips.
“I have no idea where the next one is going to go, but we’ll figure it out. ”
Later that evening, Gio had just finished working and closed his laptop when he realized something. “It’s awfully quiet.” He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Where’s your brother? I know he hasn’t gone upstairs.”
As if conjured by his thoughts, Chip appeared.
Gio sighed and asked the question that he, Sacha, or both of them asked Chip every day.
“What do you have in your mouth?” The mischief-maker always found something to make Sacha chase him.
“Listen, Daddy can’t chase you around the house until he’s healed, and I’m just not going to do it.
” Mainly because there was no catching a giant black rabbit that bounced off anything and everything and ran faster than he did.
Chip side-eyed him, then pranced backward, growling around the object in his mouth. At least it wasn’t moving, since thankfully, Chip no longer chased lizards like he used to.
“Bring it,” Gio said firmly, motioning for Chip to come to him.
Chip promptly ignored him.
“Excuse me, sir.” Gio placed both hands on his hips. He had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing at Chip’s expression. It was a mix of “Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it?” and exasperation, like he just couldn’t with Gio right now—this dog.
Gio stepped forward, and Chip backed up. With a playful growl, he lowered his front half and stuck his butt in the air, tail wagging happily.
“Really?”
Chip hopped again, and Gio sighed. “Fine. Stay.” The moment he got close, Chip was off, hopping, running, zigzagging as if he were trying out for the NFL.
“Oh my god,” Gio laughed. He put on his serious face. “I need to check on your Daddy, so if you don’t mind, bring it here.”
Chip trotted over, but instead of stopping in front of Gio to give him whatever was in his mouth, he pushed into him. What the…?
“Why are you herding me?” Gio asked as Chip kept pushing and maneuvering him.
When a herding dog wanted to herd, there was little to stop him, so Gio went along with it.
Chip obviously wanted something. He herded Gio to the sliding glass doors that led out onto the patio.
“Are you seriously just wanting me to let you outside?” Usually, Chip didn’t herd them for that.
If he needed to go potty, he either placed his paw on someone’s lap and stared at them if they were sitting, or barked and ran to the glass doors.
Outside, something moved, and Gio stilled.
A heartbeat later, Sacha appeared. Relief washed over him.
Wait. What is Sacha doing outside? He should be in bed.
Gio opened the doors, and Chip dashed out.
It was a beautiful night with a full, glowing moon and stars filling the sky.
A gentle breeze ruffled Sacha’s hair, and Gio’s heart swelled.
Sacha looked soft and warm. He’d clearly just gotten out of bed.
“Your son has something in his mouth, and he won’t give it to me,” Gio said as he walked down the steps to Sacha, who sat in one of the tufted patio chairs to the left of the pool.
Sacha smiled. “Why don’t you ask him for it now?”
“Um, okay.” Gio turned, and Chip appeared with his head lifted, allowing Gio to take the object from his mouth.
“What is this?” It was a small, dark wood box.
Was it a tchotchke from one of the coffee tables?
Gio would have remembered it. Plus, Chip never messed with any of the trinkets around the house. He knew better.
Gio carefully took the box from Chip and opened it. He gasped, his heart skipping a beat. Was this…? Gio spun around to find Sacha down on one knee, a hand on the chair to steady himself. Was this really happening? Gio couldn’t speak if he wanted to.
Gently, Sacha took the wooden box from Gio and removed the beautiful black band inside it. It had a stunning bluish-purple inlay in the center, flanked by two thin aquamarine inlays. Sacha held it up.
“Gio, will you marry me?”
It was just like Sacha to get right to the point. Gio laughed and nodded, tears in his eyes. “Yes,” he replied, his heart and soul filled with joy as Sacha slipped the ring onto his finger. Gio helped him to his feet, then cupped his face. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Sacha replied, his eyes glassy.
“You asked me why I was being so quiet, and it’s because I was trying to understand what I was feeling.
After I woke up, from the moment I recognized your face, I thought about how lucky I was to have you in my life, to have someone as loving and caring as you to help me through the tough times.
Things felt different, and I couldn’t figure out why. ”
Gio caressed Sacha’s cheek with his thumb. “And you figured it out?”
“I did.” Sacha’s beautiful smile took Gio’s breath away.
“I told you that you were my person, and you know I’ve been thinking about proposing since Winterhaven.
I knew you were the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but before all this, I kept asking myself, why?
Getting married wouldn’t change how we felt about each other.
While I was in the hospital, having you there with me…
I got it. I got why Ace and Colton did it, why Leo and King did it. ”
“Oh?”
Sacha nodded. “It’s a promise and a declaration that I’m committed to you, that I choose you to spend my life with, through the good and the bad.
It’s my way of showing you I trust in you, in us, and our relationship.
And even though I don’t care what the world thinks of me, I care that if something were to happen to me, you have the legal right to be there, to know everything, and to make the decisions that need to be made. ”
Gio frowned. After what just happened, Sacha’s words were painful to hear because he didn’t want to think about anything like this or worse happening to the man he loved, but he understood because he wanted the same thing. “Do you think Jack would be upset?”
“Are you kidding? He’ll be relieved that it won’t all fall on his shoulders.” A wicked gleam appeared in Sacha’s eyes. “Besides, one of these days, Jack’s gonna end up down on one knee too. You’ll see.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” Sacha laced his fingers with Gio’s and led him inside the house. “Jack has changed, for the better, and that’s because of Fitz and how crazy in love he is.”
Gio understood what Sacha meant because Sacha had done the same for him.
Like Jack, Gio had been in denial about how his actions were affecting his health.
Gio refused to believe he had a condition that could be fatal if untreated, and Jack was in denial that he had been using work as an escape to the point that he stopped taking care of himself.
Fitz was the only one who managed to get through to Jack, helping him see what he was risking, just like Sacha was the one who helped Gio accept his new normal.
Gio paused just inside the sliding glass doors and turned to Sacha. “You saved my life in so many ways.”
“And you helped me see that falling in love isn’t a weakness. You’ve opened my eyes to so much more than you realize, Gio.” Sacha wrinkled his nose, making Gio chuckle.
“Lovey-doveyed out?”
“Not for you,” Sacha replied with a crooked grin. “But also, yeah. Sharing feelings is exhausting.”
Gio chuckled. “Let’s get you inside.” He looped his arm with Sacha’s and slowly led him back toward the house. Unable to help himself, Gio lifted his hand to admire the ring. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Do you know what the lines mean?”
Gio shook his head. “They mean something?”
“The middle inlay is alexandrite, your birthstone. And the two inlays on either side are aquamarine, my birthstone.” Sacha stopped to meet his gaze. “Yours is in the center because I will always be there for you, and I will try my damned hardest to always keep you safe.”
Tears welled in Gio’s eyes. Just when he thought he couldn’t possibly love Sacha any more, he went and did something so heartachingly thoughtful.
“Fitz helped me,” Sacha admitted. “I told him what I wanted, and he started talking about birthstones. It turned into a two-hour discussion about gemstones and the zodiac. I say discussion, he talked a lot, and I tried to listen without falling asleep or hurting his Disney Princess feelings.”
Gio barked out a laugh. He cupped Sacha’s face. “Never change.”
“You got it,” Sacha replied, leaning so Gio could kiss him.
A marriage proposal was the last thing Gio expected, and his heart couldn’t have been happier or fuller. They walked inside, and Gio closed the doors behind them.
“I want to stay down here for a bit,” Sacha said. “I mean, I love our bed, but I’m kinda getting tired of being in it.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” Gio helped Sacha sit on the couch. He was going to help Sacha put his feet up, but Sacha pulled Gio down next to him so they could kiss; the dogs lay on the floor nearby. It was perfect.
When Sacha pulled back, he seemed to remember something. “What’s that little box in the fridge?”
“Oh! I almost forgot. Lucky brought it for you. It’s coconut flan.”
Sacha blinked at him. “What?”
“Coconut flan. The one Graciela’s grandmother makes. He brought it to the hospital for when you woke up.”
Sacha’s eyes welled again, and he frowned deeply. “When I’m all healed, remind me to kick his ass. How dare he make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” He shook his head and sighed. “I can’t believe he gave me his precious flan.”
“I know. What a jerk,” Gio teased, earning himself an arched eyebrow.
“Smartass.”
Gio laughed. “I believe it. They love you so much.”
“I know,” Sacha grumbled, wrinkling his nose. “I’ve been given the flan. There’s no getting rid of them now.”
Gio waved his left hand, his ring finger sporting the new engagement ring. “No getting rid of me now, either.”
“Well, obviously,” Sacha said, his expression deadpan. “I mean, you’re Scrooge McDuck rich. Not scented-toilet-paper rich, but sadly, you can’t have everything.”
Gio blinked at him, then burst into laughter. He loved this man so damned much.