What’s Next? A Kairo & Izzie Short Story #3
Kairo released his hand as he sat behind the desk. He dug through a drawer, pulled out a thick manila file folder, and dropped it on the top of his desk with a heavy thud.
“I started researching our options about six months ago.”
“Options?” Izzie choked out, his eyes wide as he glimpsed the paperwork Kairo was paging through.
“I wasn’t sure if you’re prefer adoption or surrogacy.
And then there’s the question of which country we should pursue that in.
America isn’t bad, but there’s always the chance of the rules changing with each new presidency.
If you wanted to adopt in Greece, that’s an option for us.
Surrogacy in the US isn’t bad. Not surprisingly, we have some of the best options and legal protections here in Gaoxing.
But I just started working, digging through the countries where we have citizenship.
There are other options for countries where we don’t, but it would require jumping through a few more hoops. ”
Izzie’s knees gave out, and he found himself suddenly sitting on the floor next to Kairo’s desk.
“Baby!” Kairo cried out. He dropped the papers and grabbed for Izzie’s arms. “Are you okay?”
“We’re going to have a baby,” Izzie whispered. His head snapped up and for the first time, he could see the tears glistening in Kairo’s eyes. His boyfriend was just as affected by this talk as he was. “We’re really going to have a baby.”
“Yes, we can start the process whenever you want, but we are definitely going to have a baby.” Kairo’s voice was rough and slightly choked. His smile trembling on his lips.
He leaned down to kiss Izzie, but Izzie pulled back at the last second.
“Wait! We’re not married! We need to be married if we’re going to have a baby.”
Kairo’s grin turned sly. “Well, if you want to get engaged, I can—”
Izzie slapped his hand across Kairo’s mouth, stopping his wicked words.
“No! You may not propose to me right now like this! I get to do the proposing!” Kairo’s lips spread under his hand and his body shook with silent laughter, but Izzie was dead serious.
“You did the baby research. I get to do the proposing. Something big! And flashy! I’ll sweep you off your feet. ”
Kairo gently grabbed Izzie’s wrist and moved his hand from his mouth. “My darling love, you sweep me off my feet every damn day. You—”
“No!” Izzie put his hand over Kairo’s mouth again. “It must be special and extravagant.”
“It can be special without being extravagant,” Kairo interjected as soon as he could speak.
“I’m a billionaire! I get to splurge on my perfect soon-to-be fiancé. You can’t put me on a budget.”
Kairo narrowed his eyes on Izzie. “I also know that your accountant said that after this year’s charitable donations, you’re just barely a billionaire. I’m putting you on a budget for the proposal or the wedding. Which one is it going to be?”
Izzie gasped. How could he love such an evil man? He couldn’t choose. Kairo needed to be showered with rare gems and pampered in every conceivable way.
“But…” Izzie whimpered.
“You have no impulse control when it comes to spending your money on me. Should I even ask how well you stuck to our agreed-upon budget for Christmas gifts?”
Izzie shrank a little. He’d completely decimated their budget agreement after he secretly bought Kairo that new Jaguar sports car he was still waiting to be delivered. Kairo was going to love the car…after he adjusted to the idea of Izzie overspending for Christmas.
“Okay. I’ll accept a budget on the proposal so long as I’m allowed to spend whatever I want on the wedding.”
“Within reason,” Kairo cut in.
Of course, they both knew that their ideas of ‘within reason’ were vastly different.
“But you’re only allowed to spend a hundred for the proposal,” Kairo continued.
“A hundred thousand?”
Kairo’s wicked grin returned to his lips. “One hundred dollars.”
Izzie gasped. “No! That’s…that’s just obscene. You can’t be serious.”
“I am. One hundred dollars.” Kairo leaned in close, bumping the tip of his nose against Izzie’s.
“But that’s not including the price of the ring, right?”
“No. I’ll let you choose that.”
“That budget is still too low. You can’t—”
“I want to see how creative you can be.” Kairo straightened and gave a little shrug. “But if you don’t feel that you’re up for the challenge, I can always…” He started to turn and reach for the side drawer where Izzie suspected an engagement ring waited for him.
“No!” He leaped up to his feet so he could tower over the evil Kairo. “I will stick to your budget, and I will knock your socks off with my proposal!”
Kairo rose as well and slid his hand across the nape of Izzie’s neck, pulling him in for a deep, toe-curling kiss. Izzie wrapped him up tight, kissing him with the same desperate passion.
“Good,” Kairo murmured as he broke off the kiss to pepper him with a smaller one. “I can’t wait to be yours. To be your fiancé. Your husband. And finally, a father to our kids.” He punctuated each sentence with a kiss.
“Yes,” Izzie whispered, his heart so full he was sure it was about to burst. “Yes, to all that.”
He was so ready for their next adventure.