Chapter twenty-nine #2
Davey pulled his hand out from behind his back and held a black box up to Tyler.
He opened it and Tyler gasped at the beautiful platinum ring with five diamonds lined up across the top and a row of diamond baguettes down each side set in the center of the black velvet.
The contrast between the box and the ring was startling, beautiful and sparkly in the low lighting of the living room.
It was a masculine ring, but not too big.
"Tyler Whitmore," Davey repeated. "Please, will you marry me?"
He couldn't leave Davey hanging, but he couldn't make his throat work.
Tyler wanted this, wanted Davey as his husband.
Getting to that point had been hard, and going forward together would be even harder.
Tyler decided what he had with Davey would be worth the challenge.
With his man in front of him, asking him for forever, he knew he would fight for this.
Finally, he nodded his head, slowly at first and then vigorously.
"Yes," he managed to croak out. Janie and his mother both squealed.
Davey leapt forward and grabbed Tyler in a hug, lifting his feet off the ground. He couldn't catch his breath.
Davey pulled the ring out of the box and slid it on Tyler's finger. It fit perfectly. "I had to get Janie to help me figure out your size."
"So, she knew!" He turned and leveled and accusing stare at her. "This is like the only time you've ever been able to keep a secret. I'm amazed!"
She laughed and jumped up hugging them both. "You guys are so cute together!"
Davey turned as if to shake Tyler's mom's hand, but she and Dean both engulfed him in hugs.
"You're family now!" His mother cooed and squeezed Davey tight.
Tyler always knew she would be supportive of him.
She always had been in her own way, but her complete acceptance was still unbelievable, beyond his wildest dreams. He felt lucky that he didn't have to battle unsupportive parents.
They truly loved Davey as much as Tyler did.
Davey may have done the asking, but Tyler felt he was giving Davey his family in the process and that warmed his heart. Davey needed more family.
Tyler stared at his ring. It was beautiful. He was glad Janie coaxed him into getting a nicer gift for Davey, because there was no way he could come close to this. He was going to marry Davey McAllister.
"Don't overthink it, baby," Davey said as he pulled Tyler close, dragging his nose through Tyler's hair. "I love you. That's what matters."
"I love you too. I'm happy. We'll figure it out together, right!"
"Yeah, hell yeah." Then, they were kissing. It was inevitable. "We can do it here, you know. It's legal in Colorado."
"I know. Gotta love Colorado. Pot and gay marriage. Doesn't get better than that!" Tyler laughed as Davey rolled his eyes. "Doesn't get better than any of this, Davey," he added more seriously. "I love you. This is the best Christmas ever."
They shared a few more kisses, and then Janie went home. Tyler and Davey stood on the porch watching her until she was inside her parent's house. Davey stood behind Tyler, with his arms wrapped around Tyler's waist. He leaned up, breathing into Tyler's ear. "Thank you, baby."
"For what?" Tyler giggled and shimmied as the chill from Davey's breath tickled his ear.
"Agreeing to marry me. I was kind of scared that you would say no."
He turned in Davey's arms and kissed under his jaw. "I don't ever want to be without you either. I love you. We'll figure it all out. I meant what I said."
They went in the house and made their way to Tyler's old bed room, and cuddled under the covers, holding and touching each other until they fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
The next morning Tyler felt like a kid again. "It's Christmas! Get up, Davey."
Davey rolled over laughing, obviously unable to believe Tyler was actually up before him. "Come on, baby. Let's snuggle longer," he coaxed.
"No, it's Christmas!" Tyler bounced on the bed beside him. They needed to get up. "Come on!"
Tyler woke the entire household, demanding they open presents. He couldn't wait for Davey to open his present and tossed the long box into Davey's lap. "You know, that ring and the tattoo are the only gifts I have for you, baby."
Tyler shrugged. "Yeah? I think you might be wrong about that, lover." He loved teasing Davey.
Davey blushed, then ripped the paper off the box. He held up the silver necklace. It had a round charm engraved with 27 on one side and T & D in script on the other side.
"Do you like it?" Tyler asked.
"Are you kidding?" Davey leaned over and kissed Tyler. "I love it. Put it on me." He handed the chain back to Tyler and turned around for him to fasten it. "This is so...it's just awesome. I love it."
Tyler felt like he was riding a high the rest of the day.
Dean and his mother had given him a set of socket wrenches that Tyler practically drooled on all morning.
After breakfast, when everyone else had fled to other parts of the house to play with their own toys, Tyler couldn't help fiddling with his tools some more.
"Why didn't I think of that? Tools! I should have known that was the way to your heart," Davey came up behind Tyler, wrapping his arms around him.
"Fun-ny. I think you don't need help finding the tool you need to get to my heart," he teased back, grabbing Davey's crotch.
Davey flipped him over onto his back on the floor and tickled him until he begged for Davey to stop.
Once he caught his breath from the rough housing, Tyler got serious.
"Hey," he said. "I want to show you something. Help me up."
Davey stood and grabbed Tyler's hand, yanking him off the floor. "What?" he asked curiously.
Tyler led him through the kitchen and into garage.
He opened the door and flipped on the light.
"Help me move this." He started shoving boxes out of the way and Davey helped.
His mother's garage was a storage bin nightmare.
The woman never tossed anything out, just boxed it up and stuck it in the garage.
Tyler found what he was looking for and grabbed a tarp, pulling it back to expose an old Harley soft tail.
"What's this?" Davey asked, surprised and amused.
Tyler chuckled. "I bought this in high school. Thought I could fix it up." He kicked at the back tire. "But I never got to it. I've taken it apart, but hell…half the pieces are probably missing or stuffed into who knows what boxes." He looked around the garage and its wall to wall storage.
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I couldn't ever bring it to the apartment with Janie. Just nowhere to put it or work on it. I didn't think she'd be happy seeing this rust bucket in the kitchen." Tyler laughed and looked up at Davey with hopeful eyes. "Maybe some time—"
"We can bring it up to The Ranch. Plenty of room in the garage. Maybe you can fix it," Davey interrupted.
Tyler jumped into his arms, ecstatically happy with Davey's response. "Please."
"Anything for you, Mr. Mechanic. Besides, you are too damn sexy covered in grease and sweat."