22. EION
Chapter twenty-two
EION
“I’ll be home the usual time.” I smiled against his lips as I had for the last several weeks.
It was difficult for me to remember the last time he slept at his cottage.
We would go over there to have dinner with his mother on Sunday nights, but return to the trailer for bed so we could do the morning chores.
We’d been dating for a while, and I was in love with the man.
I was going to tell him, but I worried he might think it was foolish.
There was no reason for me to think he wouldn’t love me as well.
To me it was obvious, because everything he said and did was out of love.
“Can’t wait.” I kissed him again and watched him leave the Sanctuary.
The fundraiser would be on Friday evening, and we were going to see the tailor tomorrow morning to have our tuxedos fitted.
His mother had been a liaison between the event planner and me.
She said it was her excuse to get to know me better and spend some time gossiping about her son, ‘who never called her’.
Which I knew wasn’t true, but of course I agreed with her.
Several times over the last month, she tried to increase the number of attendees, but I held firm at two thousand.
And with that number, she still felt it was a small event.
According to Amelia, we would most likely finish the evening in the fifteen-million range.
Since the land itself was a little over twenty, I didn’t believe we would get that kind of funding.
There was no way enough people would care that much about my project to make that kind of money.
I would be thrilled if I could start that large-animal nursery and upgrade the medical suite to better care for animals larger than a coyote.
I never expected someone like Angus to enter my life.
He had proved that the things I had spent years worrying about after my accident were unfounded.
My prosthetic and the few limitations I had weren’t an issue between us.
We were both slightly damaged, but together we were forging a path that I was excited about.
The most shocking part was how easy life was with him.
I still wasn’t comfortable interacting with people, so the few times we had to work with humans, Angus was there to help.
If we made enough money and had consistent donors, maybe I could hire Angus to work with me here?
He wanted to be busy, but didn’t need the money.
I felt like giving him a job at the Sanctuary would fulfill that.
Barnaby weaved between my legs, and Ramsey nudged up against me. Smiling, I sat down with them. “Do you two like the idea of having your other Papa here all the time?” Was that something Angus wanted? First, we had to get through the fundraiser.
As if he could read my mind, Ramsey grabbed a stuffed Orlando that was made specifically as a dog toy.
Amelia had included them in the goody bags because ‘these are animal lovers, they have pets at home’.
Amelia was wonderful. She accepted me as her son’s partner and had done so much to make this event a success.
It was a wonderful surprise that on some of the nights her son worked, she would show up after feeding, with dinner and a story about her son.
Amelia was an unexpected bonus to being with Angus.
The pride she had in him was something so pure you couldn’t help but wish you were her child.
Amelia also had a gentle way of looking out for him without being too pushy.
There were days she would ask about his eating, then she would offer me suggestions on how to see signs of his disorder.
“Did Angus make it to his appointment today?” She asked me while we finished some enchiladas she brought over.
I smiled at her. Sometimes I wanted to tell her it was my job to fuss over him now.
It would be okay if she let me take the reins, but I realized that as his mother, she would never relinquish that job.
“He did. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen anything that was concerning.
Other than that small blip when we started dating, he’s doing well.
” Angus had told me it was okay to talk to his mother about these things.
She sighed, then looked at me. “You are perfect for him, Eion. I knew one day the right man would come along and give him everything he deserved.”
Her words made it hard to swallow. There was no denying the love between her son and me.
We were both taking our time before we said the words, though.
The last person I had committed to broke me, and sadly, I was still afraid of it happening again.
I wasn’t sure I would survive losing Angus.
Having his beauty around me filled in all the rough spots. “Thank you. I care a lot about him.”
She laughed quietly. “You amuse me, Eion. You two are so in love that you can feel it when you are in the same room. I look forward to the day I get to walk him down the aisle and give him to you as your forever partner.”
I knew the look on my face was that of shock, but it wasn’t because she was wrong.
Because she was right. I had thought about us being married, maybe getting another dog.
We could build a house on the land or simply stay in the fifth wheel.
It didn’t matter as long as I was with Angus.
“You never know.” It was a lame response, but the fact that I could say anything was a good thing.
Discussing how I really felt about him was something I needed to do with him before any further conversation with his mother.
“I’m going to give a treat to Orlando, then head home.
Send me pictures of the tuxedos you pick when you are done with your fitting tomorrow.
” She gave a little chuckle that seemed out of place, but she was quirky like her son, so who knows.
I gave her a hug, and I agreed to let her know.
I got ready for bed and cleaned up the kitchen.
I settled in with the dogs. Both animals were fast friends, and the three of us snuggled until I felt Angus slide in next to me.
Some nights we tucked in tight and fell back asleep, but there were nights we would make love when he got home, having missed the other so much we needed to make that physical connection.
The next day, we walked into the fancy hotel, and I was confused. “I thought we were getting tuxedos today?” I looked at Angus.
“We are. Super rich, remember?” I had no idea what he was talking about, but it appeared I was about to learn. When we exited the elevator, he stopped me. “Eion, they are going to want to measure everything about you, which means he will be touching your legs, arms, waist, and shoulders.”
My heart swelled. These MacGregors were trying to kill me because, for the second time in twenty-four hours, I was fighting back tears from words.
He understood that I might be uncomfortable because of my injury.
I had never cared much what strangers thought, but I had never had them touching my body. “How many people?”
“One tailor will do the measurements, and it will only be him and me in the room. This is supposed to be fun. Have you ever seen a pretty woman?”
He had to be kidding. There was no way this was going to be my Pretty Woman moment, though something about it appealed to me.
Angus really didn’t throw his money around.
We stayed in a trailer, cooked our own food, and generally spent our days with the animals and each other.
“As long as you are there, I will be fine.”
He kissed me gently. “You will have fun. I’ve never done this with another person before.
” When I looked into his eyes, he was clearly excited.
He took my hand, and we entered one of the hotel rooms. It was a suite, but the furniture had been moved around.
Along the walls were racks of suits and tuxedos.
In the center was a fitting stand, and the side table held champagne, whiskey, and snacks.
“Holy shit,” I mumbled.
“Right. My mother doesn’t fuck around.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
A handsome man welcomed us in. “Please get comfortable. Mrs. MacGregor said you were to get the best we had to offer, so I came myself. I am Adrian, and I will be fitting and altering your suits.”
Another man walked in. “I’m William. If you need or want anything, please ask. Would you like a drink?”
Angus looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’d like a whiskey neat,” then looked at me.
“I’ll have the same.”
“Perfect, we have lunch for you after your measurements, then you will pick your outfits after. Mrs. MacGregor asked me to give this to you, Mr. Foster.” He handed me a monogrammed envelope. When I opened it, I found a note written in her beautiful handwriting.
“Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you,” William said, then vanished into the other room.
I handed the card to Angus. When he finished reading, he laughed. “I think I know what this means. Remember what the note said. Adrian, can you tell me what my mother has ordered from you?”
“Yes, Mr. MacGregor.”
“Please call me Angus.”
“Yes. Angus. I am to help you choose matching Tuxedos due no later than Thursday night; Ralph Lauren Purple Label is recommended. In the next two weeks, I am to have six dress shirts, ten ties, three pairs of shoes, five slacks, and two suits for each of you. We are also supposed to get you some new boots, jeans, and cool work shirts. Plus, and I quote. ‘Fancy underwear and socks because that’s what a mother gets for her sons.’”
Angus looked at me. “Is that okay with you? My mother. I. Well. Honestly, I don’t have an explanation. If it’s too much, we will get only the tuxedos for the event. The other stuff is nice for our closets, and you can never have too many work clothes. What do you think? It will be fun.”
This had to be one of the craziest things I’d ever experienced. At that moment, I wished I had brought Barnaby with me to calm my nerves. With Angus here, I assumed I could manage my anxiety. Aside from pride, I couldn’t see any reason not to get the items she ordered. “What the hell, let’s do it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He kissed me.
“Okay, Adrian, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Let's get started.”
William returned with our drinks and then vanished again.
I stripped down to my boxer briefs while Adrian measured every part of me.
We laughed and made jokes the whole time.
When I was finished, Adrian suggested we have another drink and took a fifteen-minute break.
“You saw what he did. Are you still okay with this?”
Surprisingly, I really was. Adrian was professional and thorough, and having fancy clothes in my closet would be cool.
Angus and I could go on some nice dates together.
Plus, there were times I wanted to look nice for people who came to adopt animals.
“Absolutely.” He leaned in and kissed me, his tongue slipping just inside my mouth, the heat making my toes curl.
I’d been kissing this man for months now, and every time it made me tingle.
When Adrian cleared his throat, we jumped apart.
“Are you ready, Mr. Foster?” I stood up and peeled off my clothes. Adrian started to measure my body.
“Mr. Foster, I have some delicate questions.”
“Please call me Eion, and ask me whatever you need.”
He then asked me well-thought-out questions about my prosthetic and residual limb.
“Since you will have your harness on whenever you wear these clothes, I am going to leave a small allowance on that shoulder and the chest. This should ensure that you don’t have that tug you get from an off-the-rack dress shirt. ”
“Yes. I. I’m impressed, Adrian. You are obviously the best for a reason.” Angus stood up and kissed me while Adrian finished his measurements. It felt like the kisses were how he was soothing us both.
“Okay, gentlemen. You two can enjoy lunch, and we will start with the fun part.”
William showed up and guided us into a kitchen where we were served an amazing meal.
The food was incredible, and the company was my favorite person.
That reality hit hard. Angus had become my favorite person.
I would do anything for him and wanted to be with him all the time.
The best part was that he made me laugh and cry, and was there for me no matter which I did.
“Now we get to pick things like colors and fabric. When we return, models will come out to show us what the clothes look like. There will be a ton of colors to choose from for all the items we are getting made. I never appreciated doing things like this before, but being here with you. This is fun.”
“Looks like we are good for each other?”
“I know you are very good for me.” I smiled as he blushed.
In the living room, things had been moved around.
There was a small runway, and a lot more suits were now displayed on mannequins around the room.
There were two wingback chairs clearly waiting for us.
Angus took my hand, and we took our seats.