Chapter 10 #3
When I can tell Vienna’s close, I take her legs and drape them over my shoulders, so I can drive even deeper inside her. I lean over so I can kiss her, capturing her moans with my mouth.
And only when she comes do I allow myself to let go, flying into space along with her.
Bright lights splash across my vision as I come, pulsing hard. Rolling over, I take her along with me so I don’t crush her. Then I hold Vienna close while the aftershocks ripple through us.
When I feel Vienna shiver, I roll her back over, climb off the bed, and cover her carefully with the blanket. “I’ll be right back,” I tell her. “I just have to get cleaned up. Don’t go anywhere.”
She gives me a languorous smile. “I don’t think I could move, even if I wanted to.”
“Good.” I hurry towards the door. “I like you right there.”
My first stop is the bathroom, and when I come back into the hallway, I hesitate. Do I give her the gift now? Or do I put it off in hopes of finding more courage?
Come on, my inner hermit says. But he sounds resigned, like he knows his days of hermit-hood are over. You know what you want. And you never used to be a coward.
He’s right. So I jog into my office to grab the two matching red-wrapped gift boxes from inside my desk, then head back into the bedroom.
When I get there, Vienna is sitting up in bed with the blanket wrapped burrito-style around her. “I never took my socks off,” she says, sounding annoyed about it. Then she pokes her heart socks out from beneath the blanket. “I don’t care what you say. Having sex with your socks on isn’t sexy.”
“Yes, it is.” I cross the room to the bed and climb back in, tucking Vienna against my side and wrapping the blanket around both of us. “I think it’s sexier than not wearing socks. I think you should wear socks every time.”
“Oh?” One eyebrow arches up. “So you’re saying there’ll be another time?”
“I hope so. Don’t you?”
Vienna smiles. Her eyes are soft with affection. “I definitely want there to be another time. More than one, in fact. Many more.”
My heart jumps. It’s the perfect opening.
Pulling the boxes out from beneath the blanket, I hand them over to her. “I’m going out of order,” I explain. “These were supposed to be for later. But now… it seems like the right time to give them to you.”
“More presents?” Vienna nudges my arm with hers. “This is too much, Caleb.”
“They’re not expensive gifts. They’re just, well, you’ll see.” I tap the slightly smaller box. “Open this one first.”
“Okay.” She tears off the wrapping paper to reveal a plain black box inside. As she lifts off the lid, I hold my breath, hoping for the best but preparing myself for the worst. When she pulls out a silver keychain with a key attached, she looks at me in confusion. “Caleb?”
It’s hard to talk with my heart lodged in my throat. “It’s a key. To my house. I was hoping you might want to keep it.”
Cautious hope sparks in her eyes. “Keep it? So I can visit?”
“No. Keep it because… you live here.” Holding her gaze, I add, “I know it hasn’t been long.
And I understand if you’re not ready. But having you here, being with you—it feels more right than anything I can remember.
If you want to have your own bedroom, that would be okay. I wouldn’t rush you into—”
“You want me to live here? With you?”
I take her hand. “Yes. I do. I thought I was happier alone. But I was wrong. I’m happier with you. And I guess I’m hoping you might feel the same way.”
“Caleb.” Vienna blinks. Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “You’re not saying this just because you feel bad—”
“No. Not at all.” I take a deep breath for courage. “I know relationships take time to develop. I know we still have a lot to learn about each other. But… I’m falling in love with you, Vienna. I see a future with you. And I think we could be happy here together.”
The silence that follows seems interminable, though I know it can’t be more than a couple of seconds.
Say yes, I silently plead. Say yes.
“Yes,” Vienna blurts. “Yes. I would love to live here with you.” She sets the box aside and takes my face in her hands. “I’m falling in love with you, too, Caleb. And I definitely want a future with you.”
“Thank fuck,” I say before I can stop myself.
Vienna lets out a startled laugh. “Did you think I’d say no?”
“Maybe,” I admit. “I hoped you wouldn’t. But I was trying to prepare myself.”
She leans in to kiss me. “Well, I didn’t.”
I kiss her back. “You didn’t.” Releasing a heavy sigh of relief, I hand the other box to her. “This one kind of ties in with the first. It’s less of a gift than an idea.”
“Okay?” Vienna’s forehead wrinkles in confusion as she unwraps the second gift. Beneath the wrapping is another black box, just a little larger than the first. She takes off the lid and pulls out a nylon collar. “What’s—”
Then she sees the tag attached to it. Engraved in the metal is one word. Zeus.
Her mouth drops open. “Caleb? What’s this?”
“We would put the address on the back of it. Our address. If we adopt him.”
“Adopt him?”
“No one came to claim him,” I explain. “So he’s cleared for adoption. Or fostering. I talked to Rory, and she said we could take him if we wanted. Adopt him. I know you love him, and you said you’ve always wanted a dog—”
“We would adopt him? Adopt Zeus?”
“I know adopting a dog is a big step for a couple. So he could be yours. But I would take care of him, too. Help train him. I would put up a fence so he could play outside safely. We could take him on hikes and trips…”
“Caleb.” The tears in Vienna’s eyes overflow. “Yes. Oh, yes. I would love to adopt him. But are you sure? Having me and a dog living with you? That’s a lot…”
I pull her into my arms and kiss the tears from her cheeks. “It’s not. And I’m sure. More sure I’ve been of anything in a very long time.”
She looks down at the keychain sitting on her lap, then at the collar in her hand, and finally, back at me. “These are the best gifts…” She swallows hard. “I never had a real Valentine’s Day before. With gifts and a man who really cared about me.”
“You will now,” I say. “Gifts and a man who definitely cares about you. Who’s falling in love with you. Not just on Valentine’s Day. But every day.”
Vienna flings her arms around me and kisses me hard. Then she draws back to meet my gaze. Her eyes are pink and teary, but bright with happiness. “I hoped coming here would be a new start. But I never dreamed…”
My heart swells with the same joy I see in her eyes. “It’s a new start for both of us.”
And it is. A new start I didn’t think I wanted. One I never would have looked for. But now?
I don’t want to be alone anymore. Not when I have Vienna.
Lifting Vienna into my lap, I press a soft kiss to her lips. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Vienna.”
Her hand comes to my cheek as she kisses me back. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
And it really is.