Chris
Two Years Later
The house was full. It almost felt like a holiday, but it was just an average Tuesday. Ky and I had been in the kitchen cooking all day. This happened from time to time, a bunch of the boys would come over and hang out, and of course, that included their ladies as well. Sometimes it involved ordering a dozen pizzas or firing up the grill. This time, requests had been made and an entire spread of food that didn’t have any rhyme or reason to it had been put together. I didn’t question it. I just simply spent the day chopping, marinating, simmering, and baking.
Life was amazing. I didn’t have any complaints. I kept things low-key for the most part. I got up every morning and started the day with my second love. Then I came back in and wrapped myself around my first one. Ky, yes, I was talking about Ky. He sometimes still got up and watched me in the mornings. Those days I would come in and he’d have coffee ready for me as well as a heart-stopping kiss. And some mornings, he would grunt and mumble something when I kissed him before I rolled out of bed. Those mornings were almost the best because, well, I’d come back in and still find him in bed. I loved waking him up with my mouth wrapped around his cock. I knew he loved it too.
So, the house was alive with voices and laughter ringing out from every corner. The doorbell rang just as the timer on the oven went off. I had no idea who it might be and normally everyone just walked in when we had something like this going on.
“Can you get that, baby? I’ll pull the lasagna out,” Ky said already moving to grab the oven mitts.
As I made my way to the front door, I realized that the house had gone deadly quiet. Seriously, I could hear myself breathing. As well as everyone else—because they were all like really close now.
I searched my brain to see if there was something I was forgetting about. It wasn’t my birthday. Or our anniversary. Or…well, I had nothing. It was just Tuesday.
My hands were actually sweating as I pulled open the door.
“Surprise!” Ingram said, her smile so big and bright that I felt tears well up in my eyes.
“Pize!” Chry squealed in her arms.
“Oh, my, God!” I said as all the air rushed out of my lungs.
We threw ourselves into each other’s arms, poor Chry getting smashed between us.
“You’re home,” I whispered hoping that she was here to stay.
“I’m home,” she said, her voice cracking and I could feel her head nodding against my shoulder.
Suddenly everything made sense. All the food, it was all the things that I made that she loved. Good thing I remembered to grab the avocados.
“Give Uncle Chris some love,” Ingram said, pulling back and wiping the tears away with her free hand.
I took the little dude and swung him around as she made her way into the house. My eyes met Ky’s as he pulled Ingram in for a hug.
“You knew,” I said pointing out the obvious.
“I wanted to tell you but she wanted to surprise you,” he said with a shrug after Ingram broke away and moved down the line to get welcoming hugs from everyone.
“Yes,” she called out. “All my fault, be mad at me.” She let out a laugh that made her look so free and light.
“Yeah, okay,” I said rolling my eyes. “Like I could ever be mad at you.”
Ingram was dragged away by Cami and Laurel.
I had no idea why I was so emotional. We’d gone up there a handful of times to see them and it wasn’t like I didn’t talk to her on the phone a couple of times a week. But there was something about her coming home, knowing that she felt like she was ready, that really plucked at my heartstrings.
“I love you,” I said to Ky as he wrapped his arms around me from behind so that we both could still watch the excitement.
“I love you too,” he said as he kissed the side of my head. “Happy?”
“Very much so,” I said as I nodded.
“She’s staying here until she gets on her feet. I offered and I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“Not one damn bit. I wouldn’t have her anywhere else.”
“We should probably think about putting a door on our bedroom,” he said.
Though I couldn’t see his face, I knew he was flashing that sexy smirk.
“He’s watching her,” Ky practically growled in my ear.
My eyes zeroed in on the he that Ky was referring to.
Yep, no mistaking that look of wonderment, awe, and protectiveness.
I might have seen it a time or two aimed at me from my guy. I couldn’t help but chuckle. I had a feeling that things were about to get interesting. I also knew that I’d be prepared to step in and set Ky right when needed. It was a fine balance of getting him to see things from another side and not make him feel like I wasn’t taking his feelings into consideration. I think he was finally starting to realize that I was never trying to cut him down or make him feel like that what he wanted didn’t matter. In fact, it mattered the most to me. But it was Ky, and sometimes he would let the caveman take over.
“He sure is,” I said turning in Ky’s arms and then patted his chest. “It’s a good thing she has a lot of people looking out for her.”
My words and smile relaxed him. He seemed to accept that I was at least a little bit right. He kissed me. The kind of kiss that said how much he cared about me, how grateful he was for me, and how lucky he felt to have me. The kind that, even after all this time, still made my belly flutter and my knees feel weak.
We broke apart and went to join the others.
Ingram and Chry were home. Life couldn’t get any more perfect.
Or so I thought.
“So, before we get to chowing down, I have something I want to do.” The room went silent at Ky’s words.
I caught Ingram’s eyes and her cheeks scrunched up from her huge smile. There was a twinkle in her eyes that told me that there was something else I hadn’t been clued in on.
“I’m a bit of an asshole, we all know this,” Ky started and though it sounded like he was talking to the room, his eyes were zeroed in on mine. “I’d like to think that I’m less of one now. Chris, it took me a while to get my head out of my ass and see how beautiful and amazing you are. I feel not only lucky, but honored to have you by my side through this journey.”
He paused, his cheeks turning bright pink giving away his nervousness. He cleared his throat and then spoke again.
“Okay, fuck it. I’m not good with this emotion shit. There’s stuff I want to say, but I think you know it all already. So, um, will you marry me?”
There were little chuckles all around.
I was shocked. A little that he’d asked me, but mostly that he’d done it like this, in front of so many people.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a solid titanium ring that had one small diamond embedded in the middle.
“I figured we should make it official, since everyone thinks we are anyway,” he said with that smirk that got me every time.
“Yes,” I whispered then did my best to find my voice. “You know, just to clear up any kind of confusion anyone might have,” I added as a joke.
His shoulders relaxed and I knew it had done its job.
He didn’t hesitate to push the ring onto my finger, then he kissed it. This guy. My sexy, beautiful, sappy—yes, sappy—caveman.
“It’s about damn time,” Brand called out causing the whole room to erupt with cheers and laughter.
“Love you, dude,” I called out to Brand.
“Love you, too, man,” he yelled back.
Ky shook his head like he expected nothing less. I pulled him into me and kissed him like there was no one else around.
Then we celebrated like there was no tomorrow.
Now, things were perfect.
The End