By the next evening, George already had Steam read from beginning to end. He'd read most of it the night before and then read some more on his work breaks. That evening, Davin was out with some friends. Although he'd invited George, George had politely declined. He wanted to finish the book, and, truth be told, he just wasn't ready to socialize.

With the book now finished, it was time to write and post his review.

Fantastic read! Honestly, I'm not typically into firefighters, but this author's take on the genre left me hooked from beginning to end. What got to me the most was how Charlie and Oliver's relationship was pushed to the limit but still stayed strong despite everything.

As he typed, thoughts of Nick kept coming back across his mind.

I loved how they were complete opposites, often grinding each other's nerves, but still clicked. I really felt for them as they both struggled with their own things while also trying to build a relationship as well. It wasn't easy, and they weren't always happy, but what they built together in the end was worth it.

Things with Nick weren't easy, but...

I especially liked Charlie because even though he could be hotheaded at times, he truly meant well in everything he did. He wasn't always the best with displaying his emotions, and was even worse at talking about them, but he tried in his actions. It was easy to tell that he loved Oliver with all of his heart.

George's breath was starting to catch in his throat.

The more he wrote, the more it dawned on him that he was drawn to Charlie so much because he reminded him of Nick.

“Fuck,” George swore, then groaned as he posted his review after tucking in a disclaimer.

Nick's text left unanswered haunted him...

George snapped his head forward and grabbed the phone. If there was still a chance with Nick, he had to try. What the heck had he been thinking walking out on Nick like he did?

He yelped with surprise as the phone went off in his hand. The caller ID said it was Nick. It was now or never. It was still too easy to ignore the call and live in doubt and fear. Of course, answering the call had its own set of fears attached as well.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he answered the phone. “Hello?”

“George,” Nick uttered, and there was no missing the relief in his voice. “Listen, I know I said I'd give you space, but I can't help it. I really need to talk with you. You don't even have to say anything right now, but if you want to talk, there's a limo outside waiting for you.”

“A limo?” George echoed. “What are you up to?”

“The limo will take you where you need to go. I hope to see you soon.”

Nick then hung up, leaving George staring at his phone in disbelief. He hurried to the window and gazed down, but Davin's apartment was too high for him to see the street.

What should he do? This was obviously something big. Had George not been about to call Nick himself? Since Nick called at the same time, how could he deny investigating this further?

He gnawed on his phone in thought, then pocketed it. He fussed with his hair again in front of the mirror in the hallway, then headed out, locking up behind him. He had no spare key, but that was the furthest thing from his mind right now. His curiosity only grew as he rode the elevator down to the ground floor. He strode through the lobby and even this far back, he made out the shape of a limo through the glass front doors.

When he stepped out into the evening, it was beautiful. It was just the right temperature as it neared sunset.

George approached the limo and nodded toward the driver that waited outside of it. “Um, I'm George Bennett...?” It was at that moment he realized when he'd said his name in the review earlier, he hadn't used “Bennett-Morgan.” The name was too new to him.

“I've been expecting you, sir,” the driver said with a warm smile as he opened the door to the back of the limo. It wasn't a huge car, but it still screamed luxury to George.

George climbed into the back, spying a bottle of champagne in a bucket and a glass, then made himself comfortable. As the car rolled onto the street, George's imagination and heart ran wild.

What's going on? I'm in the limo, George texted Nick.

Just enjoy the ride! Nick texted back moments later.

George furrowed his brows with confusion and laughed, shaking his head. He took a picture of the champagne bottle and a selfie of himself in the limo, then sat back. He opened the bottle and poured himself a glass, turning his attention to the window to watch the amazing city go by.

Since George wasn't born and raised in San Fran, and had only been there a few years, much of the city was still very much a mystery to him. He didn't know where he was at times. Of course, with his phone, he could've simply opened up Google Maps, but he didn't want to ruin whatever surprise Nick had planned for him.

After having enjoyed a nice glass of wine and the sights that passed by, he was further intrigued when the limo made its way up a steep but short road. Then they were in a parking lot. The limo stopped, although was not parked, and the driver let George out of the vehicle. “I must find parking, sir, but you've reached your destination. I was told to tell you to just follow the path and the crowd, and you'll know where you're supposed to be once you're there.”

“That's super vague,” George said with a laugh. “But thank you.”

Various people trekked along a path not far ahead, so he wandered after them. So, wherever he was at was a touristy area, which was interesting. Nick never struck him as the type to want to deal with tourists. Then, as he caught snippets of conversations and spotted a sign, his eyes widened.

Battery Spencer. It was the site of an old military fort, as far as he knew. It also had great views of the city, as well as the Bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

George's excitement grew as he walked through the abandoned military buildings. The old stone structures were fascinating and he wanted to stop and look at everything. He was such a nerd for things like this, and especially when it looked like it had the potential to be haunted. But as he walked between the green and stone buildings, it didn't feel like it was where he meant to be, whatever that was supposed to mean.

He continued following more tourists as they headed uphill. Even as he walked, his eyes widened as he caught sight of the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Once he was up and over the hill and onto the flat dirt, he spotted Nick. Even amongst the tourists gathered to enjoy the incredible view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the vista, it was impossible to miss Nick.

Nick stood there, tall and proud, wearing the suit he'd worn just a couple days ago when they got married. The wind rippled across the fabric and played with his hair, and the setting sun cast beautiful light and shadows across his form.

But more than that, when Nick spotted George, his smile was so bright that it set George's soul alight.

“Nick...” George uttered as he stepped toward Nick. Everyone else sharing the same area kept their distance but were watching. Everyone knew that this was an important moment. How could they not with Nick standing there in his crisp, black suit?

“I'm glad you found me okay,” Nick said with a laugh.

“What... is going on?”

Nick took both of George's hands into his own, bringing their bodies closer but not touching. The touch sent a shiver of pleasure and excitement through George, especially since they were still surrounded by complete strangers. Nick was publicly showing his affections.

“I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with sometimes,” Nick started, and it was easy for George to get lost in his soft eyes. “I've said and done things that I wish I could take back, but I can't. Still, I'm trying to do better.”

George's heart raced as he squeezed Nick's hands but didn't say anything yet.

“When the moment came that I should've defended us, I didn't. Not only was it fear that held me back, but simply the fact that I'm just not the greatest at thinking on my feet.”

Nick had George's undivided attention right now. It didn't matter that there was a circle of people around them and that the Golden Gate Bridge stood proud in the background. All George saw was the vast warmth of Nick's eyes in that moment.

“But even so, I didn't stand up for you—for us—when it was needed the most. I'm here now to tell you that I love you, George. I always have. If you'll allow it, I want to continue loving you.”

Tears sprang to the corners of George's eyes as those heartfelt words washed over him. Hearing Nick say that he loved him had him flying to the moon. He was so overwhelmed with emotion, and it only intensified as Nick went down onto one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wedding ring George had given back to him.

“Will you marry me?” Nick asked as he held the ring between his fingers and raised it up to George.

George was at a loss as he gazed down to the ring. There was something different about the ring, but he couldn't tell what it was yet. That Nick was asking him to properly be married to him for real was too incredible.

“Yes,” George said, his voice wavering as he tried to keep himself from crying. In that moment, all the love he had for Nick far outweighed anything else. Yes, he wanted to turn their fake marriage into a real one. Yes, he wanted to go through life with Nick by his side, for better or worse.

Nick beamed brighter than the sun as he took hold of George's hand and slipped the ring back onto his finger. Then he rose from the ground and hauled George in, planting a kiss on his lips. George was electrified as their lips met and he threw his arms around Nick's shoulders to kiss him lovingly in return. The people surrounding them erupted into claps and cheers.

George held onto Nick, committing to memory the feeling of their bodies pressed together. He couldn't believe that he'd almost lost this feeling with Nick forever.

When their lips parted, Nick stepped back and took out a second ring from his pocket. As he handed it over, George caught the shakiness of his hands. He accepted the ring and took hold of Nick's shaky hand. While maintaining eye contact and smiling so hard that his face hurt, he slid the ring back onto Nick's finger.

As soon as the rings were in place, everything felt right in the world. A laugh bubbled up within George, escaping his lips as he moved in for another kiss. It was only then that he noticed someone with a camera taking pictures from the corner of his eye. Nick had even gone so far as hiring someone to photograph this special moment?

When their lips parted again, their arms remained in place. George simply wanted to hold and be held, losing himself in Nick's eyes. “This is... This is perfect,” he uttered. “Believe it or not, I was just about to call you and try to make up to you, too. I'm sorry, Nick. It was stupid for me to rush out like I did.”

“I completely get it,” Nick assured him. “It really sucked in the moment, but it didn't take me long to figure out why it happened. Believe me, it whipped me into shape pretty fast. I... I couldn't stand the thought of losing you. I know we got married because of convenience, but I really want to spend my life with you.”

George's head spun as giddiness took hold. “It's all happening so fast...!”

“Actually, I think it was a long time coming,” Nick chuckled deeply as he bumped their foreheads together.

George couldn't help the giggle that escaped him, his cheeks burning up. It was only now that he finally lifted his hand to inspect the ring. It was indeed the same ring as before but, upon closer inspection, it now had an inscription.

Always and Forever.

“The same thing's inscribed on my ring, too,” Nick murmured. “I realized our rings were just too plain... And, well, Jett had originally picked them out for us. While they're nice, they weren't personal...”

“It's beautiful,” George breathed as he went in again for another little kiss.

Nick returned the kiss, then stepped back, still holding George's hands. “Let's get some photos done,” he said with a smile.

“You so timed this for sunset to get the best pictures, didn't you?” George laughed.

“That's the artist in me, yeah, and I guess the bit of romantic,” Nick chuckled with a bashful shrug.

George giggled, which only made Nick laugh again as the photographer approached them to capture the most perfect moment of their lives.