I flopped onto the couch, totally exhausted. This year’s renaissance faire was a roaring success. It was also, thankfully, over. Fortunately, there was far less drama this year than last—probably because my knight in shining armor had already rescued me.
The past year had been exhilarating, exhausting, and exciting! As romantic as Chris’s demonstration was, the reality of settling into our new normal involved some growing pains.
Since we spent every spare moment together, it made sense to find a place we could both call home. We discussed moving to Brooklyn, but I loved my neighborhood, and since we both worked in the city, it made sense to stay there.
My apartment was too small, and Chris wanted a real kitchen, so we went on a hunt. Finding a place we both agreed on was tough, but we made a list of what mattered and ended up with a great two-bedroom not far from Washington Square Park.
Chris’s job did get harder, but he also found many people more supportive than he expected. Comments were made—both behind his back and to his face. But he had loyal friends and the support of his boss, and most importantly, he was secure in his decisions. It wasn’t perfect, and Chris occasionally mentioned leaving the firehouse to work on training new firefighters. Apparently, another man who came out found that to be a better fit. I didn’t care what direction he took his career, I was just so proud of him for being true to himself.
While all this was going on, we both had to make peace with each other’s loved ones. My friends were easy—after the grand gesture, every one of them fell a little in love with my man. I don’t share, but I sure don’t mind when they talk about Chris and swoon.
When Chris brought me to meet his family, I was terrified. I had built his father up in my mind as this big, bad guy—but that wasn’t the case at all. He was a scared parent. Both of his parents made me feel welcome in their home, and while his dad was not overly affectionate at first, in time he warmed up to me. He fell in love with Buster, so for his birthday we got him a guinea pig of his own. He loved it!
In fact, both of our families got along so well, my parents and sister were often invited for Sunday dinner. It was an interesting combination of personalities, but as long as we didn’t discuss politics, things stayed on a fairly even keel.
But today’s faire was all kinds of interesting. This year Chris worked the barbecue with Marcus and Micah while Tyler and Josh handled the rest of the food table. Whenever I stopped by to check on them, the three cooks were in deep discussion. I couldn’t wait to find out what they were talking about.
As I waited for Chris, I decided to close my eyes—just for a minute. I must have drifted off, because by the time I’d opened my eyes the sun had set and the room was filled with a delicious aroma.
“Hi there, sleepyhead,” my gorgeous man greeted me.
“Hi,” I said huskily, my voice still gravelly from sleep. “What’s cooking?”
“Stuffed shells. After all the meat this afternoon, I wanted some cheesy goodness.”
I sat up and walked over to the kitchen, slipping my arms around his waist from behind, I looked over his shoulder as he tossed the salad.
He turned around and gave me a quick kiss. “You outdid yourself this year. Everyone had a great time and it ran like clockwork. Do you feel good about it?”
“I do. The feedback I got from the parents and from Dave was really positive.” I moved away to start setting the table. “What were you discussing before?”
Chris smiled. “I really like those guys, we had a lot of fun. Marcus and Tyler invited us over. I said I had to ask you, but since Lilli wasn’t in your class anymore I hoped it wouldn’t be an issue.”
“Nah, it should be fine.” I started to nibble on a carrot.
“We were talking about being out and raising kids. What it’s like.”
I started to cough as the carrot went down the wrong pipe. Chris started to laugh and handed me his water. “I wasn’t trying to kill you.”
“I appreciate that, I just didn’t expect it.”
“I struggled with coming out, and a lot of it was about expectations. I really want to be sure, that if we expand our family it’s because we want to, and not because we feel we have to. You know what I mean?”
I nodded.
“I’m not saying right now, I mean nobody’s proposed—yet. But maybe, someday.” He put his arms around me. “Yes?”
He didn’t know about the ring hidden in my sock drawer—yet. But he would by the end of the night. I snuggled up close to him, secure in his love. “Definitely, someday.”
The End