Page 104 of Sass

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Leon

Chris parked the Merc in our driveway at the front of the villa and switched the engine off.

I shot him a confused look. “Not going around the back?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I thought I might load some of those bricks from the old front path into the trunk after dinner. Then I can drop them at the salvage yard tomorrow.”

We were slowly working our way through the front garden, according to our landscaper’s instructions. The aim was to reduce the maintenance and update the feel. Next on the list was changing the weedy uneven brick path for a simple concrete one.

“I’ll give you a hand,” I told him. “You’re gonna have to watch your tattoo.”

“Thanks.” He grabbed a bag from the back seat and headed for the front door. When we got to the front steps, he turned and pointed to my satchel. “Give me that and take a seat. I’ll bring us a couple of beers.”

“Great idea.” I handed him my bag and sank into one of the two armchairs we’d bought at a second-hand shop in Parnell and had recovered in a weatherproof material.

Alfie flew out the open front door, and after a welcome fit for a returning Antarctic explorer, he bounded into the garden to check the perimeter for any feline intrusion. Only Barney got Alfie’s tick of approval.

Chris and I spent countless hours sitting under the covered veranda. It had a great view of the garden and anyone passing by. We knew all the neighbours—Chris saw to that. He made us do a round of house-knocking introductions the week after he moved in, saying it was better to suss out the bigots early so we could get the voodoo dolls right. But we were in luck. Only one of our neighbours, a single elderly man, had looked taken aback when Chris introduced us as a couple, the rest seemed friendly enough and Chris had followed up the door knock with a meet-and-greet barbecue two weeks later. The dodgy neighbour had softened when our Maine Coon, Barney, appeared on the scene. He was a big fan of cats, and stroke by big-cat stroke, we were slowly winning him over.

“Here you go.” Chris handed me a beer and my guitar and then collapsed into his chair, with Barney following to sprawl at his feet. And yes. There was very definitelyChris’schair andmychair. And you messed with that at your peril.

We clinked bottles.

“Perfect.” I put the guitar to the side and took a long swallow, thinking about how that one word pretty much summed up my life. Just months before, this had been a fantasy of mine, one I wasn’t sure was even possible.

Sitting on our deck, Chris at my side, drinking beer and playing my guitar. Chris and I had talked about a family and he was keen, but we’d agreed to take it slow. Whether the future held a family of our own or not, it didn’t matter. I had Chris, and we had the animals. We also had Susie who’d become a big part of our lives as a couple, overnighting several times a month. It was more than enough.

“Not a bad life, huh?” I studied the man who’d come to mean everything to me.

Chris turned with soft eyes and a shy smile that melted my too-full heart down to my toes. This wasmyChris. The side few saw. Everyone else got the sass and the quick wit. The charm and the brash honesty. And sure, I got that too. But I also got this. A gentle, vulnerable man with a heart too big to fit into one lifetime. The side he so jealously guarded like it might be his undoing. It was the final brush of gold on top of the best gift ever.

“Yeah, about that.” Chris put his beer on the small table between us and slid off his chair onto his knees beside me.

“What are you—shit.” I almost dropped my beer bottle to the deck, saving it at the last second to fumble it to the table next to his, because fuck, this couldn’t be what it looked like, could it? Chris couldn’t be about to—I couldn’t even finish the sentence in my own head.

His eyes found mine and held, his lips tugging up into that sweet smile reserved for me alone. “I need your attention for a minute.”

A laugh came from inside the villa and a familiar voice said, “Youalwaysneed attention.”

Drew?

My gaze shot to the open front door, then back. “Chris?”

“Shut up,” he called out and then a horrified look stole over his face. “Fuck, I didn’t mean you.” He cupped my cheek as more laughter leaked through the open door.

I ignored whatever the fuck was going on in my house and focused on Chris. “What are you doing, baby?”

He looked nervous, his free hand jiggling at his side, and he blew out a breath like he was preparing himself. “I think you know what I’m doing,” he said softly, just for me.

And I did. And suddenly nothing mattered except the two of us, and this long fucking journey we’d taken to get to this point. I mouthed the words, “I love you,” and joy flickered in his eyes.

“I love you too.” His gaze never wavered.

I knew he did, that had never been in question these last five months. I just hadn’t known if it would be enough to keep him with me. Hoped, but had never let myself believe, knowing he’d need time.

“I didn’t want to want you for a long time, Leon.” He took both my hands and kissed them. “I didn’t want us,anyus,anyrelationship.” He paused and his lips turned up in a huge smile. “But that changed. I want you. I want us. I want this, what we’ve been building together. I want it more than anything, and that’s not going to change.”

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