Page 111 of Wants and Needs
Late November
“Go on now, master Carter.”Milton pats my shoulder and nods to the open door of the brownstone.
I don’t have the energy to remind him not to call me master this early in the morning, especially not after three very busy months.
Liam took CJ’s idea to Tristan, and our PR genius was outraged that he hadn’t thought of it first—CJ was very smug.
William and Parker flew to Boston the next day to recruit half a dozen more programmers, so they could make the necessary adjustments to the app now that the idea was to have it offer only a simple list to the users. And they delivered a perfectly finished app by the time we flew to LA to film all the adverts late last month.
My favorite was the one where all the quarterbacks—Adam, Luke, Leaf, and AJ who plays with Derek—have their Super Bowl rings on and MVP trophies in front of them, and are discussing who’s the best when Jules, the living legendary hockey player for Las Vegas, walks up with his arms full of all his hockey trophies, and puts the other men to shame.
The best part is right at the end, though, when Gab enters the frame pulling a cart behind her where she has so many trophies they had to be haphazardly piled on top of each other. She says a cheesy line about being on top of her game, and then the ESoothe logo appears.
That one was Tristan’s idea, but the logo was all Blair.
She’s the head of sales Tristan hired for ESoothe, and she’s an absolute master at marketing. She’s now William, Parker, and Liam’s favorite person, not that I’m complaining, and she’s even given me some great tips for the galleries.
“Cher, no!” I hear Liam’s panicked cry, and that finally brings me out of my melancholy and back to the present.
The present where it’s cold as a polar bear’s behind, and I’m barely able to run to Liam’s rescue on the sidewalk because I have so many layers on.
The weather really never is my friend.
Though October was pretty perfect in my opinion, I can’t wait until April when I can have a few normal days again.
When I finally get to him, my big exhale isn’t only because I can stop moving now, but also because he’s so fucking perfect.
Holding his new puppy close to his chest, he chides her softly.
“You don’t need to drink water from that puddle, because we brought your bowl, Cher. Here, look, I’ll show you.”
He then bends down and fills the tiny container with water from a bottle he had inside his jacket, then gestures to it as if the dog will understand that.
To my surprise, she does, and drinks all of it.
I opposed this walk with as many logical arguments as I could, but seeing little Cher with her bright purple sweater on and her little shoes—which Mike and Theo recommended—I think I’m actually glad we woke up before anyone sane so we could let her play in the park.
Liam puts the bowl in his backpack, then picks Cher up again.
“You love her already, huh?”
He turns, surprised to see me, and though I know the cold helps, the way his cheeks darken so quickly tells me he’s embarrassed.
His sheepish smile is another indicator.
I walk up to them and lean in to kiss him softly.
I smile even while steam leaves his mouth when he releases a breath. It really is too damn cold. Not even winter yet and?—
“I love you,” he whispers, and my attention snaps back so quickly I stumble on my feet.
“You do?” I ask, wonder filling every square inch of my body.
“Like I’ve never loved anyone before,” he confirms, and I can see it in his eyes. That bright blue is especially stark today.
“I love you too,” I confess. “Also like I’ve never loved anyone before. I know it’s not original, but you’re the one who’sgood with words. I’m just the lucky guy who gets to be by your side.” Why am I rambling? “Most days I wake up and for a few minutes it feels like a dream that could disappear at any moment, but then I see you, and I can’t believe it’s true until you look at me.”
“You’re an amazing man, Carter,” he says with his lovely frown. “You care about me like no one else, and you make me feel like I’m perfect.”
