Since my mailbox is down at the bottom of a long row of stairs, it takes a few minutes to maneuver them, as we’re stuck together like conjoined twins, but there’s no way I’m letting go if he isn’t.
When we reach the bottom, I open my mailbox, and I groan. The small metal slot is stuffed full of fliers, magazines, what I’m guessing are a dozen pieces of junk mail, and a few bills.
Jace takes everything from me once I have it all out of the box, and as we turn to head back to my place, Ben—who lives in the apartment next to mine with his husband Frank and his pup Mini—walks toward us on the sidewalk.
The curious look on his face as he glances between Jace and me has me biting my bottom lip and getting nervous. Since I’ve lived here, I’ve never had a guy over, so I’m sure he’s got a million questions, even if we are only neighbors and not the best of friends.
“Hey, Ben,” I greet, squatting down to give Mini some attention when she starts to dance around on her short back legs.
“Hey, Ben?” he repeats, sounding disbelieving, and I look up at him. “Woman, where the hell have you been?”
“Umm…” I stand and glance up at Jace. “I was away for the week.”
“Obviously,” he huffs, looking Jace over before focusing on me. “Frank was going to call the police tomorrow if you didn’t come home. He convinced himself that you were going to be on an episode of one of the crime podcasts he loves so much.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about leaving a note or something.”
“A note.” He laughs. “We’ve lived next door to you for two years, and you keep Mini when we’re away. We should have your number.”
“You’re right,” I mumble, then look up at Jace and explain. “Ben and his husband Frank live next door to me.” I wave my hand out to Ben.
“I’m gathering that, cupcake,” he says, then my eyes fly to Ben’s when he gasps.
“You’re getting married?” He grabs my hand and drags me a step toward him. “Holy shit, this rock is huge.”
Oh my God, how did I forget about the stupid ring? For days, it felt foreign on my finger, but now it’s just there like an extension of me.
I tug my hand free from his hold, which is not an easy feat. “Oh no, I—”
“We just got engaged,” Jace cuts me off before I can make up a lie, and I hold my hand against my stomach and look up at him, feeling faint. I still don’t even know what is going on between us, so him saying we are engaged to someone outside the bubble of his family is too much.
Way too much.
“Really?” Ben looks between us, and I shift on my feet. “Frank is going to love this; he’s always talking about how we need to find someone for you, but most of the men we know are…” His head twitches from side to side. “You know.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly, and Jace maneuvers all my mail under one arm so he can pull me into his side like one of the straight men Ben doesn’t know is going to show up, toss me over his shoulder, and run off with me.
“We should have a drink to celebrate,” Ben says, then adds, “I have a bottle of champagne I’ve been saving for the right occasion, and this is it.”
“We’d like that,” Jace inserts before I can politely turn down his offer. “We just got home and ordered dinner, but if you—”
“That’s perfect,” Ben cuts him off before he can finish whatever he was about to say. “Frank will be home at eight. We’ll meet you two in the garden at eight-thirty.” He looks between the two of us. “I’m going to finish taking Mini on her walk, then I’ll send Frank a message to let him know about our plans.”
“That sounds great,” I tell him, and he gives me a wide grin before walking off, calling for Mini to follow.
“So we’re having drinks with my neighbors tonight to celebrate our engagement,” I say as we head back up the stairs to my place, and Jace smiles down at me.
“Yep.”
“You do remember we are not actually engaged, right?”
“You still have the ring on.”
“Yeah, because…” I start to explain I forgot about it, but before I can finish, his phone begins to ring. When he lets me go to take it out of his pocket, the expression on his face tells me he’s less than pleased when he checks the screen.
“Sorry, I have to take this.” He stops at my front door and passes me the stuff in his hands. “I’ll be in there in just a minute.”
“Sure.” I accept a quick, distracted kiss from him, then let myself into my place and leave the door unlocked so he doesn’t have to knock.
While he’s outside, I take a few minutes to sort out the mail, then transfer all the stuff to the dryer when the washer is done. I’m just starting to water my plants when he comes inside, carrying four familiar-looking bags that are stuffed full.
“I may have gone overboard,” he explains, reading the look on my face.
“Did you order the entire menu?” I follow him to the kitchen.
“I got you options.” He starts taking things out of the bags, and it’s hard to ignore that my heart has melted into a puddle of goo at his feet.
Chapter 30
Just Call Me Delusional
Champagne has always gone right to my head. Even on a full stomach, the bubbly liquid has the ability to make me feel like I’ve done a dozen shots of vodka. Which is why after two glasses I’m feeling happy, relaxed, and a little tipsy. Or maybe those emotions are due to my placement on Jace’s lap while we chat with Frank and Ben in the middle of the garden between our apartments. Of course I’ve talked to the two men over the last couple of years, but it’s always been in passing or when they’ve asked me to keep Mini for them when they go out of town for the night or a weekend here or there.
I never knew how funny they were or how sweet the two of them are as a couple. Now I wish I would have taken the time to get to know them.
“How long have you guys been together?” I ask Ben when Frank leaves him with a kiss so he can go into the house to get another bottle of wine.
“Four years. I had a crush on him for a year before we got together, but at that time, I didn’t even know he was into men, so I kept it to myself. Then one night, we were out with friends, and he asked if I was ever going to make a move.” He grins. “I kissed him right then and there, and we’ve been together ever since.”
“I love that,” I whisper, getting teary-eyed.
“What about you two? How long have you been together?” he asks, and darn it, I should have known I was opening myself up to being questioned by asking him about his relationship.
“Not long,” Jace answers before I can. “But I knew the minute I saw her that I had to have her.”
“You did not,” I blurt without thinking, meeting his gaze over my shoulder.
“I did.”
“You didn’t even like me.”
“No, I instantly wanted to fuck you, and since at that time you were working for me, that didn’t work for me,” he says, and I search his gaze. Holy cow, he’s telling the truth. Here I assumed the attraction was only ever one-sided.