“I owe you a lot more of an apology than that,” Tom said softly.
He rubbed my back in that slow, gentle pace I’d come to associate with him. The one that made all my muscles unknot, and all my thoughts slow to the perfect pace.
The one that made my feet trip over each other like a lifetime of training could be forgotten so easily on a Tom high.
We swayed together, moving around the floor. We were making up our own beat, and even I wasn’t paying attention to it. The words between us were more important now.
I could understand why he was afraid about ruining Beth’s big day, though. “No,” I insisted. “Really. Today’s about your daughter. One of the reasons I love you... is because you love your family and you put them first.”
“I’m supposed to put you first. And I love you,” Tom said softly, taking my cheeks in his hands and pressing a kiss to my lips. That wasn’t the whole statement, though. He carried on. “Because you won’t let me be anything other than who I’m supposed to be.”
I chuckled. I couldn’t help but see the real Tom under all those layers of worry and a lifetime of holding back all of his wants and needs for others’ sakes.
A moment passed of just us and the music. Then, Tom drew a breath to speak again. His voice was low. “You know what I was really afraid of?” Tom asked.
“Mm?” I held my breath, hanging on his every word.
“That you’d wake up and see who I really am. Not the young, cool guy you’re trying to unlock inside me. Just this geeky old guy who can’t keep up with you. I mean…” Tom’s voice went tight. “I don’t even like salad, Rusty.”
Well, that was a conversation-stopper because I had no idea what it meant. Was it supposed to be a euphemism? I stopped in the middle of the floor and stared at him.
“What?”
“It’s true,” Tom insisted heatedly, his cheeks flaming red. “I told you I did because I wanted to seem healthy, and I’ve never even been to that salad place before, and it’s hopelessly cooler than I’ll ever be—”
Oh! I realized then what he was talking about, but I couldn’t stop myself. I giggled, pressing a kiss against his lips to shut him up.
“Mmmph!” Tom grunted in surprise. He kissed me back, his lips warm and soft and perfect. I drew out the kiss until I could hardly remember what he’d said.
I pulled back at last, clearing my throat. I wanted to say this before we got lost in each other. “Baby, I don’t want buns of steel or washboard abs. I care about a heart of gold, and you have that. Even if you were a dick today.”
He’d hurt me, but I also believed he cared so much he didn’t know what to do to fix things, except be perfectly honest with me. He was only ever raw and honest, and it was a breath of fresh air.
Tom chuckled. “Please give me another chance. Come to the wedding tomorrow. I’ll dance with you.”
“And I’ll let you get drunk and stop you from punching the asshole your daughter’s marrying,” I promised, a sad smile creeping onto my lips.
It spoke volumes that with all that was happening in Tom’s life, he still chose to come to me and make up.
He was serious. Beyond serious. And so was I. He was marriage material, even if he didn’t know it yet.
Maybe I could be the new Mr. Wright. (And even Mr. Right.)
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Tom said vaguely, his gaze distant.
My heart leaped. “She’s not marrying him? Is it canceled? Did I miss something?”
But Tom just winked at me, and he mimed locking his lips.
I whined. “Come on. You’re keeping me in suspense.”
“You’re in good company,” Tom said gravely and placed a finger on my lips. “Or perhaps that’s awful company, since it includes Jason.”
I gasped. They aren’t getting married? But he thinks they are? What on gay Earth is happening? I need to knowwww!
Tom saw the angst on my face and laughed gently, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “You’ll find out tomorrow,” he promised. “But it’s Beth’s secret, not mine.”
I respected him all the more for that. If he could resist these puppy eyes, any secret was safe with him. “Okay,” I pouted playfully.
“So,” Tom said simply. He ran his hands up my sides and over my chest, touching me like a precious object. His gaze slowly raked from head to toe and back down.
I blushed. I’d peeled off my clothes, tossed them aside, and changed into pajamas as soon as I got home. I wore thin PJ bottoms with no underwear, and an equally thin white T-shirt.
Not exactly impressive compared to the elegantly tailored three-piece suit Tom wore, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Are we all right?” Tom asked when he finally cupped my cheeks. “I promise never to leave you hanging like that again. Screw what everyone else thinks. You matter the most to me, and I want to prove that tomorrow.”
The sigh of relief I gave could have powered a whole wind farm. I smiled and took hold of his lapels to kiss him again. “Okay,” I said softly, a blush creeping up to my cheeks again. “But you can prove that to me tonight, too.”
“How?” Tom was instantly eager, looking around like I was about to ask him to perform some Herculean feat of lightbulb-changing, pushup performance, or monster-slaying.
I just grinned, my heart melting at the sight. “By coming to bed with me, love.”
Now Tom was the one blushing. He grinned as he looked back at me. “It would be my great honor,” he said, with so much earnestness that I blushed from head to toe.
As he turned and headed toward the bed, I smacked his ass before scampering over to the boombox to turn the volume down and switch it to the radio.
Tom looked horrified. “But those are classics!”
I smiled at him. “Exactly. It’s time for us to make new memories together,” I said. His wedding song should stay between him and Chrissy.
There were a thousand new songs for him to explore with me now.
Tom understood my meaning, and his lips parted slightly. Then he smiled and sank onto the edge of the bed, reaching out for me. “Come here, love.”
I went happily, scooting up to him between his knees as he embraced me and pressed his cheek into my chest. I wrapped my arms around his back and pressed my nose in his hair, and breathed deeply.
Yes. This. This is home.
Until I’d touched him, I’d never realized how powerful it was to know that the other half of you lived in someone else.
For years, my dating life had all been a search for sex, in the hopes it would lead to love. I’d thought if I just tried out as many guys as possible, one of them would fit. Like my ass was a glass slipper.
Well, Tom’s foot fit perfectly up there. I burst out laughing.
“Hmm?”
“You really don’t want to know,” I breathed between giggles. He stared up at me, clearly utterly bewildered, but I couldn’t see a way of getting an explanation out without losing it with laughter.
I finally straddled him and cleared my throat. “I’m happy you’re the one,” was all I told him.
Tom’s lips parted, delight beaming across his beautiful face. It took several seconds for him to answer, his mouth opening and closing a few times. At last, he gulped and brushed his thumb over his eyes. “Yes,” he whispered. “Me too.”