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Authors: Tere Michaels
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Eventually the man goes back to his ex, and the other one decides they can’t be friends anymore. Shane is going to do some rewrites and….” Griffin’s voice peaked into shy delight. “I’m going to produce it.”
Jim pushed his chair back just in time for Griffin to slide into his arms. “Baby, that’s great. Congratulations.” And it was great. Because Griffin would be on the East Coast with Jim—the small voice reminding him about Tracey and Tripp and the whole fucking mess be damned—and they would get married.
It would be fine.
“It’s a little scary, but I mean, I can have a home base, you know? I’ll work in the city when we start staging, but the rest of the time I’ll be home. Mostly.” Griffin scooted even closer so he could put his arms around Jim’s shoulders, his face morphing from happy to nervous in rapid succession. “That’s okay, right? That I’m here all the time?”
“What the hell kind of question is that? Our first date was a week long—I’m completely used to you being underfoot.”
“Jackass.”
I N BED a few hours later, Griffin lay in Jim’s arms, the little spoon to Jim’s big one. It was dark and quiet, and Griffin had run out of time. He wouldn’t be a chicken. He would just say—
“Do you want kids?”
Jim’s voice rang out so suddenly that Griffin almost rolled off the bed in shock. He caught his breath, then attempted to roll over, but Jim kept him pinned, his back to Jim’s chest. “What?”
“The way you are with Sadie—I’m not blind. I know you want to have kids.”
Griffin began to shake because… oh God. He needed to ask his question, but right now it was buried under an avalanche of other things, other elephants sitting quiet watch in the room. “I….” Griffin gulped in air, courage. “I do. I mean, I love Sadie. I love our godchildren, but sometimes I think—I think I’d like them to be mine.”
The silence rested over them then, Griffin’s heart beating so wildly he felt dizzy. Jim’s arms tight around him kept him grounded and held him prisoner at once.
Griffin felt trapped in the moment, in the dark, so he took a breath, said a little prayer to his mother, and whispered, “Are you sure you want to get married?”
He inhaled, lungs burning until Jim kissed the back of his neck tenderly. “So sure I want to marry you.”
“Okay.” Griffin pinched himself, just to make sure this was real.
“We should set a date.”
“Jim, that’s not why I asked,” Griffin murmured.
“I know.” Jim rubbed Griffin’s chest gently, rolling over until Griffin was almost on his stomach. Another moment that felt like before, when they were fucking, like Jim was protecting him. “I want to set a date because I love you. Because it wasn’t a big elaborate proposal—I just opened my mouth and boom, there it was. You make me want things I never imagined I could….”
Griffin felt his throat closing up with emotion. Jim’s weight pushed him into the mattress, his soft words squeezing his heart.
“I want to marry you and I want….” Jim breathed deeply, then blew out a stream of warm air against the back of Griffin’s neck. “I want to talk about the future. Who we see—sharing our home.”
“Oh God.” Griffin laughed, searching for a joke before he burst into tears. “I’ve been so scared to talk to you about this. I know your aversion to dirt and drool.”
Jim shrugged, big and warm around Griffin’s body. “Will I traumatize a kid if I’m wearing plastic gloves?”
“All the time?”
“Most of the time.”
“I think Matt knows a shrink—we should talk to her first.”
They joked back and forth for a while, voices growing softer. Griffin felt himself drifting off even as Jim kept talking about buying stock in a paper towel company and swapping out the rugs for hospital-grade linoleum until Griffin fell asleep, content and overjoyed.
Chapter 7
E VAN HADN ’ T bought a new suit in a few years and
Jim pushed his chair back just in time for Griffin to slide into his arms. “Baby, that’s great. Congratulations.” And it was great. Because Griffin would be on the East Coast with Jim—the small voice reminding him about Tracey and Tripp and the whole fucking mess be damned—and they would get married.
It would be fine.
“It’s a little scary, but I mean, I can have a home base, you know? I’ll work in the city when we start staging, but the rest of the time I’ll be home. Mostly.” Griffin scooted even closer so he could put his arms around Jim’s shoulders, his face morphing from happy to nervous in rapid succession. “That’s okay, right? That I’m here all the time?”
“What the hell kind of question is that? Our first date was a week long—I’m completely used to you being underfoot.”
“Jackass.”
I N BED a few hours later, Griffin lay in Jim’s arms, the little spoon to Jim’s big one. It was dark and quiet, and Griffin had run out of time. He wouldn’t be a chicken. He would just say—
“Do you want kids?”
Jim’s voice rang out so suddenly that Griffin almost rolled off the bed in shock. He caught his breath, then attempted to roll over, but Jim kept him pinned, his back to Jim’s chest. “What?”
“The way you are with Sadie—I’m not blind. I know you want to have kids.”
Griffin began to shake because… oh God. He needed to ask his question, but right now it was buried under an avalanche of other things, other elephants sitting quiet watch in the room. “I….” Griffin gulped in air, courage. “I do. I mean, I love Sadie. I love our godchildren, but sometimes I think—I think I’d like them to be mine.”
The silence rested over them then, Griffin’s heart beating so wildly he felt dizzy. Jim’s arms tight around him kept him grounded and held him prisoner at once.
Griffin felt trapped in the moment, in the dark, so he took a breath, said a little prayer to his mother, and whispered, “Are you sure you want to get married?”
He inhaled, lungs burning until Jim kissed the back of his neck tenderly. “So sure I want to marry you.”
“Okay.” Griffin pinched himself, just to make sure this was real.
“We should set a date.”
“Jim, that’s not why I asked,” Griffin murmured.
“I know.” Jim rubbed Griffin’s chest gently, rolling over until Griffin was almost on his stomach. Another moment that felt like before, when they were fucking, like Jim was protecting him. “I want to set a date because I love you. Because it wasn’t a big elaborate proposal—I just opened my mouth and boom, there it was. You make me want things I never imagined I could….”
Griffin felt his throat closing up with emotion. Jim’s weight pushed him into the mattress, his soft words squeezing his heart.
“I want to marry you and I want….” Jim breathed deeply, then blew out a stream of warm air against the back of Griffin’s neck. “I want to talk about the future. Who we see—sharing our home.”
“Oh God.” Griffin laughed, searching for a joke before he burst into tears. “I’ve been so scared to talk to you about this. I know your aversion to dirt and drool.”
Jim shrugged, big and warm around Griffin’s body. “Will I traumatize a kid if I’m wearing plastic gloves?”
“All the time?”
“Most of the time.”
“I think Matt knows a shrink—we should talk to her first.”
They joked back and forth for a while, voices growing softer. Griffin felt himself drifting off even as Jim kept talking about buying stock in a paper towel company and swapping out the rugs for hospital-grade linoleum until Griffin fell asleep, content and overjoyed.
Chapter 7
E VAN HADN ’ T bought a new suit in a few years and
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