Page 56 of Understanding Desire
“Holy shit! Are you kidding me?” Tanner exclaimed as he leapt into my arms. I stumbled backward but caught myself before we tripped over Nana’s walker. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Not giving a damn who was watching us, I cradled the back of his neck and pressed my lips to his. Tanner’s lips parted, inviting me to deepen the kiss. I spun him around, the platinum band I’d purchased as soon as I flew home from my last visit fisted in the hand supporting his ass.
“You seriously want to get married?” Tanner asked, leaning back when we broke the kiss. I nodded. “This has to be a dream. No way are you really mineandwant to spend the rest of your life with me.”
“Don’t try to talk him out of it, you idiot,” Deegan hollered from the other side of the deck. He yelped when Pat smacked him. “I’m just saying, if he gives Ryan too much time to think about it, he might change his mind.”
“Not a chance in hell,” I promised, staring into Tanner’s eyes. “There’s nothing that could push me away from you, Tanner. I’m so fucking proud to call you my boy.”
“And I’ll spend the rest of my life knowing that you’re my Daddy,” Tanner whispered. “Do you think we can move up our flight? I want to get home so you can show me what the next step is going to be.”
“Patience, baby,” I urged him. “Let’s enjoy the rest of the evening with your family. I have the rest of my life with you, but I’m also taking you away from them.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Tanner argued. “You gave them back to me. You didn’t let me make a fool of myself at the wedding, and you taught me the difference between living my own life and trying to shock and offend those I thought didn’t accept me. It’s because of you that everyone is here tonight.”
I looked around, noticing that Lillian was mysteriously absent. That hurt but, at the same time, I was grateful she’d excused herself rather than causing a scene. If she couldn’t accept that her youngest was just as deserving of love as her golden boy, that was a failing on her part.
I set Tanner on the ground and crouched in front of Nana. “Did I do a good job?”
She patted my cheek. “It took the two of you long enough to get your heads out of your asses.”
Haley choked on her water, and Pat stifled his amusement behind a cough. Now that Lillian wasn’t here, it seemed everyone was able to let their guard down.
“I’m not sure I would have put it quite like that, but she’s right, son.” Pat draped an arm over my shoulders and the other over Tanner’s. “We’re not as blind as you might think. There were times I’ve wondered about the two of you, but you always swore you were straight, so I convinced myself it was wishful thinking. Tanner’s always thought the world of you, and you were exactly the sort of man I hoped he’d someday find. You’ve been a part of the family for a long time, but congrats on making it official.”
“Thank you, sir.” I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions in check.
Pat noticed Tanner’s quickly deteriorating mood at the same time I did. As I pulled my boy into a tight hug, Pat said, “Don’t let her ruin your day. It’s hard for her to let go when it comes to you. That’s not excusing her behavior, only explaining it so you’ll understand. She’s trying, but it’s going to be a long road for her to work through her issues. She’ll come around.”
“I hope so, Dad. But you’re right, her issues are hers to work through. I’m done sacrificing my own happiness for her.” If it wouldn’t have been highly inappropriate, I would have shouted for joy at the certainty of his words.Finally,Tanner realized he couldn’t gauge his worth on her appraisal of him. “I’m only sorry that we’re leaving right when I realized you’re a pretty awesome dad.”
“Well, then we’ll have to arrange a time to come and visit,” he suggested. I appreciated that he wasn’t assuming we’d be the ones coming to them all the time. “And from the sounds of it, there will be plenty of work to do arranging the wedding. Whatever the two of you need, you just let me know.”
“Thank you, sir, but I’ve got everything under control,” I told him. When we got married, I would be the one footing the bill for everything. I didn’t want anyone else thinking they got a say in my boy’s dream wedding. And, thanks to Haley, I already had a jumpstart on the plans. “The only thing we’ll need is to know you’ll be there.”
“You give me the date and location, and I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure his Nana and I are both there,” Pat promised.
Tanner cleared his throat. When I turned to him, his gaze was fixed on my hand.
“Did you want something,” I teased. He narrowed his eyes. I leaned in, whispering so only he could hear, “Remember, just because you’ll be my husband doesn’t mean I’m not still in charge. Do you remember what happens to boys who get greedy and demanding?”
Tanner groaned, sagging against my body, straddling my thigh so I could feel his arousal.
“Not greedy, Daddy,” he insisted. “Just excited. Can I at least see it?”
“See what?”
“The ring.” He tried prying my fingers loose. “I know you have one in there.”
“Oh, I suppose I did forget that.” This time, I dropped to one knee, holding out the ring as I proposed all over again. “Tanner, will you accept this ring as a token of my love for you?”
His hand shook as I slipped the ring onto his finger. “I don’t need anything tangible to prove you love me. You already show me that every day.”
“And I’ll keep doing so as long as we live.”
* * *
