Page 81 of Familiar Things New

Andrew moved to fasten the jacket’s buttons, but Edwin’s hands reached them first, and he began fastening them instead.

“I wouldn’t let you pay for anything, silly. It would be a present.” After the last button, Edwin pressed a kiss to Andrew’s lips. “And I would love to make one for you.”

That wonderful feeling of calmness and contentment returned. Smiling brightly, Andrew set his hands on Edwin’s hips. Perhaps Edwin didn’t have one foot out the door as he had previously feared.

Whatever Edwin’s issues were when it came to physical intimacy, it was clear that the man still believed in the longevity of their relationship, at least a little.

Nuzzling their noses together, Andrew shut his eyes and hummed.

Never before had he felt so hopeful for the future.

Chapter Twenty-One

Edwin

March 11, 1888

While Edwin finished drying the last of the freshly washed porcelain bowls in the kitchen, his thoughts were far away, his stomach churning unpleasantly as though he hadn’t yet eaten breakfast.

One week had passed since Edwin had spoken with Andrew about the two of them continuing to work together, and he had yet to talk to William about either the situation with Miss Amelia Bidwell or his future employment at the Whitney Estate.

The previous evening, Edwin had come home from Andrew’s to find Agnes in their little library rereading some of the letters she had received from William over the past few years. Unsurprisingly, Agnes had denied retrieving them from wherever she’d been storing them with the explicit purpose of rereading them, insisting that she had merely stumbled upon them while reorganizing instead. But Edwin knew better.

Agnes’s heartache was practically palpable, and he couldn’t keep procrastinating having a conversation with William. Edwin needed to tell him that, soon, he’d no longer be in the way of his and Agnes’s happiness.

But, oh, hell, he was terrified.

Moving out on his own would mean that he’d have to make his own way in life. Alone. Or, well, relatively alone. Edwin had Andrew now. But their relationship, while wonderful, couldn’t ever be something permanent. After all, Edwin was keeping a fairly large secret from the man. And once Edwin mustered up the courage to confess it . . . oh, God, he could only imagine how Andrew might react.

Flinging the towel over his shoulder, Edwin heaved a sigh. All of this was . . . a lot. Regardless, he couldn’t keep putting off talking to William. Not while William’s family was obviously eager to marry his friend off to Miss Bidwell sometime in the near future. If or when that happened, William and Agnes would lose each other forever. And Edwin couldn’t let that happen. He refused to.

So, at the very least, Edwin needed to talk to William.

Definitely.

Eventually.

Soon.

But . . . maybe not today.

Edwin took the towel off of his shoulder and folded it before setting it on the kitchen worktable. Today, he was planning on giving Andrew his beautiful new suit. Edwin had finally finished making it the previous evening. And it was, in a word, perfect. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Andrew’s face when he saw it.

Edwin had carefully chosen each and every little detail with Andrew in mind—the color (charcoal), the buttons (wooden, with a nice woven pattern; pretty enough, but not too ornate or rare in case Andrew ever lost one, which seemed inevitable), the fit (trim), and, last but not least, even the lining (silk that was pale pink in color and probably much too luxurious for everyday wear, but Edwin hadn’t been able to help himself knowing that it was for Andrew).

With the clean dishes returned to their spots on the shelves, Edwin retrieved his olive-green suit jacket from his bedroom and put it on. Afterward, he had one last look in the mirror to fix his hair, retrieved Andrew’s present from the closet, and left for Andrew’s house. He had skipped the conservatory that morning, knowing the plants would be fine for a little while without him, so that he could make it to Andrew’s even earlier than usual. That way, he and Andrew would have some additional time to themselves before customers started to arrive. Edwin wanted to see Andrew in his new suit as soon as possible.

And then, he wanted to see him without it.

It only took Edwin a few minutes to make it to Andrew’s house. He worked up a bit of a sweat on the way. Thanks to the unseasonably mild weather for mid-March, he hadn’t even needed to wear his overcoat.

Edwin rapped a series of lively knocks on Andrew’s bedroom door the moment he arrived, and as soon as the door opened, Andrew’s face lit up.

“Edwin!” he exclaimed. “You’re here so early! Why’d—” Edwin held up the suit, and Andrew cut himself off. One hand flew to cover his chest as his eyes popped. “Is that . . . mine?”

“It is,” Edwin confirmed with a grin. He took a pause to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Let’s head inside. I want you to try it on for me.”

Andrew took a measured step backward so that Edwin could come in, and then the man immediately began unbuttoning his waistcoat.