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“I feel like I’m in a movie,” Aaron finally said. “This can’t be real. Maybe I was hit on the head by a ball during recess or something.” He slowly spun around, taking in the empty room.

As Caleb had hoped, Aaron’s focus was immediately drawn to the mantel. Caleb joined him, standing by his side at the fireplace.

“You’re just full of surprises.” Aaron said, picking up the framed photo. Tears fell as Aaron looked at the image of the kiss that had been captured in the park. He carefully set the frame down, jerked Caleb to him, and kissed him hard. Caleb met the kiss head-on, loving its aggressive hunger and how the friction of their beards felt.

“I love you, Caleb,” Aaron said when he broke away. “I do. I should’ve said it back the other night.”

They cried, kissed, and held each other tightly.

“I love you so much,” Aaron said between smooches. “I’m sorry I was so stupid. I should’ve just followed my heart. I’m never going to let you go.”

“Good. Because I don’t want to be let go. And you weren’t stupid. You were hurt. This starts something new, for both of us. And if you ever feel like something’s not right between us, tell me. I promise I’ll do the same with you.”

“Promise.” Aaron said, wiping at his damp cheeks as his tears finally began to subside. “You know what else this room needs? That painting of the lake we looked at. There’s no view of the lake from here, but that picture would be—”

“Perfect,” they said together.

“Right over the fireplace,” Aaron said.

Caleb nodded. “Come with me.” He led them to the kitchen, where two plastic glasses sat on the counter. From the fridge he pulled a bottle of champagne.

“You really thought of everything.” Aaron couldn’t stop smiling.

“Full disclosure,” Caleb said as he worked on the cork. “The champagne was Grant’s idea. But the rest of it? All mine and all for you.”

The cork released with a pop, spraying its contents across the kitchen. Caleb poured two glasses, and they each took one.

“Thank you for taking the leap. I’ll do everything I can so that you don’t regret it.”

“Thank God you were persistent. I can’t believe what you’ve done today. I look forward to all that comes next.”

They clicked the plastic together and drank.

“How did you pull all this off?” Aaron asked, refilling their glasses.

“I won’t sugarcoat it—money and an assistant can get a lot of things done fast. I’m glad you like it. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to top it.”

“I can’t imagine how you could. This is beyond anything I could’ve dreamed of.”

“You make me so happy.” Caleb leaned in and stole a champagne-flavored kiss from the man he adored. He then pulled back so he could look Aaron in the eye. He took a deep breath. “So this is home base, effective immediately. New York is work. You and Foster Gove are home. We can spend the summer settling and figuring out how we want to manage things when next season starts.”

“I want you to know that I heard everything you said in your apartment, even if I was stupidly fighting against it. I admit I might have looked into some of those relationships you mentioned. There’s this guy who coaches in Pittsburgh but lives in Dallas, and he has a wife and kids. If he can make that craziness can work, you and I can surely find a way.”

Caleb laughed. “We’re going to be fine. I bet we’ll end up seeing so much of each other that you’ll be like ‘please, give me a break.’”

“I can’t see that happening.” Aaron said, then took a sip from his glass.

“Just so you know, I fully intend to ask you to marry me.”

Aaron coughed and sputtered the champagne that he hadn’t quite finished swallowing. Caleb gently patted Aaron on the back until the coughing fit subsided.

“I didn’t mean to get you that choked up.”

“It’s okay,” Aaron insisted, setting the plastic champagne flute aside.

“I’m not proposing, at least not yet, anyway. Asking you right now, in this moment, wouldn’t be fair.” He took Aaron’s hands in his own. “This is a lot to take in—the house, our new lives together—and I get that, so I’m not going to pressure you. But I want you to know that when it comes to us, I am one hundred percent all in.”

Caleb waited for a response, but Aaron remained quiet. He could usually read the emotion in Aaron’s expressive eyes, but at the moment, his expression was frustratingly neutral. Had Caleb misread the situation? Was it all too much? Had his grand gesture backfired?