Page 57 of Love in Mission City: The Shorts

Hell, I hardly knew anyone.

Ben snagged my hand and led me to the back of the restaurant.

His parents were there.His sister Carson sat next to them, looking utterly bored.Dickens and his man Spike were also here.

Before I had a chance to react, Ben dropped to one knee.

Carson snickered, their mom gasped, their dad chuckled, and Dickens and Spike gaped.

So did I.

Ben held out a ring.“I know what you’re going to say.”

That was rather presumptuous of him, seeing as I had no idea what to say.

“Or I think I know,” he corrected.“That we’ve only known each other for six weeks.That it’s too soon.That, uh, we’ve only been living together for two weeks.And that, you know, we need time to get to know each other.”

All that was absolutely true, yet one other thing was also true.

I loved him.

With my whole heart and my whole soul.He was the person I’d searched for all these years, but didn’t believe I’d ever find.

I got down on one knee as well and met his gaze.“I love you, Ben.And I’m not just saying that because you’re offering me a ring—although that’d be a great reason.No, from the first night we met, I knew.As we sat in the restaurant in Tofino, with Buddy at our feet, I had a sense of coming home.You offered me sanctuary during a storm—now I offer you my heart.”I grasped his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss.A kiss I poured all my love into.A kiss I wanted to last forever.

“Can we eat now?I’m hungry.”

Good God, Carson whined like a two-year-old, not a woman of twenty.

Yet Ben grinned, undaunted by his sister’s rudeness.He slipped the ring onto my finger.

A little loose, but we could get that taken care of.We rose, a little unsteadily, and took our seats at the table.

Within moments, the large man—who I assumed was Stavros—appeared with a bottle of champagne.He popped the cork and filled everyone’s glasses.

As he did, I leaned over to whisper into Ben’s ear.“What if I said no?”

He met my gaze.“Then I would’ve spent the next twenty years convincing you.”He pressed a hand to my cheek.“We can wait as long as you want.I just…needed you to know how I felt.”

I glanced around the table.“Well, no worries on that score.”I pressed a kiss to his lips.This one, given our company, was chaste.“You realize I’m a forever kind of guy.”

“We’re going to have a forever love affair.”

And we did.

Enjoyed Ben and Isaac's story?There's more Mission City!Flip the page for a low-angst second chance romance…

Marcus's Cadence

A Mission City gay romance short story

Gabbi Grey

Whathappenswhenyourbiggest crush turns up on your doorstep after twelve years?

Cadence Crawford has a good thing going.He’s making waves as a realtor in Mission City, British Columbia.Yes, he’s recently suffered a personal loss, but he’s moving on, and his path forward includes selling the only true home he’s ever known.

Marcus Brannigan is doing fine.He has his physiotherapy practice, he watches over his younger twin sisters, and he’s happy.When he unexpectedly runs into Cadence, who is selling the home he’s always coveted, he’s prepared to do some negotiating.

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