Page 71 of Accidentally Falling For My Best Friend
After the water cools down,I help get Oak out of the tub, taking longer than I probably need to drying him off before we head back to his clean bed. Even though it’s been a long day between traveling and finally having sex for the first time as an actual couple, it’s clear Oakley isn’t ready to go to sleep yet. He practically skips into his room, and he’s got a faraway look in his eyes, obviously distracted about something.
I’d pulled on some sleep shorts with pockets so my pump can go in them, but Oakley is still completely naked when he whirls to face me, excitedly asking, “So is the concern at work that if people knew we were dating, they’d worry we might break up and cause drama that would affect our job performance?”
“Or that we would compromise the quality ofour work to make the other happy,” I add, a little confused by the topic change, but rolling with it.
He barks a laugh at that. “You’re the first one on the upper management team to shut down my unrealistic ideas, and you’re constantly keeping me on task and within budget.”
I shrug giving him a guilty smile. “True.”Guess I’m not as subtle with my persuasion as I thought.
“So that shouldn’t be an actual problem,” Oak adds excitedly. “We have evidence that we’ve never let our relationship interfere with work if anyone actually questions it. There’s a huge paper trail of you keeping me in line, and everyone has seen it in our meetings. Think about all of the couples who already work there, it’s okay because they’re married right? If the biggest concern is us breaking up, we’ll just prove to them that we won’t break up.”
He sounds so confident and proud of himself that I feel like I must have missed something. “They’ve all also proven they can do their job impartially. I don’t think promising we’re committed to each other will be enough to ease their concerns,” I gently point out.
“It will if we do it right,” he insists, practically bouncing where he sits now. “Would you promise that? We’ve already proven we can be impartial with our work over the years. I know we’ve only just confessed our feelings, but this isn’t actually new. You said you think I’m the only person you could ever love? Well, I feel the same way. We already spend all of our time together, live together, and the sex has been the best of my life.”
I can’t help but laugh at that, but I agree with everything he’s saying. “Yeah, Oak. I’d promise you anything. I just don’t want either of us to give up the career we love and have worked so hard for if we don’t have to.”
“I don’t want you to have to give up anything either,” he assures me.
I didn’t think he would, but it’s still a relief to hear heunderstands the risk I’d be taking by announcing a relationship with him. He’s the heir, he won’t be the one people expect to leave if something did happen.
He rushes forward to stand next to where I’m sitting on the bed, taking my hand in his. I arch my brow in his direction, silently questioning what he’s doing.
“Parker, I’ll be honest, this isn’t how I pictured tonight would end,” he starts, fully beaming at me now, and his smile makes my heart soar. I always want him to look like this, want to understand what’s making him look so damn happy so that I can make sure it never stops.
“I can barely remember a time when you weren’t my best friend, my person, and now, I’ve finally realized that you’re the love of my life. Promising to be with you would be the easiest thing I ever do.”
I’d never imagined that Oak would say any of this to me. It’s almost too much to process. I feel like we’re moving in slow motion, frozen in this moment where we can finally be honest about wanting to be together. My chest feels ready to burst with how much I adore him, and I know my smile is just as big as his.
He drops to kneel on one knee, still holding my hand, and the move distracts me from his declaration enough that I look away from his handsome features, down at where his knee is now touching the floor.
“What are you doing down there?Come to bed so we can cuddle.”
“I’m trying to be romantic, dammit,” he laughs. My eyes widen as they snap back to his, and I realize what position he’s now in.
“Oak…” I trail off, unable to form any thoughts, let alone say anything else, as he continues to smile at me.
He shifts his hand so that only our pinkies are wrapped around each other, and I’m reminded of him doing the samething when we were much younger. Reminded of the promises he’s made me over the years, always so serious while I laughed at his silly displays.
But I’m not laughing right now as my eyes fill with tears.
“Parker, I’ve always wanted a family of my own,” he says confidently. “I know you thought I wanted a wife and kids, but the only thing I’ve ever really dreamed about having was a love like my parents do. I want to grow old with my person, and still be as in love with them in our nineties as we are on our wedding day. If you’re open to it, I want to have a bunch of kids, and I want them to be embarrassed by how in love their parents are. I don’t have a ring yet, but I can make you another promise—to do everything that I possibly can to make you happy for the rest of our lives as your husband, if you’ll let me.”
Is this really happening right now?
Is Oakley actually proposing to me, completely naked with a pinky promise? It’s fucking perfect.
He’s got the biggest smile as he says, “The more I think about it, it’s like we’ve already been together for a really,reallylong time. I don’t want to date you, I don’t need to. I already know everything about you and I know that I want you to be my forever. Let’s skip to the good part. Will you marry me?”
I don’t want a ring. This is so much better than any piece of jewelry. This is over twenty years of friendship and support, of being there for each other through the best and worst moments of our lives.Aren’t those the wedding vows? For better or worse, through sickness and health?Oakley has already been by my side through all of that.
I think I’m nodding, but I still can’t get my voice to work as I picture him standing in a tux, in front of all of our friends and family, promising to choose me as his partner. Could I really be that lucky? Is there any way being married would actually help our case at work and I could get to not only keep my dream job,but also get to be with Oakley forever? Obviously, that’s the ideal ending here. Even if I end up unemployed, being presented with the option to actually claim Oakley as mine—to marry him—is enough.How could I say no to that?No looming end date to being roommates. No women to publicly date while we hide our true feelings.
It really does seem too good to be true. I’m not convinced there won’t be consequences at work. But even if there are, marrying Oakley will be well worth it.
“Okay,” I finally choke out, wrapping my finger around his. He stands to cup my face in his hands once more, claiming me with a kiss full of love and passion and everything I thought I would never have in life.
I pull back after a moment. “You do actually want to get married though, right?” I clarify. “You’re not just suggesting all of this thinking it will make things easier with our jobs?”
