Page 81 of Man Hands
“I’ll go with you,” I say. “But the thing is, I don’t want you to make a homeforme.”
He shifts a little, there’s this pause, and then, “You don’t?” He sounds hurt. But I’m notfinished.
“I want you to make a homewithme.” I let that sink in. I can feel him relax intotheidea.
“You mean likepartners?”
“More like a family. Youandme.”
He kisses me softly inresponse.
This is a very exciting idea. Almost as exciting as the tent Tom is pitching beside me. Cottages and tents are my new favorite things. “Ungh. I want you and all of that. And a really big kitchen. I’ve got big plans for my website. I’ve been thinking of doing some videos…since the, uhm, last one wentviral.”
“Are you going to cooknaked?”
“Only for you. I’ll wear an apron,though.”
“Just anapron?”
“One with a reallylongtie…”
And then we stop talking because… Well, because we both decide to get lucky. And we get lucky allmorninglong.
* * *
It’s many hourslater.
Fine, it’s two dayslater.
And an hour ago I promised myself I’d get up and go home. Not because I want to. Not because Tom wants me to. But because I have a staff meeting to go to and prep work to do before this week’sclasses.
“Hey, Tom.” I am admiring the moonstone in the filtered hotel light. “Now will you tell me about the ring? I’m still curious.” We haven’t talked about our fake engagement at all. We’ve spent the weekend together naked, with no time for something as silly asplans.
Tom rolls over and kisses my shoulder. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“I’ll tell you about it someday. Weneedtime.”
“It’s a longstory?”
“No. But I’m hoping that you and I become a long story. And if we do, I want you to know the story of the ring, and to know why it means so muchtome.”
I slide it off my finger and offer it to him. “Maybe you’d rather take careofit.”
Tom shakes his head. He reaches up and closes my hand around the ring. “You hang on to it. Someday I hope you decide you could marry me for real. But I know better now than to rush the question. Wehavetime.”
I suck in a breath. I’m glad he isn’t asking me to talk about marriage right this second. I have a really good feeling about the two of us, but the ink is barely dry on my divorce papers. “It still stings that I didn’t get marriage right on thefirsttry.”
“Yeah? Well, I proposed to someone I wasn’t in love with. I’d have the same regrets as you do, except she was smart enough to shutmedown.”
“She didn’t have to be cruel, though.” I’ll always defendmyman.
“Eh. I’m over it,” heinsists.
“What a couple of fuckupsweare.”
“Not anymore, gorgeous.” He kisses my neck. “We’ve got it rightthistime.”
