Page 22 of Once Upon An Ever After
“I did. Yeah.”
“But why?” Beau was still shaking his head. “Why did it matter to you so much?”
“Because it was you.” Dawson admitted, softening his voice, “It was you and you wouldn’t tell me. You told me everything and I couldn’t stand the idea of you keeping something so important from me. I didn’t like the idea of you keeping secrets from me.”
Beau’s face went from shocked to awed in a slow transformative smile, “Daws…”
“I know.” He snorted. “I know that’s not normal friend behavior. I know I should’ve realized sooner that it meant I wanted more from you but I wasn’t ready to look at it like that. Not yet. I just wanted to know you, the real you.”
“You’ve always known the real me.” Beau gently put the engraved leather planner on the nightstand and then turned back to Dawson, “I’m amazed and impressed that you went to all the trouble to find out my first name but I’m not Lesley. I’m just Beau.”
“My Beau.”
“Your Beau.” He confirmed, moving forward until he was close enough to press a kiss to Dawson’s lips. “I’m yours. I always have been.”
“Good.” Dawson reached up to wrap his arms around Beau’s neck but paused when Beau pulled back slightly.
“But Dawson…” Beau met his gaze, “If you ever call me by my first name again, I’ll suffocate you in your sleep.”
Dawson cracked up laughing. Beau grinned even as he lunged. He tackled Dawson to the bed and kissed him hard. Dawson was smiling again and he wasn’t sure that he would ever be able to stop.
Chapter Ten
Beau hummed a Christmas song as he arranged and then rearranged the flowers and candles in the middle of the table he was working on. He’d been slowly and methodically making his way around the room and he had almost caught up to Felix, who was a table ahead of him smoothing linens and straightening chairs. He and Felix had worked together like this for years and he was on autopilot, his mind a million miles away, which was why he didn’t notice that Felix had stopped and was staring at him until he turned and ran smack into him.
“What?” He blinked, knocked out of his thoughts.
“I said, if you’re going to hum like the happiest man on earth you may as well just get down on one knee and propose to Dawson already.” Felix smirked.
“It’s been two weeks.” Beau rolled his eyes. “It’s a little early for a proposal.”
“Be honest. It’s been a year.”
“Yeah.” Beau nodded thoughtfully, “I guess it has.”
Felix took a deep breath and looked around the room they’d barely begun to set up, “What a year it’s been, huh? Hard to believe it was only this time last year that we were in this room for our first Frost Financial holiday party.”
“That’s the night I met Dawson for the first time.”
“I remember.” Felix gave a soft smile, “I met him that night too. He’s the one who told me not to give up on Gibson.”
Beau returned his friends knowing smile, “You know, he credits you with bringing his family back to life. I’m sure he’s completely forgotten he was the one that sent you after Gibson that night.”
“Strange when you put it like that.”
“How so?” Beau tilted his head curiously.
“If you think about it like that, it all started with Dawson and now that you two are together, the whole family has paired off so it ended with him too.”
“I don’t think it’s an ending. I think this is just the beginning.”
Felix chuckled, “Jeez, listen to us waxing poetic and being all philosophical.”
“We sound like assholes.” Beau agreed with a laugh.
“Happy assholes.”
“Put that on my tombstone.” Beau snickered and Felix tossed a napkin at him. He caught it and tucked it in his pocket. He settled himself and sighed, “In all seriousness though, I am happy. So damn happy I didn’t know it was even possible to smile this much.”
