by Luna, David
The doorbell sounded, and, heart in his throat, he left the downstairs bathroom to answer the door, making it there at the same time as Thornton. They grinned at each other, and Daddy leaned down to kiss him silly before opening the door. Gigi ran inside, Guinness at her heels, calling for Beauty and Beast.
Trent, handing over a bottle of sparkling cider, greeted them, his other hand holding Madi’s much smaller one. “Hey, guys. Thanks for having us.”
They all hugged each other, and by the time they were done, Syed and Damon arrived, another bottle of sparkling cider—grape this time. It was a good thing Asher loved sparkling cider because everyone seemed to think that since they couldn’t bring wine over for dinner, they had to bring cider. But there was never any leftover after their guests headed home, so he figured nobody was that broken up about not drinking around him.
He’d gotten better about it. He and Daddy had visited Syed and Damon’s house once, and they’d arrived earlier than expected, so the men hadn’t put away the alcohol before they got there. He’d had a momentary panic, but as they’d put the bottles away, Thornton had blocked his view and rubbed his arms, whispering calming words to keep him from losing it. He was thankful it worked and hoped he’d be able to get over it altogether.
He’d never be a drinker, but he wanted to be okay with others drinking around him. It would take a while, but his therapist always reminded him it was a marathon, not a sprint, and these things would take time. He knew it was true; he’d come a long way since the day Thornton ran over him with his car.
They were chatting in the kitchen when the doorbell rang, and he told Thornton to stay where he was, that he’d let Thornton’s parents in. He opened the door, and Gwen looked behind him, a grin on her face when she didn’t see Thornton. She walked through the door and hugged the stuffing out of him, and he hugged her back just as fiercely. When she pulled back, Jasper hugged him, giving him a gentle pat on the back.
Gwen grabbed his hand, a little bounce in her step as she moved closer. “Are you ready? Jasper and I are so excited for you both.”
He shook his head, anxiety hitting him. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready, but tonight is the night, so we’ll see what he says.”
She gave a tinkling laugh as they walked towards the back of the house to join the rest of the group in the kitchen. “You have nothing to worry about.”
He didn’t know if that was true. He was stepping out of their usual roles and taking the lead that night. He was so nervous he wasn’t sure he was even going to be able to eat. When they walked into the kitchen, the others greeted Gwen and Jasper, and they chatted for a while, eating hors d'oeuvres and drinking a couple of the mocktails he’d been fiddling with lately, trying to come up with better options to offer people than water, juice, and coffee.
Dinner was a loud, boisterous affair, people talking over one another and having fun. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of storytelling, and a lot of good food. When it was done, they all migrated to the family room to hang out and talk some more, and as they were just about to get situated, Gwen stopped them. “Hang on. Let’s get a group picture. Let me go get my camera.”
Thornton took his phone out of his pocket, a confused look on his face. “Mom, here. Just use my phone.”
Shitshitshitshitshit.
Gwen, bless her heart, rolled her eyes and waved him away as she left to get her camera. “I don’t want some picture where we’re all huddled together trying to fit in the shot while you hold the phone over your head, for Pete’s sake. I have a real camera. You do remember what a real camera looks like, don’t you?”
Trent snorted. “Thorn, when are you gonna learn? Mom does things her way. Just roll with it.”
Thornton laughed, nodding. “Yeah. I should know this by now.”
Gwen returned, waving her camera with a mini tripod attached, in her hand like a prize, and went about setting up on the console table behind the sofa. “Here, stand in front of the fireplace, Asher and Thornton in the middle.”
Folks shuffled around, but this only got a frown from Gwen. “No, Thorn, pull the side table over, and you can sit on it so you’re a little lower and everyone else is around you.”
“We don’t have to be in the center, Mom.”
Trent scoffed. “We just went over this, Thorn. She’s got something in her head, and she won’t be happy until it’s just the way she wants it.”
Thornton rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. “Okay, okay. Here.”
He put the lamp on the floor and pulled the side table in front of the fireplace. He sat down on it and tugged Asher down beside him, laughing. “Come on, might as well humor her.”
Asher chuckled and snuggled into Thornton’s side, his heart beating a mile a minute. They watched as Gwen told the others where to stand and then set up the shot, running around the sofa to join them in the photo before the camera took the delayed picture. “Smile big, guys!”
Asher was shaking when the camera went off, knowing the others were holding up their surprise signs, each with a single word, asking Thornton the scariest question ever. Gwen went to check on the photo. She glanced at it and then walked around the couch. “Here, Thornton, I don’t know if it’s good enough. Should we take another?”
Thornton, probably responding to the uncertainty in her voice, stood to check the photo, which was his cue. Getting down on one knee while Thornton checked the photo, he pulled out the ring box, hands shaking and palms sweating.
Asher waited with bated breath as Daddy checked the photo, Thornton’s voice confused as he stared at it. “Wait. What are you guys holding? ‘Thornton, will you…’”
Thornton gasped and turned around as Asher held up the ring. “Thornton, eight months ago, you ran over me with your car…” The others chuckled as tears came to Asher’s eyes when he saw the happy disbelief on Thornton’s face. “And then you proceeded to steal my heart. Will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”
“Baby…” Thornton’s eyes filled as he got down on his knees in front of Asher, ignoring the ring and clasping his cheeks. “God, I love you. Hold that thought, though, and come with me.”
Shocked Thornton hadn’t said yes right away, Asher clasped his hand and allowed Thornton to pull him up. Then he proceeded to hold his hand and lead them out of the family room, down the hall, into the foyer, and down the other hall, stopping at the closed door of Asher’s playroom.
His heart started to beat even faster. Gwen and Jasper knew about their lifestyle, but they hadn’t ever seen his playroom or seen him as a little because that was something he only shared with, well, Thornton and occasionally their friends. It felt strange to be walking in there now, the sound of the other’s footsteps behind them as they followed.
Thornton opened the door and ushered him in. It was then Asher saw his dad’s old Lionel train set, lovingly restored and looking like new on a track table that looked professionally built, a little town in the center of the track, with grass, animals, and people. He felt tears sliding down his face before realizing they’d fallen. He got down on his knees, shocked at how new the train looked.
“How did you do this?”
“It took you a while to feel comfortable enough to get the train set out and show it to me, and you were so disappointed when it didn’t work. I told you I’d figure something out and not to worry about it. So I found a local guy that specializes in this kind of thing. He restored everything, baby. It works. Try it.”
His hands were shaking when he reached forward and flipped the switch. The train started chugging along the track. It went all the way around and then headed back towards him. When it was right in front of him, Thornton reached out, stopped it, and murmured, “Hmm, what’s that?”
Confused, Asher leaned forward and looked at the coal car, only then noticing something sitting on top of the coal. It was his turn to gasp as he realized it was a black, Tungsten band, much like the one he’d gotten Thornton. He watched as Thornton leaned forwar
d, picked the ring up, and faced him, on bended knee. “Asher, my answer to your question is yes. I would be honored to be your husband, and I’m hoping you’ll say yes to being mine.”
On a sob, he threw himself into Thornton’s arms, his whole body shaking. Thornton gathered him close, rubbing his back in soothing circles as he cried his heart out. He couldn’t believe they’d both planned proposals on the same night. Hiccupping on a sob, he whispered, “Daddy…”
Thornton’s arms gripped him tighter as he whispered back, “I love you, baby boy.”
Only noticing everyone was gone when the door snicked shut, he let out a sigh and pulled Thornton’s ring from the box. They exchanged them, slipping them on each other’s fingers, tears clouding his sight, unable to see the details of his own ring. Asher threw himself back into Thornton’s arms. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Thornton gripped his hips and pulled him flush against him, so he was straddling his hips. Once he was ensconced on Daddy’s lap, Thornton pulled away enough to clasp Asher’s cheeks. “My sweet boy. I’ve never been so happy to run someone over in my life.”
His watery laughter mixed with Thornton’s as they gazed at each other. “I love you, Asher Simmons, and I can’t wait until I officially make you my real husband, even though I’ve been your husband since the day we met.”
They both chuckled at the long-running joke, and Thornton sobered. “I couldn’t have dreamed of a better man for me. You are the extra piece of my puzzle, the perfect fit, and I can’t wait to grow old with you, baby boy.”
A soft sob escaped before Asher could stop it. “I love you so much. I never thought I’d find anyone who would want me to be theirs. But you became my accidental Daddy. You started taking care of me the second you laid eyes on me, and I know you’ll never stop. You’ve helped me so much. I’m the man I am today because of you.”
Thornton shook his head. “No, baby—”
“It’s true. I know I did the work, but I’d have never taken the steps on my own, or if I had, the results wouldn’t have been the same. You are my everything, and I’m so grateful I’m your perfect fit.”
Thornton rocked them back and forth as Asher gathered his emotions enough to call their family back in. When they all made their way in, giving congratulations, along with hugs and well wishes, he knew there was nothing on earth better than family, and he was so grateful he’d found his.
The End
Bonus Scene Coming Soon!
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