by Scotty Cade
Dane smiled. “Thanks. Did you expect any less?”
“Of course not.”
“And,” Dane added, “the other two are about identical. Hey. Usually I get a warning call when you show up. What brings you to Seattle?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“You promised me a year and you delivered big-time,” Bill said. “Now it’s my turn to deliver.”
Dane studied Bill with weary eyes and then looked away when he thought of what he’d given up for his best friend and this company.
“What would you say if I asked you to be my new Southeast Regional Manager?” Bill asked. “Before you answer, the job comes with an office in Greenville, and with the exception of the occasional short trip to our offices in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Columbia, no other travel is required.”
Dane couldn’t believe his ears.
“I know you’ve been miserable this year, and I know what you sacrificed to help me,” Bill continued.
Dane interrupted. “Bill, you saved my life. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be on the streets. You took me in, put a roof over my head, and gave me a purpose and a job. I owe you. I’ll always owe you.”
“Stop it,” Bill said. “I was happy to do it back then, and you’ve paid me back tenfold. Now if you’ll let me, I’m trying to help you again.”
Dane wasn’t sure what Bill meant, but before he could ask, Bill tossed an airplane ticket onto Dane’s desk.
“Seriously, Bill? Where am I going now?”
“Back to Greenville to get your man.”
“What? I can’t. I still have at least two months before I finish up here.”
“You heard me. Now go. I’ll finish the job for you.”
Dane was silent for a long time. “I don’t even know if Carter still wants me.”
“Then go and find out,” Bill said.
“What if he’s involved with someone else?”
“Do you still love him?”
“Of course I still love him.”
“Then fight for him. Do everything in your power to win him back.”
Dane stared reluctantly at the first-class ticket sitting on his desk as he considered Bill’s proposal.
“Dane, you’ve never been a quitter. What do you have to lose?”
Bill was right. What did he have to lose?
Dane got up again, walked around his desk, and kissed Bill right on the lips. “Not a damn thing.”
Bill coughed and wiped his mouth. “Damn. If it doesn’t work out with Carter, come back for me.”
Dane laughed. “I think your wife might have a problem with that.”
“Who?” Bill asked touching his lips.
“Your wife?” Dane repeated.
“Oh, her. She’d probably be happy to get rid of me.”
Dane laughed again. For the first time in a year, he finally had hope. Hope for happiness and maybe even love. If he wasn’t too late. But he’d take his chances. Even if Carter was seeing someone else, he still had a shot. He’d charmed him once; he could do it again.
Dane looked at the ticket again. “The red-eye tomorrow night arriving on Christmas Eve? That only gives me tomorrow to bring you up to speed.”
“That’ll be enough time.” Bill took Dane’s hand and shook it. “Go find your happiness, and take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off with pay to catch up on… well, you know.”
Dane slipped the ticket into his attaché, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door. “I’ve got to go. I have things to do.”
Bill chuckled and waved him off. “Go.”
Dane’s first stop was the jewelry store. Just in case. If Carter would take him back, he wasn’t going to lose him again. He was going to make it legal this time.
He scanned all the wedding bands until he found exactly what he had in mind. Matching emerald-and-diamond bands set in platinum and perfect for them. He paid almost as much for the twenty-four-hour rush engraving job as he had for the rings, but it was so worth it. Then he went back to his suite, packed all of his bags, and sat on the bed. He nervously fretted over whether to call Carter or just surprise him.
What would you even say if you did call? “Uh, hey, Carter. It’s Dane. I don’t know where you are in your life, but I’m coming home. If you’ll have me. I love you. Call me. Please.”
“Totally lame,” Carter grumbled.
He went over several more options in his head and decided nothing would have the impact of simply showing up, taking Carter into his arms, and telling him he loved him.
Dane had a fitful night’s sleep, got out of bed at 4:00 a.m., and went in to work. He spent the day watching the clock and tying up loose ends with Bill. When he left, he took a cab to the jewelers, picked up the rings, and then went straight on to the airport. When the plane finally boarded, his knees were shaking and his heart was pounding so hard he needed a drink and bad.
He landed at six thirty on Christmas Eve morning, rented a car, and drove to Carter’s place. The house was decorated the same as it had been the previous year when they’d decorated it together, but it seemed different somehow. Subtly so, but definitely different. He knocked on the door, but Carter didn’t answer.
Dane then drove over to Carter’s urgent care office, but a sign on the door said they were closed for the holiday week. Could Carter be out of town? And with whom?
With no other options, Dane tried Carter’s cell, and it went straight to voicemail. So he sat in the driveway and waited. And waited. And waited. He called Carter’s cell every hour, but it still kept going straight to voicemail. After hours of sitting in his car, dread began to consume him. Out of boredom and fear, he started calling every one of Carter’s friends he knew. But of the ones he reached, none knew where Carter was.
When darkness approached, Dane didn’t think it was a good idea to continue to sit in Carter’s driveway, so he took a room at a Wyndham Hotel nearby. For the next six days, he went back and forth to Carter’s house, left voicemail after voicemail on Carter’s phone, and kept calling Carter’s friends to see if they had heard from him.
Reluctantly, Dane decided Carter didn’t want to be found. On New Year’s Eve, he bought a return ticket, got back on a plane with his tail between his legs, and gave up any hope for happiness.
IT WAS nearing midnight thirty-six thousand feet in the air as Dane sat alone in an unoccupied row of an almost empty Airbus. The cabin lights were dim, and shadows of the couple behind him making out like newlyweds danced on the bottom of the overhead compartment. Their whispers and giggles were really starting to annoy him, almost to the point that he was going to switch seats, but fuck it, he wanted to be annoyed… and miserable. He deserved it, dammit.
Dane downed his second shot of bourbon, rested his head against the cool window, and gazed out into the blackness of the midnight sky. When he saw the reflection of the flight attendant in the window, he flagged her down and made a circle in the air with his finger. She offered a sympathetic smile and soon after reappeared, with a double this time. Apparently she sensed he needed it—and he did.
This was not at all how he’d planned to start the new year, but hell, the universe had had an agenda of its own. New Year’s Eve had always been so special to him. He wanted hope for the future. He wanted Carter, and he’d hoped this holiday season would mark the beginning of his new life. Their new life. Together.
Dane slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a white velvet box with an infinity symbol on the top. He gazed at it for a long moment. When he finally found the courage to open it, the two sparkling diamond-and-emerald-encrusted engagement bands, nestled side by side, seemed to almost taunt him. He’d chosen emeralds because Carter had always compared Dane’s eyes to the deep green gems. Again, that fucking universe. He took one of the rings out of the box and examined the inscription. His name and Carter’s, with two intertwined hearts between them, stared back at him and seemed to mock him for the foolishness of his dreams.
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The pilot’s voice came over the intercom, interrupting Dane’s thoughts to announce the New Year was almost upon them. Soon thereafter, the voice counted down: Five. Four. Three. Two. One. The captain wished everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2018. The flight attendant began passing out small glasses of complimentary champagne, but when she got to Dane, she smiled weakly and gave him two little bottles of bourbon instead.
Dane nodded his thanks and poured both bottles into his glass. He held it up and tapped the ring against it. In his mind, he toasted what might have been if only his plans had worked out. But apparently that big bad universe wanted no part of them.
Dane put the ring back in the velvet box, snapped it closed, and slid the box back into his coat pocket. Why had he had them engraved? Hell. He couldn’t even return the damn things.
From the empty seat next to him, Dane snagged the airplane blanket and ripped it from its plastic wrapper. He spread the thin fabric over himself and tucked it tightly under his chin before he leaned his head against the window again and closed his eyes, unshed tears stinging the backs of his eyelids.
DANE OPENED his eyes to the sound of the familiar ding from the cockpit and the flight attendant’s voice announcing they were starting their initial descent into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. His head was pounding from the bourbon, and his mouth was bone-dry. Dane was about to press the call button when he looked to his right and saw a bottle of water and a packet of Tylenol sitting on the lowered tray table. “God bless her,” he mumbled as he ripped open the packet, popped the tablets into his mouth, and downed the entire bottle of water.
As if this day couldn’t get any worse, now he was starting this New Year’s just like the last, with the mother of all hangovers. Who cares? You have nowhere to go.
The question that had plagued his sleep was whether he should take the job Bill had offered him in Greenville regardless of Carter’s situation or continue to do what he’d been doing, never staying in one place long enough to put down any roots. All he knew was he didn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life.
It seemed obvious Carter was trying to avoid him, so where did that leave him? Was he supposed to live in Greenville and have to possibly watch Carter with another man? Maybe he’d choose to live in Atlanta or Charlotte. That might be far enough away to be safe.
Dane yawned, stretched, and then folded his blanket and threw it on the seat next to him. He brought his seat back to its upright position and again looked out of the window. The lights of Seattle were shining brightly against the dark backdrop of the early morning sky.
“How are you feeling?” the flight attendant asked in a concerned voice as she stooped down next to his seat.
“A little rough,” Dane said through a weak smile. “But thank you so much for your thoughtfulness.”
She smiled. “No problem. We’ve all been there.”
The cockpit ding sounded again. She looked toward the flight attendant station. “Gotta go. Good luck with… well, whatever.”
“Thanks.”
Moments later he heard her soft voice again announcing they were on their final approach to SeaTac and to bring all tray tables back to their upright positions and turn off all electronic devices.
The plane touched down minutes later with a light thud, and they taxied to the gate. When the plane stopped and the Fasten Seatbelts sign blinked off, Dane stood, gathered his carry-on and his attaché, and was first in line to deplane. He shivered as he walked down the long Jetway to the terminal and cursed himself for not bringing a heavier coat. “Man, it’s cold.”
As soon as Dane walked through the terminal door, he froze. He knew the back of that head as well as he knew his own hand. Even after he blinked several times to clear his vision, that black hair and those broad shoulders were still there. Carter was sitting all alone in the empty terminal, his head resting in his hands.
Still hardly believing his own eyes, Dane slowly walked up to him and bent close to make sure. Carter apparently saw his feet and looked up. Dane met Carter’s eyes, which widened in disbelief. Dane’s bags hit the floor as Carter launched himself toward him. When they came together, the force almost knocked them both off of their feet. Dane wrapped his arms around Carter and held on tightly. Carter felt so good he didn’t want to move. Ever.
“Oh my God,” Carter said. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Greenville.”
“I was,” Dane said. “But you weren’t, so I came back.”
“I can’t believe I came here to find you and you were in Greenville looking for me.”
“How did you know I was there?”
“Bill,” Carter said. “He told me you were in Greenville.”
“Wait! So you came here looking for me? Why?”
“Because I don’t care where we live as long as we’re there together. This year has been hell. I tried to move on, but I just couldn’t do it. I don’t want to live anywhere without you.”
Dane’s bottom lip started quivering, and he was suddenly without words. Carter pressed a finger to his lips, and Dane kissed it.
“I was waiting for the next flight back to Greenville to tell you that and well… here you are.”
Dane pressed his lips against Carter’s. They were familiar and warm. When the kiss ended, Dane took a seat and pulled Carter down next to him. “Where have you been? I’ve been in Greenville since Christmas Eve, searching high and low for you.”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of spending Christmas and New Year’s alone at home, so I booked a last-minute trip to Mexico.”
Dane smacked his forehead. “Out of the country. Your phone didn’t work?”
“I don’t know if it worked or not because I turned it off and never turned it back on. I just needed time to think,” Carter explained. “It stayed in my bag all week, and this morning when I said the hell with it and booked a flight to Seattle to find you, I forgot to get it out before I checked the bag.” Carter rolled his eyes. “You know me and phones.”
Dane gripped Carter’s hand tighter, chuckled, and nodded. “My scatterbrained man.”
“Anyway,” Carter continued, “when I realized I didn’t have my phone with me on the plane, I used the onboard phone service to call Bill to get directions to your place. That’s when he told me you were in Greenville. Then when I got my bags and turned the phone on, I got all the messages and missed calls from you. I tried calling you back, but your phone went to voicemail.”
“I was already in the air by then.”
Dane removed his phone from his belt and turned it on. The phone beeped a couple of times, and then he saw Carter’s missed call.
“Oh my God. This has been like that old Pat Boone and Pamela Austin movie, The Perils of Pauline.”
Carter tilted his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that movie.”
“Never mind. We’ll watch it together one day, and it will all make sense to you. I’m just so happy,” Dane said breathlessly. “I’m babbling, but the point is we’ve been just missing each other, coming and going.”
Dane again covered Carter’s lips, and this time the kiss was deep and long. “I love you,” Dane mumbled into Carter’s open mouth. “And I finally have someone of my own to kiss on New Year’s.”
“I love you too,” Carter said when their lips finally parted.
Dane stood to see his flight attendant standing near them watching. Her smile was broad and her hands were resting on her hips. “Looks like everything worked out A-ok in the end.”
“Better than A-ok. Everything worked out perfectly.”
She winked, nodded, and was on her way.
“What’s that about?” Carter asked.
“I’ll fill you in later. For now, let’s go home,” Dane said.
“Where is home?” Carter asked.
“Today it’s an extended-stay hotel, but tomorrow it’s hopefully Greenville.”
Carter tilted his head.
“Bill offered me a permanen
t position in Greenville as his Southeast Regional Manager. I’ll have to take a few day trips on occasion, but I can live in Greenville as long as I want.”
“And I hope that’s forever,” Carter said as he and Dane gathered their bags and started walking hand in hand through the empty airport terminal.
WHEN DANE opened the door to his hotel room, they both dropped their bags and Dane took Carter into his arms. The first kiss was deep, needy, and urgent, and when they parted they were both out of breath. As they made their way to the bedroom, the kisses slowed a little and became softer and less rushed. Dane sat on the end of the bed and pulled Carter down with him. He gripped the back of Carter’s head, pulled him close, and brought their lips together again in a crushing kiss.
They both fell back onto the bed and Carter rolled on top of Dane.
In the seconds that followed, they each began to move their hands. Carter gripped Dane’s T-shirt and pulled it up to Dane’s neck, then broke their kiss long enough to pull it over Dane’s head. Dane moaned when he yanked Carter’s polo out of his jeans and over his head to expose Carter’s muscular chest, which he stared at longingly as he tossed Carter’s shirt across the room. He heard two thuds he assumed were Carter’s shoes hitting the floor. Carter slid to the end of the bed and tugged Dane’s boots off. Each of them made a louder thud as they hit the floor, and then Carter was back on top of him, caressing his chest and nipples. Goose bumps rose on Dane’s skin, and Carter teased and taunted Dane’s flesh with his tongue and teeth as he made his way up Dane’s chest.
Carter slowed his pace when he reached Dane’s neck. He bit, licked, and nibbled on the sensitive skin between Dane’s neck and shoulder, and Dane tilted his head to give Carter better access. Carter’s touch on his skin was incredible, and he didn’t want it to stop.
Dane became increasingly uncomfortable as his erection pushed against the confines of his blue jeans, and he reached down to adjust himself to relieve the pressure, but Carter stretched an arm behind him and brushed Dane’s hand away. “Me,” he mumbled into Dane’s neck.
