Page 80 of Best Man

“Well, good morning to you,” he purrs, lifting his arms up and stretching.

Unbidden, my eyes fall to his lap to see if I can get a glimpse of his dick, and then I remember my mission. I dart a quick look at the table and relax slightly when I see the paper still lying there.

“What are you staring at?” he murmurs.

“Nothing,” I say shiftily. “Just checking I haven’t lost my shopping list.”

“Oh, your list,” he says, biting his lip. “What’s on it?”

“Why are you interested?”

“Humour me.”

“Oh myGod,” I sigh. “You’ve read it.” He bursts into laughter, giggling so hard that he falls into the sheets and writhes around. “You are such a twat,” I say, shoving him gently as I walk past him. He laughs even harder. “When did you read it?”

“Your shopping list? Last night. Ireallyhope you don’t forget the bit about reminding me that you have a big wardrobe. Was that a euphemism?”

I shake my head but can’t help laughing. “Why does nothing ever go as I planned with you, Jesse?”

He straightens onto his knees, the sheets falling away. He glows in the light but as ever, he’s utterly unconcerned by his nakedness. “Maybe that’s a good thing,” he says softly, his expression serious and all trace of laughter gone. “Maybe that’s what you need.”

“You’rewhat I need,” I say quietly, reaching out to cup his face in my palms. “You’ll always be what I need.” I trace the arch of one eyebrow with my finger. “I want you to live with me, Jess. I want to wake up every morning and go to sleep every night with you next to me. I want to laugh and talk late into the night the way we do. You’re my best friend, and I don’t know how that happened or what you see in me, but I want you to know that this is your home. Your safe place. Becauseyou’remy safe place.”

He stares at me, his eyes looking liquid for a second. “When you go in, you’re really in, love,” he says faintly.

“So will you?”

“I wrote the answer on your list. I’m afraid I’ve messed up your bullet point system.”

I snatch up the paper, and scrawled across it in his messy handwriting is the wordyes.

I swallow and look up at him as he nods his head furiously. “Of course I will. Zeb, I love you. I just want to be with you all the time. I can’t think of anything nicer than to be with you for the rest of my life.”

“And mine,” I whisper. “I love you, Jesse Reed.”

I hug him tight, loving the way he nestles into me so trustingly, loving the feel of him by my side in the way that I now have an inner certainty he always will be. I don’t doubt him anymore. I don’t think ofthe age gap or the future problems we’ll probably face. Of course they’ll come, but we’ll be ready for them.

All the things that kept me from him for years now seem like nothing, because all I see is him. This maddening, impulsive man who is merry and warm and somehow just simply the best man I’ve ever known.