Wesley

It made no sense.

Why did Teddy want me to meet him at the waterfront when we lived under the same roof?

I mean, I knew he was going to drop Bear off to Santiago and Joey’s so he could have a playdate with the twins and we could have some alone time, but I didn’t know why he couldn’t just come back home and set off, for whatever he had planned, together.

Not that I was complaining about being outside on such a nice, hot day. The summer was almost over and I planned to enjoy the last bit of freedom I had before I returned to school ready to teach a whole new horde of students. Hopefully, without the fanfare from last year. But then again how many kids could have drug dealers for parents? Especially now that the island was free of the scum that had plagued it for so long.

I sat on a bench and looked out into the bay full of yachts and boats sailing across the sea and breathed in the fresh air. The music from the restaurant behind me gave tune to my daydreaming.

Life with Teddy and Bear had been good. I’d been worried for the longest time about sharing my dream home with anyone. I had been looking forward to living on my own after living in a busy household with five other people all my life. And it wasn’t as if I didn’t want to live with Teddy. I did. But opening my home to anyone was a big deal. And what if we didn’t like co-habitation? What if things went wrong?

It was silly to still have those concerns having been with Teddy for almost a year but that was the problem with minds. They never shut up.

The truth was Teddy, Bear and even the cats, they made the house more alive. More lived in. I loved coming down in the morning and finding the cats chasing each other, playfighting and being all dramatic, or the sounds in the kitchen as we all made breakfast or washed dishes together. And at nighttime, the sound of cartoons on the TV before we carted Bear off to bed. It felt like a home. We felt like a family. And I’d been dreaming about that a lot longer than owning my own house so it had been a rewarding sacrifice.

I glanced around. There were people everywhere. Most of them tourists, judging from the way they stopped to take pictures every five seconds. Still no Teddy.

I whipped my phone out and messaged him.

Wesley: Hey baby. I’m sitting by the first bench in front of the gazebo. Everything okay?

I held on to my phone so I didn’t miss his reply when a tall man walked up to me with the biggest smile in the world.

“I just messaged you!” I got up and he opened his arms to embrace and kiss me.

“I’m so sorry. My hands were full so I couldn’t message,” he said, although I didn’t know if I believed that.

Still, hugging him, kissing him, being with him beat anything so I couldn’t complain. He smelled divine too, as usual. Like homemade cake and coffee. Which made sense considering it was his job, but still. I couldn’t get enough.

When I finally let him go, he planted a kiss on my forehead and offered me one of the two bubble teas in his hands.

Of course it was my favorite. Dirty Biscuit with extra tapioca pearls. Teddy waited until I took a sip before he drank his own and motioned me forward so we could walk around the boardwalk brimming with life.

“How was Bear when you dropped him off?” I asked.

“Barely noticed me leaving.” Teddy rolled his eyes and I laughed.

“Hey, don’t complain. A few months ago you couldn’t leave him alone for a second.”

“Oh, I wasn’t complaining.” He chuckled. “I like seeing him enjoy being a kid for a change.”

I nodded.

“It’s amazing what a stable, supportive home can do to a child.”

“And an amazing teacher and co-parent,” Teddy added and I stopped to look at him for a moment. “What?”

“Nothing,” I said. “You’ve…never referred to me as a co-parent before.” My voice went a little high at the end and before I knew it I was choking up.

“Well, isn’t that what you are? Silly.” He nudged me with his elbow and I did my best to laugh but all I managed was to cry.

Teddy wasted no time wrapping me in his arms and ran his hand through my hair until I composed myself and pulled back.

“I’m sorry. That was so stupid.”

He shook his head.

“No need to apologize for having emotions. That’s one of the things I love about you.”

His words carried through to my heart and it felt a little warmer and fuzzier.

“Oh yeah?” I smiled after wiping my eyes. “What else do you love about me?”

“What don’t I love about you?” He grabbed my hands and almost jumped in the air with overt enthusiasm that I could have interpreted as fake if I hadn’t known him for so long.

In fact, the longer we’d been together, the more expressive and open he’d become. Which was nice to see after a lifetime of suppressing and repressing himself to fit whatever mold.

“I love your wisdom. Your empathy. Your humor. Your eyes. Your lips. Your…” He stopped to look around us and then whispered “cock.”

I laughed but slapped his arm for good measure, making the brown paper bag with the butterfly logo swing.

“You got goodies for me?” I asked, eyeing the bag.

Teddy glanced at it too and pressed his lips into a smile.

“Yeah. I…uhm…I made chocolate babkas. Want to…want to have a taste?” he asked and I raised an eyebrow.

I had no idea why he was being so weird.

“Do you have to ask?”

There was nothing I loved more than trying all the cakes and pastries Teddy made. He had become quite a pro. But I guessed that was to be expected when he worked with Zach on a daily basis.

“Great. Uhm…yeah. Shall we…should we…” he glanced around and started walking toward the gazebo.

I hadn’t even noticed we’d come all the way around, although how could I when I was distracted by a pair of blue eyes and the best bubble tea ever?

“Did you poison them or something? Why are you acting so weird?” I asked and caught up with him.

When we got to the gazebo, he sat on the bench and dug through the bag, retrieving a little box. I glared at him a little more because he was being weird but I couldn’t resist the cake any longer so I sat next to him and took the box from him.

The babka inside was fluffy, rich and decadent.

I turned to Teddy.

“You made this?” I asked with an uncontrollable smile.

“I sure did. Zach didn’t help whatsoever.”

“That looks so good.”

“Yeah, but…what does it taste like?” he asked.

“Let’s find out,” I said and turned my attention to the braided cake.

Was there anything better than being a taste-taster for a baker?

I think not.

I pulled off a bit of cake and moaned orgasmically as soon as it entered my mouth. It was still slightly warm and soft and the chocolate was balanced just right so it wasn’t too sweet or too bland.

“Teddy, that’s delicious. Have you tried it?”

“I had a bit when they came out of the oven.”

I offered him some more but he shook his head and just watched me devour it all by myself.

Until…

I coughed.

There was something there, in my throat. It made it hard to breathe and I dropped everything to pat my chest in a desperate attempt to clear whatever was blocking my windpipe.

“Shit. Wesley? Wesley, are you okay?” He got down on his knees, facing me and looked up at me but when I didn’t reply—because I couldn’t—he got back up, pushed me forward and gave my back two good blows and I could breathe again.

Something small and solid flew out of my mouth and clattered on the ground with a distinct, metallic rattle and I fixed my glasses to take a better look at it.

“Are you okay? Wesley?” Teddy dropped back down on his knees but all I could do was stare.

Stare at the shiny, silver ring amidst the babka crumbs.

“Wh-what is that?” I asked.

I reached for it and my heart stopped. Just stopped right there and then.

A ring.

A…ring.

“I’m so sorry. I thought it was going to be romantic or whatever. Why did I think this would be a good idea? I can’t belie—” he rambled.

I wasn’t listening anymore. I kept thinking how last year I’d been alone, content with being single, dejected and determined I’d spend my whole life by my lonesome. And now…now I have a home, pets, a step-son and…a fiancé.

“Yes!” I said. Or did I shout it?

I didn’t care. Teddy wanted to be with me. He wanted to marry me. That was worth shouting—hell, even screaming—about.

“Uhm…baby,” he whispered and I looked up at him, noticing for the first time that there were people around us, staring. “Technically, I haven’t asked yet.”

“You don’t have to. It’s a yes. It’s always a yes,” I said and grabbed him by the back of the neck so I could look into the beautiful ocean that were his eyes. “Forever a yes. Forever and ever a yes.”

He smiled.

“You promise?”

“Now who’s the one being silly?” I said and pulled him onto me. Onto my arms. My lips. My heart.

I was the happiest man in the world. I’d found my one. Or he’d found me. Who could have told me a year ago, when I fell into the handsome stranger’s arms that we’d be here today, engaged to be married sharing a wonderful life together?

And if anyone could have told me, would I have believed them?

These things don’t happen in real life. Not to people like me. And yet…here I was. Here we both were. Happiest together than we’d ever been apart.

I wouldn’t change this feeling for the world.

Teddy, Bear, and me against the world. What could be more perfect?