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“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he murmured. He slid a hand up Carson’s chest and tweaked a nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Carson hissed and fell forward easily when Zach tugged him down. “I’ve got you, baby.”

“Tell me again,” Carson whispered, eyes closed, forehead pressed against Zach’s.

“I love you,” he said softly, threading his fingers through Carson’s hair and holding it back from his face. “I love you.” He pressed soft kisses to Carson’s lips, his cheeks, his forehead. “I love you.” Carson shuddered. Tears slipped from beneath his lids, and Zach kissed them away.

Zach rolled them when Carson dissolved into sobs, soothing him and kissing away tears.

“Don’t stop!” he gasped, clutching at Zach and wrapping his legs around him. Zach rolled his hips slowly in long, languid thrusts that couldn’t be more opposite of their normal pace as tears continued to fall from Carson.

“I love you,” Carson whispered, one hand cupping the back of Zach’s head as their eyes locked. “I—fuck,” he cried, back arching up from the bed as he came, clenching around Zach, and he followed Carson with a groan, face buried in Carson’s neck.

“So now what?” Carson asked when their breathing had returned to normal but Zach still hadn’t moved.

“Now,” Zach said, and he drew out the word before kissing the tip of Carson’s shoulder. “You pack your stuff and move it to my place. And you come back to work with me. Tomorrow.”

“Can I call you daddy at work?”

“Little shit,” Zach laughed. “Absolutely not.”

“Mmm. Okay.”

Zach’s lips found their way back to Carson’s.

“I’m serious. I want you to move in with me,” he said between kisses.

“What about Ophelia?”

“What about her? Did I stutter? Of course she comes with you.”

“Okay,” Carson said with a contented sigh as Zach worked his way down Carson’s stomach and began to lick him clean. “Fuck that’s hot,” Carson whispered.

“Da—daddy?” he stuttered when Zach began to work his cock back to life with his mouth.

“Hmm?” he hummed, not stopping his ministrations.

“Can I have my gym duck back?”

****

One year later...

“Have you thought this through? Because I know you. You overthink everything. Are you one hundred percent sure about this?” Carson stared at Zach.

“No, I’m terrified as hell, and I swear to God if you don’t answer me, I’m going to die right here.”

“Well, I guess this explains why you’ve been so weird the last few days.”

They were seated across from each other at the little Thai restaurant down the street from the house—their house, and even after all this time that still seemed surreal to him—where they’d had their first date. It was Carson’s birthday, and he was staring into the box he’d just opened.

Nestled carefully in the tissue paper was a duck, with its wings held up, tips pressed together. A set of rings hung from the wingtips.

“I have to admit, ‘Carson McAllister’ does have a nice ring to it,” he said as he lifted the top ring out and inspected it. It was narrower than the other band with a line of tiny diamonds going around the middle of it. The inscription inside read I love you … or something.

“Carson.” Zach’s voice was pleading.

Carson couldn’t fight the smile any longer. The relief and joy simultaneously flooding Zach’s face was adorable, and Carson laughed.

“Of course I’ll marry you, you giant dork.”