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Life was strange as fuck. When Eric had abandoned his college career to join Jakk on his professional football journey, he had enjoyed decorating their new home. For years, he had been surrounded by the lap of luxury. He had free access to Jakk’s millions and could do anything he wanted, except the only thing he wanted: love Jakk openly.

Now Eric couldn’t make himself look too closely at the ridiculously expensive high-rise apartment in the middle of New York where Oakley lived. Where Eric lived now too. Fuck. How exactly had that happened? Rather than eyeing the amazing view or sleek modern… everything, Eric chose to inspect Oakley’s shrine to himself. Eric knew that wasn’t what it was. Honestly, it was just a room housing awards and souvenirs of his long, successful career. It was just fucking strange. The past couple of years had been a complete rollercoaster for him. His highs and lows had been as extreme as they got. He felt like he walked through a dream.

Oakley plopped down on the chaise end of the couch in his shrine room. He supposed it was more of a man cave. Oakley tossed a baseball into the air, catching it over and over while he watched Eric.

“Do you like baseball? It just occurred to me I’ve never really asked that.”

Eric flashed him a smile. “I don’t dislike it. It’s just not a sport I ever paid much attention to before meeting you. I don’t completely understand all the rules yet.”

Oakley set his ball aside and patted the spot between his legs.

It was a summons Eric had no trouble obeying. He sat between Oakley’s thighs and leaned back against his chest.

Oakley kissed the shell of his ear. “I thought it would take longer to move in all your stuff. I thought you’d have… stuff.”

Eric laughed. It was true. All Eric owned were a few bags of clothes and a couple of odds and ends. Nothing, really. Everything he once owned actually belonged to Jakk. He didn’t know how to stop being bitter over that. “Yeah, well. When I told you I lost everything, I meant it.” His confession was met with silence. He wished he hadn’t said anything. If Oakley had any big exes, he never talked about them. Eric needed to learn to extend him the same respect. He just wasn’t used to them being more than friends yet.

“Damn. For Rocky’s sake, I really wanted to like Jakk. The more I hear, the harder that is.”

Eric shrugged. “He is a good person. Everyone is the villain in someone’s story. I imagine I’m his too. Not that any of that matters anymore.”

Oakley’s lips moved to Eric’s neck. “It’s okay for it to matter. Your past made you who you are, and I’m pretty fucking fond of who you are. In fact.” Oakley squirmed behind him as if trying to find something. His arms encircled Eric again. He popped open a velvet box.

Eric’s chin dropped. His eyes burned at the sight of the black band with gold etchings. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from it.

“Obviously, when I asked you to marry me, it was kind of spontaneous. I didn’t even think about a ring until we got back home. But you deserve to have all the traditional hoopla, including an engagement ring. I have no idea if it’ll fit.” With his chin resting on Eric’s shoulder, he pulled the ring from the box and put it on Eric’s finger. It fit. It was a little loose, but that made it perfect. Eric couldn’t stand tight jewelry.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Thank you. It’s gorgeous.”

He felt Oakley shrug. “It’s supposed to resemble some kind of king’s crown. I don’t know. They tried to explain it to me. All I knew was it looked perfect for you. Well, us. There’s a matching one for me for the ceremony.”

He was so fucking serious about this marriage, and goddamn if that wasn’t exactly what Eric needed. Oakley was a healing balm on years of resentment. Each day, things felt realer, and Eric got a little more excited.

“I wish I had thought to buy yours. That seems like the thing to do.”

Oakley blew out a raspberry, making Eric laugh. “To me, the ring isn’t as important as the actual marriage. A ring is just spending money. Money doesn’t buy happiness.”

That was something Eric fully knew. Still. “It’s easy to say that when you have money.”

Oakley didn’t laugh like he hoped. Instead, he sounded serious when he responded. “You have money now too.” Before Eric could respond or argue, Oakley moved on. “Now, how big do you want this wedding to be? I want to hire that Baylor guy. I’ve already left a message for him to call me to discuss it. He had that shit down to a science at Rocky’s wedding. Not that I imagine our ceremony being as insane as theirs.”

Eric was dumbfounded. He had honestly assumed Oakley would want to get married quietly with just the two of them. Planning a full-on wedding hadn’t been on his bingo card for the year. He cleared his throat. “Um, I guess it depends on when you want to get married and who you want to invite. I don’t really have anyone. My mom is in memory care back in California. She doesn’t even know who I am any longer. Otherwise, there’s just my aunt. My side will look pretty depressing.” He didn’t want to add he didn’t have friends. After Jakk, Eric literally had nothing and no one.

“Hmm.” Oakley sounded thoughtful. “I went to this wedding when I was a kid. We waited at our tables in the reception hall, with the adults getting the jump on the open bar, while the couple were married in private in the next room. Apparently, it was some old tradition on one of their families’ sides. Something about couples who didn’t show off their love had the longest and strongest marriages. Anyhow, for a kid, it was great. I didn’t have to sit through the wedding part. We went straight to the eating and dancing when the couple walked through the door. I remember everyone cheering, and then they started serving food.”

Eric mulled it over. On one hand, he loved the idea of not having his side of the venue empty and feeling subconscious while walking down the aisle in front of strangers. On the other hand, he kind of wanted the world to see him marry such a great guy. An idea struck. “What if we live-streamed the wedding in the reception hall? That way, people can get a jumpstart on drinking and watch, if they want.”

“Love it.” Oakley’s mouth opened on the side of his neck. He sucked.

Eric’s eyes fell closed as he savored the way chill bumps formed on his skin. He had been hyper aware of his loneliness every second for years now. A shaky-sounding breath escaped him. Oakley’s palm flattened against Eric’s chest over his heart. He pulled Eric even closer as he nibbled on his skin. His hand headed south. Eric held his breath. Oakley found the hem of his shirt and dipped underneath. He stroked Eric’s stomach and chest.

“Everything about you is sexy as hell.”

Eric’s eyes burned. There was no way Oakley understood how much he needed everything he did and said. “I’ve never been so thankful for anyone in my life.” That was as close as Eric could come to explaining the emotions roiling inside him.

Oakley’s phone rang. He growled against Eric’s skin before snagging the nearby device and checking the face. “Oh, hey. It’s Baylor.” He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello?” Oakley paused. “Yeah. Eric and I would love to discuss hiring you to plan our wedding. What’s the fastest you’ve ever set up a medium-sized gathering?”

Something evil rose in Eric. He turned and moved to his knees before tugging Oakley down on the couch. Eric wasted no time tearing open the front of Oakley’s pants.

Oakley’s eyes burned with lust and the threat of retribution. Eric looked forward to his revenge. For now, he wanted to suck dick.

Sinister. Oakley tried to breathe quietly as Eric took him to the back of his throat. It was damn hard to answer Baylor’s questions with Eric’s hot mouth tugging at his cock.

“How medium-sized are we talking?”

Oakley drew a slow breath through his nose. “Um. Maybe a third of Rocky’s ceremony. Would it speed things up if I said the vow exchange will be private and live streamed so your focus will mostly be on the reception?”

Eric pulled some move with his tongue that had Oakley violently swallowing a moan.

“If you’re fine with a very basic decorative style—like plain white plates and tablecloths, and simple flower arrangements—I could pull something together in a matter of days. Of course, that depends heavily on the location. If you want a popular venue, those can book out years in advance.”

Oakley moved the phone away for a second so he could breathe through a pant. He desperately fought to keep talking. Oakley went back to his call. “We’re not picky about any of that. If you have some ideas and would like to set up something to go over all the options, that would be amazing.”

“Sure. I have an appointment open tomorrow around two. Will that work?”

“That’s perfect.” He ran his fingers through Eric’s hair. He was so close to being free to punish him.

“Would you like me to list my fees before you feel like I wasted your time?”

“Nope.” Oakley struggled hard. “Money doesn’t matter when it comes to Eric.”

Eric’s head shot up.

Their gazes met.

Baylor said something about true love being adorable.

Oakley somehow managed a goodbye. Then his tongue battled with Eric’s. He had Eric’s pants down just enough to get what he wanted. Eric’s huge body covered his and Eric held their dicks together as he stroked. There was a massive amount of need driving him insane. He knew he was moving with Eric at lightning speed. Oakley needed Eric tied to him before Eric came to his senses. He had always been the type to know what he wanted and go after it with everything he had. It was more than that, though. There was a lot Eric didn’t know about him. He knew—if and when Eric realized those things—he would leave Oakley in the dust.

Pressure climbed Oakley’s shaft. He dug his fingertips into Eric’s skin as he fought to fly. Oakley bit Eric’s lip, turning frantic beneath him. He was so close to what Eric’s touch offered. When the first burst of ecstasy stole the air from his lungs, the biggest reason for his rush looked clearer than ever. Baylor wasn’t wrong. Somewhere along the line in the past year, Oakley had fallen in love with Eric, and it was adorable. He couldn’t lose him. Oakley couldn’t go back to being alone. He needed this too much.