Page 66 of Habibi: Always and Forever

“What would you say to a weekend in London one of these days?” Bax asked with a thinly-veiled hint of flirtation once the sandwiches were down to crusts and the juice boxes were nearly empty.

“What, just the two of us?” Nick asked, warming at the idea.

“Very much just the two of us,” Bax said, lowering his voice to a hum. “We could stay at The Chameleon Club, dine with some of our friends. Maybe they’ll be having a casino night or a masked ball. Halloween is coming, so you know they’re doing a masked ball.”

“Nobody does Halloween like the queer community,” Nick laughed. For the first year, he could actually consider himself a member of that community, and he loved it.

“I’ve got all sorts of things planned or Samhain,” Bax said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Nick tensed for a half second before oohing. He sometimes forgot that the entire Hawthorne family had “converted” to Paganism and formed their own coven as a way to support Bax, a lifelong Pagan who had lost his old coven last year after breaking up with his ex, the coven’s leader.

“I can’t wait,” he said.

His breathing hitched and his heart jumped a bit as he considered pulling the ring out of his pocket and popping the question just then. He shifted a hand to the side of his jeans and almost withdrew the ring when Jordan called out, “Daddy, look!”

The moment was broken as both Nick and Bax turned to gaze out over the stunning, autumnal vista in front of them…and had no idea what they were looking at.

“Look! Look!” Jordan insisted all the same.

Any chance for a proposal was dashed as Jordan scrambled up, Macy following him, and started to race down the hillside. Nick and Bax had to get up and chase after them, which turned into a game of tag.

From there, the kids wanted to explore. It turned out Jordan had seen a rabbit in the undergrowth, and the next half hour was spent looking for it, then looking for fairies, which Bax insisted lived on the estate of Hawthorne House by the hundreds, then picking up rocks and seeing how far they could throw them.

After an hour of that, just as Nick had hoped, the kids were tired and floppy as he and Bax picked them up and walked them back to the picnic basket.

Macy dropped off to sleep in the dappled sunshine almost immediately, and after Bax pulled a book out of the cool bag and read it to Jordan in the softest, most soothing tones, Jordan curled up on the blanket and fell asleep, too.

“I really wish Raina could see them like this,” Nick sighed, brushing a hand over Macy’s downy hair.

“She can,” Bax said with a nod. “Wherever she is, I know she can see them.”

Nick turned to Bax and smiled gratefully at him.

He wanted to feel more than just gratitude, though. Leaving the kids on their side of the blanket, he scootched over until his thigh was pressed against Bax’s, twisted so he could rest a hand on the side of Bax’s face, then leaned in for a kiss.

It was a soft kiss at first, just lips and breath and heartbeats. Both he and Bax wanted more, though, and opened their mouths to take just that. Nick couldn’t help but make a sound of satisfaction as their tongues brushed, then as he delved deeper into Bax’s mouth to explore all of him.

Given all the months that they’d been together, Nick felt like he should have known everything about Bax already and that he should have gotten over the novelty and shock of felling head over heels for a man, but every kiss and every touch still felt new.

He shifted his hand to hook behind Bax’s neck and went at his mouth like he needed those kisses to breathe.

“Yes, please,” Bax purred, then pushed himself up and over to straddle Nick’s lap so he could kiss him harder.

They were both hot and bothered, despite the crisp snap in the air.

The way Bax straddled him left nothing to the imagination.

The same could be said of Nick. Their straining erections pressed together through their jeans, and if it hadn’t been for the kids sleeping right next to them, Nick was a hundred percent certain they would have been naked and rolling in the grass in seconds.

It was the perfect time for what he’d prepared for.

“Wait,” he gasped, pushing Bax back a bit so he could reach into his pocket.

“Are you close?” Bax panted, his pupils dilated and his cheeks deliciously pink.

Nick laughed as he closed his hand around the ring, then pulled his hand out. “I’m always close with you,” he said.

“Aw, baby,” Bax said, grinning. “You make me want to blow my load with just a look, too.”

Nick laughed louder, then peeked at the kids to make certain his enthusiasm didn’t wake them. “Is that really something gay men say?” he asked, heart beating a mile a minute as the ring pressed into his palm.

“No,” Bax laughed and leaned in to kiss him again. When he pulled back to take a breath, he said, “But it’s what I think every time I see you.”

“Cheesy,” Nick chuckled.

“I’m cheesy for you,” Bax answered, like they had originally joked that Nick was “gay for you” back when they’d first gotten together.

“I like your cheese,” Nick said, growing suddenly serious. “I think I’d like your cheese in my life forever.”

Bax was still breathless from kissing him. “Is that another euphemism?” he asked.

Nick shook his head, then with a shaking hand, he held up the ring.

He opened his mouth, but nerves and emotion and a little bit of fear of rejection stopped any words from coming out.

As it turned out, words weren’t needed. Bax’s eyes went wide, and after a few more seconds of gaping, he managed to squeeze out, “Oh, baby, is that what I think it is?”

Nick swallowed and nodded. “Baxter Hawthorne, will you marry me?” he blurted before he got too self-conscious and chickened out.

Bax gaped at him, then gaped at the ring, then went back to gaping at him. “Really?” he asked.

It wasn’t what Nick had expected or hoped he would say. “Um, yes?”

“No, I mean, Raina hasn’t been gone that long,” Bax said, switching to the gentle voice he’d used when reading to Jordan. “We don’t need to rush into anything if you’re still mourning. I’m so happy just how we are.”

“You…you don’t want to change things?” Nick asked, his heart sinking.

“No!” Bax shouted. They both checked on the kids before Bax went on in a whisper.

“That’s not what I mean at all. I love you, Nick.

I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you.

Of course I want to marry you. I just want to be certain it’s what you want, too, and that you’re not feeling rushed into things because of, I don’t know, your mom. ”

“I think we can definitely keep my mom out of this,” Nick said in a wary voice.

“Please,” Bax said, smiling again.

Bax’s smile made Nick smile. He took Bax’s hand and slid the ring part of the way onto his finger. “I’m serious,” he said, looking up into Bax’s eyes. “I love you, I don’t feel rushed, and I know that we would make amazing life-partners. You’re already my best friend.”

“Oh, Nick,” Bax said, his eyes going glassy with joy. “You’re my best friend, too. Yes.”

“Yes?” Nick blinked up at him, his heart overflowing.

“Absolutely, yes,” Bax said, resting a hand on the side of Nick’s face and leaning in to kiss him. The kiss turned more passionate than either of them had anticipated, but Bax pulled back with a quick breath, then said, “Now slide it on, baby. All the way.”

“That’s definitely a euphemism,” Nick laughed, focused on slipping the ring all the way onto Bax’s finger, then kissed him again, holding Bax’s face with both hands.

“I love you,” he said once they both came up for air. “I don’t know if I’m the best husband material?—”

“Oh, believe me, baby, you are,” Bax interrupted him, making Nick smile.

“But I will do whatever it takes to make you as happy as you’ve made me,” Nick finished.

“And I’ll do the same for you,” Bax said. “We’re in this together, and nothing can stop us now.”

“Nothing at all,” Nick agreed, then kissed Bax again. His soul felt so settled with Bax, and he knew that together, they would build the best life possible for themselves, the kids, and the entire Hawthorne family.

* * *

T hank you for reading Nick and Bax’s proposal story!