Page 9 of How the Other Half Lives

“Court is adjourned.”

The smack of the gavel brought me out of my not-safe-for-work fantasies about the man behind the stand.

If you had told me a year ago that I would be sitting in a courtroom for several hours, watching the love of my life preside over court cases for the first time, I would have told you that you were crazy.

But here I was.

The smile on my face was wide enough to fit a car through and probably obnoxious considering that some of the people in court today weren’t having their best day, yet here I was so incredibly proud of Vance.

I hadn’t let him know that I was going to be watching today. His swearing-in ceremony had been a few days prior, and we had had a very nice dinner with his parents to celebrate. Now here he was, his first day as a judge, looking way too sexy for a man wearing robes. I couldn’t be more proud.

I left the courtroom and made my way to our home.

In the few months that we had been living there, we had turned the place into ours. I loved every minute of it. I’d never expected to enjoy having another person in my space, but here we were, so incredibly happy.

Some days I wondered if it was just a matter of time before the other shoe dropped, before Vance realized that I was nowhere near good enough for him. But Vance never made me feel that way, and I knew how incredibly lucky I was to have him. I had been so close to losing it all because of my own stupidity, and I was never going to let that happen again.

Normally, one or both of us cooked dinner, but being that this was his first day of his new job, I decided that takeout was our best option. Perhaps a fancy dinner was in order for what I had planned, but spending time in court didn’t allow for me to cook a nice dinner. So instead, I picked up the dinner I had ordered, and raced home so that I could have it ready for when he arrived.

Not only did I have dinner, but there were two other little surprises that I had for him.

My palms were sweating, and I wiped them on my jeans. Should I have dressed up for this occasion?

I had worn nicer clothes to court, but I wanted to be comfortable in my own home. Shit, maybe I should have kept my nicer clothes on. I was just about to march to the bedroom to change when the door opened.

“Alex,” Vance’s voice called out.

“In the kitchen,” I said. Was that a tremble in my voice? I hoped not.

He stepped inside, threw his coat over the back of a barstool, and dropped his briefcase beside it. Then he smiled when he saw me.

“I saw you sneak into the courtroom.”

I grinned. “You were amazing.”

He chuckled. “It felt surreal. I’m sure it’ll get easier, but today I was sweating. I felt like I was up there forever.”

“Well, it didn’t look like it was your first day. You were awesome.”

“Good. It felt like it was my first day.”

I went over to him, wrapped my arms around him, and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m so proud of you,” I said.

He relaxed into my embrace. The day’s stress left his body and his muscles relaxed. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure you were on the short list before we even met.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t think I would have taken the leap if it weren’t for you. Or at least I wouldn’t have been as happy about it.”

“I appreciate the sentiment.” I kissed his cheek.

“You got dinner?”

“Yeah, from Blake’s place.”

“Really? You sure the portion sizes are going to be enough for you?”

“We have leftovers from last night. And I’m sure there’s a frozen pizza I can toss in if I get that hungry.”

He laughed. “What’s this?” He gestured to the cherry-wood box on the counter.

I took a deep breath. This was the moment. “This is a surprise,” I said. “The table is set, you want to eat?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’ve got me nervous. What is in the box?”

“Just trust me, please?”

“All right. Let me change and wash my hands, and then I’ll be right there.”

“Okay, perfect.”

While Vance was changing, I set our food out on the table, plating our dinner. I got him and I the same meals we had gotten on that fateful night almost a year ago. It seemed so long ago. Yet sometimes it felt like just yesterday.

He came in and sat across from me at our small dining table. “This looks delicious.”

“Good, I slaved over it all day.” I winked.

“How long before I get to open the present?”

I chuckled. “Impatient, are we?”

“A little. I’m intrigued.”

I took a deep breath. I didn’t bother trying to eat. It was now or never, and I might as well get this over with. “I wanted to give it to you before today, but it wasn’t ready in time. So now will have to do. I talked with your parents. I wanted to get something special to mark the occasion of you being sworn in, and this is what your mom recommended.”

“Oh boy,” he said. He pushed on the latch of the box and lifted the lid. He let out a little gasp when he saw what was inside. “Oh, Alex. I love it.”

“It’s not cheesy?”

It felt cheesy. He lifted the gavel—made out of beautiful handcrafted cherry wood, with a gold plate around the head of the gavel, engraved with “Judge Vance Edwards.”

“It’s perfect,” he said. “I love it. I love you.”

I let out a breath. “I love you, too. I’m so proud of you. Have I said that yet? I think you’re going to be so great in this role, and fuck, I’m terrible at words, but it’s just amazing, and I’m very excited to be by your side for this journey.”

“Thank you,” he said. He leaned over and kissed me.

“That’s not all,” I said. “There’s more.”

“Well, hell, Alex. I should have got something for you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have, but you know if you need ideas for our anniversary, I’ve been eyeing a new toolset.”

His eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he smiled.

“I never thought any of this would happen to me. Having a partner, a house, least of all with a judge appointed by the governor. I didn’t really put a lot of thought into what my personal life future would look like, and I just am so blessed that everything fell into place the way it did. And some days I can’t believe how close I came to ruining all of it.”

“I feel lucky too,” he said, “to be with you.” He reached out a hand and squeezed mine.

“I don’t want to make the same mistake again. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Whether it’s at this house or another one we purchase in the future, or wherever your career takes you or me, I know that everything will be fine as long as you’re by my side.”

I pulled the ring out of my pocket. I hadn’t bothered with a box for that one.

“Vance Edwards, will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

That one word was all I needed, and it was like a dam burst. I slipped the ring onto Vance’s finger and threw myself into his arms. I cupped his face and kissed him soundly. Both of us had tears streaming down our faces like a couple of saps.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you more,” he said.

I held him tightly. This man was mine, and I was never letting him go.