by Alexa Land
“I know, and I don’t want it. I’ve always found Wordsworth to be a bit garish, to be honest. No offense, son. I know you adore it, and I’m glad it’s been passed on to someone who’ll appreciate and care for it. That’s exactly what my great-great-granddad always wanted, and I dare say you’re the first Penelegion since old Bernard to see it the way he did.”
While I found the coffee maker and the can of coffee that was older than I was, Alastair and his dad went to work on Bertie’s scone recipe while she supervised and called out instructions. They were pretty terrible at it, which resulted in a lot of laughs and some much needed father-son bonding. When the scones went into the oven and the novice bakers left the kitchen to change their flour-spattered clothes, Bertie came over to me and draped a pretty, silk scarf around my neck. “Present for you, laddie,” she said.
“Thank you, Bertie,” I said as I ran my fingers over the delicate, royal blue fabric and admired the tiny white flowers and vines printed on it. “What’s the occasion?”
She tied a loose knot in the scarf and draped one of the ends over my shoulder as she said, “You looked fantastic in those tabloid photos. What I wouldn’t give to have legs like yours! I’d be wearing miniskirts every day of me life! But I realized just now that you’d dressed down to come here, like maybe you weren’t sure if you’d be accepted if you turned up in a frock. So, this scarf is a way of welcoming you to the family, and it’s to let you know you can be yourself here. It was me mum’s, and now it’s yours. I hope you wear it with pride, because you should never have to hide who you are, Sawyer. Not for anyone.” I had to swallow a lump in my throat as I gave her a big hug.
When Alastair returned a couple minutes later, dressed in a pink polo shirt and white shorts and looking like all that was good about summer, he took my hand and said, “Fancy a bit of a stroll while the scones bake?”
“Sure.” I ran a fingertip along the tortoiseshell frame of his glasses and said, “I’m glad you didn’t switch these out for your contacts. You look so cute in them.”
He grinned as he led me to the door. “As I’ve said before, I look like a primary school mathematics champion. But I’m among family here, so I can just be my dorky self.”
We strolled through the vegetable garden, and as we circled to the right, toward the back of the house, I said, “So, when we arrived last night, you neglected to mention the fact that you personally own Hogwarts.”
“That’s because I haven’t quite come to grips with it. I mean, on one hand I’m thrilled, because it means no one can sell her, and I can ensure she’s properly cared for as long as I live. On the other hand though, it’s a bit surreal. I’m not going to make any drastic changes, because it’s also very much my family’s home. Both families, as a matter of fact. But over time, I have a few plans for this place.”
“Like what?”
“Some of the furnishings and artwork belong in museums. I’d like to donate extensively, and replace them with things like a couch one can actually sit on. I’ve never liked that fussiness. I also want to slowly replace the formal garden and let Mark do whatever he wants back here.” He gestured at the geometric precision of the plants and paths at the back of the house. “Plus, I plan to build an observatory.”
“That’s terrific!”
“It won’t be as big as the one I left behind at Saithmore, but it doesn’t have to be.” Alastair smiled like a kid on Christmas morning and said, “I’m looking forward to shopping for a telescope.”
When we reached the center of the lawn, halfway between the formal garden and the woodland, Alastair paused and pulled out his phone to check the time, then returned it to his pocket and grinned at me. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?” I said.
“As a matter of fact, I am.” He took my hands in his and looked into my eyes. “I love you, Sawyer. I’ve been wanting to tell you that for some time now, and I wanted it to be special. I knew how much it hurt you to never hear it from your ex while you were together, so I thought, don’t just tell him you love him, show him! Make it big! Big as the sky. So that’s exactly what I did.”
He tilted his chin upward, and I burst out laughing and exclaimed, “Oh my God!”
He’d hired two old-fashioned biplanes to write ‘I love you, Sawyer’ in plumes of white smoke in the cloudless, blue sky, and as they looped around and declared Alastair’s love for me in giant letters, he said, “I stole my own thunder earlier. I was waiting for this moment, but then it just popped out.”
I kissed him and said, “I love you, Allie. You amaze me, every single day. Thank you for being completely over-the-top, and going to all that trouble, and for making me feel special. I’m so incredibly grateful for you.”
“I’m every bit as grateful for you, love.”
As the planes flew off, the words slowly began to dissipate, becoming a part of that perfect summer sky and soon disappearing all together. I was sorry to see them go, but then, they weren’t really necessary. All I needed to do to know Alastair loved me was look in his eyes.
Epilogue
Four Months Later
I shook the snow from my black wool coat, stepped into our apartment, and hung it on a hook in the foyer before unzipping my thigh-high black boots. They definitely had ‘hooker’ written all over them, but I didn’t care, because they made me happy. I left the boots beside the coat and wandered into the living room, looking for Alastair. He was usually at his desk, but since the apartment had an open floor plan, I had a clear line of sight to his office, and it was empty.
I paused in the middle of our home and looked all around me, which made me grin. We’d been decorating it slowly over the last four months, buying pieces of furniture or artwork or random odds and ends whenever we found something we liked. The few walls and the marble floor were white, and so were the bigger pieces of furniture, like the leather couches that faced each other in front of the free-standing modern, steel-clad fireplace (a terrible design, actually, because it got too hot to touch when you actually made a fire in it, but we’d decided it was too beautiful to tear out).
What kept the modern space from looking austere were the framed photos of Alastair and me, and our friends and family, which were clustered on many of the surfaces. I adored those pictures. I also enjoyed the big, bold pops of color in the artwork, the bright red dining room chairs, the yellow area rug beneath the coffee table, and currently, the ten-foot Christmas tree, which was lit with a thousand white lights. It was decorated with dozens of colorful ceramic ornaments, which we’d found the month before on a weekend getaway to Barcelona, and amazing lead crystal snowflakes, which I’d found in Penelegion’s while taking a break in the grand department store. It had been years since I’d had a Christmas tree. The last one had been when my dad and Sherry were still married. Every time I looked at it, the towering pine brought a smile to my face.
After a moment, I spotted Alastair outside and crossed the apartment. I kept a pair of sneakers beside the glass door and slid my feet into them before stepping onto our rooftop garden. I shivered a little. My black mini-kilt, wool tights and long-sleeved T-shirt weren’t enough protection from the weather, and I wished I’d kept my coat on. But I forgot all about being cold as I watched Alastair’s face light up at the sight of me. He held his arms out and said, “Hi, love. I’m glad you’re home.”
So was I. I joined him at the railing on the edge of the roof, slipped my arms inside his camel-colored wool overcoat, and nestled against him. Then I actually found myself sighing with contentment as he put his head on my shoulder. All around us, the lights of London were coming on as sunset turned to dusk.
Our home was basically a glass and metal rectangular box on the rooftop of a high-rise apartment building, and the view of London’s skyline was phenomenal. Even Allie had to admit it gave the view from his apartment in San Francisco a run for its money. Basically, that real estate agent who’d been sent off with a wish list had totally nailed it. As soon as Alastair and I saw the pla
ce, we knew we were home. The fact that my boyfriend had always been drawn to rooftops and we now actually lived on one delighted us both to no end.
I kissed him, then ran my thumb over his lower lip as I said, “You’re cold, Allie. How long have you been out here?”
“Half an hour maybe? It rarely snows in London, and it’ll all be gone by the time we return from our holiday, so I wanted to enjoy it.” He tilted his face up and stuck his tongue out to catch a flake, and I chuckled before doing the same. Then he said, “I love that hush when the snow is falling, don’t you? It feels as if all the world is pausing to pay its respects to the wonder of nature.”
“That’s a nice way to put it.”
I kissed him again, deeper that time, and then he smiled at me and said, “I know one way you can warm me up. How much time do we have before Roger arrives to accompany us to the airport?”
“Not long.”
He ran his fingers through my short hair and said, with a mischievous glint in his eye, “In that case, what are your thoughts on joining the mile-high club on our flight to California?”
“Absolutely! But will we have enough privacy on the plane? I don’t want to traumatize Roger.”
“I reserved a plane with private bedrooms, since this is an overnight flight.”
“Perfect. Since we can’t fool around yet, I know what else we can do to warm up.”
He knew what I meant without asking, and played Time After Time from his phone, which we’d officially proclaimed as ‘our song’ at some point. We danced in the snow and took turns leading. Both of us threw in a few awkward but fun dips and spins, which made us laugh. Alastair pulled me close and asked, “Have I told you lately that I adore you?”
“You did, as a matter of fact. You texted me twice while I was finishing my Christmas shopping, then video-chatted with me when I was on my way home and told me twice more. My driver Lenny thinks we’re a couple saps. He told me to tell you that.”
“Lenny’s a fine one to talk. I’ve heard stories fromwhen he was courting his wife. Ask him sometime about the Michael Bublé flash mob he organized to try to impress her.”
I burst out laughing. “Tell me you’re kidding.” He shook his head, and I said, “That’s awesome.”
Roger let himself into our apartment just then with his key and called, “Are you both decent? Please say yes. I’d love to make it through today without an encore performance of the Bonny Barebottom show.” He didn’t knock, because he was family, and normally that was no problem, because he always let us know when he was on his way over. But the week before, I’d forgotten he was dropping by and completely mooned him, because I’d been cooking in just an apron.
We went inside and locked the door behind us as I said, “Yup, all dressed and ready to go. Did you say goodbye to your mum?”
“I did, and I promised yet again that we’d all be home for Christmas dinner. But right now, we need to get our arses out of this flat and onto a plane. Come on, then.”
“Well, someone’s certainly eager to get to San Francisco,” I said as I swapped my sneakers for my hooker boots. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain beautiful brunet who happens to be living in Alastair’s apartment, now would it?”
“What? No, of course not.” Roger looked flustered, which I thought was cute.
“I told Gabriel you’re coming, Ro, and he’s excited to see you.”
Roger stared at me with wide eyes, then spun on his heel and said, “Just come on. You’re keeping your driver and the usual contingent of paparazzi waiting. Of course, the latter can stand out in the snow and freeze their todgers off for all I care.”
I put on my coat and applied some red lipstick, then said, “Show time,” as I turned to Alastair and took his hand. It was annoying that we were followed around and photographed, but the paparazzi’s numbers had been dwindling steadily over the last few months. It was just a matter of time before we became old news, so we were just waiting it out.
*****
A couple hours later, Alastair and I were stretched out naked in bed. Our small but fully appointed bedroom had reached cruising altitude at just about the same time that we inaugurated each other into the mile-high club. As he caressed my thigh, I ran my gaze down his beautiful, naked body and said, “The last time I was on a transatlantic flight, it was that redeye to London. I was crammed into an inhumane seat and hoping you’d be happy to see me. That feels like a lifetime ago.”
“You had to know I’d be thrilled to see you. You give my life meaning, Sawyer. It might have looked like I had everything before, but that wasn’t even remotely true. None of it mattered, not until you came along and I got to share it with you.”
I grinned at him and said, as I gently ran my thumb along his jaw, “I think the holidays are making you sentimental.”
“Oh they are, no doubt about it. Our first Christmas together! I haven’t been this excited for the holiday since I was a child. No, scratch that. I’ve never been this excited. I know for a fact this one will be magical.”
I grinned as I thought about the dozen beautifully wrapped Dunford Racers hidden away back in our apartment, one for each of the twelve days of Christmas. I could hardly wait to give them to him, along with the probably overdone pile of other treasures I’d been buying and stashing for the last month. For a man who had everything, Alastair was remarkably easy to shop for, probably because I knew him better than I’d ever known anyone.
He pulled a blanket over both of us and settled into my arms. I breathed in his clean scent, and listened to the low, steady hum of the jet engines, and after a few minutes, I whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving me, and sharing your life with me, and always treating me like I’m something special. You make me feel cherished, every day. I had no idea what that felt like before you came along.” I added, “I guess I’m getting sentimental, too. I’m going to blame it on the season.” Alastair pulled me even closer.
*****
The fact that Sherry’s and my dad’s duplex was all one color had to be progress. They’d painted it a crisp white with purple trim, a compromise of sorts, and pots of pansies and violas graced both sides of the wide staircase. Three months earlier, Dad and Sherry had begun dating. They were proceeding slowly, cautiously, and still lived on their own sides of the house, but I had high hopes for them.
“Well, isn’t this fancy,” Sherry said as she hoisted up her long, pink dress and climbed into the back of the limo. She then leaned over, kissed my cheek and said, “I’m so happy to see you, sweetie. You, too, Alastair.” I’d introduced them over Skype at one point, and the two had bonded instantly.
Once my father climbed in the limo, I did a round of introductions. Gabriel and Roger were seated beside Allie and me and kept shooting shy smiles at one another. Dad dropped onto the bench seat across from us, looked around and said, “A limo? So, I guess you’re a big shot now.”
“He is, as a matter of fact,” Gabriel chimed in. “Sawyer’s business is booming, and he just opened his own coffee roasting facility in London. Now he’s looking for a place so he can open a second location here in San Francisco. Just watch, Sawyer MacNeil Coffees is going to become the next Starbucks!”
“Seriously not the goal,” I told him as Alastair draped his arm around my shoulders and the limo rolled forward.
Sherry put her beaded purse on her lap and picked up my father’s hand. “I think it’s fantastic, both your success with the coffee business and that you were nice enough to rent us a limo. I haven’t been in one of these since senior prom. There are some stories from that night, don’t ya know! We’ll just save those for another time, though.”
I was pleasantly surprised when my dad cracked a smile at that. It was also nice that he didn’t feel the need to say anything about the fact that I was wearing lipstick and spike heels with my tux. I’d given him a heads-up about the way I was dressing these days, and all he’d said was, “Nothing yo
u do surprises me anymore.” I’d almost come back with, “Challenge accepted,” but instead, I’d decided to just be mature about it.
When we pulled up to the firehouse a few minutes later, Allie smiled and said, “Will you look at that! The place looks grand! Now if only we could cut through all that red tape and actually let the kids move in here.”
The licensing process was still dragging on, despite everyone’s best efforts to get the shelter doors open. In the meantime, Nana Dombruso had begun finding homeless LGBT+ teens around the city and letting them live in her house. I admired her dedication.
She and Alastair had decided to host a big holiday party at the firehouse, since it wasn’t being used for anything while the paperwork was going through. The place was decked out in a riot of Christmas lights, with big wreaths on the red bay doors. Nana was dressed like an elf, complete with a tall, pointy hat and even pointier ears, and she grabbed Alastair and me in a slightly choking hug when we got out of the limo. “It’s been too long! I hear you’re going to start jet-setting back and forth between here and the UK though, and that’s fantastic news! I don’t like going too long without seeing my boys,” she said. When she finally let us out of the headlock, she took a good look at us, then proclaimed, “Being in love certainly agrees with you. You both look fabulous!”
I said, “So do you, Nana.”
“I know. Now come on inside,” she said. “There are a hell of a lot of people waiting to see you! We also got River catering the shindig for us, and Ash the DJ is laying down some sick beats. Let’s party!”
We barely made it through the door before Kai nearly tackled me in a hug. Jessie and Izzy took turns next. The little girl was decked out in the most recent princess dress I’d sent her, and she looked radiant. “I’m so happy to see you, Izzy,” I told her. “I see you opened your Christmas present already.”