He found Ash in the kitchen, staring out the window.
“Look,” Ash said, moving aside so Declan could stand next to him. “Look at this view.”
Declan paused to look out, taking in the mountains, the tree line, the slowly-lifting mist, the miles and miles of open land.
It was beautiful. Awesome, in the truest sense of the word. Declan wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything quite like it.
Definitely not from his apartment in Denver. The view there was nice, but it was of a cityscape. Not unspoiled wilderness.
“Not bad,” Declan said softly. He could have used a chance to stand and stare out at the landscape, but the letter he’d been handed was weighing heavy in his hand. He’d come all the way out here to read it, after all.
Well, and to look at the store. Which was a lot nicer than he’d been imagining.
Declan pulled one of the chairs out at the table, setting the papers he’d been handed aside and focusing on the letter. He didn’t recognize the handwriting, but then, he wouldn’t have. Great uncle Marv had never sent him so much as a Christmas card before.
The envelope was still sealed, leaving Declan to tear the flap open awkwardly.
This would, hopefully, explain everything. For the moment, it was the most important thing in Declan’s world.
Declan, it started, not unexpectedly.
You probably think I’m a crazy old bastard now, leaving you a bookstore in the middle of nowhere that you can’t get your hands on until you get married. Darren thought I was, too, when I told him this was what I wanted to do.
He died last week, so that left me thinking it was about time I put my wishes down in writing.
You didn’t know me well, but I know you. You’re lost, trying to find your place in the world, unsure of what you should be doing with your life. If that doesn’t sound true, then ignore me and sell the store.
If it does, then I’d ask you to give it a try. Hope Springs is kind to people, and it could be kind to you, too.
The marriage clause is there to help you, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. You’ll understand, in time. I know you will.
If I learned anything in ninety-odd years of living, it’s that you grab the people most important to you and hold onto them with both hands.
You won’t read this until after I’m dead, and that’s a shame. I would have liked to know you better. Everything I hear about you reminds me of myself.
Have a good life, son. You only get one shot at it.
Marv
Declan paused, staring at the letter.
It didn’t explain a single thing. Not any of the things he’d wanted it to explain, anyway. Like why him, or why he needed to be married.
Just that he’d get it someday.
He felt like a kid again, being told he’d understand when he was older. How much older did he need to be?
Marv was right about one thing. Declan did think he was a crazy old bastard.
By the time Declan looked up, Ash had disappeared.
“I found the storeroom!” Ash called at that moment, from somewhere else in the upstairs space. Declan followed the sound of piles of books being rearranged to what looked like it had once been a bedroom.
Except that there were books everywhere. It would have taken a hundred years to sort through them, boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling and piles of books scattered all over the place, just a narrow, clear path in and out of the center of the room.
Ash was looking around like he was in a dragon’s cave, his eyes sparkling at the untold riches surrounding him.
Marv had been right about one other thing. Declan did feel lost. Like he didn’t have a whole lot of purpose, like he didn’t know where he wanted to end up in life.
When he’d first heard he’d inherited something, he’d thought for a second that it could be his big break, a way of changing his life.
He’d been disappointed when he realized that he couldn’t get his hands on it, but…
Maybe there was a way.
Maybe this didn’t have to be a door that had slammed shut in his face. Maybe it could be good for him, like Marv had said.
It clearly wasn’t what he intended, but for Declan… it could work.
“It’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Ash said. “I could spend a lot of happy hours going through these.”
Declan smiled at that. This would have been a dream come true for Ash.
And he had already suggested what Declan was thinking.
If great uncle Marv wanted Declan to be married…
“Hey, uh…” Declan scratched the back of his neck, suddenly nervous. “Last night, you said, umm… you said…”
Why was this so hard? He was just reminding Ash of an offer he’d already made.
It was still a lot to ask. Besides, Ash had been making the offer so Declan could sell the place and move on.
Now that he’d seen it, though, he didn’t want to move on. He wanted this. Maybe Marv was nuts, maybe this whole thing was ridiculous, but something about it spoke to him.
It had landed in his lap when he’d needed it most. That had to mean something.
Even if it didn’t actually mean anything, Declan wanted it to.
He wanted to believe that he could change his life. That he wasn’t stuck being an underappreciated corporate drone forever.
He wanted that for Ash, too. Ash deserved better.
In the time it had taken Declan to work up the courage to say what he wanted to, Ash had turned around to look at him. He wasn’t staring, exactly, but Declan could feel that all of his attention had shifted from the excitement of all the books to whatever Declan had been about to say.
That was a lot of pressure.
“We could get married,” Declan said. “Not… not just to sell the place. What if we ran it? Together, I mean. I couldn’t do this by myself, but you love this kinda thing. And I could pay you. I think. I mean, we could definitely live here and I promise you won’t go hungry or anything. Tell me if this is stupid.”
“Oh, it’s stupid,” Ash said.
Declan’s heart sank. He’d already been picturing running the store with Ash in his mind, surrounded by old books. He didn’t know much about retail, but there was probably room for a coffee machine in the front, and who didn’t love a good bookstore cafe?
“Right, yeah.” Declan nodded. “Of course it is.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want to do it,” Ash said, raising an eyebrow. “It’d be a lot of work, even running a small store like this. And we’d have to move out here.”
Declan wet his lips. “Sure, yeah, I know, but… is there anything either of us really cares about in Denver? And since when are we afraid of a little work? You’re practically running a three-floor big city bookstore by yourself. You can handle this. And I’ll try not to be useless.”
“You’re not useless,” Ash said. “And you’re not wrong, either. And I would like a chance to sort through all of these books. We could modernize. I always had big plans for how I’d personally run a used bookstore…”
A smile spread over Declan’s lips, excitement at the thought of running away with Ash swelling in his chest. “We could totally do this. And it doesn’t have to be forever, if it doesn’t work out. But this could be another adventure. A bigger one. This could be the chance to change our lives.”
“Well, when you put it like that…” Ash trailed off, one corner of his lips turning up. He was clearly trying not to smile, but Declan could see that he was excited, too.
“Marv reminded me that you only get one shot. At life, I mean. Why shouldn’t we take a chance when something like this just landed in our laps?”
“Okay,” Ash said. “I’ll enter into a sham marriage with you for thirty days, as required by your great uncle’s will.”
“Did you want me to get down on one knee?” Declan asked.
“I don’t think you’d ever be able to get back up in here,” Ash said, looking around again. �
�Let’s not and say we did.”
“Works for me.” Declan grinned at him. “I need to go talk to a lawyer.”
Chapter Eight
“And do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Ash looked between Declan and the judge who was marrying them, surprised by how painless this entire process had been.
“I do,” he said.
“Then by the power vested in me by the great state of Colorado, I now pronounce you married,” she said.
Ash looked back to Declan, and his stomach dropped as he realized that everyone present was expecting a kiss.
He’d managed to convince Simone to give up her lunch break to witness the ceremony, since he hadn’t had anyone else who was willing to do it. He was buying her lunch in exchange and covering her shift.
She probably would have done it for a coffee. Ash had over-offered to begin with, desperate to find someone to help him out.
It’d really highlighted how few friends he had.
Moving away from Denver wasn’t going to hurt him at all. He really didn’t have anything here to stay for, except Declan. Since Declan was coming with him…
He was a lot more excited than nervous about the chance for a fresh start.
Declan cleared his throat, snapping Ash out of the train of thought he’d been rolling away on.
Right.
They needed to kiss, and the pause was already unnecessarily long.
“Oh,” Ash said, leaning in.
Declan was obviously not about to initiate this, which was fine. It was just a formality.
Ash’s stomach still swooped the moment their lips connected. It was a brief, dry kiss, the barest brush of his lips against Declan’s, but Ash could still smell Declan’s aftershave, feel the stubble on his face scratching against Ash’s own where their skin made contact. All the best parts of a kiss were still there.
He’d wanted to kiss Declan a thousand times since he’d met him. Now it’d finally happened, and they were both faking.
Ash wasn’t surprised, honestly. That was kind of how his life always went.
“Sorry about that,” Declan murmured as they walked over to sign the necessary papers.
“I expected you to be a better kisser,” Ash joked, trying to pretend to both himself and Declan that he didn’t care, that it hadn’t meant anything to him.
Anything more than a chance to change both of their lives, anyway.
“I’m a good kisser,” Declan said. “Or, well… I’ve never had any complaints.”
Ash chuckled at that. He was sure Declan was perfectly adequate in the kissing department.
He really didn’t need to think about that right now, though. He was already blushing from the slightest peck on the lips. He could easily have given himself away.
That would have ruined everything. Declan was only comfortable doing this because he didn’t think Ash had anything other than strictly platonic feelings toward him.
And Ash had no intention of letting him know otherwise.
He still got a tiny thrill out of signing the papers. Even knowing it was temporary, he could still dream.
Not that he necessarily wanted to marry Declan. He would have liked to fall into bed with him just once, though.
Or at least, he would have liked to do that in a world where it wouldn’t irreparably damage their friendship.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Declan said as he finished up the paperwork. “How do you feel about being the new Mr. Cooper?”
Ash wrinkled his nose. “I feel like I’m keeping my own name,” he said. “No offense.”
“It’s not much of a name,” Declan admitted. “Though I’m betting it carries a little more weight in Hope Springs.”
“Maybe,” Ash allowed. Small towns often loved their bookstores, that much he knew. He was looking forward to the chance to find out what it was like to live there, though he wasn’t letting himself get his hopes up.
Declan would find someone else soon enough once he was happier with his life, and that would mean that it was time for Ash to gracefully exit the picture.
Still, he intended to make the most of it while it lasted.
Chapter Nine
“You know, I was too nervous to sleep much last night, but now I’m really glad we’re doing this,” Declan said, helping Ash with one of the boxes he had packed to move out of his apartment. “And that we didn’t have to wait the entire thirty days before moving in.”
“I think your uncle’s lawyer wants you running the place. It probably makes her job easier if she doesn’t have to oversee a trust.”
That sounded reasonable, and it did explain a lot. With the conditions of the will fulfilled, Sue could file it away and never worry about it again.
That was probably why she’d wanted Declan to come out and see the place, too. Who could resist a chocolate-box bookstore in a picturesque small town?
Declan’s research had confirmed what he already knew—Hope Springs was a gay tourism destination, with thousands of people coming for every year for pride week and camping out on a few farms and ranches that only charged a gold coin donation for the privilege.
The whole thing sounded like fun, actually. If Declan had been five years younger and gay, he could’ve gotten into something like that.
At least Ash was guaranteed to have a good time. And Declan…
Well, he was getting a fresh start. With Ash.
Who was really the only person he cared about in Denver, so… that was that. He was taking everything he needed with him.
“Yeah, well,” Declan said as headed out to the car. It was lucky he owned a mid-sized sedan and neither of them were taking any furniture, or they would have needed removalists for this. “I think we’re making the right decision, anyway. That’s my point.”
“If I didn’t think we were making the right decision, we wouldn’t have come this far,” Ash said.
“So it doesn’t sound stupid anymore?” Declan asked.
“This is still not the smartest thing we’ve ever done.” Ash set down his box to open the trunk. “In the traditional sense, anyway. Smart people get themselves nice, stable jobs that they don’t completely hate and settle down with a nice partner, or a cat, and just… live their lives. But that’s boring.”
Declan had always thought of himself as pretty boring. He liked pizza, and beer, and watching TV with his best friend.
What Ash was describing was a different kind of boring. “This is your dream, huh? A bookstore, I mean.”
“A second-hand bookstore,” Ash corrected. “And yeah, it is. I’m not going to pretend I’m not thrilled.”
“Putting up with me all these years worked out, huh?” Declan shoved a box aside to fit the one he was carrying in, and Ash set his own, smaller one down beside it.
“I’ve never been putting up with you. If anything, you’ve been putting up with me. How many times have you found me in your apartment eating ice cream straight out of the tub?”
Declan didn’t know the answer to that. He’d lost count after three?
“Sure, but how many times have you sat with me while I stayed up all night finishing a proposal?”
That was a lot more than three. At one point, Ash had stayed over most weekends to keep Declan company while he swore and sometimes cried his way through work other people should have been doing.
Ash was a good friend. Declan had been leaning hard on him the last few years.
He absolutely deserved the benefit of Declan’s windfall.
“That’s what friends are for,” Ash said. “I wouldn’t do this with anyone but you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Declan said, blushing. “How many more boxes?”
“Just the one. I’ll grab it and then drop my keys in the mailbox,” Ash said, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “I’m so tired.”
“Me too,” Declan said. “We can still make this trip over two days, if you want. Stop halfway there.”
Ash shook his head. “No. This is the first day of the rest of our lives. But I will split the driving with you this time, if you can handle that.”
“I’ll nap through it,” Declan said, relieved that he wasn’t going to have to drive for four solid hours if he didn’t want to. Even if Ash only did the parts that weren’t around a mountain, it’d make a big difference.
“How bad can it possibly be if you can nap through it?” Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
Declan didn’t have a response to that. Ash’s driving wasn’t really that bad, he just looked at all speed limits as loose guidelines.
He didn’t even own a car, which might actually have explained that. Ash had never driven often, as far as Declan knew.
If they were about to live in the middle of nowhere, maybe his driving would improve.
“You know what?” Declan said. “I’m gonna let you have that. It’s not that bad. Besides, I trust you.”
“Famous last words,” Ash said wryly, heading back inside.
“I doubt it,” Declan responded, watching him go.
Yeah. A brand new life with Ash wouldn’t be so bad at all.
Chapter Ten
Ash had always enjoyed unpacking box after box of books, but doing it in his own store was ten times better.
Well, his and Declan’s store.
Which was also ten times better. He’d tried to be cool in front of Declan, not wanting to push him into something he wasn’t ready for, but this was probably the most exciting day of his life.
Declan had gone out to talk to the local grocery store about buying coffee in bulk, mumbling something about wanting to be part of the community, and had left Ash alone to stack shelves.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Ash had practically begged him to go, since he’d been hovering.
Mostly, Ash was glad he’d decided to try his hand at running a coffee shop in the front part of the store. Firstly, because the idea of a second-hand bookstore with a coffee shop in it was enough to make Ash grin every time he thought of it.
Secondly, because the last time he remembered seeing Declan happy was back in college, when he’d been behind a coffee machine most days. Ash wanted that back.
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