by Dev Bentham
I gestured to the whole, kitschy expanse of it. “You have to admit this is an impressive place.”
“It’s nice in the sunshine, yes.” Martim nodded toward a café at the Praça’s edge. “Do you want to get a coffee?”
“Not yet.” I took his elbow. “Let’s go sit on the steps of the statue and watch the boats.”
His brow furrowed. “You’re in a strange mood.”
“Humor me.”
He shrugged and let me pull him across the square. A hundred or so tourists milled around us, but given the vastness of the space, we were almost alone. I was relieved to see the steps were empty of the usual clusters of hipsters and tired tourists.
Martim skeptically looked down at the damp step. “Do I have to sit?”
“No. You stand there, I’ll just—” I set a knee on the step and knelt in front of him.
Martim’s eyebrows shot up. He stared down at me wide-eyed while I tried to get out the words I’d been practicing in my head for a week.
“Look, I’m far from perfect, and God knows you could do better, but what do you think?”
His gaze softened. He dropped a hand onto my shoulder. “You are asking me to marry you?”
I nodded. “I don’t have a ring. But I did get the necessary paperwork together.”
“You mean now?” Martim’s brows knit. He paused for a moment and then looked around the square. “This isn’t where they do that anymore.”
“I know that. But it’s more romantic than in front of the actual civil registry building.” I held up my hands. “What do you think? Yes or no? My knee’s getting soaked here.”
He held my hand and looked down into my eyes. “Why do you want to get married? You’re a legal resident now.”
“And if we keep living together, I can apply for citizenship in a few years. I know that. I’m the one who told you.” I grasped his hand. “We were just kids when I fell in love with you. Now you’ve grown into the man I always knew you could be. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever known. And the strongest. You’re everything anyone could want in a life partner. I was a miserable fool for years without you. I don’t ever want to lose you again.”
“Oh, querido,” Martim gracefully dropped to his knees. He held my hand with both of his and kissed my fingers. “I have always loved you.”
A group of middle-aged tourists stopped to stare at us, but I didn’t care. I was too entranced by the look on Martim’s face. “That’s a yes?”
He nodded. “Sim. Of course. When, how?”
“If we do it here in Lisbon, it will take a while to organize. But we could take off, head to Granada, and get married in a few days.” I stood, pulling him up with me. “Evidently they do a brisk business in destination weddings.”
“Tia Bel would kill us if she couldn’t be there.” He smiled. “It’s too bad we can’t get married today. She already baked a cake.”
I held on to his hands. If there was ever a time when it was appropriate to make a scene, this was it. “Whenever, however you want to do it, that’s fine with me. Maybe on a Monday before the season begins.”
“Very specific.” He cocked his head. “Monday is your lucky day?”
I shook my head. “Weekends are too busy, and I’m looking forward to the honeymoon.”
“Ah. Maybe we can start with that.” He licked his lips. “Tonight.”
“Oh yeah.” If we kept this up, we’d end up giving the tourists their money’s worth.
“Let’s go.” Martim kept my hand firmly in his as he turned back toward home. “We need to tell Tia Bel the good news.”
As I followed him, I couldn’t stop smiling. A barge whistle blew on the river. The buildings sparkled in the sunshine. Lisbon pulsed with activity. No one seemed to care that I walked hand in hand through busy downtown streets with the man I loved. I inhaled deeply. Even though I was a long way from where I was born, I’d finally come home.
More from Dev Bentham
Money can’t buy happiness. Jacob Nussbaum knows this better than anyone. He’s a corporate lawyer deep inside a huge New York firm, where he works overtime, sacrifices any chance at a personal life, and has been selling his soul for years. With a secretary as his only friend, he trudges on, until his whole world is blown apart by a manila envelope of photos—evidence that one of the firm’s partners is the dirtiest lawyer in one hell of a filthy business.
In search of the truth, Jacob travels to a small northern Wisconsin fishing resort. There he meets Ben Anderson, a brutally lonely man, who knocks him off his feet. Ben prompts Jacob to reevaluate his life. He’s a dozen years older than Jacob, still recovering from the death of his long time love, and doesn’t want to leave anyone a widower. But a jaded New Yorker on a soul-searching mission might be just the man to convince the grieving Ben that it’s never too late to begin again.
DEV BENTHAM lives in Northern Wisconsin with her Boston terrier and Chicago sweetie. She has published short stories, poetry, newspaper articles, and academic papers. She’s worked in nearly every profession from waitress to professor to open-water diver and now writes m/m romance out of an intense fascination with love, courage, and gender.
Her characters are flawed and damaged adult men who may not even know what they’re looking for, but when they meet their bershert, their true love, their lives are transformed. Her stories are set in the real world where gay men have gay friends, families who do or don’t accept them, personal histories they’re not necessarily proud of, and a myriad of experiences that have made them who they are.
Website: www.devbentham.com
Twitter @DevBentham
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dev.bentham
E-mail: [email protected]
By Dev Bentham
Buyout – A Love Story
One Pulse (Dreamspinner Anthology)
Whistle Blower
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Buyout – A Love Story
© 2017 Dev Bentham.
Cover Art
© 2017 Catt Ford.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-302-2
Published February 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America