Something Blue

by Sean Ashcroft

  “Yeah,” Max agreed, his head still light from the sheer force of his orgasm. He’d never felt this wrung out, this utterly spent in his life.

  He was looking forward to getting used to it, though. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this relaxed.

  “I don’t think I can stand to get cleaned up,” Connor said.

  “Me neither,” Max admitted, glad he wasn’t alone in not being able to trust most of his muscles right now.

  “Shower later,” Connor said, his tone surprisingly decisive. “Cuddles now.”

  Max chuckled at that, groaning as he forced himself to move his arm so he could wrap it around Connor.

  The blanket just beyond Connor’s shoulder looked tempting, but he couldn’t be bothered reaching out for it. He’d wait until the sweat cooled on his skin, and then make the effort to tuck them in.

  Maybe. If he hadn’t fallen asleep by then.

  “Hey,” Connor said softly after another few moments. “I was thinking… once Zoe’s recovered and things have settled down… I’d like it if you moved in here. With me.”

  Max had to pause to process what Connor was saying. He wanted Max to move in? Here? With him?

  Max hadn’t realized how much he wanted that until now. His stomach did a somersault at the thought, nerves and excitement making his heart beat faster.

  “I know she comes first,” Connor said. “But I’ll settle for second.”

  Max shook his head. “Equal first,” he murmured. “I love you. I love you more than I even knew I could love anyone. You’ve more than earned your place in my heart.”

  Connor was silent for a moment, long enough that Max started to worry that he’d said the wrong thing.

  “Equal first,” he repeated softly. “I’m honored.”

  Max hummed, finally summoning the motivation to grab the blanket and pull it over both of them. He was right on the edge of sleep, but the excitement of having Connor in his arms, asking him to move in, was keeping him awake.

  “Oh, and, uh… I’d like that. To move in here,” he said, realizing he’d never actually given an answer. “As soon as I can.”

  Connor raised his head from where he’d been resting it against Max’s chest, his eyes shining with tears. Happy tears, though.

  “Good,” he said. “Because I’m never losing you again.”

  “Ditto,” Max said, tilting his head to brush his lips against Connor’s.

  For the first time in a long time, he felt like everything was going to be okay.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “This smells amazing, Mrs. Evans,” Connor said as Max’s mother brought an aromatic dish over to the table and set it in front of him and Max, going back to grab the other two plates.

  “Thank you,” she said. “And you call me Sarah, okay? Or mom. You’re family now.”

  “I like mom,” Connor hazarded. “If that’s okay?”

  Sarah grinned at him. “It’s perfect. I haven’t had the energy to make butter chicken in a long time, so I hope it’s good.”

  “It’s gonna be great, mom,” Max said, smiling across the table at Connor.

  Zoe had insisted on sitting next to him, but that worked just fine for Connor. He could still nudge Max’s feet under the table, and he didn’t want more than that at a family dinner.

  He hadn’t had a family dinner in a long, long time.

  “You really shouldn’t have gone to so much effort,” Connor said. “I would have been thrilled with a frozen pizza or something.”

  “Oh no,” Sarah said, smiling at him. “Max has told me you’re quite the cook, so I wasn’t going to embarrass myself in front of you. Besides, this is about thanking you for helping us all get our lives back.”

  Connor blushed, looking down at his plate. It really did smell good, and he couldn’t wait for the steam to clear so he could get started.

  Max obviously didn’t feel the need to wait, judging by the way he was separating a piece of chicken out with his fork.

  “You don’t need to thank me,” Connor said. “I got a pretty good deal out of this.”

  This time, Max blushed.

  “And that’s the other reason you’re here,” Sarah said, finally sitting down. “I want to know your intentions toward my son.”

  Connor looked up at Max. “I was planning on loving him with all of my heart.”

  Max glanced up at Connor, his face glowing red, but a smile turning up the corner of his lips.

  “Are you guys getting married for real?” Zoe asked.

  Max’s eyes widened as he turned to stare at her, horror written all over his face.

  Connor chuckled.

  “Can I come to the wedding this time?” Zoe continued, apparently not caring how much she was embarrassing her brother.

  Connor understood that was more or less how little sisters were supposed to be. He liked Zoe already, and he felt at ease in Max’s home.

  Max’s mom had insisted they all sit down to eat before Max moved out, probably to assess whether or not Connor was suitable for her son.

  Connor didn’t think he was half the man Max deserved, but no one could love him more than Connor did. Every single time he saw him, the whole rest of the world melted away. He felt a little more in love with Max every day.

  None of those were things he planned on saying at the dinner table. Max was still getting used to being shown affection in public, and Connor was happy to ease him into it.

  And to whisper those things into his ear in bed, listening to Max gasp and sigh and moan in response.

  “If we get married for real,” Max said between bites of his food, “you can be my best man. Or like… best woman, I guess. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Zoe agreed enthusiastically. “So when is this happening?”

  Connor laughed, thrilled by Zoe’s easy acceptance of him.

  He wanted to marry Max. He already knew that, and was already planning the perfect wedding for the two of them in his head.

  But not now. Not until things settled down, until Max had a chance to live his life on his own terms. He deserved the space to grow into himself, and Connor couldn’t wait to watch that.

  And to be there for him every step of the way.

  “Has Max told you guys he applied for college?” Connor asked, figuring it was about time he changed the subject.

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “No,” she said, turning to look at Max. “When was this?”

  “I might not get in,” Max said. “It’s been a while since I dropped out.”

  “It was last week. I stood over him while he did it,” Connor said.

  “Is this for teaching?” his mom asked.

  Max nodded, a blush creeping down his neck.

  “You always wanted to be a teacher,” his mom said, joy in her voice.

  Connor got the impression that this whole family hadn’t really known happiness in a long time. He felt honored to see them piecing their lives back together. To be part of it.

  He loved Max, and he loved Max’s family, and the idea that one day he might get to be counted among it was exciting.

  “You’ll get in,” Connor said. “Your application letter was perfect. And you already got in once, so…”

  “They’ll be thrilled to have you back,” his mom said. “I’m so proud of you,” she added, setting her fork down to hug Max tightly around the shoulders.

  Max leaned into the hug, but looked up at Connor. Connor winked at him, which only made him blush more.

  Max was adorable, and Connor planned on spending the rest of his life enjoying that.

  “I’m already mentally working on my outfit for your graduation,” Connor teased. “I believe in you.”

  “Thank you,” Max said softly. “All of you. For… for being my family.”

  Connor’s eyes widened.

  “You’re definitely family,” Max’s mom said, apparently noticing Connor’s shock. “You’ve more than earned your place at this table. And I’m expecting to see you at
it more often, now that Max is moving out. I’ll let you have my baby, but I still want to see him from time to time.”

  “You’re still gonna see me all the time,” Max said. “We’re gonna live a ten-minute walk away from each other.”

  “And you’re all always welcome to come over,” Connor added, still recovering from the shock of being so easily folded into Max’s family.

  He’d moved to Hope Springs with his tail between his legs, but it had turned out to be the magical place the name implied. Everything he’d ever wanted, he’d found here.

  “Yeah, you just gotta find somewhere to sit among all the DIY projects,” Max joked.

  Connor was quietly planning to find somewhere with two bedrooms, so he and Max could have an office-slash-craft room, but that was in the future. Right now, he had Max, and Max was happy.

  He couldn’t ask for anything more.

  “I’ll always clear a space for family,” Connor said. “Even Max.”

  Max snorted, nudging Connor’s foot under the table. “I love you, too.”

  Connor grinned, spearing a piece of chicken with his fork. “Feeling’s mutual.”

  Epilogue

  One year later...

  “You two ready to do this for real?” Riley asked, standing in front of them.

  Max grinned at him, thrilled that he’d stepped up to volunteer for this. His and Connor’s wedding business was booming, and he’d been so excited when Connor floated the idea of getting him ordained so he could be a real celebrant.

  He’d saved his first real wedding for Connor and Max, and Max had never felt more honored.

  “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” Connor said, taking Max’s hands.

  “You ready?” Max asked Zoe, who was standing beside them.

  She tugged nervously on the hem of the sharp blazer she’d picked out, but grinned broadly at both of them. Max had watched her change so much over the past year that he could barely keep up, but they were all good changes. She was happy. She’d started back at school. She had friends, and dreams, and ambitions, and all the things he’d wanted for her.

  “Awesome,” he grinned back at her, then turned to Riley. “I think we’re ready.”

  Riley cleared his throat.

  “Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today to experience a wicked case of de ja vu,” he said, beaming at the crowd. “I know you’re all thinking hey, didn’t we do this around this time last year? In this same barn, with at least some of these same decorations? And we did, but this time, it’s for real. So I’d like to invite you to start tearing up before I do while Max and Connor exchange vows. Again.”

  Max laughed. He didn’t want this to be super serious. One serious wedding was enough to last him a lifetime.

  He just wanted to promise to love Connor forever, whatever happened.

  “Well, I guess Connor remembers everything I said last time, and that all still holds true. But since then, I’ve fallen in love with a man who’s kind, and determined, who’s never let me down, who’s always there to pick me up when I fall, and who loves me, all the time, unconditionally. I’ve never met anyone like him, and I don’t think I ever will. And all I want to promise him today is to return the favor, and to be the best husband I can be, and love him forever. We’re lucky we found each other, and I’m never letting that go,” Max said, tears stinging at his eyes.

  “Oh no, don’t cry,” Connor said. “You’ll make me cry, and then everyone else cry…”

  “Too late.” Max sniffed. “I love you. I’ll always love you.”

  Max watched tears well up in Connor’s eyes too. He let go of one hand, wiping them away with his sleeve before grabbing Max’s hand again and squeezing it tight.

  “You’re the man I dreamed of before I even dared to hope you might be real,” he said. “Your love is wide and deep, and I’m really glad you let me bask in it the way you do. I’ve never been happier than I am when you’re around. I never want you to doubt that I’ll always be there for you, that my whole world lights up when you’re around, that I don’t ever want to spend another day without knowing that you’ll be there, by my side. Like you said, I’ll always love you. That’s all I have to give, but I hope it’s enough.”

  “It is,” Max said softly.

  Riley cleared his throat again. “Okay,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Wow, this celebrant thing is hard. I’m gonna cry every time.”

  Connor chuckled, which set Max and the rest of the crowd off as well.

  There was so much joy and love in the room that Max almost felt like he could have bottled it.

  He didn’t need to, though. Connor was an endless source of joy and love. Max would never need more of either again.

  As long as he had Connor, he couldn’t have been happier.

  “Oh, and I'm not forgetting the rings this time,” Riley said. “They never took them off, which I think you’ll all agree is disgustingly cute.”

  Max looked down at the matching rings he and Connor were wearing.

  They’d known in their hearts that this was forever a long time ago. They were just making it formal now.

  “You can kiss whenever you want,” Riley said. “You are officially—for real this time—married.”

  Max grinned at Connor, pulling him in for a kiss. Their noses bumped together, and he almost missed Connor’s lips entirely at first, but it was easily the best kiss of his life.

  He closed his eyes, letting the familiar warmth and scent of Connor wash over him, happiness welling up in the pit of his stomach.

  This was the happy ending they both deserved.

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  a letter from sean

  Hello! Now that you're at the end of the book, I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it! If you did, would you mind taking a moment to leave a review on Amazon? It really does make a difference ♥

  Something Blue caps off the Something About Him series, which has been wonderful to write and share with you. I've well and truly fallen in love with Connor and Max, two souls who really need each other, and really hope you have as well.

  Love,

  Sean

  P.S. - want sneak peeks and exclusive previews while hanging out with other book lovers? Come pull up a cushion in Sean's Blanket Fort and we'll break out the hot chocolate and little marshmallows!

  Just want new release updates? Try my Facebook Page, or follow my author page on Amazon.

  Enjoyed this book? Read the rest of the series!

  Something New is the story of best friends Declan and Ash getting married to fulfill the conditions Declan's uncle's will to inherit an old bookstore in Hope Springs. Declan never expected to find himself falling in love with his best friend, but as they spend more and more time together, his feelings begin to shift...

  Something Borrowed is the story of Rusty discovering that his drunken marriage to a practical stranger years ago is now fully legal in his home country of Australia. He heads to the US to seek out Blake and gets himself talked into playing the part of his husband for a family wedding--only to realise that the sparks that attracted him to Blake in the first place are still there.

  Something Blue is the story of Max and Connor faking a relationship in the hopes of winning a wedding competition. Connor needs the win to repair his reputation as a wedding planner, and Max is desperate to find the money to help his sick sister get surgery she desperately needs. But could a fake relationship lead to real feelings?

  Or try the Family Jules series, also set in Hope Springs!

  Drawn In is the story of Owen and Jude, their all-too-real fake marriage, their baby daughter, and Owen's long-overdue return to Hope Springs.

  Checked Out is the story of Charlie and Scott (and Scott's dogs). Scott starts out as the latest i
n a string of straight boys Charlie finds himself crushing hard on, but as their friendship develops, so do their feelings.

  Stood Up is the story of Riley and Brent. When Brent finds himself left at the altar, he turns to his best friend, Riley, to help him pick up the pieces. Then, they kiss.