Just Chance

by Dillon Hunter

  “Trust me,” Hawk said, giving him a hot look. “We’re definitely gonna have to pick back up where we left off once I get you all to myself again.”

  Frankie’s breath hitched at the promise—Hawk never broke his promises—and he did his best to straighten his shirt and jacket while willing his insistent erection to subside. Frankie might not know where Hawk was taking him, but he was one hundred percent sure that he didn’t want to have a hard-on when they got there.

  Of course, he could think of a fantastic way to get rid of his hard-on before they—

  “Are you ready, baby?” Hawk asked as the limo slid to a stop and ruined Frankie’s little fantasy. “We’re here.”

  Frankie nodded his head even though he still didn’t know what he was saying he was ready for, but then a smile spread across his face when he looked out the tinted windows and saw that they were pulling into the cute little Italian restaurant where he and Hawk had gone on their first “real” date. Oh, Lord, the man was so sweet. That date felt like a lifetime ago, and as close as he felt to Hawk now, it seemed almost impossible that it had only been a little less than a year since the first time they’d met.

  Impossible… but true. A dream come true.

  “I love you,” he said spontaneously, whipping around in his seat to face Hawk again.

  “I love you, too,” Hawk said, the heated look that had been in his eyes during the limo ride replaced with something sweeter. Something that looked a lot like forever. “There will probably be some photographers outside, but we’re not going to stop and talk to them,” he added, taking Frankie’s hand and squeezing it—no doubt remembering the last time they’d been surrounded by paparazzi in that same parking lot, and how overwhelming it had been for Frankie. “We’ll just go straight inside, okay?”

  “Okay.” Frankie smiled. He wasn’t worried. Not with Hawk there by his side, holding his hand, filling his heart. There was nothing in the world that could’ve spoiled Frankie’s mood in that moment.

  They waited for the driver to come around and open the door for them, and Hawk got out first before reaching back inside the car to help Frankie to his feet. And, just as Hawk had predicted, flashbulbs immediately started going off as soon as Frankie stepped out of the limo. The crowd included at least a dozen photographers, and every single one of them started shouting questions, closing in from every direction.

  It was a little overwhelming, but Frankie clutched Hawk’s hand tight and managed to smile through the chaos anyway, drawing strength from the fact that the circus didn’t seem to be fazing Hawk in the least. It also helped that there were thick velvet ropes lining the path that led from the car to the front door of the restaurant. The symbolic barriers would’ve looked a lot more appropriate outside a trendy nightclub than in front of the little brick building in downtown Bridgewater, but Frankie was still thankful for the small amount of distance they provided from the paparazzi.

  The moment they stepped inside the restaurant, Frankie relaxed. The atmosphere was completely different—the noise from outside replaced by the gentle sounds of a violin, the bright camera flashes exchanged for warm candlelight.

  Hawk turned to him as the door closed behind them, cupping his cheek. “I know it can get intense. Are you okay, babe?”

  Frankie smiled up at his boyfriend. Always so thoughtful. “Yeah, thank you.”

  And he was. With Hawk, he felt like he could brave anything.

  He turned back to the peaceful interior of the restaurant, furrowing his brow in confusion once his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. There wasn’t anyone else around. The couple of other times Frankie had been there at dinnertime, the small restaurant had been wall to wall with people. Now, though, he and Hawk were the only two in the waiting area. Even the host desk, normally a bustling hive of activity, was relatively quiet, with just one pretty, smiling blonde lady standing there to greet them.

  “Good evening and welcome,” she said, her excited gaze flicking from Hawk to Frankie. “We’re so glad you’re here tonight, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Moretti. Your table is right this way.”

  “I’ve never seen it so empty here,” Frankie whispered as they followed the hostess around the corner. “There’s like… nobody else here.”

  Hawk only smiled down at him and gave a little half-shrug, looking suspiciously smug.

  Frankie’s eyes narrowed. “What? Did you rent the whole place out or something?”

  “You’re worth it,” Hawk said, making Frankie’s eyes widen.

  Then he stopped in his tracks. They’d reached a curtained-off section of the restaurant, and right there in front of him was a banner hanging from the ceiling.

  CONGRATULATIONS FRANKIE AND HAWK!

  “Oh my God,” Frankie whispered, his eyes going wide as he reached for Hawk’s hand again. “What is—”

  Before he could finish the sentence, the hostess pulled back the curtain with a flourish, revealing the private dining area.

  Seated at a long table was… everyone.

  Frankie’s breath caught, his eyes stinging with happy tears. He still didn’t know what was happening, but everyone he and Hawk cared the most about was there. Hawk’s parents, Ethan and Jack, Frankie’s grandma and her friend Betty, Luca from the coffee shop, Hawk’s friend Juan… even Mr. Gardinier, the Falcons fan from the nursing home, was there, grinning and waving at Frankie from the far end of the table.

  “Surprise, babe,” Hawk said, pulling Frankie close and kissing him soundly as their guests broke into applause. His grin was a mile wide as he added, “It’s been hard to keep a secret from you, but I hope you’ll agree that this one was worth it.”

  “Oh my God,” Frankie said, still wide-eyed as he stood on his toes to kiss Hawk again, his pulse starting to race with excitement even though he still felt clueless. “What did you… oh my… what is this, Hawk? I don’t… I love it, but…”

  Hawk laughed. “They’re all here for you, babe. For us.” He nodded toward everyone at the table and raised his voice to be heard over the excited babble of their conversation. “Thank you so much for joining us here, everyone. Each of you are so important to both of us, and I thought it would only be right to include all of you on this special night.”

  Special night?

  The room settled down instantly, and Frankie’s heart was pounding so loudly that he was sure they could all hear it. It felt like it might jump right out of his chest, and when Hawk looked back down at him with the most loving, adoring look in his eyes that Frankie had ever seen, he honestly wondered for a moment if it might burst.

  Hawk really did make him feel treasured and special every minute of every day, and it filled him up to overflowing.

  Hawk smiled at him, and Frankie started to get a little lost inhis eyes, in that look, forgetting for a moment that they weren’t, in fact, the only two people in the room.

  “Thank you for coming here with me tonight,” Hawk whispered to him, sounding genuinely grateful.

  As if Frankie would’ve even considered being anywhere else but by his side.

  As if he’d ever want to.

  “I hope you don’t mind the audience,” Hawk said, lifting the hand he still held to his mouth and pressing a kiss against Frankie’s palm. “You know I value our privacy, but there are some moments that become even better when they’re shared.”

  Frankie still didn’t know exactly what Hawk was talking about, but he felt his eyes well up with tears anyway as he smiled up at his boyfriend. Hawk knew him, and everything he did, every day that they were together, proved it. Proved that Frankie and his feelings mattered to Hawk. Hawk loved him better than Frankie could have ever imagined anyone loving anyone… except that he loved Hawk just as much.

  “Thank you,” he tried to say, but his throat was so tight he wasn’t sure Hawk could actually hear him. “For… everything.”

  For loving me. For letting me love you. For every day we’ve had together and all the ones I hope we’ll still get.

  Frankie w
anted to say all of that to Hawk, but then—still holding Frankie’s hand in his—Hawk went down on one knee, and Frankie couldn’t say anything at all. Hawk fished in his pocket to pull out a small, black box, and Frankie started crying. Good tears. Happy ones. He hadn’t expected… even now, couldn’t quite believe… but then, as their loved ones cheered them on in the background, Hawk opened the box and pulled out a diamond-studded band, looking up at him with every single thing that filled Frankie’s heart right there in his eyes.

  Forever.

  The ring sparkled so brilliantly in the candlelight that it took his breath away, and it felt like his heart actually stopped for a moment as Hawk slipped it onto his finger. Frankie let out a small gasp, feeling Hawk’s love wrap around him just as securely as the perfectly-sized ring hugged his finger, and for a moment, the whole world stood still. The whole universe narrowed to include only the gorgeous, kind, thoughtful, sexy man in front of him.

  “Frankie, my love.” Hawk’s voice was low and thick, his eyes suspiciously bright with emotion as he ran a thumb over the symbol of their love and then looked up to meet Frankie’s gaze again. “It might have been just chance that brought us together, but from the moment I met you, I’ve wanted to keep you by my side and in my life. It took me a while to believe it would be possible, but now I can’t imagine anything else. Through all the ups and downs of the past year, the one thing that’s been constant in my life has been my love for you.” He paused for a moment and dashed at his cheeks, the sight of his tears bringing forth a fresh wave of Frankie’s own as he continued. “You mean the world to me, Frankie. Your beautiful, sunny smile, your laugh, your warm presence… everything about you makes my life better. I love you with all my heart, and if you’ll have me, I promise to spend every day for the rest of our lives showing you that love.”

  Frankie was already nodding, the tears streaming freely down his face now, but Hawk wasn’t done.

  “Frankie Moretti, will you make me the happiest, luckiest man in the world? Will you do me the incredible honor of being my husband?”

  “Yes,” Frankie whispered, his throat so tight with emotion he could barely get the word out. Then, a smile splitting his face, he pulled Hawk to his feet and took Hawk’s face in both his hands, stretching up to kiss him as he laughed and let all the words tumble out at once. “Yes, Hawk. I love you so much. Always. I want to do it every day, too. Love you, I mean. Keep loving you. I want to do everything with you, and I can’t wait to marry you. You’re my dream come true, except even better, because you’re real. Every day, you make me feel lucky and special and… and perfect. You make me believe in love. You always have.”

  “And I always will,” Hawk said, his voice thick with emotion. “I promise. Forever, Frankie.”

  And as their loved ones gathered around and showered Frankie and Hawk with hugs and congratulations, Hawk, his fiancé, kissed him. It was the perfect moment, the perfect end to the perfect little fantasy that had been playing over and over in Frankie’s head from the first day they’d first met.

  But more than that, it was the perfect beginning.

  Because the most perfect part of it all? Unlike a fantasy—and despite the way they’d started—every single moment of this was real, and their real love was going to last forever.

  Hawk had promised, and he always, always kept his promises.

  Thank you

  Thank you, dear reader! I hope you enjoyed reading about Hawk and Frankie as much as I enjoyed bringing them to life.

  If you enjoyed Just Chance, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Your support means the world to me!

  More from Dillon Hunter

  You can find all of Dillon Hunter’s M/M romances on Amazon by visiting his Amazon Author Page.

  Other Books In This Series

  Chance to Bloom (Ethan and Jack’s Book)

  Chance for Love (Coming Soon)

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  About the Author

  Dillon Hunter loves a good love story, especially when it involves two men, a little romance, and a whole lot of sizzle. In a previous life, he wrote shorter fiction of different genres, but just recently gathered the confidence and patience to begin writing the M/M romance stories he’s been longing to tell. He draws plenty of inspiration from his misspent youth and former dating misadventures, but can always count on his loving (and eternally patient) husband as inspiration for those steamy, dreamy, happily-ever-after endings.

  dillon.hunter.author@gmail.com