Taking a Knee

by Sean Ashcroft

  “You like to live dangerously.” Jace grinned. No matter how much time passed, nothing had really changed between him and Noah. They had nearly a year together under their belts now, and other than the fact that they got to have regular, amazing sex, it was hard to tell that anything was different about them.

  They still teased each other. They still went all-out on the derby track. They just also happened to curl up together at the end of the day and kiss a lot. Jace still considered that a vast improvement over just being friends.

  “Shut up,” Noah said. “This is a moment where I’m going to say something really touching and heartwarming that shows how much I love you, and you’re ruining it.”

  Jace chuckled. “Sorry. Please, continue. What have you been thinking, Noah?”

  “You’re making it worse,” Noah said, sipping his coffee. “God, why did I marry you?”

  “Green card,” Jace said. Noah gave him a death glare, which he took to mean he’d won this round of teasing.

  “Okay, okay, I’m seriously sorry, and I’m listening.” Jace sat down next to him, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

  Noah couldn’t resist being kissed on the cheek. Or having his hair stroked. Jace had learned all kinds of ways to get him to melt, and Noah was powerless against them.

  Of course, Noah knew an equal number of ways to get Jace to melt, too. That was why they’d lasted so long already, and why Jace couldn’t see any reason they wouldn’t last forever.

  “I want to take your last name,” Noah said. “I mean, start using it as my last name, too.”

  All jokes completely left Jace’s mind, replaced by a wave of tenderness. Noah was right, he was touched. Amazed, but touched.

  They’d never really talked about last names.

  “I also, umm. Have these.” Noah produced a small, black, velvet box from the pocket of his sweatpants. “We never exchanged rings before, but if this had been a normal relationship, we’d be at the point where I was ready to ask you to marry me, so… here it is, I guess. Will you be married to me and wear a ring and let me call myself the other Mr. Lewis?”

  Jace could feel tears in his eyes. “Obviously,” he said, taking the offered box and opening it up to find two plain, gold bands.

  Noah smiled at him. It was a soft, warm smile that made Jace’s stomach flutter. Every now and again, it hit him just how in love with Noah he was. This was one of those moments.

  “Gimme your hand,” he said.

  “The one toward the back is mine,” Noah explained, holding out his hand for Jace. Jace picked out the ring Noah had said was for him, took Noah’s hand, and slid the band onto his finger. He took a moment to look at it, struck by how right it felt.

  “Let me do yours,” Noah said. Jace handed over the box and held out his hand, watching as Noah repeated the process he’d just gone through.

  Everything about the moment was perfect. It was just the two of them, in their kitchen, with the sunlight streaming through the window, the coffee machine gurgling in the background, and Noah’s laptop open and humming softly with last week’s derby scores on the screen.

  “Thank you, Mr. Lewis,” Jace said, smiling brightly at Noah. He loved the idea of sharing a surname. He loved the idea of Noah wearing a tiny thing that symbolized that their hearts belonged to each other.

  Maybe it was all stupid and cliché, but Jace wanted all of it. He would never have been brave enough to ask, though.

  Noah looked down at his new ring, still smiling softly. “Thank you for indulging me. You can go back to giving me hell, now.”

  “I mean to.” Jace grinned. This didn’t change anything, either, but it was nice. Noah had become the one-and-only, fairytale ending love of his life that Jace had wanted him to be, and this seemed like the final step in that process.

  This was forever now. Until death did they part.

  Epilogue

  Seven years later…

  Noah hadn’t been so nervous about anything roller derby-related since he’d been to his own initiation session, but this was a big day.

  “Name,” Brian said tiredly, not even looking up at Noah from the registration sheet he was poring over. He’d taken over coaching the junior team a few years ago, claiming one too many injuries to keep playing. He was good at the job, but he liked to pretend to be long-suffering about it.

  “Micah Lewis,” Noah announced proudly. Brian looked up at him, and then smiled at Micah.

  “Hey, Micah,” he said. “Wow, five years old already, huh?”

  Micah nodded, still clinging to Noah’s hand.

  “Well, you’ve got a helluva legacy to live up to. National championship winners three years running.” Brian paused. “I should not swear in front of the kids.”

  “They’re derby kids, they’ll be fine,” Noah assured him. “I’m not about to complain about you, anyway.”

  Brian chuckled, filling in Micah’s name on the form and taking her registration enveloped from Noah when it was offered. “Five years old, wow.”

  “Well, you’ve only known her for three,” Noah said. “So, y’know. Time. It’s weird.” He shrugged.

  “Okay, you’re all set. Get your skates on and come join us.” Brian smiled, nodding to where the other kids were already playing.

  “Yes,” Micah enthused, tugging Noah back toward the bleachers where Jace was waiting for them. Noah felt as though his heart was going to burst. His little girl was all grown up, and now he was getting to share one of his favorite things with her.

  One of his favorite things after her other dad, anyway.

  Micah sat on the step above Jace and held out her feet obediently. She’d figure out tying her own skates eventually, but for now, Noah knew that Jace loved to help her. He’d taken to fatherhood the moment he met her, even though he’d been unsure up to that point.

  Noah had convinced him that he had a lot to offer a child, and Jace proved him right every day. Micah was happy, and loved, and well taken care of.

  “You nervous?” Jace asked. Micah shook her head.

  “Well, I’m nervous, but I know Uncle Brian will take care of you. He’s awesome, right?”

  “Right,” Micah agreed.

  “And you don’t have to keep doing this if you don’t like it, okay?” Noah said, kneeling down so he was eye level with her. “We won’t be disappointed. There are tons of things you can do, and it’s okay to try all of them before you pick one.”

  Micah rolled her eyes. “Derby girls are cool, duh.”

  “You’re cool,” Jace said, picking her up by the waist and setting her down on the stadium floor. They never had moved out of the community stadium, but that was okay. This was, as far as Noah was concerned, one of the happiest places on Earth.

  Micah could well and truly skate on her own, so Jace gave her a nudge in the direction of the other kids. “We’ll be right here the whole time.”

  “Go on,” Noah nodded across the track to where Brian was lining the kids up. “Go make some friends.”

  Micah didn’t need to be told again, zooming off to where all the other kids were without looking back once. Noah admired her confidence, and intended to do everything possible to stop the world from knocking it out of her. Derby would help with that.

  “Wow,” Jace said once Micah was out of earshot. “She’s growing up. She’s not gonna need us anymore soon enough.”

  “That’s years away,” Noah said. “And that’s the end goal of raising a kid, isn’t it? Turning them into an independent, functional adult.”

  “I guess.” Jace licked his lips. “If this is the first fresh meat intake for the year, then we met ten years ago today. Give or take a Sunday or two.”

  “Close enough.” Noah smiled at the thought. Ten years. Seven and a half of them married. “I still love you.”

  “I’m constantly amazed by that,” Jace said, taking Noah’s hand. “But I still love you, too, so I guess it’s not impossible.”

  “Thank you, for all of this.” Noah s
queezed Jace’s hand, leaning over to peck him on the cheek. “I don’t say thank you enough. My life wouldn’t be anything like it is now if it weren’t for you.”

  Jace blushed, looking down at his and Noah’s joined hands. He played with Noah’s wedding band, running the tip of his finger over it. “My life wouldn’t be nearly as good, either. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

  “I’m very happy,” Noah said. “I always have been.”

  Jace grinned at him, the deep lines around his eyes giving away how often he did that. He was getting his first few grey hairs around the temples, every one of which Noah was delighted with.

  “Then I’m happy, too.” He turned back to the track to watch Micah’s first practice session. Noah did as well, leaning his head against Jace’s shoulder, still holding onto his hand.

  He had everything he’d ever wanted, right here, and he was content to bask in it while his daughter played. It was a good Sunday.

  fin.

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  Love,

  Sean

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