by Evie Drae
Cinder couldn’t stop the grin stretching his cheeks or the small chuckle that fell unbidden past his lips. Ellis’s bumbling nature had always been a part of him that Cinder treasured, and the effort he made now to get out words that wouldn’t come was one of the most endearing and precious things Cinder had ever witnessed.
“It’s okay, babe.” Cinder stroked a knuckle down Ellis’s cheek, planting a chaste kiss at the corner of his lips. “We all do things we regret, and those things are often spurred on by factors we can’t control even though we think we should be able to. It’s part of being human.”
Ellis winced and nodded his agreement. “If it makes you feel any better, I finally told those ‘things’ where they could stuff it.”
Cinder drew back his chin and lifted his brows in surprise. “Do you mean…? This was fuckin’ Ray’s doing, wasn’t it?” He took a calming breath when Ellis’s pinched face told him all he needed to know. “I’m going to kick that sorry mother—”
“He’s leaving town, and he’s out of my life. For good.” Ellis squeezed Cinder’s shoulder. “He’s selling my mom’s house. I hate to admit that was the final straw, but it was. When I realized everything I’d been doing, all the money I’d put into it, that it was all for nothing… That I let Ray control me and… and I…”
“Wait.” Cinder tensed as Ellis’s words replayed through his mind. “What do you mean he’s selling your mom’s house? And what money were you putting into it?”
That hint of pink on Ellis’s cheeks warmed to a rosy glow, but he didn’t avert his gaze. “I know I was ignorant to believe… Well, anyway. Ray’s a gambler. He’s run into a lot of financial issues over the years, and when he threatened to sell the house I grew up in, the house my mother and I lived in before Ray ever even entered the picture, I panicked. It’s… It felt like all I had left of her, even though I know better. So I agreed to take over the mortgage payments if he didn’t sell it.”
So many things came into crisp, clear focus. How hard Ellis worked to make a living and yet always seemed to barely scrape by. How adamant he was about doing the endless chores and home renovation projects Ray saddled him with, even though he no longer lived under the same roof.
How much Ellis stressed over Ray potentially losing his job.
If Ellis was already paying his stepfather’s mortgage, what other threats did he face if Ray no longer had any income?
Jesus. Was that why Ellis had ended things between them? They broke up the same night Ray had been fired. Had he gotten to Ellis and made demands on him that made their relationship no longer seem viable in Ellis’s eyes? Or worse, had Ray given him an ultimatum of some sort? Something that forced Ellis’s hand even though, deep down, he didn’t want to lose Cinder any more than Cinder wanted to lose him?
“It’s okay, baby. We’ll fix this. The world doesn’t stand a chance with us together. United as a team.” Cinder grinned when Ellis’s sweet smile lifted his flushed cheeks. “Can I ask you a favor?”
Tilting his head in question, Ellis nodded.
“I know this is going to be hard for you to agree to, but it means a lot to me, so hear me out, okay?”
Again, Ellis nodded, his lips pressing together in obvious apprehension.
“Will you let me buy your mother’s home for you?” Cinder held up a finger when Ellis opened his mouth to retort. “I know you like to earn the things you’re given in life, and I commend you for that level of selfless inner beauty. But sometimes you have to concede defeat and let others have the win. Like your boyfriend, for example, who really, really wants to give you the world and every time you deny him the opportunity, he gets a little crankier and more defiant.”
“I…” Ellis shook his head, his eyes wide in wonder. “You really don’t have to, but… Thank you. Thank you for understanding me while at the same time knowing when to tell me to shut up and take your generosity like a man.”
Cinder barked out a laugh, overjoyed when Ellis joined him.
“Plus, I mean…” Ellis’s laughing grin turned impish, and he traced his tongue over his plump bottom lip. “We can always discuss compensation later.”
It was hardly the time to be thinking about all the naughty ways those luscious lips could be put to compensatory use, but Cinder’s rebellious libido warred with his better instincts.
“Hey, where’d your brain go?” Ellis had the audacity to look scandalized before breaking into another grin. “I was referring to financial payment, not whatever smutty things were playing through your dirty little mind.” He winked, clearly enjoying Cinder’s failing attempts at reining in his thoughts. “After all, I’ve been told, as your newly appointed audio engineer, I’ll be making quite a hefty salary—”
“Hold up.” Cinder dug his fingers into Ellis’s shoulder, his heart rate spiking. “Say what now?”
A playful gleam lit Ellis’s eyes. “I said, as your newly appointed audio engineer—”
“Yeah. That. Say that again. I think my ears are playing tricks on me.”
Ellis tipped back his head and laughed, twirling Cinder in a circle. “I’ve been offered a position on your road crew by your tour manager and the incumbent audio engineer, who has decided she wishes to be a road mama instead.”
Cinder’s heart was full to bursting, sending his pulse racing and heating his skin. “So you’re saying…?”
“I’m saying, I hope the offer is still open to share your bed and have a few drawers of my own on the tour bus, because I’d really rather not get caught sexting with the boss while sharing lodgings with the road crew.” Ellis bit his lip and raised an innocent brow. “But if you’re into that kinda thing, we could always roleplay.”
“Fuckin’ hell.” Cinder shook his head, dazed and so enamored he could barely breathe. “I love you, Ellis Tremaine.”
Pressing their bodies flush, Ellis smiled. “And I love you, Henry ‘Cinder’ Cinderford. With all my heart.”
As the bridge between the final verse and the closing reprise of the chorus filtered through the room, Cinder trailed a line of whisper-soft kisses over Ellis’s jaw until his lips met Ellis’s ear. In time with the music playing overhead, he sang the last verse directly to the man he loved. “The tales they tell in storybooks are always so sublime. There’s a happily ever after for every once upon a time. But fairy tales never do come true, at least, not until I found you.”
Ellis crushed his lips over Cinder’s, and the crowd exploded in applause. Chuckling, Ellis nuzzled into Cinder’s neck. “In spite of everything, Cinderellis would go on to live happily ever after, after all.”
About The Author
Evie Drae (ze/hir/hirs) is a registered nurse by day and a bestselling, award-winning MM romance writer by night. Ze has won first place in seven Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) competitions, including the prestigious title “Best of the Best” in the 2018 Golden Opportunity Contest. Ze was also a double finalist in the 2019 Golden Heart®, in both the Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense categories.
One of Evie’s favorite things to do is encourage hir fellow writers. To that end, ze started the #writeLGBTQ and #promoLGBTQ hashtags on Twitter to support and promote LGBTQ+ authors and allies while providing a safe space to connect and grow as a community. Ze is married to the love of hir life, is the parent of two wonderful fur babies, and runs almost entirely on coffee and good vibes.
Evie loves to link up with fellow writers and readers. You can reach hir directly at [email protected] or find hir on hir social media accounts listed below. Twitter is where ze’s most active but be sure to check out hir blog too. Ze focuses on reviews for LGBTQ+ authors and allies with the occasional quirky advice/recommendation post just to toss things up.
Website/Blog: https://www.eviedrae.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvieDrae
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/eviedrae
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/evie-drae
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eviedr
ae
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eviedrae/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eviedrae/
Once Upon a Vegas Night Series
Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!
Also available through Audible and your favorite audiobook retailer!
Owned Heart, Body, & Soul Trilogy
Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!
Also available through Audible and Apple Books!
Acknowledgement
This book has been a true labor of love, from start to finish. I’d like to extend all the “thank-yous” and send a million hugs, kisses, and chocolate to the following:
First, to Benjamin, the best life partner anyone could ever ask for, who puts my dreams at the top of our to-do list and endures my writing-induced tantrums with grace and civility. To my mother, who instilled the love of reading into me at a very young age. To my father
and stepmother, who never fail to ask about and root for my writerly triumphs, and whose support knows no bounds. To my brother Andy, his wife Shaila, and their daughters, Ava and Levi, who will undoubtedly be among my first sales, even though Ava and Levi won’t be allowed to read this story until they're at least eighteen. To my whole in-law clan, who love me as if I were a blooded daughter, sister, and aunt. To my Dollface, who always believes in me even when my self-doubt is at its highest. To Becky, who takes the love and devotion of a “twin sister” to a whole new level.
To my endlessly patient and supportive agent, Eva Scalzo, who is always there to hold my hand and respond to my anxiety-riddled emails even though I'm going the indie route right now.
To my senior editor, Desi Chapman, and her amazing editorial staff at Blue Ink Editing, LLC, who helped make my words the best they could be.
To my incredible Twitter #amwriting community—most especially my #writeLGBTQ+ lovelies—who hold me up and keep me going, day in and day out. To Jess, my sister across the ocean, who listens to me gripe and groan and reads all of my books even though penis isn't her thing. And finally, to my alpha reader and BFF, Lily, who holds the distinctive honor of being the first person to ever read my non-academic words. Without her
encouragement, love, and late-night pep talks, I wouldn’t be here today.