Dolly squeezed my forearm. “We’ll find you someone. You, too, Chase. No need to be lonely up at that isolated cabin of yours. Oh! There’s Margaret! I have to give her an update on Sasha’s baby. Have fun, boys, and try not to get too drunk tonight.”
“You, too, Dolly,” I answered, not hiding my amusement as she beelined over to Hardware Harry’s wife.
I slipped from my stool and offered my hand to Chase. With a frown, he stared at it like it was a snake with three heads. “Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have spilled it to Dolly first.”
“After that you’ll never be able to jam that cat back in the bag. You know that, right?”
“Of course, I do. Take my hand,” I insisted.
“I’m not sure this is smart, Rett,” he said under his breath.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But we can’t hide who we are to each other forever… Take my hand.”
He considered my extended hand hovering between us. “Warning… If I take it, you’ll be taking my heart along with it.”
Whoa. “And do you have a problem with that?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t do this…” He slapped his hand in mine and interlocked our fingers. “You’re always annoyingly right. Tonight is the perfect time.” After a deep, audible inhale, he turned us toward the center of the bar where the tables had been cleared to make space for dancing. “Let’s do this.”
I nodded and gave him a smile. “Let’s do this.”
“Just be aware, I hate dancing. I’m taking one for the team.”
“No surprise about the dancing. We can fake it through a few slow songs.”
He tugged me along behind him until we joined a half dozen older couples shuffling their way around the dance floor to the classic At Last by Etta James.
The song was perfect for this very moment.
Once we found a spot where we wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, Chase faced me and pulled me into him. “Ready?” he whispered.
“Never more ready,” I whispered back.
He curved one hand around the back of my neck and placed the other at the small of my back and tugged me even closer. Hooking my arms around his neck, I sandwiched myself against him from our chest to our hips, leaving no doubt who and what we were to each other.
Our “bromance” was no longer that. Once the B was dropped it became much more serious.
I refused to look around to see if any and all eyes were on us. I assumed they were since even over the music, murmurs and whispers could be heard swirling around us. We couldn’t quite make out what was being said, but no one approached us. No one shouted anything derogatory. No one escorted us to the exit.
I hoped that was a good sign. While things seemed okay at the surface so far, it would be a while before the flutters in my stomach disappeared.
With his cheek plastered to mine, he murmured, “Ignore them,” in my ear. “They’ll either get used to it or they won’t. They’ll either accept us or not. If they don’t, that’s on them, not us.”
“This is small town America,” I reminded him. One reason I had kept being gay to myself all these years. But then, I had no reason to “come out” until now.
Now I had every reason and that reason was currently dancing with me.
“Small town America will never change if someone doesn’t try.”
“Are you saying we’re pioneers?” I teased.
“Hardly. This is a pale comparison to what others have done before us to pave the way and what others will do after us. Tonight is only a slight blip in a long journey others have traveled.”
Who was this man? “Well look at that, guess who’s right for once?”
His chuckle vibrated against me and his hold tightened. “Well, you have me beat. One point for me versus your million.”
“You have a lot of catching up to do.”
“I’ve got time.”
We remained on the dance floor, moving slowly in our little bubble and ignoring the rest of the world, when the song changed to Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You. A more holiday appropriate song.
When I sang the chorus to Chase, he just shook his head and said, “You already have me.”
“I just hope you’ll let me share your heart with Thomas.”
“You already do,” came the deep rumble. “Thank you for being willing to share it.”
I stopped dancing and with a tilt of my head, locked gazes with him. “I’m nothing but honored to share it with him. Even though he’s gone, I hope you know that love will never be taken away from you. You hold it in here.” I patted his chest over his heart and under his shirt, I could feel the wedding ring he now wore on a chain around his neck. “We can love more than one person in our lifetime. It isn’t an either/or situation. Our hearts are capable of expanding so you can add all the people you want there. There isn’t a limit on love. It’s endless, even after death.” I let that sink in first, then added, “Now, tell me I’m right so I can up my score by another point. I don’t want you closing that gap.”