Oh. Right. Kinda need to do that.
“Maybe you should just open it.” Seb flattens his palm, offering me the box.
My heart beats fast even though he just told me it’s not a ring, but when I open it slowly, I’m confused. Because it is a ring.
Seb pulls it out of the slot, and following it comes a long chain. “I wanted you to know that our future is right here. I’m optimistic that I’ve found my forever person, and while it’s way too early for that, it’s not early to tell you that I plan for it to happen. One day.”
“Holy shit.” My words come out with puffs of steam.
My nose is frozen, my eyes are watery, and if we don’t get out of this cold soon, we’ll freeze, but I don’t care.
He pulls the chain open, and I duck my head so he can put it around my neck. “Until that day comes, I want you to wear this so you’ll always know how much I want to be with you and make this work.”
With this one gesture, any remaining doubt or hesitance about doing this is completely gone.
“It won’t be easy. I’m going to mess up and piss you off, but I know with my whole heart that you’re my future, Thorne. You’re everything I’ve wanted wrapped in a package I thought I could never have.”
“I’m yours, Seb.”
His warm eyes meet mine. “I love you.”
With his ring sitting next to my heart, I’m going to be reminded every day that his words are true.
“I love you too.”
When Seb kisses me, he runs his hand over the chain hanging around my neck.
A symbol of our future.
A promise to try.
He breaks the kiss and presses his forehead against mine. “One day, when we’re both ready, you’ll give me this ring and tell me it’s time.”
I let out a small laugh. “Why’s that my responsibility?”
“Because you’re the responsible one in this relationship. Duh.”
That is true. “Okay. Deal.”
“Now we should get inside before you freeze all your good parts off and you can’t use them later.”
“Wouldn’t want that,” I snark.
“Hell no.”
When we go back inside, the rest of the band scramble away from the windows as if they weren’t just watching that play out, but they’ve added someone to the mix.
“Mason?” I say.
Mason Nash runs his hand over the back of his hair. “That offer for Christmas still good? My family did Christmas last night and all went to my brother-in-law’s. I thought I might come hang out up here. I, uh, brought leftover food. Mom always makes too much.”
I approach him and throw my arms around him. “You’re always welcome … at your own house.”
He laughs. “Thanks.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“You too.”
“I’m happy you came.”
When I get back to Seb, all he does is lean in and mutter, “That’s Mason Nash? What happened?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea. He’s tight-lipped about it all.”
“He looks …”
Mason’s gaze flicks to us.
“Hot,” I say for him.
“I was going to say different. You really have a thing for guys with beards, huh?”
“Ooh, yeah. Could you also see if you can borrow some flannel from him? I have a lumberjack fantasy I want to play out.”
“Only if I get to play with an ax.”
I really have to think about that. “Maybe I’ll keep that a fantasy. I don’t entirely trust you with sharp things.”
He points at me. “And that’s why you’re the responsible one.” He kisses me quickly and then runs off to tackle Cash on the couch. Because that’s just who they are.
We spend the day drinking and eating and literally being the textbook definition of merry. Even Mason seems to have fun.
This might possibly go down in history as the best band vacation ever.
Chapter Twelve
Thorne
Australasian Tour
I can’t take my eyes off Seb as he kicks ass onstage. He’s shirtless, his long hair falling past his shoulders and covering his face as he rocks out to the band’s greatest hits. Like he always does, he puts everything into his performance. It’s impossible to look at anything else other than him because he’s so damn charismatic. And he’s all mine.
It’s only been two months since we left Montana for the Southern Hemisphere—first the Asia circuit, then New Zealand, and now we’re down under. From the freezing cold to Australia’s harsh summer, the contrast fits with the shift in Seb’s and my relationship.
My fingers fiddle with the ring around my neck through my shirt. Honestly, it took about a week until the itch to take it off and slip it on my finger kicked in.
And Seb thought he’d be the one to jump the gun.
I keep reminding myself it’s too soon. In some ways we’re still really new. In other ways, it feels like we’ve been together since the beginning.
The worry over fans wanting him has been far from my mind as he has no shame pointing me out during meet and greets. Even though I told him he doesn’t have to out us if he didn’t want—that from a manager’s standpoint, appearing single is always better so the mania surrounding the band’s lives is hyped up—he has never once hesitated to say he’s taken.