Bad Ideas (First & Forever 4)

“I absolutely want you involved, every step of the way.”

I thought of something and told him, “I also want to contribute financially. This is going to sound silly because I know you’ll be spending a fortune to get this place off the ground, but I have six thousand dollars set aside that I’ve been saving for something special. I know it’s just a drop in the bucket, but it would mean a lot to me if I could put that money into the clinic. Maybe it could be used to buy children’s books and toys for the waiting room or something.”

“That means a lot to me, Casey. Thank you. I actually love the idea of spending it on books and toys, not just for the waiting room. I was thinking if I end up buying a building, we could do more than just providing health care. Part of it could be used as a community center with a children’s lending library, a play room, offices for affordable mental health counseling—those are just some of the ideas that have been in the back of my mind. I want it to be a resource for low-income families, and a place kids can feel safe and happy.”

I smiled at him and said, “That’s a wonderful idea.”

We went upstairs, totally naked and hand-in-hand. When we reached the master bathroom, Theo started filling the large tub, and I squirted in some body wash, which foamed up like bubble bath. Then we settled into the hot, soothing water, and my boyfriend put his head on my chest.

After a while, he said, “I love you so much, Casey. I’ve known I’m in love with you for a while now, but I’d imagined telling you in a romantic way, like at sunset on the beach in Hawaii or something. Then it just sort of came out.”

“I love you too, Theo.” I wrapped my arms around him and murmured, “Even if you hadn’t said it first, I wouldn’t have been able to hold it in another minute.”

Chapter 11

Two days later, on Christmas morning, Theo woke me by kissing his way up my bare chest. When I raised an eyelid, he exclaimed, “Oh good, you’re awake!”

I chuckled and pulled him into an embrace. “I am now.”

“Sorry to wake you. This is exciting, though! It’s my first real Christmas in forever, and I can’t wait for you to open your presents.”

I kissed his forehead, then climbed out of bed and told him, “Give me five minutes.”

After I used the facilities and brushed my teeth, I returned to the bedroom. I was wearing the red plaid pajama pants he’d given me the night before, and I noticed the pajamas he’d just put on were the same pattern. “Oh no,” I said, as I dropped onto the couch. “We’ve become one of those couples.”

“What couples?”

“The super annoying ones who dress alike and make all their friends gag at the sight of them.”

Theo laughed at that and handed me a cup of coffee. “The matching holiday plaid can be our secret. Now, are you ready to open your presents?”

We’d both snuck out of bed the night before and stuck some gifts around the little bedroom tree, which had been relocated to the coffee table in front of the fireplace. “Absolutely. So, how do you want to do this? Should we take turns—you open a gift, then me?”

He brought me three presents and said, “I want you to go first and open all of them. I’ve been dying to give you these. Start with the lumpy one.”

I set aside the coffee and squeezed the soft, pillow-shaped package, which was wrapped in shiny silver paper with snowflakes on it. “It feels like a bag of potting soil,” I joked.

He chuckled and told me, “That’s a terrible guess.”

I ripped off the paper and threw it aside, then held up a giant, hand-crocheted sweater. It was made from the blue and purple yarn he’d gravitated to at the craft store, and he’d obviously gone back and bought a lot more. I pulled it on and told him, “I love it!”

He looked embarrassed. “I crocheted it without a pattern, and the size got away from me. You don’t have to wear it. I know it’s ridiculously huge, but I decided to give it to you anyway to show you I tried.”

I rolled back the sleeves, which were about a foot longer than my arms, and said, “I think it’s wonderful, and I’ll wear it with pride.” He grinned at that.

The next gift in the same elegant paper contained a Forty-Niners hoodie, neatly folded into a gift box. He told me, “There’s something in the pocket.”

I pulled a fancy envelope from the pouch pocket and looked inside, and then I blurted, “Holy shit, these are Forty-Niners season tickets for next year—four of them, and they’re premium club seats! Theo, you shouldn’t have. They must have cost a fortune!”