The Commonalities of Silk and Leather

Forty Seven

Haydn Roscoe's Point of View

I refused to wear my golf glove. There was no way in hell I was gonna cover up such a gorgeous ring. Gabriel and I weren't even playing yet anyway. We were gonna start when we could actually see the hole. Lawrence admitted he wasn't very good but was playing anyway. Probably because Lucas told him to. I had no idea he played but he said he'd taken lessons in school. Gabriel's father said Lucas used to caddie for him and the latter got flustered. It was funny but I was too busy to care at the moment. I got an earful from my dad on our arrival about being impulsive and needing to plan things better but all of that stopped when I said Gabriel had proposed first.

"Really?" The two of us were stood on the other side of a golf cart. He'd already taken his turn.

What did he mean really? "Yeah. He pulled over and proposed."

"Fuck," he groaned. Before I could question him, he was up and digging through the pouch on the front of his bag of clubs. He called over his shoulder, "Heya, Leonard?"

Whitacre Senior finished clapping for Lawrence before he answered, "Yeah?"

Dad pulled out a golf ball and waved it at him. "I owe you a Bridgestone."

He looked at Gabriel who was sat in the other golf cart with his silly little visor on because he didn't want to burn. Lawrence has a similar one. Neither of them tanned well apparently and were covered from the neck down. Their father didn't particularly care. I assumed that was because he wore full suits on a regular basis. Then he looked back at Dad. "Is that so?"

"Apparently." He tossed the ball to him and motioned to Gabriel. "He's quick."

Obviously I hadn't seen much of Leonard, but the only time I'd seen him look as proud as right now was at Lawrence's birthday party. He shrugged. "He's got good judgment."

"Of course he does. Someone's gotta keep that one in line." That one, i.e. me, put my head down and stole a glance at my boyf-fiancé. My fiancé. Holy shit, I have a fiancé!

And a little over a month later, December thirty first, at eleven fifty three p.m., I was gearing up to kiss said fiancé. The club was loud and he looked gorgeous both because he was and I'd just been fucked. Thoroughly. I'm pretty sure I limped over to the chair I was sitting in. He was perched on the left arm, holding both of our drinks while he talked to Diletta and I was talking to Heidi. Gabriel and I had been getting congratulations all night.

Before I knew it, the countdown had started. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five-He tasted of champagne and impatience. Picky and loving, shrouded in appeal of all kinds. He was downright sexy but also sweet and needy and mine. Very much mine. Always mine.

My man, my fiancé, my Sir, my Angel.

And he was still all of those things when we went to the Philippines and did all the obligatory things. The white sand beaches, boating with whale sharks, had some of the best food I'd ever consumed, and sleeping till noon for a solid two weeks in a gorgeous resort. I'd spoken Leonard about the trip while I was planning and it turned out their company partnered with the place I chose so we got a good upgrade, spa days, and the whole thing was covered. I tried to turn it down but he insisted and said to consider it a welcome gift. It was mighty kind of him even though it was unnecessary. It was a wonderful trip.

I sold my shop. I couldn't run it and my booth at Frenzy and the latter was way better for me. I got to spend more time with my friends and Gabriel got to come to work with me every day. I didn't have to work to sustain myself but working there's great. It didn't feel like work. I'd make a few pieces in my studio and bring them in and people bought them. I'd always loved leatherwork but I didn't get to do much of it in the past because I was so bogged down with tailoring. I was glad to get away from it but, then again, tailoring was how I met the love of my life and it was those skills that allowed me to contribute to our ceremony.

That suit fit him like a glove and seeing him in it made me break. I sobbed down the aisle with his hand in mine and just barely got myself together enough to read my vows. Troi had to keep handing me tissue while Gabriel read his because I ran out of the ones in my coat pocket.

Ivy and the decorators had worked wonders on the venue. It was pretty intimate but the two of us and the wedding party were against this archway of sorts and the entire room was subtly split down the middle. The side with Gabriel's family had primarily blue decor with gold accents and my family's side was the opposite. The colors mingled more in the middle.

Before I knew it, the officiant was telling us to kiss and I became incredibly aware. "I look awful don't I?"

A laugh fluttered through the chairs and Gabriel beckoned me closer with his finger while he turned off the microphone and handed it to Lawrence to get it away. Once my face was next to his, he whispered, "Remember Halloween?"

"Yeah?"

"You look like you did right after."

My eyes got big and heat rose to my cheeks. "What?"

"After," he repeated. "When you were coming down and I was dragging you to the bath."

"O-Oh."

"You look stunning, Pup."

I held his hands tighter and mumbled, "Thank you."

We were surprisingly good at being quiet. I know, hard to believe, right? Somehow we managed but the officiant still asked if everything was okay. Gabriel stood back and gave him his work smile. "Yep!" Then he looked at me and I got to see the facade melt away in real time to where his eyes would crinkle in the corners and his teeth would show beautifully as he asked, giggling, "Are we doing this?"

I nodded, grinning, blinking back tears. "I think so, yeah. We are."

The city boy that turned my upside down life back around gave my hand a little squeeze. "You first."

A/N: I have been sobbing for hours. Thank you for reading this book. I've had a wonderful time writing it and learning along the way. If you'd like to read more of my works, "Suited" is up and running. I can not stress this enough, thank you so much for reading. This book and y'all make my heart sing.

The End