Chapter Nine

Truth be told, Lev had never visited a cemetery. He had never lost anyone so tragically. Everyone left him before they made it to the grave. There was an odd sort of stillness to the air. The place was also strangely beautiful. Elaborate above-ground marble tombs littered the area. Colorful flowers cut through the otherwise gray landscape, brightening the doorways of where the dead slept. He didn't quite understand the purpose of visiting. Lev supposed that part was for the living.

He sat on a stone bench and watched Murphy arrange flowers at Mike's door. For a moment, Murphy simply stared at the tomb. Lev didn't know if he was lost in thought or praying. He didn't know how to be supportive in this situation. So Lev sat in silence, waiting for his cue.

Finally, Murphy turned his way. "Mike would've loved you. I don't think I've ever said that."

Lev smiled. He liked the idea of being enmeshed in Murphy's family. "Considering how you feel about him, I'm sure I would've felt the same. He sounds like he was amazing."

"Thank you for agreeing to do this."

He was so beautiful. Lev couldn't look away from his sexy blue eyes in the sunlight. "You don't have to keep thanking me. I want to be here."

A sweet smile touched Murphy's lips. "You know, I always thought—despite his disability—Mike would be with me through all the biggest moments of my life. Instead, he's missed nearly every one. I didn't want him to miss this one."

Lev's brow furrowed. "I don't know what this means."

Murphy reached into his pocket and went down on one knee.

Lev stopped breathing. He couldn't even blink.

"I know this likely seems an odd place for this, but like I said, I wanted Mike to take part. I also know—technically—we haven't been dating that long. But in my heart, it feels like forever, and I know we're meant to be. So, will you marry me?"

Lev's mind glitched. He never expected Murphy to be the one to ask. Lev assumed he would be forced to beg at some point. He nodded because—no matter how hard he tried—Lev couldn't get his throat to work. He blinked. His eyes burned. He nodded harder when Murphy didn't react.

A slow smile spread across Murphy's face. "Are you sure? It's not like you to be this quiet."

"Yes." The word burst from him like a crazy person.

Murphy laughed as he came in for a kiss. Lev sniffed as Murphy slipped a gorgeous gold band with an intricate design onto his finger. Lev was so blown away, he didn't know how to act. He couldn't stop stealing kisses.

"When did you have time for this?" It was an odd question for being the first words he found. But they had been so focused on moving Murphy's things, Lev didn't know how Murphy had pulled this off.

Murphy pulled him to his feet as he answered. "Actually, I planned this three weeks ago. We should head out if we plan to make lunch on time."

Lev drew Murphy to a stop. The desire to cry doubled. "Three weeks? Even when we were floundering, you wanted to marry?"

The sweetest of smiles touched Murphy's lips. "Of course. There's no one else out there for me."

Lev's throat swelled. He followed Murphy to his truck and made the ride to Murphy's parents' house in shocked silence. Murphy kept lifting Lev's hand to his mouth and kissing the ring he wore. Each time, emotion choked Lev anew. Every day, he thought he couldn't get happier. Each day, life proved him wrong. Then they were headed inside a small brick home that looked like every other house on the block and Lev's nerves nearly snapped. Of all the people in the world to not want him, parents had always topped the list. He didn't know what he would do if Murphy's parents rejected him. Lev couldn't lose Murphy because his family disapproved.

The house smelled good—like homemade food, which made sense since the back door led into the kitchen. A smiling blond-ish gray-haired woman appeared to greet them. "Hey. There you are. I thought you'd be here sooner."

Murphy kissed her cheek. "I stopped to drop flowers at Mike's grave." He motioned Lev's way. "Mom, this is Lev. Lev, this is my mom, Sunday."

Lev dipped his head. "It's good to meet you."

She looked like an older female version of Murphy. Her smile was his smile. "Lev? Finally! Murphy has been talking about you forever. He's very proud of you."

Lev fought an unexpected blush. He didn't know how to respond. Thankfully, a large bear of a man appeared in the kitchen. He was all smiles too.

"Hey there, son. Was the drive over okay?"

Murphy laughed as he stole a dinner roll from the island. "Yes. My ten-minute drive over was thankfully uneventful."

The guy rolled his eyes. "Smartass." He focused on Lev. "Lev, right?"

"Is me."

The man's eyes danced with laughter. "You know I'm an English professor. If you'd ever like to practice your English, I'd love to help. That's my specialty at the college. I work with foreign students to improve their English skills."

Lev tossed a laughing glance Murphy's way. "I see where you get your correcting everyone from."

The guy laughed. "I'm Will, by the way. It's nice to finally meet you."

"You, as well."

Lev's gaze slid Murphy's way, hoping for a rescue. He wasn't used to these situations. Lev already felt overwhelmed.

Murphy winked. "As much as I'm sure Lev would love your help with his English, he'll probably be busy for a while. Between our packed season and planning our wedding, time will be crunched."

Everyone froze.

Lev, because he couldn't even blink in the face of Murphy's parents' immediate expressions. Murphy's parents went still because it couldn't have been more obvious they hadn't known their son was gay. Either that, or they simply hadn't realized they were a couple. Whichever the reason, they were visibly astonished and confused. Their gazes moved between Murphy and Lev and then each other before making the rounds again.

Sunday rallied first. "Um. Wow. Okay. Congratulations. I'm thrilled, of course." She hugged Murphy and then Lev.

Will shook his hand. "We're always glad to welcome another son. Murphy has had nothing but amazing things to say about you."

Murphy didn't look the least bit uncomfortable. That had Lev breathing easier. Whatever the story behind his parents' shock, Murphy obviously didn't fear rejection. He was right. Everyone moved on like nothing happened. Lev breathed a sigh of relief. He still didn't know how to behave with parents, but it looked like he would finally have some. His chest warmed at the thought. His gaze slid Murphy's way and didn't budge. Love swelled inside his chest. Murphy had given him this. Lev couldn't love him more.

While Murphy had never officially come out to anyone, he knew his parents weren't dumb. He also knew they would love him no matter what. Just as he had known they would love Lev. He had been right. By the time they were headed out the door, his mom had given him her number and made Lev promise to meet her for lunch and wedding shopping. His dad had made plans to watch Lev play, since it was important for him to know more about his son-in-law. Lev looked shell-shocked. Murphy realized he might have packed a bit too much into one day for Lev.

"You look tired," Murphy said as they headed for his truck.

Lev flashed him an exhausted-looking smile. "I'm good."

Murphy waited until they were in the truck to respond. "I'll rub your back when we get home."

A sexy rumble of laughter came from Lev's side of the car. "You do too much."

Murphy felt like he didn't do enough, but he wouldn't argue.

"Speaking of doing too much," Lev said, sounding too serious for Murphy's bad nerves. "I think we should quietly marry. Small ceremony with only family and friends."

Murphy cast a quick glance Lev's way. It wasn't that the idea bothered him. Murphy worried about why the suggestion was being made. He didn't want Lev to have regrets. "You deserve a huge celebration." Plus, the last thing Murphy wanted was to make Lev think he didn't want the world to know about them. That had already almost destroyed them once.

He saw Lev shrug from the corner of his eye. "Maybe, but it's not what I want. I am always in the spotlight, and you are already under all the stress. A big wedding would be a media shitstorm and I just want it to be about us." He paused. "Plus, I just really want to marry you now. I don't want to take forever planning something huge."

Murphy hadn't planned to marry right away, considering their recent problems, but he wasn't opposed. He had asked Lev to marry him for a reason. Murphy wanted this. "Okay. If this is what you want, let's do it."

"Good." Lev took an audible breath. "Can I ask for one more thing?"

Murphy would give him anything. "Of course."

"Explain why no one knows you're gay. Your parents did not know we are more than friends."

A chuckle escaped Murphy. "I wouldn't say no one knows. I just never thought I should have to come out. No one else has to announce their sexuality. I shouldn't either. Obviously, I knew my parents wouldn't care, but I'm not about to sit around and talk about who I have sex with, especially with my parents. That's no one's business."

"Did Mike know?"

A smile exploded across Murphy's face. It was odd. No one ever talked to him about Mike. Murphy missed talking about him, keeping him alive. "Yes. He was one of the very few people who had the balls to just ask. Plus, I always talked to him about everything. It was very quiet in my life for a long time after he died."

Lev took his hand and kissed it. "For what it's worth, you can talk to me about anything. I am also your friend."

He really was. Murphy's best friend, in fact. "I couldn't live without you."

Lev pressed Murphy's hand to his mouth again and held it there. "I love you."

He felt the words against his skin. Murphy's heart melted. He hadn't known he could love a person so much. But this had been growing for a long time and now their love overshadowed everything in his life. All the worry about the season and his job didn't seem to matter as much. He had Lev. Murphy didn't have any doubts about them anymore. Lev was the one. They would have an amazing life. Lev would see.