Chapter 8

And yet, if it was what Linus wanted why didn’t he just cave and buy the ring, get down on one knee, and pop the question? Certainly it was the right time of year. He could have done it at Christmas instead of getting Linus tickets to the play he’d been dying to see. Or at New Year’s when they both got smashed on champagne and watched the big sparkly ball drop from the comfort of their bed. Valentine’s Day was just around the corner now, all the jewelry stores were running sales and hocking their wares. He’d probably get a good deal.

But it was all cliché.

And so unlike Linus.

His gaze strayed to the house, the little two-story colonial they helped Linus’s sister and husband fix up and make into a proper home. None of the lights burned. By now Linus was likely snuggled into the guest room, the other side of the bed cold and empty, as it would be for him when he got home.

He wanted no part of it.

He wanted Linus beside him, softly snoring in that cute way he did.