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Three days before Christmas, they hung a sign on the door to the cafe that said “Closed For A Private Event.” His Aunt Rosa would shut down entirely the week after the holiday. She said she deserved the break after working so hard all year, and Enzo agreed with her. She should probably take more time off.
Inside he’d helped Lydia set up folding tables along the wall with the mural he had painted. There they placed plates of cookies and trays of pastries, along with one giant sheet cake. At one end they set up carafes of coffee and hot water to create a self-serve coffee bar. This was meant as a party for the staff as well, so nobody was expected to brew coffee for anyone else.
“It smells so good in here,” Finn murmured, throwing his arm around Enzo. He’d been over by the Christmas tree, setting out wrapped copies of his book as gifts for everyone.
“It smells like coffee.” Enzo leaned into him as they stood and looked over Enzo’s handiwork. “Like it always does.”
“Coffee and cinnamon and mint. Did Lydia tell you I inspired her bestselling creation?”
“And you’re so humble about it,” he teased. He had tasted a sample of the Morgan Heart Mint Surprise and while it was good, he knew he could have made it better. But his coffee making days were behind him, and he’d made a promise not to interfere with the running of the cafe. That belonged to Lydia now.
Lydia stood by the front door, welcoming everyone in. After holding it open for Tami and her stroller, she turned and shouted, “Newspaper Bill is down the street. Take your favorite treats before he scoops them all up.”
“Who invited him?” Finn grumbled.
“Well we can’t not invite our most famous regular.” Enzo tried to keep the smile in, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know what Bill had done to Finn to make him so disliked. That didn’t mean Enzo wasn’t going to go and grab his favorite pignoli cookies before Bill ate them all. The guy was pretty predictable and had an empty pit for a stomach.
“I thought I was your most famous regular.” Finn reached for a paper plate and scooped up his favorite – Aunt Rosa’s amazing sfogliatella.
Lydia butted in between them, grabbing chocolate chip cookies. “We all know that’s Enzo.”
Enzo opened his mouth to disagree. His art was popular, but he was hardly famous. But Finn turned to him and gave him such a sappy look, that he couldn’t speak. Warmth filled him, from his ears to his toes.
“Yeah, he is.” Finn grinned and then went to get in line for the coffee bar.
Enzo took his treat to an empty table, but on the way ended up chatting with Mirabell and Anabell, the twins who used to work in the cafe. They were much easier to tell apart when they weren’t wearing matching aprons. While they were talking, the door opened and there came Newspaper Bill, followed by Nat and Gina pushing a stroller with little Oliver.
He excused himself to go say hi to his best friend. Even after all the changes in their lives, he knew he could always count on Nat, and the same for her. It had been hard at first to adjust to not having her around all the time, but that made the moments they did spend together all the more special.
“Hey.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Glad you made it.”
Lydia and Tami had come over and started cooing at Oliver. “He’s getting so big!”
“He’ll be walking before you know it,” Tami warned them.
Gina took him out of the stroller and to show him off to the other regulars. Aunt Rosa came from the back and started making a fuss over the baby as well.
“It’s official, you are now more popular with my aunt than me,” Enzo told Nat.
She laughed. “Only until you and Finn have kids. I’m sorry. I meant a puppy.”
The front door opened a few more times, until the cafe was filled with friends from past and present. Enzo found himself being pulled away, as everyone wanted to chat with him. At one point he even went behind the counter and started pulling espressos, despite Lydia laughingly telling him to stop.
“One Enzo special, please.” Finn came up to the counter and ordered with a grin.
Enzo poked at the espresso machine. This used to be easier, right? They must have replaced the machine he knew so well with something new. “One minute!”
“I can make it worth your while.” Finn waved a twenty at him, making Enzo laugh so hard he nearly dropped the steamer on the floor.
After a few minutes struggling, he was able to put a steaming espresso on the counter. Enzo leaned forward and said in a low voice. “Here you go. Extra special, just for you.”
Finn got close, close enough to kiss, and instead whispered, “Hey, want to get out of here for a minute?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Enzo came around the counter, grabbed Finn by the arm and pulled him down the hall to the back.
It was quieter back here, although he could still hear sounds of conversation and laughter from the front. They wouldn’t have long, not while people were so eager to catch up. It had been a very long time since this place was filled with so much love.
Enzo pushed Finn up the wall and kissed him. He tasted like mint.
Finn moaned and put his hands in Enzo’s hair, arching against him. For a moment there was nobody else, no party going on, just Finn, warm and willing as they kissed, mouths hot.
They broke apart, breathing heavily. Damn, this might not have been his best idea.
“I have something for you,” Finn said. “I was going to save it until Christmas, but since we’re here, and Lydia has been letting me keep it in the storage room...”
How big was his present if Finn needed to keep it in the cafe? “Oh?”
“Come on.” Finn took his hand and led him back. He opened the storage room, being careful as he propped the door open, which made Enzo laugh. It had been that doorstop failing that had caused them to be trapped in this room where they shared their first kiss once upon a time.
Then he entered the room and stopped laughing. Inside, propped on a folding chair, sat a painting. It wasn’t large by any means, not the huge canvases Enzo worked on. It was probably twelve by twelve...and he needed to shut his artist brain off for seconds to appreciate what Finn had done.
“You painted this? For me?”
On a black background, Finn had shaped a heart, filled with swirling bits of color – red and green and deep blue. There were sparks of gold here and there. It was simple and yet filled with love.
“I used alcohol inks and an air blowing thingie.” Finn made a motion with his hand. “I had the instructor from the sip and paint help me out. She suggested the technique, then I painted the background to make the shape...”
“That’s what you were doing when you were going out with Tami!” Enzo started to laugh. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”
“Really?” Finn ducked his head, his cheeks turning bright red. “I know I’m no artist, but...”
“But you put your heart into this, literally.” Enzo walked over to the painting so he could really appreciate it. Sure, he would have done it differently, but this wasn’t an Enzo painting. He didn’t do abstract art so much. This was a Finn masterpiece. And he had a sneaking suspicions he knew who’d suggested it.
“Let me guess. Lydia gave you the idea?”
Finn looked up, surprised. “Maybe.”
Enzo laughed. He left the painting behind and went to scoop Finn into another kiss. God, he loved this man so damn much. “When we get home we are going right to bed.”
“We can leave early,” Finn suggested.
“Tempting, but no. I need you to open your present first.” Enzo took a step back and pulled out his phone. “Lydia suggested that I write a story for you. I’ve spent the past week trying to figure out how to use your printer.”
“It’s a very particular printer.”
“So, if you don’t mind getting it early, I’ll send you the link to the file on my shared drive.” Enzo hit the button on his phone to send it to Finn’s.
Finn had put so much heart in this painting. Enzo had to show him he’d tried to do the same. “By the way, writing is hard,” he said as Finn’s phone chimed.
“You’re telling me.” Finn pulled out his phone.
“Are you...reading it now?”
Finn looked up and gave him a slow smile. “Why not? It’s fitting that I read it in here, don’t you think?”
He swallowed. Here is where he’d read the book Finn had written as an apology, three years ago. It wouldn’t take Finn that long to read Enzo’s little story, but Enzo couldn’t wait to find out what he thought. “Okay. I’ll wait for you out in the cafe.”
“And then home.” Finn’s eyes glittered with blue fire.
Oh yeah.
#
FINN PULLED OUT ANOTHER folding chair and took a seat, his phone in one hand. He had to pump up the font a bit before he could comfortably read. Warmth flooded him. Enzo had loved his painting. He’d seen the heart, not just the literal heart Finn had created.
And now to find out that Enzo had written something for him!
Finn started to read, at first confused about the text. Who were the characters? What was the story? Only to realize that he was one of the starring characters. This was their story, how Enzo saw it. He skimmed quickly, his heart racing as he grew more and more invested in Enzo’s words.
The words on the page came to life. Enzo knew that even though Finn had written them for his characters to speak, that he meant every word as an apology. All the things he couldn’t say.
And it meant more, because it was in a book. Finn could have just said sorry, but this way, Enzo knew he really meant it. The love poured out of the manuscript, and Enzo couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.
It wasn’t the best writing in the world. Finn could see the repetitive words, the sentence fragments. His agent would return this to him with a demand for more edits.
But that didn’t matter. This little story was a fucking masterpiece.
Finn pressed a hand to his forehead. This was what Enzo had been doing, when he’d caught him at his computer. God, he was an idiot. He needed to charge back into that cafe and announce to everyone that this man was his husband. That he was proud to be married to Enzo. That they were all invited to their wedding. Whenever they had one.
He stalked out of the back room with a purpose. People were still eating and laughing in the cafe, filled with the rich scent of coffee and the holidays. Finn only had eyes for Enzo, standing in the center of the room, beneath a light fixture that lit him up like a Christmas ornament.
In front of everyone he walked over and grabbed Enzo for a kiss – a long, lingering, hot as hell kiss. A series of cheers and whoops went through the room.
“You should make an honest man of him!” Nat’s voice pierced through the room.
“Yeah, when are you gonna get married?” Lydia joined in.
Enzo grinned and raised his hand, wiggling his ring finger. “I already said yes, remember?”
Finn threw his arm around Enzo’s waist and pulled him close. Now was the time to come clean, to let everyone know they’d already gotten married during the pandemic.
Before he could speak, a familiar voice piped up, “You know I’m an ordained minister, right?”
He turned to glare at Newspaper Bill. “You are not.”
“Swear to God. Got the internet credentials right here.” Bill patted the pocket of his messenger bag, usually filled with the newspapers he carried everywhere.
Lydia crossed her arms over her chest. “Well then clearly we know what we have to do.”
“Surprise wedding!” Nat shouted.
Before Finn could protest, everyone started working together to push the tables to the side, creating a little aisle. Bill stood at one end, waiting expectantly. Someone started playing the Bridal March from a cell phone.
He turned to Enzo. “Are we really doing this?”
“Well, it is Christmas.” Enzo had a twinkle in his eye. “What’s more romantic than a Christmas wedding?”
Finn twined their hands together. “Tomorrow let’s go to the jeweler and pick out matching rings.” It was time for the world to know.
“You know if you wrote this in one of your books I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“I’ll take the bet,” he teased. Lydia beckoned them both, and there was no more time for teasing as he walked down the ‘aisle’ with Enzo at his side.
The crowd grew quiet as Bill raised his hands. Finn really hoped Bill wouldn’t screw this up. Now that they finally had their moment, in the most important place in their history, surrounded by their closest friends and family, Finn wanted it to be something special.
“Today we unite Enzo and Finn in matrimony,” Bill started. “Marriage. I don’t know why people do it, but hey, I’ve never seen two guys more in love. So let’s marry these two idiots.”
Finn supposed he couldn’t have expected anything better.
“Finn, do you?”
“I do.”
“Enzo, do you?”
“I do.”
“Then by the power invested in me by the internet, I pronounce you guys married!”
Enzo grabbed Finn and bent him over in a dip as they kissed. Everyone in the cafe cheered.
Soon Lydia was handing out paper cups that had something way more alcoholic than coffee inside. Then Nat stood on a chair and announced she had to give a speech as the unofficial maid of honor. Aunt Rosa disappeared for fifteen minutes and came back with a tiny cake covered with white frosting. Enzo took his slice and smeared the icing on the tip of Finn’s nose.
In short, it was perfect. He couldn’t have planned anything better.
“I love you,” he told Enzo, wiping the icing off his nose.
Enzo’s eyes went soft. “I know. Love you, too. Now, is it time to get the honeymoon started?”
“Absolutely.”
The End
***
THANK YOU FOR READING! I hope you enjoyed the next chapter for Finn and Enzo. If you liked the story, please leave a review if you feel so inclined. And consider subscribing to my monthly newsletter for my latest news and updates: http://www.ccbridges.net/list.html
Please read on for Chapter 1 of Better Latte Than Never.
An Excerpt from
Better Latte Than Never
Chapter 1
Finn wiped the grit from his watery eyes. Who knew that staring at a blank computer screen for so long could cause eyestrain? There had been two paragraphs in his document a few minutes ago, but Finn hated every word and deleted it all with a single click of the mouse.
His head started to pound, and Finn pushed his office chair away from the desk. He wasn’t getting a damn thing done today. It gave him the perfect excuse to go sneak up on his boyfriend, Theo, and demand some private attention.
They hardly got to spend any time together. Finn had this mansion in LA—the one he’d been talked into buying by his accountant—and Theo spent much of his time traveling, scouting locations for his movies. And of course, Finn had to keep their relationship secret.
It wouldn’t do for the foremost author of heterosexual love stories to come out as gay, after all. Finn had a reputation to protect—a reputation and an empire. His books, written under the Morgan Heart pen name, had rocketed him to wealth and fame over the past fifteen years. To be honest, he still couldn’t quite believe in his own success. Part of him expected to wake up one day with his head on his desk in the newspaper office, his boss yelling at him to make his deadline.
Finn climbed the steps, heading for his bedroom en suite. A splash of water on his face would help, and he had some ibuprofen tucked away in his medicine cabinet. That should take care of the headache. Maybe then he could entice Theo into some horizontal activities.
As he made his way down the hallway, getting closer to his bedroom, Finn could make out Theo’s voice. He was on the phone.
Finn grinned. He slowed his steps so he didn’t make a sound on the hardwood floor, intending to surprise Theo with a stealth hug.
After a moment, he started to make out the words Theo was saying, and Finn stopped dead in his tracks.
“Look, it’s not easy. He’s been a hard nut to crack. Never wants to talk shop in bed.” A pause. “Right, right. The point is, I think I’m close. He wasn’t happy with the last producer. I can tell you exactly what to say to get him to make the switch. He has complete creative control over his properties, you know. We don’t have to worry about...”
Finn couldn’t listen to any more of this. He darted forward, turning the corner to meet Theo’s astonished gaze. His face flushed with heat, and Finn could only spit out, “What? What don’t you have to worry about?”
“I’m going to have to call you back.” Theo ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket. He put an easy grin on his face as he stepped forward, both hands out. “Nothing to do with you, love. Just another business call that couldn’t wait.”
“Is there someone else you’re talking shop with in bed?” Finn spat Theo’s words back at him, gratified to see that handsome face drain of blood, pale even under Theo’s perpetual tan.
“It’s not what you think,” Theo protested.
“Oh, it’s not that you’ve been sleeping with me to get me to what...hire one of your producer friends?” Finn should have known. Why would someone like Theo—tall, handsome, connected—want anything to do with Finn, an aging writer in his forties? Unless, of course, he wanted in on the money that kept pouring in. Finn damn well knew better.
Love was a fickle thing, a spark that sizzled briefly before dimming forever. And it turned out they didn’t even have that between them. Their whole relationship had been based on a lie.
Theo took a step back, flinching as if he’d been slapped. “Finn, please. I only have your best interests at heart. You are not making what you could be with your current production company...”
“Get out,” Finn said between gritted teeth. His jaw clenched so hard the pain rivaled the one pulsing in his forehead. “Take your stuff and get out.”
“Babe. Come on. After all we’ve been through together?” Theo gave him that look, that soft-eyed, pouty-lipped one he often wore in bed. That look had seduced Finn countless times.
And now all he could think of was how it had to be fake, that Theo had been playing him, even in bed. “Leave before I call the cops,” Finn said slowly, clenching his hands into fists by his side to keep his anger in check. “Tomorrow you’ll be hearing from my lawyer about that NDA you signed.”
He’d done it as a precaution—Finn needed to protect his ideas for his next book. Theo had signed it laughing. Finn thought it endearing at the time, but now that laughter took on a sinister tone.
Finn didn’t wait for Theo to respond. He turned on one heel and stalked down the hallway. He needed peace and calm. He never should have moved out to California. Finn couldn’t go back to the room that had been their bedroom. This whole house stank, metaphorically of course, of betrayal. Finn needed to leave.