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Chapter One  / Chapter Two / Chapter Three  / Chapter Four  / Chapter Five  / Chapter Six   / Chapter Seven 

Author's note: So, I thought that after that confession from ch. 7, it would be natural to have the epilogue, to tie things up nicely :) I didn't want the story to become a bit tedious, either, with recounting events that you guys already know. Also, Sid fixed Tom already, he-he-he. Therefore, here's the conclusion to this side story. I'm so glad you've been here with me all this time, supporting me. And knowing that I have so many readers enjoying my stories really makes me happy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

  

Epilogue

Six years later

“Are you ready?”

Tom grunted in reply. Some things never changed, and that included his unavailability to talk when he felt nervous for some reason. He continued to struggle with his bow tie, although he was pretty sure the damned thing refused to sit straight, most probably because it hated him, as inanimate as it was.

“You look perfect, dad,” Jett added.

Apparently, Jett didn’t care to read the signs and leave him alone already. He turned and stared at his son, but Jett ignored him and got closer. With steady moves, he fixed the bow tie for him.

“There,” he added. “Don’t tell me you’re nervous.”

Jett had changed so much during the last years that Tom sometimes thought that time did fly, and only the day before, he must have worried about his son not being able to live a proper life. But, right now, when Tom looked at his boy, he had every reason to be proud. Jett wore his hair short now, and with the long hair, the boy had gone, too, leaving the man to take his place. The tailored suit looked good on him. 

In the end, it looked like Tom had worried for nothing. Jett ran a security company and made good money with it, his husband was a computer engineer, while his son, Jay, was growing every day, and he seemed to be as much as his father and grandfather as a kid could be. Of course, that meant that he was starting his very rambunctious phase. Tom knew all about it, and, this time, he thought he was ready. 

The kid’s mom, Carina, lived close to Jett and April, and that was a blessing. The husband she had gotten was too good-natured to handle such an energetic kid. That was a cause for Jay to come with a different ‘dad of the week’ award all the time, depending on who gave in the most to his demands. It didn’t matter. Tom knew who Jay loved the most of all his dads. It was April. But he would never disclose that secret to Jett.

“Hey, earth to dad,” Jett called for him. “Oh God, you really are nervous.”

Tom grimaced. “I’m not nervous, stop talking like that.”

“Seriously, what’s the worst that can happen? He won’t say ‘no’ at this point.”

Tom grunted. “I’m not nervous, son. I’ve been through this before. Only that now, I know what I’m getting into.”

Jett stood there, baffled for a second, and then he started laughing. “I keep on forgetting how Sid taught you how to be funny. That was a joke, right?”

Tom offered a thin smile in return. “Maybe.” Inside, he was already laughing.

“You know, it was a surprise when you two told us that you’re going to tie the knot, after all. I thought both of you were pretty much set against it.”

“Well, we were --”

“But, Sid changed his mind.”

“That wasn’t how things happened,” Tom said sternly. Actually, it had been precisely how they had happened. Only that Tom had nudged Sid carefully into that direction, and he didn’t want anyone to know that he had been the artisan of that particular decision.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Now let’s go already. Sid might start to think that you changed your mind. Who knows how he might react to that?”

That was enough to make Tom forget all about whether his bow tie was still crooked or not. Sid had been clear on so many occasions that he wanted him, with all his minor imperfections. It was pretty funny, at his age, to feel butterflies in his stomach. And they were pretty strong, too.

***

Tom knew that there were moments in life that he would want to keep with him forever. Sid, all dressed up to the nines, in a cream tuxedo, as opposed to his black one, with a white bow tie to match – another of his ideas – was waiting for him to walk up to where he was standing. 

That moment was worthy of a picture in the book of one’s heart; Tom was convinced. As he walked toward Sid, he was only aware of a single thing: his partner’s smile. It was so big and bright that everything else seemed far away. 

He took his rightful place, face to face with Sid. He held his hands and said the words, words he believed from the bottom of his heart. The audience was silent; even the air was still. 

“Why didn’t you tell me your dad is secretly a poet?” A hushed whisper broke the silence.

Sid half-turned toward his son. “April, remember me to ruin your big moment when you and Jett are going to renew your vows.”

“Do we need to do that? I thought it was a one-time thing, and only cheating couples renewed their vows,” Jett intervened.

Sid rolled his eyes and turned his attention on Tom. “Sorry for the boys. They don’t understand the solemnity of the moment. Could you please go on?”

Tom laughed. “Maybe I should let you do the talking now. It looks like I pretty much managed to make everyone fall asleep.”

The audience laughed. That didn’t seem to be the case.

“All right, but you will have to tell me everything once we’re alone. Did you truly write all that?”

“Yes.”

A soft cough from the minister let them know that they were pretty much messing up the ceremony. Sid squeezed Tom’s hands and looked at him fondly. He was barely through his first two phrases.

“When are we going to eat cake?” That came from the front row.

Sid made a funny grimace. “And that’s our grandson, of course. I guess this is what we get for wanting to have the family with us on this special day.”

“What did I tell you?” Carina whispered angrily at Jay. “You won’t get any cake if you interrupt your granddads like this.”

“I’ll tell dad if you don’t let me,” Jay said stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest, with a big pout. He didn’t look too happy being forced to wear a suit, too, and having his hair brushed to a shine. 

Tom could hardly hold in a laugh. 

“No, I’m going to tell your dad not to let you have cake at all.” Carina fought on her side of the barricade.

“April will let me. Scott, too.”

“I’m talking about your dad-dad, you little brat,” Carina insisted. 

Jay pretended not to hear and set his chin up defiantly. Tom shook his head. The kid was so much like Jett; it was uncanny.

“Jay, buddy,” Jett intervened.

The kid looked at him right away. If there was someone in the world who could convince Jay of anything, it had to be Jett. It was toward his biological dad that Jay had the most admiration. Sid had a theory that it had all to do with physical size. Tom wasn’t so sure. One of the many reasons he was proud of Jett was that he proved to be a great dad.

“We’ll have half the cake to ourselves if you’re good for another ten minutes or so.” Jett had a broad grin on his face. His son’s defiance was, obviously, to his liking. Maybe the boy wasn’t all gone, after all, and he was still up to some mischief.

Jay beamed. Carina scoffed. “I really cannot believe you, guys.”

Tom shook his head, but he was smiling. Nothing could ruin a day like that. A kid wanting cake actually just made it perfect because it proved so much that he had a loving family.

***

“Are you really sure? You’re leaving your military career behind,” Sid pointed out as they laid in bed, sweaty and tired. Well, it was the good kind of tired, and Tom had thought it had to be the perfect moment to break the news to his husband. They had been married for forty-eight hours already, so it seemed like a good idea to spill the beans.

“I think I’ve given my career enough of my life. I’m not sure if it was worth it, after all,” Tom said as he slowly caressed Sid’s arm, which was possessively thrown over his chest. 

“It’s in your blood. You might miss all the action, ordering people around --”

“I could always order you around.”

A snort followed. “Just try it.”

Tom fell silent for a moment. He enjoyed this, no, he loved it immensely, how he could stay there, listening to the sound of Sid’s breathing, and feeling completely at home. As much as April and Jett had insisted that they should go on a honeymoon somewhere, they had been both adamant about spending their first days of marriage bliss at home.

“You know, I don’t think I said the correct thing just earlier,” Tom started. “It’s not that I’m not sure if my career was worth everything I sacrificed for it. I’m certain it wasn’t.”

Sid straightened up a little so that he could look at him. “You sure?”

Tom looked back at his husband. “Yes. I’ve never been surer of anything else in my life. All I can think of, every day I’m there is how I want to be here, with you. And while I’m here, I only think of how fast the days go by, and it’s, again, time for me to leave.”

“Aww, I didn’t know you loved me that much,” Sid said with a small laugh.

Tom pretended to wrap one hand around Sid’s throat to strangle him. Instead, he caressed the sweaty skin. “It’s been six years. How come you haven’t gotten bored of waiting for me?”

Sid shrugged. “I guess I feel like I’d been waiting for you for years before you happened in my life. This is nothing. I have you with me every year, and that’s what matters.”

“So, you don’t want me to come home and live together forever?”

“That is not what I meant,” Sid protested. 

“Then ask me. Tell me you want me home with you.”

“I thought you already took the decision.”

“I want to hear you.”

Sid moved to straddle him and looked at him from above. It was a pretty sexy sight if he thought much, Tom mused to himself. “Come home, Tom. Come and stay with me. But if you get bored because of your early retirement --”

“Bored? With you around? With this house that needs so much mending?”

Sid rolled his eyes. “I had to know you would barely wait for the ink on our marriage papers to dry, and you would pester me about renovations.”

“You know me well. But I won’t become inactive and boring, don’t worry. I’ll find something to do, a workplace. I won’t let you be the only breadwinner in the house.”

“Like that would be a problem. Although you eat quite a lot,” Sid said and made a pensive face.

Tom bucked his hips up and made Sid lose his balance. “Then, I’ll cook, and you’ll just eat.”

“Ha! Like that will ever happen.”

Tom made both of them roll on the bed until he was the one on top. “We really did this, didn’t we? We tied the knot.”

“Yes. But don’t tell me you’re surprised.”

“Why shouldn’t I be? We talked about how we didn’t think marriage is for people our age.”

Sid snorted and then set his eyes on Tom. “I may be in love with you, Tom, but I’m not blindly in love with you. I know you wanted it.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“So you just played along, all this time, without saying anything?”

“It was fun to let you think you could manipulate me.”

“I had to know nothing would get past you,” Tom moaned.

Sid kissed him sweetly. “So, you know me.”

“And? Is this something that you wanted, too?”

“Sure. And now you want to come home and stay forever, so mission accomplished.”

“Wait, are you saying you manipulated me into wanting that, too?”

Sid shrugged, but his eyes were playful. “What can I say? I’m a wizard.”

“You wish,” Tom said and kissed Sid back. “Although we can safely say that you did charm me.”

“As I said.”

“Do you want to have the last word, always?”

“Not always. You can always shut me up. You know how.”

Tom pulled Sid closer. Of course, he knew how. That was his husband, and he knew everything about him.

THE END

Author's note: Thank you for reading till the end! Of course, we're yet to part with all the characters. There is still a story about Zane and Dan waiting to be told, as well as the one about Jett and April, and their lives as grownups!

Comments

Justagirl

Aw, this made me melt ❤️❤️ Said it before, and will say it again, love your happy ever afters with a pretty bow-on-top. Food for the soul. Thank you!