“In case it’s not clear,” he said, giving my balls a tight squeeze that made me gasp, “I love you, too.”
And it wasn’t just my body or my kink he loved. I knew that. It was all the rest. I sighed happily, spread my legs even further, and settled back against him. “Yeah, I know.”Epilogue
1 year, 3 months later…
“You ready?”
I looked at Lincoln and smiled wide. His grin matched mine. Then he handed me my bouquet. It was filled with calla lilies and amaryllis—on account of Wil’s allergies—and had one solitary pink Gerber daisy. They’d been my mother’s favorite flower, and since she couldn’t be here to walk me down the aisle as she’d wanted, I vowed to have her with me in any way I could.
It was early fall, and the air was still warm with just a bare hint of crispness to it. It was also a bright day, with no threat of rain, which meant we could do this outside. Dylan had outdone himself with the pond this past summer and water lilies now dotted the surface in addition to some water hyacinths. He’d also put in some dogwood trees, though they weren’t in bloom right now. But the whole area had been cultivated to within an inch of its life and it had never looked more gorgeous.
When Monroe suggested we get married here, I’d declined. Wilson’s allergies would make it impossible for him to attend. But Wil himself had told me he’d just dope up on antihistamines and he’d be fine, as long as I didn’t insist on having a two-hour-long ceremony.
He didn’t have to worry. I couldn’t wait that long to officially call Monroe my husband.
Lincoln headed off to stand next to his brother. There were only a few people in attendance. The Peters family who had welcomed me with open arms from the very beginning. Zoe and Lenore and their families, Zoe’s youngest la la la-ing along with the instrumental music. A few people I considered close friends.
“Nervous?” Elise, my Matron of Honor, whispered as the music picked up. Her bouquet was shaking in her hand, but I knew emotion and not nerves that caused it. She had a calla in her short hair that matched the ones in our bouquets, and the ones in the boutonnieres.
“Not in the slightest.”
“No, you wouldn’t be, would you?” She smiled, then tilted back her head and breathed deeply through her nose to keep the tears at bay. I grinned. She was more emotional than I was.
A shift in music and Elise straightened, then fluffed her dress around her bare feet. “That’s my cue,” she said with a wink.
Elise preceded me down the makeshift aisle, then the music changed and I stepped around the wisteria to take it all in.
And there was Monroe, standing next to this father—who was performing the ceremony—with the pond as a picture perfect background. The man I loved more than life itself. Waiting for me to make my way to him. His smile was so big, I was sure they could see it from the stratosphere, but his attention was all on me as I began the short walk toward him.
He was already mine in every way that mattered. And this celebration of our love would be the final step in our journey to our new lives.
As husbands.
I couldn’t get the word out of my head. Not since that moment Monroe had whispered it to me, late at night three months ago. “I want to be husbands. As soon as possible. Will you marry me?”
I threw myself onto him rather than actually saying “yes,” but I didn’t need to say the word. Monroe had already known my answer. And we’d put this together quickly because neither of us needed much. Just flowers and love, and our friends and family. Elise had squealed when I asked her to use the pond, then started crying when I asked her to stand beside me.
When I made it to the top of the aisle, Monroe stepped out to meet me, and he took my hand to pull me close to him.
“Now I get to make you mine, once and flor-al,” he said with a huge grin, accentuating the last two syllables.
I groaned at his use of the pun, but everyone else laughed. Monroe’s smile widened even further.
Adam Peters cleared his throat, then he said, with pride in his voice, “We are gathered her today to witness these two men, my son and my about to be son-in-law, in marriage. West and Monroe have opted to make this short and sweet, and so now they will exchange the vows they’ve written. Monroe, if you please.”
Monroe didn’t hesitate, and his grin didn’t falter. “I knew the moment I saw you, you were it from me. I learned that lesson from my baby brother. When you find the man of your dreams, you go after him. And I’ll be forever grateful you let me catch you. West, I love you and I will always love you.”
So very Monroe, short, to the point, and full of sincerity. I was teary-eyed, but when Adam said my name, inviting me to share my vows, I put the same confidence into it even though the long drawn-out speech I’d written and memorized seemed ridiculous now. I could have still said it, and meant every word. But instead, I spoke from the heart.