Epilogue — Sebastian

Thirty months. Thirty months because Sebastian didn’t deal in years anymore—not for the moment, at least. Tessa, who’d become Ian’s primary paediatrician, said it was normal to reframe time like that. Once Ian hit three, they’d transition back to years.

But for now, thirty months stood in for two-and-a-half years, and that meant it was his twenty-four-month anniversary with Douglas.

On his way home from Binnexa, tired after a long day in the accounting office, Sebastian stopped at the local florist and bought a bouquet of artfully arranged bird of paradise and purple orchids. There was a bottle of Douglas’ favorite wine already stowed away in the trunk.

Flowers set on the seat beside him, eager to get their evening started, Sebastian drove home and parked on the street. He left earlier in the morning than Douglas did, and got home sooner, so he always parked curbside to avoid having to move cars around in the morning.

Sebastian picked up his flowers, took the wine from the trunk, and headed to the front door of his house. He turned the key in the lock and let himself in.

Ian ran at him and latched onto his leg.

“Daddy! Flowers!”

The older Ian got, the more he looked like Douglas. The similarity was starting to border on clone-like. Sebastian tucked the bottle of wine under his arm and ruffled Ian’s hair. “Hey little man. Do you like the flowers? They’re for dad. What do you think?”

“I like them.” Ian grinned. He didn’t release Sebastian’s leg. “Pretty.”

“I hope dad thinks so, too.” Sebastian hobbled forward, effectively lifting Ian with every step. Ian shrieked with delight and clung tighter. “What did you do today?”

“Blocks.” Ian unlatched and ran to the couch. “Running!”

“Blocks and running sounds fun.” Sebastian set the wine on top of the fridge—well out of reach of resourceful toddlers—and set the flowers on the kitchen counter. “Where’s Lisa?”

Lisa had taken his place, although on a full-time rather than live-in basis. With Sebastian living in the house with Douglas, they’d taken turns through the rest of Ian’s infancy getting up at night to tend to him. Once they’d both found employment—Sebastian with Binnexa in its accounting department, and Douglas in an executive position with a fledgling startup he had great faith in—they’d hired Lisa in to babysit Ian while they were at work.

Lisa was every bit as wonderful as Sebastian hoped she would be from her interview, and Ian loved her. Sebastian had no problems leaving Ian under her care.

“Gone.”

“Gone?” Sebastian furrowed his brow. He gazed over the counter at Ian, who’d climbed onto the couch and was struggling to pull his t-shirt over his head. “What do you mean, gone?”

“Gone,” Ian repeated sagely. “Bye bye.”

Sebastian studied the living room. It didn’t look like anything was out of place, and if Ian had been left unattended, he was sure that wouldn’t be the case. Ian was a tornado, eager to rip through anything and everything he could get his hands on.

“When did she leave?” Sebastian asked uncertainly. He loosened his tie, then took it off completely and left it on top of the fridge along with the wine. Freed of his potential noose, he went to sit by Ian on the couch. Ian climbed onto his lap and grabbed the TV remote off the coffee table. “Ian?”

“Mmph!” Ian groaned. “No!”

“Ian,” Sebastian said a little more firmly. “You have to answer me with the truth when I ask you a question. When did Lisa go? Did she leave you alone for a long time?”

“No!” Ian twisted around to look up at Sebastian, his eyes narrowed. “Can’t tell.”

Ian was starting to resist naptime, and sometimes that meant he was grumpy in the afternoons, but Sebastian wasn’t used to behavior like this. He frowned, picking Ian up and setting him on the couch. Ian gave him a look like he was being unfair.

“Are you feeling grumpy today?” Sebastian asked. “Remember what we do about grumpiness? We have to take a deep breath and let it all out. It’s okay to not feel nice, but you have to try to be nice to others, remember?”

“Not grumpy.” Ian folded his arms over his chest and looked down. “Dad said no.”

Most of the time, Sebastian was able to extract meaning from even the most obscure of Ian’s toddler-speak. Ian’s last statement left him baffled.

“You can’t tell me when Lisa left because dad said no?”

“Yes.”

“… Are you sure that’s what happened?” Sebastian didn’t want to accuse Ian of lying because he still didn’t have a clear idea of what was going on, but if he was lying, Sebastian needed to address it. Ian was starting to test his boundaries and see how far he could push, and Sebastian refused to give in. He was a united force with Douglas, and they raised Ian to the same standards.

Niceness was essential and lying was wrong. Ian knew it, and Sebastian was confused as to why he would try to hide the truth.

“Yes!” Ian sighed. He slid off the couch and circled the coffee table. “Be nice.”

“To be fair, he is telling the truth,” Douglas said from the staircase.

Sebastian jumped. His gaze shot toward the stairs. He found Douglas leaning on the railing, arms folded, lips stretched into a grin.

“You’re home?” Sebastian asked, confused. “Your car isn’t in the driveway.”

“I parked around the block.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to surprise you.” Douglas made his way down the stairs and joined Sebastian and Ian in the living room. Ian fell into line beside him, fingers curling around Douglas’ pant leg. “It’s our twenty-four months.”

Sebastian smiled. He lifted his chin, enchanted by Douglas’ gesture. “You took time off work?”

“I’ve been going in early the last week and a half to make sure I could take it off without guilt.” Douglas settled beside Sebastian on the couch. Sebastian cuddled close. Ian, who was attached to Douglas like glue, climbed up onto the couch and sat on his lap. “Did you have a good day, baby?”

“Mmhm.” Sebastian closed his eyes as he shared a chaste kiss with Douglas. “It was long, but it was quiet. I’m tired, but I’m not stressed out.”

“That’s good.”

“I got you something.” Sebastian wanted another kiss badly, but they kept their PDA to a minimum when Ian was around. “Well, two somethings. They’re in the kitchen.”

“I got you something, too.”

Sebastian’s smile broadened, he let the tip of his nose brush against Douglas’, a quiet sign that he wanted more affection, but was holding back. Later that night they’d make up for it while in bed together, but for now, it was the best they could do.

“Do you want to go first, or should I?” Sebastian asked.

“Me!” Ian demanded. He climbed across Douglas’ lap, legs awkward and hands catching anything they could to help his journey. He settled in the space between their thighs, half sitting on Douglas, half sitting on Sebastian. “Me first!”

Sebastian kissed the top of Ian’s head. “You have something to share?”

“Yeah.” Ian wormed around to look up at Douglas. “Dad?”

“It’s okay.”

Sebastian met Douglas’ eye, but all that he found was a glimmer of mischief.

Ian lifted himself up, grabbing onto Sebastian’s shirt to give him balance. From the pocket of his tiny jeans, he produced something. His fist was clenched so tight around it that Sebastian couldn’t tell what it was.

“For daddy,” Ian said. He held out his fist to Sebastian. Sebastian opened his palm and placed it beneath Ian’s fist. Only then did Ian open his fingers and let the thing fall.

Sebastian knew the second it touched his palm what Ian had been holding. His eyes widened, and he looked desperately to Douglas, only to find Douglas smiling.

“No,” Sebastian whispered.

“Is that your answer?” Douglas chuckled. “I haven’t even asked the question yet.”

“No, I mean, no, it’s not my answer, it’s—” Sebastian brought himself to an abrupt stop before he could mess up the moment any further. “I’m shutting up now.”

Douglas laughed. He shook his head.

“Daddy?” Ian tugged at Sebastian’s shirt until Sebastian met his gaze. Ian’s murky green eyes looked up into his, eerily reminiscent of Douglas’. “Marry dad.”

Tears welled in Sebastian’s eyes. The ring he held in his palm was heated from Ian’s body, and he clutched it tightly so as to never let it go.

“Will you?” Douglas asked, confirming the validity of the question. “I think it’s time we were legally a family, don’t you?”

“Yes.” There could never be another answer. Sebastian loved Douglas with all his heart, and he loved Ian just as much. “A million times yes.”

This was his family. He never wanted anything more.

Ian laughed. He glued himself to Sebastian’s side and buried his face against his chest. “Yay!”

“I love you,” Douglas said softly. He leaned forward and kissed Sebastian sweetly on the lips. “You’re a good father to our son, and I’m so excited to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I love you so much.” Sebastian couldn’t think of anything else to say. His heart was full to bursting, and he vibrated with excitement and love. “I love both of you so much.”

Douglas, Ian, and himself. Unconventional, and certainly not without their issues, but perfect for Sebastian. And by the looks of it, he was just as perfect for them.

Happiness would be theirs for as long as they had the courage to chase after it. Sebastian would never hide from love again.