Epilogue

Epilogue Two

Colin

Two months after Epilogue One….

We walkedup a snow-lined pathway to the big doors of the gothic mansion. Before we could knock, a man in a tuxedo with tails opened the door.

"My name is Quinn. Welcome. And Merry Christmas, sirs."

We'd come to Farmerville for Christmas. To the home of Trent and Ozzy Winterbourne. To the site of the biggest Christmas tree decorating contest in the entire state.

Maddy was bubbling over in excitement. "Is Ozzy here?"

"Yes, Master Ozzy is in residence at this home," Quinn answered formally.

"Yay!" Maddy clapped his hands and jumped up and down.

"Good to meet you, Quinn," I said.

Quinn nodded, a little smile coming to his eyes. "You are both welcome. I'll send someone to get your luggage." He stood to the side, opening the door wider and motioning us inside.

"There're wrapped gifts in the trunk," I said.

He nodded and held out his hand for the fob. I set it into his palm.

I took Maddy's hand and led him into the shadowy interior of the huge mansion.

"Wow, this place is so gigantic!" Maddy squeezed my fingers. "It looks like a museum."

I had to agree. The huge front room was the size of an apartment, a large apartment. It seemed to go back forever. My house was big, and my living room could fit into this one four times over.

There was art with ornate frames on every wall, and furniture and tables everywhere filled with sculptures, crystals, clocks, books.

Two huge, wide staircases led up and up on either side of the room, no doubt going to different wings of the house. Beside each set of staircases towered two gigantic Christmas trees laden with lights and ornaments.

To the right, I saw movement. Ozzy and Trent were walking hand in hand down the brocaded stairs. Trent wore his usual, a black suit. Ozzy had on sparkling colors from head to toe. Glitter jeans. A long-sleeved shirt with a pink dog holding a rainbow balloon. Sneakers that lit up at the soles. It seemed he had similar tastes to Maddy.

"The master of the house has arrived." Quinn's voice sounded almost sarcastic. It was funny, though. My instincts had me liking him right away.

As we moved forward into the big room, I heard singing from far-off.

Quinn rolled his eyes. "That would be my husband, Drev. He sings while he cooks. He's a very good cook, so we put up with it."

Trent and Ozzy had stepped onto the first floor by then. Trent came toward us, saying, "He's also a very good singer."

"So which do you put up with, his cooking or his singing?" I asked, feeling somewhat punchy after our long drive.

"Both." Trent and Quinn answered at the same time.

Everyone burst out laughing.

Maddy, bowed his head. "Hi, Mr. Trent, sir. Hi, Ozzy."

"Hello, Maddy. You look well," Trent said.

"Hi, Maddy," Ozzy said, coming closer and holding his hand out to Maddy.

They shook, then hugged, giggling at their formality. The bond they'd seemed to have formed in such a short time back at Club 99 that fateful night they'd met had bloomed back into being as if they'd never left each other's side. It was always like that when we four got together.

"Daddy, can I show Maddy the house?"

Trent nodded, brow low. "You may show him anything you like, little one. You keep forgetting this is your home, now, too, as much as it's mine."

Ozzy's eyes got very big. "It's Daddy's house first, though."

Trent smiled at him, then stretched out a hand and cupped his cheek. "It was. But not now. Not anymore."

Ozzy bit his lower lip as if to shorten his smile. I knew when he smiled it took over his whole face.

"Can I go, Daddy?" Maddy asked.

"Yes. Go on."

Trent and I watched the boys go off. Then he turned to me. "Would you like a drink?"

"I would. It was a long drive. Maddy napped part of the way. I was driving."

"You deserve a drink, then."

He led me to a smaller room with much more comfortable looking furniture, soft and plush couches with electronic controls to turn each section into EZ chairs. I sat gratefully while Trent went to an open bar along one wall and asked me what I wanted to drink.

I didn't drink all that much. But this was the Christmas holiday. Christmas was still a week away, but I was going to celebrate. Starting now.

"Vodka."

Trent snickered. "You're a martini guy. When you drink, that is. Coming up."

As he made the drink, Trent said, "I'm glad you came. Ozzy has been looking forward to seeing Maddy so much. And I miss my friend, too."

Trent and I had gotten tighter after Maddy's near-death encounter with Griff. We texted often. We video chatted at least once a week to catch up on each other's lives. Plus, he and Ozzy had visited my house several times. This was the first time we were visiting one of his homes. This one, in fact, was his childhood home. Passed down through generations of Winterbournes. It even had the name Winterbourne on the gate that led into the vast estate.

Trent brought our drinks over and handed me mine, then sat beside me.

We got a lot of shallow gossip out of the way first. Then we began talking about ourselves. Our lives.

"How are things with Ozzy?" I knew his boy had suffered a lot of trauma. Every day was about taking care of his boy, building reassurance and trust, and just plain loving him.

"He's beautiful. This may seem like a big mansion full of ghosts and shadows, but Ozzy blooms here. More and more. Our relationship is solid. He's my forever boy. Christmas is his favorite time of year."

"Yours, too? I mean, the Christmas tree contest you sponsor and all that… it's not hard to see."

"I do love it. Even more now that Ozzy's here. He helped me heal, too."

I knew that. We'd talked so much over the past months. I'd never felt closer to anyone before, except Maddy.

"How are you and Maddy?" Trent asked.

"Maddy is so resilient. He seems unaffected by Griff and all that went down. My protective instincts came to full force and never really went back down after that night. But Maddy likes me that way. I don't want to smother him, but the more I do, the more he tells me he loves me."

Trent laughed quietly. "It's a beautiful thing. Love. I thought I'd never find it again." Trent had had a twin brother he'd loved more than life itself. That brother had died. No one could replace a twin, I figured. It was a unique bond. But to see him and Ozzy together, it was like light falling all around them from the way their love exuded from their very bodies.

"I was looking for it all my life. Nothing worked. Not boys. Not subs. Not vanilla." I rolled my eyes. "But Maddy just walked into the club and gave me a look I have never forgotten."

"If it's not too personal to ask, will you get married do you think?"

I nodded. "He wants a ring."

"So did Ozzy."

"And as good daddies, we get them whatever they want, eh?"

Trent laughed. "So true." He gazed off into the air. "I would give that boy the world."

"Me, too," I said. "The whole world. Leave it to two boys to make two confirmed bachelors lovestruck."

"It's not something you can manufacture or predict. It happens when it happens," Trent said.

"That's so right." I laughed again. "Listen to us, sounding like two romantics."

"Nothing wrong with that. It's another lesson Ozzy taught me."

We lifted our heads as two lilting, excited voices drifted our way through the open double doors. Maddy and Ozzy came walking down the hall and entered.

"Daddy!" Maddy came running to me, nearly knocking over my drink as he attempted to land himself in my lap. "This place is awesome! There are secret rooms and stuff, too. And outside is the most beautiful Christmas tree forest ever!"

"That's fantastic. I can't wait to see." I ran my fingers through his hair.

I couldn't wait to celebrate all of this with my baby boy. Before we came, Trent had asked if there was anything special we needed for our stay. We were to have a separate apartment in the house all to ourselves.

I requested a room be set up as a playroom complete with diaper changing station, among other amenities. He said he would accommodate everything on my list. I was eager to check it all out with Maddy. Plus, we could not resist buying lavish gifts from Santa for our boys.

It was going to be a wonderful time with special people who had become an extension of our new family.

Early in the year, I had been alone, married to my job, frustrated with my non-existent love life. Now, I had everything I could ever have dreamed of. More, in fact.

Maddy leaned against my chest, scratching absently at my shirt. "Juice, Daddy, please?"

"Coming up."

"I'll get it," Trent said. Ozzy sat with one leg draped over his lap.

"Nope. He's my boy. I'll get it." I set Maddy aside. He was smiling, being good. He folded his hands in his lap and sat up straight, waiting.

"It's in the fridge behind the bar," Trent said. "All kinds both for boys and for mixing drinks."

I got the juice and headed back to my boy. Maddy was still sitting like the best boy in the entire world. Patiently waiting. I handed him the juice box with the straw already in it.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome." I sat beside him. Caring for my boy was such a joy. A familiar tingle traveled throughout my body. That sort of celebration would have to wait until tonight.

Maddy hadn't taken a drink from his juice yet. He looked up at me. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. Thank you for bringing us here. Thank you for the juice."

Trent smiled at me behind Maddy, running his hand up and down Ozzy's back.

"You're welcome, baby boy. I love you, too."

"I know."

Ozzy and Trent burst out laughing. Maddy was just that cute.

Maddy took a sip of his juice, then said, "Can I go play with Ozzy now? He has a lot of toys. And he wants to know where Kornie is. I left him in the car, Daddy. Can I go get him?"

Trent broke in. "All your belongings have been taken up to your private apartment. He's probably up there."

"Thank you," Maddy said. "Now I know he's safe."

"All right," I said. "You can go play if it's okay with Trent."

"All right," Trent echoed.

Ozzy stood up at the same time Maddy did. They linked hands and ran off together giggling.

"What a handful," Trent said.

"Such is my life. And I wouldn't trade it for anything."

THE END