Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Hampshire in Julyreally was an extraordinarily beautiful place. The gardens and grounds of Swanmore Glen weren’t quite as stunning as those of Brynthwaite House, but seeing as they were the location of Heath and Aubrey’s wedding, Oakley was willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it was charming to watch the way Heath had thrown himself wholeheartedly into the world of the Brotherhood after coming to terms with his sexuality and finding Aubrey.

“In the presence of God, and before this congregation, Heath Jeremiah Manfred and Aubrey Morley Kelly have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and husband.”

The crowd that had gathered for the ceremony erupted into applause as Heath and Aubrey, looking absolutely adorable in their matching suits, with Eugenie holding Heath’s hand and giggling as they did, leaned into each other and sealed their union with a kiss.

Oakley had the best seat in the house for the joyful event. One of the reasons Heath and Aubrey had decided to hold their wedding at Swanmore Glen instead of some church or other venue in London was because the entire place was surprisingly accessible. Oakley had had no problem whatsoever pushing himself up the aisle and positioning himself at Heath’s side as best man.

He also had no problem twisting around to fetch the handheld rainbow confetti cannon that he and Aubrey’s best woman, his cousin Elodie, had snuck into the ceremony with them. The two of them fired the canons simultaneously, showering Heath and Aubrey with confetti that they would probably be picking out of their hair and clothes for a year.

The crowd oohed and aahed, then laughed at Eugenie as she screeched, causing Heath and Aubrey to jerk apart, and proceeded to dance in the rain of rainbow confetti that showered down on them all.

“Whose idea was that?” Heath asked a few minutes later, after they’d all moved from the altar part of the garden—and the scathing looks of Swanmore’s staff—to the huge marquee, where the reception was being held.

“Don’t look at me,” Oakley laughed, reaching across to touch his hand to Will’s, which rested on his shoulder. “It was all Elodie’s idea.”

“It wouldn’t be a gay wedding without rainbow confetti,” Elodie insisted.

“Cliché,” Aubrey coughed into his free hand—the other was entwined tightly with Heath’s—but he grinned at his cousin as though she were a genius.

“Well, I liked it,” Brandon said, sending Elodie a saucy look. “I bet you’re just full of naughty ideas.”

Elodie gasped in mock surprise. “Me?” She batted her eyelashes at Brandon, going a little pink as she did.

Oakley twisted in his chair to look up at Will with a look that said, “I told you so.” Brandon and Elodie had hit it off from the moment they’d first met as part of the wedding preparations, and they hadn’t stopped embarrassing everyone else since then.

“Oh, look, is that cake?” Elodie said, pointing past Brandon, then swooping over to him, grabbing the back of his chair, and pushing him off in a direction that had nothing to do with cake.

“So help me God, if we all end up related through marriage, I will lay the blame squarely on your shoulders for introducing the two of them in the first place,” Oakley said to Aubrey with a mock frown.

“I think it’s sweet that the two of them get along so well,” Heath said, grinning at Aubrey, then leaned in and kissed him.

“Come on, you two. Enough of that,” Oakley and Heath’s mother said, marching into the scene like a sergeant-major. “You’ve got guests to greet and people to thank.”

“Yes, Mother,” Heath said, clearly too happy to let his mother’s fussing and insistence on etiquette get to him.

“You need to make the rounds as well,” she said, pointing at Oakley, not a trace of pity in her. “And find Marmie while you’re at it. I saw him chatting up one of the catering staff earlier, and although he is my only hope of having a daughter-in-law, I would rather she not be, well, you know.”

She walked off before Oakley could fully commit to his embarrassed wince on her behalf.

“Wow,” Will said. “I know she’s been helpful in getting the renovations to Brynthwaite House started, but…yikes.”

“Classist to her core,” Oakley sighed, then grabbed his wheels to push off in a different direction.

Will hummed as they headed toward the drinks table. “She’s never minded the fact that I’m just ordinary middle-class,” he said, his eyes still lit up with joy and contentment as he did.

“That’s because you’re a medical professional,” Oakley explained. “And because you’re about to open your own business.”

“I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say we’re about to open the business,” Will said. “We’ve got months to a year to go before it’s in any shape to start operations.”

“Yes, but you’ve already done amazing things in just a few weeks.”

It was true. After Dr. Armitage’s call when they were still in Keswick, Oakley and Will had spent the rest of the day talking in real terms about what sort of organization and facility they wanted to run and how they might do it. Through the course of that conversation, Will had expressed that it wasn’t the supervisory role he craved after all, it was a greater ability to work with the people that needed him.

Oakley, of all people, knew just how good Will was at working with people. Will had brought him out of the darkest place he’d ever been in his life, and he would be forever grateful for it. And part of his gratitude was enabling Will to help as many people as possible in the way he was best suited to.

So as soon as they’d returned to London, he’d called Dr. Armitage and thanked him for the opportunity, but withdrew his name for consideration for the promotion. He’d kept his job for now, but it was with the understanding that as soon as the new organization was up and running, he would leave Greater Kensington Hospital and go to work for himself.

“Oakley! It’s great to see you out and about.”

Oakley’s mood of cozy joy with Will hit a bump as Jamison Croft approached them as they reached the drinks table.

“Jamison. It’s good to see you too,” Oakley greeted his friend with a cautious smile. He hadn’t seen Jamison since his awkward trip to The Chameleon Club in the winter. Seeing him now sent a swell of old feelings and insecurities through him.

Feelings and insecurities that were immediately quelled when Will shifted to his side and took his hand.

“I don’t think you’ve met my boyfriend, Will Shepherd,” Oakley said without missing a beat.

“Of course I’ve met Will,” Jamison grinned, glancing between Oakley and Will. “He wasn’t your boyfriend at the time, though. Didn’t I tell you the right man for you would come along?”

Actually, Jamison had said something to that effect. He’d said it on New Year’s Eve, right before everything had happened. And he’d been right.

“And what about you?” Will asked, a slightly defensive edge to his cheekiness. “Have you found the right one?”

Jamison laughed. “Hardly. I don’t think I will either.”

“And why shouldn’t you?” Oakley asked. “If I can find someone and settle down, anyone can.”

Jamison grinned and shook his head. “I’m not really looking for Mr. Right,” he said.

“You’re looking for Mr. Right Now?” Will asked with a wink.

“Actually, I’m looking for Sir Right, if you know what I mean,” Jamison said with a pseudo serious nod.

Oakley glanced up at Will. “He’s not talking about someone with a knighthood.”

Will looked surprised for half a second, then nearly snorted into the flute of champagne he’d just taken a sip from. “Well, then,” he said and cleared his throat. “You can never be too sure in this crowd. I’ve accidentally bagged myself an earl.”

“It happens to the best of us,” Jamison said with a fake sigh.

Oakley laughed over the entire interaction, feeling happier than he had in a long time. It was almost strange to think how happy he could be only six months after thinking he’d lost everything. He had lost some things, there was no denying that, but he’d gained others. For some reason that he couldn’t explain, it felt easier for him to be with friends now than it ever had before. Jamison was a delight, and Oakley truly did hope he found what he was looking for.

“Do you think you’d like to try any of that stuff?” he asked Will once they’d wandered on and took up a position near one of the rose bushes at the corner of the tent.

“What stuff?” Will asked. “Marriage?” He shrugged and sent Oakley a warm, thrilling look. “Maybe.”

Oakley’s heart beat double-time, and he felt like the champagne he’d drunk had gone straight to his head. “I was referring to the sort of BDSM that Jamison goes in for,” he said, heating and blushing. “But I’d be willing to consider your sort of bondage as well.”

Will brightened even more. He raised his champagne flute to his lips and said a quick, impish, “Would you now?” before taking a drink.

Oakley was suddenly serious. “Yes, I would,” he said. “Just say the word, and I’ll buy you a gift that you won’t want to return. A round, gold one.”

Will swallowed his champagne, his Adam’s apple bobbing enticingly. He then crouched down so that his face was at the same level as Oakley’s. “If you did that,” he said in a rich, sensual voice, “I might have to swallow my pride and accept it.”

“Good to know,” Oakley said softly, suddenly lost in the tenderness of Will’s eyes. “Good to know.”

He leaned in and kissed Will openly and with his whole heart, not caring who might be watching them. The whole world could stare at him now and he wouldn’t mind one bit. He was the happiest man on earth, and he was in love.

* * *

I hope you’ve enjoyed Oakley and Will’s story! I’ll confess, I actually did more research for this book than I’ve ever done for any of my historical romances. I spent a long time going down the rabbit hole of spinal cord injuries, what part of the spine controls which functions, and what the prognosis for recovery is. Some of the things that surprised me the most (she says, having studied History and English in school, not Biology and Anatomy) were that different nerves that branch out from different vertebrae in the spine control motor function than transmit sensations. So just because someone sustains a serious spinal cord injury that robs them of their ability to move parts of their body, that doesn’t automatically mean they wouldn’t then be able to feel those parts.

I was also really interested in discovering that for men, the nerve impulses for sexual function are transmitted from different parts of the spine, as Will explained to Oakley in the story. For a nerd like me, it was really fascinating to learn about!

One thing I will admit is that I shortened the timeline of how long it would have taken Oakley to realistically be able to function after the crash. As was stated several times in the book, recovery for a spinal cord injury isn’t linear, and it’s different for everyone, and in my mind, Oakley’s recovery was a best-case scenario. I was more interested in his mental and emotional recovery anyhow, and I hope I’ve done that part of the story justice!

And if you’re wondering if Jamison Croft has any hope of finding the right “sir” for him, stay tuned for the next book in The Brotherhood – Legacy series, Professor Problems! A chance meeting with a dom who’s just learning the ropes, literally and figuratively, ignites a passion in Jamie that feels like exactly what he’s been looking for…but when that delicious dom shows up in his office at the university a few weeks later—as a student—the problems really start….

If you enjoyed this book and would like to hear more from me—as Merry Farmer or my other identities, MM Farmer (MM Omegaverse) or Em Farmer (Contemporary Romance) please sign up for my newsletter! When you sign up, you’ll get your choice of a free, full-length novella. One choice is A Passionate Deception. It is an MF romance, but it has a strong MM secondary character, who gets his own book in my May Flowers series. Part of my West Meets East series, A Passionate Deception can be read as a stand-alone. Your other choice is Rendezvous in Paris. It is an MM Victorian story that is part of my Tales from the Grand Tour series, but can also be read as a standalone. Pick up your free copy today by signing up to receive my newsletter (which I only send out when I have a new release)!

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