Epilogue

I was practically vibrating in my seat with excitement. This was happening. And the man I loved was right beside me at the wheel. I gripped his hand, and he squeezed it back, reassuring me. We'd been talking about it for so long, and then we saw the ad—because with Derek, we always watched the ads. That's what he did; that was his world. So, we watched instead of skipped, because he knew the work it took to go into them, and he also liked to see the trends; what was hitting and what wasn't.

Despite having to sit through commercials and pause during the shows, I loved him. Loved everything about him and couldn't believe how fortunate I was to have him in my life. He could be as gruff as his trimmed beard on his bad days, but he always softened up for me. He was my safety, my security, my comfort, my partner .

He was my husband in every way but by name, and I was completely happy with where we were. We had no immediate plans to get married, I didn't know if we would, but we had something just as strong or stronger. It surprised me how little the certificate and the ceremony mattered. After all my romanticizing and dreaming of a wedding, when it came down to it, the small moments together spoke louder than an officiant ever could.

The way he cherished me and made me feel loved and beautiful every day through his actions was better than any words spoken before a crowd. It was the trips to the Carlsbad Flower Fields to stand in the Sea of Sunflowers , the community garden that he bought a plot in for me, the way he cared for O'Malley, and the unending support he had for my business that showed how much he saw me and knew me.

We had created a family for ourselves, and it didn't need a label, except that we belonged to each other. There was no doubt and no question. And now we were here, taking another step together.

"I can't believe it. Are you ready to be a daddy again?"

Derek slid a glance over at me with that same wonderfully crooked smile. "Yes. And you? Are you ready to be a papa again?"

I squealed and bounced in my seat. "Oh my God, yes! I can hardly wait. "

He pulled into a lot, and after parking, he came around and opened my door, like he always did. Such a simple gesture that always gave me the twirlies. I held his hand, and he drew me toward him.

"Have I told you how amazing you look? I really love your hair." His fingers played in the colorful strands.

"You have, but I don't mind hearing it again." I pecked a kiss on his lips before shaking my hair to get a glimpse of it. I'd dyed it in a rainbow of colors for Pride. It was our first Pride event together, and I couldn't wait for many more. I wore a Hawaiian-style shirt with big tropical flowers that were colored in an ombre rainbow. I was getting my gay on.

Derek had dressed down—as dressed down as he got—in a pair of navy slacks and a button-up shirt I'd bought for him that had subtle multi-colored stripes. He looked sexy as hell. I stared at his hard chest. The knowledge of the nipple ring that was hidden beneath always gave me a thrill. Sure, there were a lot of people walking around and showing them off, but I was the only one who got to see and touch his .

With his hand in mine, he said, "Let's go get our new baby."

The pride festival was huge, much bigger than I expected, though with Onyx opening and Crow's Nest as the headlining band, I shouldn't have been surprised. Maybe another time I could convince Derek to dance with me at the concert. Though his version of dancing was sort of standing and letting me move around him, I loved that he did it for me. I wanted to spend the whole day at Pride, to soak up all the queer goodness that surrounded us, but we came here with a goal. We quickly browsed some of the vendors, buying a few things along the way, but we kept moving forward until we saw it.

When the sign was in sight, I clutched Derek's arm. "What if they don't like us?"

"Impossible. I mean, they may not care for me that much, but everyone likes you."

Marley put a finger to my lips. "Hush. Don't say that. They'll like you, too. All I'll have to do is tell them you're the most loving and attentive cat dad on the face of the planet."

He smirked and kissed me again. "I think we'll be fine."

"Pets for Pride! Your best friend is here and ready for a loving home." A man with short brown hair and beard stood there topless, wearing light pink and blue paint in curved lines under his pecs.

We stopped in front of him, and my nerves kicked up again. He held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Bodhi Anderson-McGuire. I head up our Pets for Pride division from the animal shelter. In the three years since we started, we've united almost two hundred families. Have you thought about rescuing a pet and giving them a forever home? "

I pumped his hand up and down. "We have. We've talked about it for so long, and today just felt like the perfect time."

He smiled widely and held his arm toward the booth. "That's fantastic. We'd be happy to help. Do you know what you're looking for, or do you want to look around?"

"We know we want a cat, but we'd love to see them."

"Sure. I'll show you who we have today. We have a trailer for our cats that get a little nervous being outside with all the noise, and we have a few crates over here with our more…rambunctious kitties."

Even a year older, O'Malley was still a ball of energy. I looked up at Derek and he gave me a slight nod. "Rambunctious, it is."

Bodhi led us to the outside crates and as soon as we walked up, a few meows rang out, making my heart squeeze. When I leaned in closer to peek inside, an orange paw reached out, making me gasp.

"This little girl is a playful one. But she's sweet. She gets along great with other animals. Dogs not so much."

"That's okay, we don't have dogs. What's her story? How did she end up in the shelter?"

"She was found by a hiker out by the lake. We put out notices, but no one has come forward."

"Awwww, babe, she was a lost thing!" I met Derek's gaze as my eyes misted over. He gave me a knowing smile.

"Not anymore, she's not," he said in a flat tone .

My heart exploded. "Can I hold her?"

"Absolutely." Bodhi opened the door to the crate and pulled her out, looping a leash around her neck, which he explained was a precaution since we were outside. As soon as he placed her in my arms, I fell completely head over heels.

"Derek, she's like a little mini-me." Her colorings and markings were so similar to O'Malley's, it was astounding.

"She really is." He scratched her head, and she leaned into it.

There was no way we could leave her and walk away. She had to be ours. Thirty minutes later, we had the paperwork done, and the fees paid, and she was put in a cardboard carrier for us. As soon as we got into the car, I took her out and held her. She purred even as she looked out the window, watching with curiosity.

She was perfect, and she was ours. Our newest baby. Derek and I had a family of our own, one we found and made together, and it was better than any dream I could have imagined. Better than any fairytale or movie, because this was real. It was us, together. A place where we belonged. And now she belonged with us, too.

"Are you ready to go to your new home and meet your brother? "