Epilogue

Five Years Later

I stood at the back,arms crossed, and leaned against the wall. A crowd of program guys, along with employees and even people from the town and other ranches, stood at the base of the stairs in the Big House's foyer. The mentors were front and center as usual, and Leon was standing on the landing in between, where the stairs split in opposite directions.

But it was the man standing next to him that I was watching intently…and proudly. Reno looked embarrassed but tried not to be, making him look slightly constipated. It wasn't helped that his face was getting increasingly darker shades of red as Leon continued to talk.

Well, it was more accurate to say he was singing Reno's praises to everyone Reno had known for years. I had to admit, eight months ago, I had been more than a little embarrassed myself when Leon had done this very thing for me. The sentimental bastard had graduated from the program a year before I had, but he'd stayed as an employee and insisted on being the one to represent me at my graduation and was doing the same for Reno.

"Do you think Leon lives for this sort of thing?" I asked in a low voice, glancing at the three men to my right.

"Of fucking course," Max grunted with a roll of his eyes.

"He's a sentimental bastard," Reed said, but his grin was as soppy as a sponge left in a pool.

"He's as soft as Riley's skull," Max sighed.

Riley tugged on his arm. "Max, shh. Let Leon have this. You know he's insanely proud of Reno for this. Look how far he's come. Let them have this."

"I know, I know," Max said, trying to sound annoyed, but I could see he'd been properly chastised by his sweeter but not exactly fragile boyfriend. Honestly, those two were a lesson in how opposite two people who were really good together could seem.

I knew all too well Reno and I gave off the same impression, but we knew better. There were more similarities between us than people might understand, and in many ways, our differences balanced one another. It was probably a lot like that with those two, and if anything, Riley had managed to soften Max…or maybe he just made Max feel comfortable and safe enough to let the hidden softness finally find its way out.

If that was the case, I hoped he'd had an easier time of it than I'd had with Reno. Not that I regretted it for a moment. Finding ways to dig around Reno's defenses and settling down comfortably to slowly show him he was safe with me had been trying but well worth it. No one would accuse him of being a softy, but at least he no longer felt he had to respond to everything with rage and threats.

Max narrowed his eyes at me. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I bet you're the world's biggest cuddler," I told him with a smirk.

"Bet on something else," Max said, and while he tried to ignore Riley beside him nodding at me, I saw him scowl for a moment before swatting Riley on the shoulder, who only laughed.

I glanced at Reed and snorted. "And you don't have to say it. We both know Leon is a cuddler."

"The best of the best," Reed said, a twinkle in his eyes. "Among other things."

Max groaned, but Riley and I laughed, then quickly stifled it when eyes turned to us. Other than the daily interaction of getting my meds, I'd never interacted with Reed much. Even then, I wasn't surprised to find he had a mischievous side. It was a good balance to Leon's serious and earnest personality, which, while sweet, could potentially drag the mood down without someone to nudge him along.

I still wasn't sure how the two of them had finally broken that awkward ‘I like you, but I'm not going to say it' stage, but they had. For the most part, they kept whatever happened between them a complete secret. Much like Max and Riley had, and Reno and I, but not quite as well. I didn't have the details, but apparently Mona was ‘scarred for life' after catching them in the supply room in the clinic once.

"And," Leon's voice suddenly carried over the crowd, louder than before, "despite all his personal achievements and solo effort, we cannot forget the person who helped him along the way."

"Oh, that had better not be me he's dragging into this," I said, eyes going wide. "I did this once. Thank you very?—"

"The first person Reno established a bond with was someone who helped show him that fellowship and camaraderie are the first steps to rehabilitation," Leon said, and his eyes found me in the crowd.

"Balls," I hissed and then slapped a smile on my face, waving as people looked at me. "Hey, hi everyone, it's me. Please stare at my boyfriend instead."

Laughter rippled through the crowd, and Reno scowled heavily at me. It wasn't like it was a secret anymore. People had figured it out when we hadn"t gone to different cabins even after he stayed a Tier Two and I was upgraded to Tier One. Technically, I should have got my own, but I'd stayed with him, though when he made it to Tier One shortly before I graduated, we did get to spend our last few months together in the program in a more isolated cabin…meant for one.

And if that hadn't given us away, then the fact that I visited him as often as possible would have done it. Technically, the ranch allowed friends and family of the participants to visit, with the occasional ‘night pass' for those in Tier One. We had taken advantage of those passes as much as possible but otherwise stuck to each other's hips when I visited for a day once a week.

"He looks like he wants to kill you," Reed chuckled.

"I think that's just his face," Riley noted, frowning thoughtfully. "Does his sexy face look that angry?"

"Riley," Max whined.

"Eh, it's hard to tell unless you know how to read the minute differences," I told Riley with a shrug.

"Alright, what are the minute differences telling you this time?"

"Riley!"

"Well," I said, cocking my head as Leon began to wrap up, handing over the plaque they always gave. "That look tells me he's annoyed with me, but after he gives me shit, he's going to give it to me good."

"I hate this conversation."

"Huh," Riley said, peering up at Max who was staring at the ceiling in pain. "Neat."

"No."

Reed chuckled. "You four have the most interesting relationships."

"Sure, Mr. and Mr. I Mooned Over Each Other for Months," I shot back at him. "You're completely normal and not at all weird."

"At least my sex life doesn't make me wonder if I'm going to be walking funny for the rest of the day," Reed said. "Or worry, I might not be able to sit down."

"That's a shame," Riley and I said as one and then had to choke down our laughter as Max sighed heavily.

The speech finally ended, not a moment too soon, from the distinct coloration filling Reno's features. He was probably on the edge of bursting into flames as everyone began clapping, with a few people starting to hoot and call out. Mona appeared, beginning to shoo everyone out toward the dining hall, where the customary celebratory dinner would take place. Mona and Mr. Isaiah would make an appearance, give their own little speech, and if Reno wanted, would even be offered a few drinks from Mr. Isaiah's personal store of scotch.

It was very tasty.

I stood at the back of the room as everyone began following out, as noisy and rambunctious as I remembered. I felt a small twinge of nostalgia at the sight, but only because I missed the place. I worked at one of the neighboring ranches because I enjoyed the work, it was close, and it wasn't exactly filled with calm people. We could get just as noisy over at Cactus Hide Ranch, though the fact that we could drink when off certainly didn't help.

"Oh, you two did show up," Mona said when she reached us, eyeing Max and Riley. "Good, I need to talk to you, Riley…well, Max, you should come to."

"Oh boy," Max said dryly.

"Something up?" I wondered.

"A little, but it's a good thing," Riley said with a wink. "I'll tell you after dinner."

The two of them walked off as Leon approached with Reno at his side. He glanced at Mona, giving her a wink before he walked over to Reed. The two talked briefly before walking off, Leon squeezing my shoulder as he went. They trailed behind the crowd, but if Leon thought he was slick by stealing a kiss in the hallway, then…well, he was right. No one but me saw him.

"I have to say," Mona said, smiling warmly at Reno. "I had doubts about you once upon a time, but honestly? I stopped doubting a long time ago."

"Thanks?" Reno asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

"More importantly, you stopped doubting yourself," Mona said, brow flipping upward.

"Yeah, well…I had some help with that," he said, eyes darting away from her and toward the hallway and then back to rest on me.

"Which means you learned a few important things," she said with a smirk. "Don't take too long out here. You're expected."

Reno groaned as she marched off swiftly, heels thumping on the carpet. "I really do not like being the guest of honor."

I slid up to him, waiting until I saw he was okay with my presence before wrapping my arms around his waist. "And you are a guest now. You're officially out of the program, a free man. You deserve this."

"This is torture."

"I know, but at least the worst is over. Now you get to eat, talk to people, and have your first booze in years."

"I couldn't drink before I went to prison."

"Neither could I. Didn't stop me."

He snorted and caught a kiss from me. I was more surprised that he let it linger, his fingers tightening on my shoulder as he held me. Then I realized he had a lot of tension inside him right now, the excitement of finally being free, the embarrassment of being on stage, and the worry of what the future held. Reno didn't let his anger express his tension nearly as much, but that didn't mean he didn't have other ways to unwind.

"Stop it," I told him with a laugh as I felt my pants getting tight. "I got us a room for the night. You can take it out on me later…after more drinks."

"More drinks?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Umm…she couldn't make it to the ceremony, but your sister should be here soon. I told her we could go to the bar over in Rapture to celebrate."

His eyes widened. "What? But she couldn't afford to make it! Damn it. I told her a million fucking times not to spend her?—"

"I paid."

"What?"

"I paid for her to come. I'm paying for drinks at the bar for us, and I paid for her room."

His frown faded. "Wha…why?"

"Because she's the only good piece of your family you have left? And even if you don't want to admit it, you were disappointed she couldn't afford to come. I've been saving more than enough money for weeks, not just for tonight, but for us to move near her. Already have a job lined up, and if you want some ideas, I collected some of those too."

"I…you did?" he asked, looking more and more perplexed. "Seriously?"

"Why are you so surprised?" I asked with a laugh. "Haven't I proven I can make and carry out a plan?"

Something flashed over his face, and he sighed. "That you did. More than once."

"The morning we said we loved each other, I started making a plan," I told him, not wanting to think too hard about what had happened before. I knew it still occasionally haunted his dreams, along with everything else in his life. And it was no secret between us that my dreams were still haunted by Keith's lips on me and a bloody head caved in on the top. Sometimes, I still woke up to the guttural ‘gug' that had bubbled out of his throat as he fought to live but never understood he was dying.

"And decided just now to tell me?" he asked, but there was no anger in his voice, only amusement.

"It was supposed to be a surprise. We both talked about living near your sister so you could be close and help with the kids," I said with a shrug. "So why not?"

Gone were the days when I had to question whether he wanted me around. He could have been rid of me many times since then and always clung even closer. At times, it was hard for him to realize he had those feelings and loved me and that I wasn't like the people he'd known before. I was no monster who would violate his trust and the innocence of others, and I was no user who would wring him dry and toss him aside when I was done.

I think the hardest part was not him trusting me, but that I trusted him. All his feelings of self-loathing, doubt, shame, and guilt were wrapped up tight. His anger and violence had been a way of keeping people at bay and proving to himself he was that awful person. But he wasn't. I could see that clearly, and finally, he was seeing it.

"So you're telling me it's been over a week since I saw you, and I have to go through all this and still wait until the bar closes to get you alone?" he growled.

"That I am," I said, knowing it would frustrate him more. Things might have gotten so much better between us, but that didn't mean I didn't like riling him up when I got the chance. Which I knew I had done when he kissed me before grabbing my arm and dragging me away with a roll of his eyes.

"Idiot."

"Asshole."

"I love you."

"I love you too."