Epilogue

Cormac

Three Months Later…

“ T hose deviled eggs look like they’re going to poison our guests.” Rory pointed to Declan’s attempt at pitching in with the food. My brother was a fucking genius when it came to engineering, but meal prep evaded him.

“Maybe he’s trying to lean into the ‘devil’ part,” I joked and finished hanging a streamer at Mom and Dad’s house. The day of Dad’s retirement party had arrived, and the whole family had turned up to help out.

“Pretty sure even the devil would turn those down,” Felix said, poking at the greenish sludge in the center of the eggs.

Aislin joined us in the living room, where we’d already set up most of the food and decorations. Folks would be arriving any second, and we were somewhat prepared. Mom was driving around Dad to keep him from seeing the transformation of the house, even though Ollie had spilled the beans about the party ages ago. My brother couldn’t keep a secret for shit.

“What’s with the Halloween deviled eggs?” Ais deposited a tray of cookies onto the scrap of table space she found.

“They’re not.” Felix wrinkled his nose. “They’re Declan’s.”

“Nope.” Aislin lifted the tray from the table. “No, no, no. I’m still scarred by his cornmeal and sweet potato pancakes. These are going straight to the trash can.”

She whipped around to the kitchen when Declan stepped in.

“What are you doing?” He tapped the side of his glasses and zeroed in on the plate of hazardous eggs.

“Saving our guests.” Aislin raised her chin, all but daring him to challenge her.

He shrugged. “I think I overcooked the eggs. They were starting to scorch the bottom of the pan.”

Rory opened his mouth and closed it again. “I really don’t want to know.”

“Cor, does your new guy have any specialty with masonry? I know that’s not your and Ollie’s domain,” Declan said while Aislin hustled his nightmare eggs away from the dining room table. “There’s a section on the back of my house that needs work.”

“I can check in with Garrett,” I said. We’d hired him a month ago. He had experience working as a maintenance guy for apartment buildings, but he was versatile as fuck. And honestly, he’d been a chill employee so far. Ollie and I both had high hopes for the future. “But even if he doesn’t, I know a few guys who are great with it.”

“Thanks.” He set a few more stacks of paper plates and plastic utensils on the table. “I should’ve gotten it checked out earlier, but I let things go too long.”

I bit back the lecture. Considering three of his family members worked as contractors, he could’ve asked about it ages ago.

“Dad’s on his way in.” Ollie entered the living room. Liam trailed close behind him, looking far too sweaty.

“Have you guys been fucking?” Rory asked. Leave it to him to be blunt.

“Sure looks like it to me,” Felix said. My heart thudded a little harder as I glanced to him across the table. He wore a salmon-colored polo and jeans, his black curls tamed. He was so fucking gorgeous I couldn’t stand it, and he was all mine.

“Who was fucking?” Aislin asked as she popped back in from the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at Ollie and Liam. “Oh, you two.”

The front door creaked open, drawing everyone’s attention.

“We’re here,” Mom called out.

“Come on, guys,” I said. “Let’s go congratulate Dad.”

Ollie had already started off in that direction, and Liam followed, along with Rory quick behind him. Aislin and Declan went next, and I slipped beside Felix to head around the corner with him.

Dad stood in the doorway, looking at the big banner and all the decorations we put throughout the place. He’d built this business from scratch, and I understood what handing it over meant to him. However, I knew he was happy Ollie and I were keeping Brannon Contractors going.

“Guys, you didn’t have to do all this,” he said, his eyes glossing with tears. My heart squeezed tight. My father was the quiet type, who soaked in the chaos more than participated, and I’d always felt the closest to him. He was also the gentlest man I knew, which paired perfectly with Mom’s sharp wit. I’d always wanted to find a match of contrasts just like that, and somehow I’d been lucky enough to stumble into it with Felix.

“Shut up,” Rory said. “You deserve it.”

“It’s obviously just a ploy to have cake,” Aislin teased.

“And you can escape to our room when the house gets too packed.” Mom wagged her finger. “These assholes were in charge of invites, so they overdid it.”

“What kind of mother calls her children assholes?” Rory complained.

Mom fixed him with a look, and he smirked.

A knock pounded at the door, and Mom tried to open it before Mrs. McCleary, one of their neighbors, marched on in.

Mom passed us a glare. She hated Mrs. McCleary—something about a cucumber war—but we couldn’t invite the entire neighborhood and skip her.

“Congratulations, Craig.” She she said, barely stopping to acknowledge as she made a beeline around the corner. Clearly, she was here for the food. Before Mom or Dad could do much more, another knock sounded on the door. Ugh, parties weren’t my scene, and this place was going to get crowded fast.

“Am I early?” Garrett asked. He’d arrived with his boyfriend, Kyle, who was younger and gorgeous.

“Perfectly on time,” Ollie said. “Welcome to the family.”

I caught Garrett’s gaze and offered an upnod. We’d catch up once he dealt with the whirlwind of my family. I tapped Felix on the shoulder. “Want to head to the backyard?”

Felix tried to bite back his smirk. “Aren’t you loving the hordes of people?”

“Clearly.” I bypassed Mrs. McCleary, who stacked cookies on a napkin, and led Felix to the back door. We stepped out onto the patio, which was brisk and cool due to the winter temps. I didn’t mind it, though, not if it gave me a chance to breathe.

Besides, I wanted a moment of privacy.

The gift I’d been waiting for had come in the mail, and I’d been dying to give it to Felix…and ask him an important question. I slipped my hand into my pocket, the metal cool.

I leaned against the rail of the back patio, which overlooked a bunch of barren trees and withered grass right now that in the springtime exploded to life with Dad’s garden.

“Although your parents’ house is going to become a sauna in a matter of minutes, I don’t know how long I can last out here,” Felix warned, even as he leaned next to me.

“I don’t need long.” I reached into my pocket and gave him the key, which hung from a little metal sword keychain, a replica of the Lobera sword he loved. “For you.”

He accepted the keychain, and a grin broke out on his lips. “You considerate bastard, I love it.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, the wintry air waking me up a little more. “Enough that you’d consider moving in?” Felix had started spending most of the week at my place, and I hated the days when he drove back to the city, leaving my house feeling emptier. I loved the way he always had three types of drinks with him at the coffee table, how he arranged the dishwasher like a crazy person. Even his weird-ass habit of leaving his toothbrush upside down in the holder struck me as familiar now, and I loved it.

I loved him.

Felix met my gaze, and he gave a little shake of his head, a grin on his lips. “Didn’t you already realize my slow takeover? I started bringing clothes over a month ago. Fuck, even a few of my favorite replica swords are now taking residence at your house.”

“Is that a yes?” I needed to hear the words, even though he was right. He’d been moving into my life from the moment I met him. Making himself a permanent part of it.

“Of course.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.

I basked in the taste of him—coffee and sweetness—and a subtle thrill traveled up my spine. He was everything I’d been searching for, everything I’d secretly dreamed of. And I was never going to let this man go.

“For fuck’s sake, Cor,” Ollie called from the back door. “Stop making out and grab a few more beers from the garage for the inside cooler.”

I ignored my brother and took my time in pulling away from my kiss with Felix. His eyes were shining as he stared up at me, and the sight thumped me square in the chest.

“I love you.” I traced his lower lip with my thumb.

“I love you too,” he said. “Now let’s get back inside before the rest of your clown car family comes spilling out.”

I snorted and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go grab those beers first.” We set off toward the garage.

Everything with this man felt natural, easy, and it had from the start. He’d seen me when I hadn’t realized I was hiding, and he’d reached out a hand. Felix had charmed me from the moment I met him, even when I’d believed a future with him would be impossible.

Yet now that I’d claimed the impossible, I was going to hold on with all my might—for the rest of my life.