Epilogue

Nothing about our wedding was serious. Not the location, the costumes, none of it—except the vows and the marriage license. I took those pretty damn seriously. The rest of it, though? It was just fun. A true celebration.

Everyone was on time for the wedding. We’d rearranged the tables on the main floor so there was a pathway between them, with a red carpet we’d borrowed to make an aisle. People were seated at tables, ready and waiting. At the head, our wedding party stood on either side as witnesses, along with our officiant. Namely, Grandpa. He was all spruced up in his old army dress uniform, and he looked sharp.

He was not the only one looking sharp. I had gone for a formal knight costume, a blue cape, with ‘chainmail’ and all, a Styrofoam sword at my hip. Jon had landed on a king’s costume and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The gold crown studded with red gems set off the gold of his hair, his gold embroidered red velvet tunic hugged his torso, and the way his thigh-high black boots accentuated his legs made my mouth go dry. To top it off, a white cape swirled around his ankles. He looked downright stunning and regal. He took my breath away. It also made me think of roleplaying later.

“Sugar” by Maroon 5 was playing as we queued up at the kitchen doors for our grand entrance. Eshaal wore one of those super poofy princess-like dresses, had a gorgeous crystal tiara on, and she was armed with not one, but two wands that blew bubbles. We’d landed on bubbles to avoid having to clean up flowers later.

The grooms people all started walking. Abby in her crystal ball psychic getup, Skylar as an elf ranger (complete with ears). We had Ghostbusters, mimes, doctor, one sexy nurse (Garrett), all seriously marching along to the song. By serious I meant everything but.

Our flower girl was poised. She heard the music and immediately went through the doorway. I’d instructed her to have fun, and she took me entirely at my word. She pirouetted out, bubbles twirling freely around her, and danced her way down the aisle. Occasionally she’d stop and aim bubbles at someone in particular, setting the crowd to laughing. Clearly, she was having a blast. Mack was right on her heels, also dancing, the rings in one hand while he had dancing cymbals on his right thumb and index finger, clanging along as he went.

Jon leaned in against me and whispered, “Want to dance too?”

A mental image sprang to mind. We’d planned to just walk, but… “We could totally tango our way down.”

“Let’s do it. Can’t let Eshaal show us up.”

“Damn straight.”

Jon took my hand, and we went through the doors, then squared up in dance position. Fortunately, I knew how to tango, as he promptly took the lead and we sashayed our way down the red carpet. Again, people were laughing, some were clapping, and their joy was infectious. I chuckled along with them, enjoying the free-for-all of the moment.

Sadly, the aisle wasn’t actually that long, so we ended up in front of Grandpa in about thirty seconds. I could have danced a bit longer.

The music faded out and Grandpa struggled to keep a straight face. I could see his lips twitching, though; it was definitely a fight on his end.

“Dearly beloved,” he began, “and all you other rascals—”

The crowd laughed again.

Okay, so Grandpa wasn’t taking this seriously. Good!

“—we are gathered here today because these two idiots have finally gotten their acts together. I know we were all wondering if that would ever happen. Fortunately, my grandson decided he liked Donovan enough to keep him, and here we are. I’m pleased to marry these two individuals. Now, serious face, let’s focus for a minute. This is the important bit.”

I faced Jon, and all the love I had for this man just— bam —hit me all at once. It had been a long road getting to this point. Some days, I’d wondered if Jon would ever heal enough to trust in a future together. Now, standing here with him, I knew every moment of struggle had been worth it. The trust we had was unequivocal.

“Jonathan, do you take this man to have and to hold, to love without question, to stand beside during sickness and in health?”

“I do.”

Jon’s smile was radiant. God, I swear, I fell in love with that smile. He’d always looked at me like this, as if nothing in the world could compare to me. How could I not love him as fiercely in return?

“Donovan, do you take this man to have and to hold, to love without question, to stand beside during sickness and in health?”

My own throat felt tight with emotion as I answered. “I do.”

“May we have the rings?”

Our ring bearers both offered up the rings. We’d chosen to replace our engagement rings with newer, shinier versions. Mine was tungsten steel with a solitaire inset diamond. Jon’s had more filigree to it—styles that suited us both. The metal felt strangely warm as Jon slid it onto my finger, like it had been poised and waiting to come home. The thought made me smile.

“Let no man rip asunder what has been promised today. I do mean that. Anyone who tries to home wreck, I will beat you. Take the warning. Jonathan, Donovan, you have shown your love and loyalty by joining hands and making promises of devotion, and you have sealed these promises by giving and receiving rings. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss your husband.”

Jon seized my head with both hands and kissed me soundly. I loved the taste of him. No matter how much time passed us by, his kiss still thrilled me. I hoped the feeling never changed.

People clapped and wolf whistled, and we pulled back to smile at the audience. I heard more than a few shutters go off as people took pictures.

“I present to you Mister and Mister Havili. Now,” Grandpa ordered, “let the party begin!”

People stood to offer congratulations, both our mothers were crying while hugging us, my father wasn’t much better, and overall it was an outpouring of love the likes of which I’d never experienced before. I looked to Jon, making sure he wasn’t overwhelmed, only to find him blissfully happy as he hugged his own father.

I knew our future would likely involve more crazy cases, and running around, and chasing after two teenage girls as I strove to impart all the skills they’d need to survive on their own. There would be chaotic days, lazy days, problems to solve, and joyous moments like this one. A full life with this wonderful man at my side.

I wouldn’t change it for the world.