Epilogue

Epilogue

Jordan

New Year’s Eve. Carter’s Bar was filled to capacity. Jordan managed to get through the crowd of dancers and make his way behind the bar. He took two beers and pushed a ten-dollar note into Saul’s pocket. Every single time Saul would say it was on the house, but Jordan never felt right about doing that to him.

“He’s with Milly and Jake,” Saul shouted over the noise of Madonna blaring from the speakers, turning to serve a couple of guys who were literally holding each other up.

Jordan headed out the back, finding the blanket fort exactly where he’d left it that morning. The whole structure had been embellished with even more blankets and more chairs holding up the edges; he pulled back the blanket that formed the door.

He and Ryan were babysitting. Milly, Jake, and Josh were all eating cookies and chatting excitedly.

Ryan lay back on a nest of pillows, smiling up at him. “Come in,” he said.

Ryan

Ryan took the proffered beer and scooted over a bit to let Jordan squeeze in next to him.

“So, who are we?” Jordan asked the kids. “Pirates? Cowboys?”

“Children,” Josh announced. He was the oldest, and both Milly and Jake looked at him with adoration.

“Just children?” Jordan did his whole cute, fake-pout thing, which Ryan loved.

“ Magic children,” Josh said, as if Jordan was stupid not to have thought of that.

“Are we having an adventure?” Ryan asked, and Jordan elbowed him in appreciation that he was joining in.

The children spun a complicated tale of magic and wizards and dragons, and all Ryan could do was stare at Jordan, wondering how he’d ever got so lucky.

Justin

“How’s married life, then, big brother?” Justin asked Ethan, trying to be heard over the music. He handed him a beer.

Carter’s was hopping tonight, and with two hours to go until midnight, energy levels were still high.

Ethan took a long swallow of his beer. He looked distinctly uncomfortable with being here. Probably a mix of loud music and the fact that Adam was on the dance floor with Sam. The two of them were in the middle of this hugely complicated dance-off with some other guys, but Ethan was just watching.

“Love it,” Ethan shouted, then grinned because he didn’t need to say anything else.

Justin tapped his foot to the music, a feeling of peace stealing over him despite the noise and chaos. “I think I’m going to ask Sam to elope,” he shouted into Ethan’s ear.

Ethan frowned and then thumped him. “No fucking way are you eloping,” he announced. His words sounded loud as the music died and segued into the next song.

Quite a few people turned to look at them, Sam included. Sam, who then danced his way over and wound his hands around Justin’s neck.

“We’re eloping? What if I wanted to wear a white suit and have a big party?” he asked.

Justin held Sam close and didn’t ever want to let him go. “Love you,” he said.

Sam kissed him, and the kiss didn’t end quickly.

This was love, and it was perfect because it put some of Justin’s ghosts to rest. And he needed that.

Adam

Ethan tugged Adam out of the main bar and through a door behind it, which opened into a large kitchen area. The muffled thump of music was better than the high-energy noise that made his head rattle. He was done, and really, all he wanted to do was go home with Ethan and celebrate the New Year in private.

Ethan held him tight, kissed him, pressed him back against the wall, and loved him so much that Adam melted against him.

“Hey, Uncle Ethan. What ya doin’? Hi, Uncle Adam.”

Ethan backed away. They both looked down at Josh, with his gap-toothed smile, holding a plate of cakes.

“I’m just showing your Uncle Adam how much I love him,” Ethan said.

Josh wrinkled his nose and then grinned. “Cool. You wanna come share our fort with us? We’re killing dragons, and I’m in charge.”

Ethan glanced at Adam with a rueful smile and a question in his eyes.

“We’d love to,” Adam said.

Through the door was the noise of public celebration, and he kind of thought it would be good to hide away. A blanket fort seemed like the perfect solution.

Of course, when they crawled in, finding Ryan and Jordan already there, it was a tight squeeze, but it turned out you didn’t need much room to kill dragons. And when Justin and Sam joined them, pulling over more chairs to expand the space and stealing the seat cushions from the sofa, Adam couldn’t ask for a better way to ring in the New Year.

The kids fell asleep, piled like puppies to one side.

And the grownups? They talked softly about all the dragons they’d battled the last few years.

And the New Year was filled with hope.

THE END