Epilogue | Noah

Six months later

We were still shaking from the news; exhilarated with joy. We had received a phone call yesterday informing us we had been approved to be foster parents, and that they were working on filling out the paperwork and getting the parents' approval for us to foster two of the homeless LGBTQ youth from the centre. They were both fifteen. And both transgender. Their parents had discarded them.

We had joined a transgender parents' group two months ago in preparation for the possibility of our application going through. We were beyond excited. We had spent time getting to know the two teenagers. They were good kids who needed an opportunity to thrive.

We hoped we could be that safe space for them to do that.

"Can we stop for a second?" I needed to catch my breath. We were halfway up the slope at Mount Douglas. Brody had insisted on going today even though it was hotter than Hades.

Brody slowed then stopped and took a swig of water from his bottle. He was covered in glorious sweat that I would love to combine with mine once we got home.

We started hiking up what felt as if was a longer trail than the last time we had been up here. It's where we'd had our first kiss. The moment we'd succumbed to our attraction for one another .

Now, we were head over heels in love. The honeymoon of me moving in with Brody was still going strong. I suspected we'd never reach a point where waking up beside each other would become mundane. Every day with Brody was a gift of shade and light. He was a complex man with deep and colourful emotions, displayed with a subtlety I had learned to read.

We reached the top and stepped onto the viewing platform. We could see the long line of snow-covered mountain peaks in the distance across the Salish Sea. A 360-degree view of the south Vancouver Island. Brody's hiking boots crunched the gravel beside me.

I looked over at him.

He was down on one knee, a silver wedding band in hand.

I just about fell over.

He didn't need to say a word.

"Fucking, yes. Oh, my god, yes." I thrust my finger forward and he placed the ring on it then rose to his feet and gave me the most passionate kiss he had ever laid on me.

My life was complete.

We would be ours for all time .

The End