Epilogue

brANDON

Three months later.

"Prepare to be in the presence of greatness." Drew weighed the bowling ball in both hands before stalking forward with a backswing and sending the ruby-red ball barreling down the lane.

His companions cat-called when all his mojo resulted in a split.

"Let the grown-ups play." Russ stepped up to take his turn. He got a strike, and Liam gave him a high five.

"Watch and learn." Liam moved with a dancer's grace. Brandon swore he could almost see the swish of Liam's fluffy fox tail as he lined up his approach and executed the release like a martial arts kata. His aim held true, matching Russ's strike. Liam pirouetted, took a bow to imaginary applause, and swaggered back to his seat.

"Ignore them," Justin, the sea-plane pilot, told Riley. "Before we took up poker, we had our own bowling league. Played a lot for a while, then drifted away. But muscle memory is real."

"I'm just glad we're not playing for money," Brandon said. "I suck at this."

Riley met his eyes with an impish grin. "You say that like it's a bad thing," he said under his breath so the others didn't hear.

Distracted, Brandon threw a gutter ball and endured light-hearted teasing from the rest of the crew.

Drew knocked down three pins while Noah took out six.

"Your turn." Liam looked up from his seat as the scorekeeper and nodded to Riley. "Show us what you've got."

"I played a lot in college, but that was years ago," Riley said.

"We're only playing for a round of drinks, and as one of our two guests of honor, your drinks are paid for anyhow, so low stakes," Drew reminded him.

Riley bowled a spare, which allowed him to maintain his dignity, and the others cheered.

"It's been a while since we've been to the Arcade," Noah said. "I forgot how much fun it is."

The Arcade re-used a defunct big box store in Blue Mountain Lake to offer a one-stop entertainment complex with food, a bar, bowling, arcade games, laser tag, escape room, and mini-golf. At one point, the poker group had been regulars, but they had gradually fallen out of the habit. Now, Brandon had the chance to introduce Riley to the experience.

"That's why it's perfect for a bachelor party," Russ replied.

"I'm glad I thought of it," Liam practically trilled with a joking air of satisfaction.

"Laugh it up—but I'm the undisputed master of mini-golf," Drew announced.

"In your dreams, wolf-boy," Noah joked. Drew flipped him the bird.

"Wait 'til we get to laser tag," Justin teased. "I'll show you all who's boss."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that," Drew razzed.

When Russ announced that they were whisking Brandon and Riley off to The Arcade for a bachelor party, Brandon hadn't been sure how that would go. But after several hours switching from one diversion to another, ribbing each other and competing for bragging rights, he decided it was a genius idea.

Russ had set up the whole thing, including a party package that offered discounted drinks and an ample spread of bar food—Buffalo wings, egg rolls, meatballs, fried zucchini, and onion rings, as well as plenty of veggies and dip. Alcohol didn't affect shifters like it did non-shifters, so only Justin and Riley needed to keep count of their drinks.

Brandon felt a rush of gratitude for their little found family, the poker gang. They had taken him in when he first came to Fox Hollow, added Noah when he and Drew got together, and now welcomed Riley.

They were Brandon's inner circle, even closer than Madden's gang at the comics store, and he appreciated having so many wonderful friends, especially after earlier times when he doubted that would ever be possible.

They each bowled their last frame, and Liam tallied the results. "Russ is in first place, two points ahead of me. Then Drew, Riley, Noah, and Brandon. Nice game, everyone."

"What's your specialty, Riley? Pinball wizard?" Russ asked as they headed toward the space-themed, black-light indoor mini-golf area.

"More of a Skee-Ball sorcerer, actually," Riley replied. "I also spent a lot of quarters and my wasted youth on two-person shooter video games and multi-player racing."

"Now you're speaking my language," Russ said with a wolfy grin. "Challenge accepted."

Liam elbowed him in the ribs. "You can't demolish one of the guests of honor at his party," he teased. "At least wait until next time."

"Oh, all right," Russ sighed in a mock put-upon tone. "But that definitely means a rematch in the near future."

"How about you?" Riley looked to Brandon as if he realized that he didn't know this detail about his fiancé.

"I'm one of those annoying people who doesn't care about the score." Brandon shrugged. "I just like being here with everyone, and I play to have fun. I'm mediocre at the games at best, terrible in general, but I don't care because I'm having a good time."

"That's why Brandon is the referee," Liam said.

Drew dominated at mini-golf, as he predicted. Brandon managed to sink enough balls not to end up with an embarrassing score. Riley scored in the middle of the group without seeming to be taking the competition too seriously.

"Having fun?" Brandon slipped up beside Riley and slipped an arm around his waist.

"Definitely. How about you?"

Brandon nodded. "I used to love this kind of thing in college. We had a place that had a huge arcade of older games and served pizza and beer. They had a theater that played black-and-white monster movies. We could go on a Saturday morning and stay all day without going broke."

"I had a friend in high school who had a video game system, and we used to play all weekend. His mom would buy us all the Hot Pockets, chips, and cookies we could eat. She would also make sure he had one of the hot new games, even though they weren't flush for cash. I used to wonder why, and I realized later she knew exactly where we were, who we were with, and what we were doing—and we were happy as clams," Riley replied. "Smart lady."

They saved the escape room for last, which was a series of five rooms, each more difficult than the last. The rooms had different themes—Haunted Mansion, Miner Forty-Niner Cabin and Mine, Sea Base Gamma One, Castle Dungeon, and Urban Explorer.

"I love these," Noah said as they queued up. "When I was a kid, I used to turn our basement into a spooky maze every Halloween for my friends."

"My parents did a scary maze in our backyard for trick-or-treat, and you had to get through it to get candy," Liam added. "They did have a ‘chicken entrance' for kids who were too scared to do it."

"I had a job in college at one of those ‘haunted attractions' that open up at a theme park that's closed for the winter," Brandon confessed.

Riley gave him a quizzical look. "Do tell. What did you dress up as? I've been to those. Some of them are really scary," he said.

"I was tall so I got to be Frankenstein's Monster." Brandon was sure he'd be teased about this forever now that he admitted the truth.

"That's really cool," Justin said. "I went to one of those places on vacation at the beach with a bunch of friends in high school—that scared the bejeebers out of us. It was definitely not ‘family friendly.'"

"You'd be surprised how often someone jumps out at a guest and gets decked because they panic," Brandon said. "And it's always the petite teenage girl you wouldn't think could pack a punch. Saw one wipe out a guy in a ghillie suit who jumped out from the bushes on a trail. She knocked him cold—and I bet she was only about fifteen. Of course she was totally mortified. Damn, she had a right hook!"

Russ and Drew shared a look. "We used to explore abandoned buildings when we were teenagers. Not that we ever told our mom. Probably got exposed to asbestos and all kinds of gross stuff, but that was part of the charm," Russ said. "Kinda amazed we survived, now that I look back. Some of those places were a lot more dangerous than we realized at the time."

"You mean like the old paint factory with the big vats?" Drew chimed in.

"And the little defunct amusement park where we waded through the Tunnel of Love and climbed up the roller coaster track," Russ added. "Good times."

"What about you?" Liam looked at Riley. "What's your Halloween story?"

Riley's ears went pink. "I needed money my senior year in college. My dad cut me off, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish. I was over twenty-one, so a friend got me a job waiting tables in a gay bar. For Halloween, we all had to dress up and work in costume. The theme was The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

"One of my favorite movies," Liam said. "Which character were you?"

Riley blushed scarlet. "I was the youngest person on staff and since I was a college kid, I was in pretty good shape. So I had to be Rocky."

The others cheered and catcalled as Brandon pulled him in for a kiss. "You have hidden depths," he said.

"Pretty sure you've been as deep as you can get," Riley whispered, which made Brandon's cheeks flame.

They picked two of the scenarios—Haunted Mansion and Castle Dungeon. The group was used to working together, so tackling the puzzle meant dividing tasks and sharing information.

Haunted Mansion had hidden doors, a moving bookshelf, and a talking bust of Edgar Allan Poe that gave clues. Liam found the final piece of the puzzle and saved the day. For the Castle Dungeon, the room featured suits of armor, a talking painting, and the holographic ghost of a knight who gave unreliable information. Justin put the last clues together to get them out just before the "executioner" came to lead them to the gallows.

"Wow—that was intense," Drew said when they walked out, laughing and holding the candid photos they bought.

Last on the list was a visit to a bar themed to look like a Prohibition speakeasy. To get in, someone had to make a "call" from an old-fashioned phone booth to a secret number. A bouncer opened a hidden door and gave them plastic fedora hats, candy cigars, and elastic bow ties, then led them to a Roaring Twenties-themed bar.

"I love this," Riley told Brandon as they walked into a room where patrons mingled with costumed actors dressed as mobsters, gun molls, gamblers, and flappers. On stage, a woman in a slinky gown sang torch songs accompanied by a man in a tuxedo playing a grand piano. A huge mirrored backbar loomed behind the mahogany bar, tended by a man with honest-to-god garters holding up his shirtsleeves.

"It's pretty cool," Brandon agreed as Drew led the way to the bar. The menu offered cocktails that were trendy in the years of Eliot Ness and Al Capone, like a Gin Rickey, Old Fashioned, and Highball.

Russ was the designated driver, and with his shifter metabolism, anything he had to drink earlier was already burned off. The others ordered and found a table where they could watch as costumed actors played out short skits among the customers. Feds confronted gangsters, a flapper accused her rich boyfriend of cheating, and an informant squealed to the cops on a bookie.

"The drinks are good, and it's fun to be part of the show," Liam said. Brandon knew the fox had a weakness for anything theatrical.

Brandon held Riley's hand under the table and pressed their knees together. Their friends joked and laughed, enjoying the entertainment and swapping lines from their favorite gangster movies.

"Thanks for a great night," he told the others, and Riley echoed the sentiment. "I think this has been the most amazing bachelor party in the history of bachelor parties."

"And no one had to get covered with cake jumping out of one," Riley added.

Liam gave him the side-eye. "I came out once. Don't need to do it again."

The night was cold and clear when they piled into Russ's SUV for the drive home. Snow flurries twinkled in the moonlight, but the roads were clear and dry.

"We either need to do this more often just because or get Justin married off for a good excuse," Drew said.

"Hey, find me Mr. Right, and I'm all for it," Justin agreed. "I never expected to be the spinster of the group."

"Don't worry—your time will come." Noah patted him on the shoulder and sounded slightly sloshed.

"Kitty can't hold his liquor," Drew teased. Noah curled his fingers like claws and made a half-hearted hiss, then broke out laughing.

"Gods, what did I drink?" Noah leaned against Drew. "I never get tipsy."

"I think you passed ‘tipsy' a while back." Liam arched an eyebrow. "Just don't barf on my boots."

Brandon watched them joke like brothers and felt lucky to have his found family and his fated mate. He stole a kiss from Riley, who looked pleasantly buzzed and likely to fall asleep.

"Did you have fun?" he asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"Lots. Can we get married now? I'm tired."

Brandon laughed. "Very soon. You've got time to rest up."

Riley shifted in his seat to be even closer to Brandon. "Good. This was awesome. Wake me when we get home."

The week between the bachelor party and the wedding flew past. Every day brought a list of important items to confirm and details to check.

"I can't believe there's so much to do, and we aren't having a complicated wedding." Riley fielded a phone call from the hotel's catering manager as Brandon confirmed the time with the photographer.

"Food, venue, cake, photographer, clothes, officiant, license, rings, honeymoon." He counted off on his fingers. "The hotel is doing the food, and they had deals on the cake and photographer. We've got the rest lined up."

"Do you mind not wearing tuxes? Those dress shoes are so slick on dry ground I hate to think what they'd be like on ice."

"Not at all. If we ever want to pretend to be high rollers or fancy gentlemen, we can always rent them some other time," Riley assured him.

A trip to Lake Placid's ski shops had netted them Norwegian sweaters with black and white detailed Nordic designs, a splurge they could wear often during Fox Hollow's long winters. Over black pants with black Timberlands, they could look classy and still not wipe out in the parking lot.

"It was great that Russ and Drew volunteered to take the presents back to their place afterward so we could leave directly for the honeymoon," Brandon said. "Gives us something to look forward to when we get back. We can throw a little bash for ‘opening day' and have the gang over."

Brandon drew Riley in for a quick kiss. "Stop stressing. It will all be wonderful because it's our wedding. We're already mates—this is just another layer."

"I know, and you're right. I just want to throw a good wedding party for our friends since they're coming out to celebrate with us."

"As long as the bar is running and the food is good, they'll be happy," Brandon told him. "Everything else is icing on the cake."

"Speaking of the cake…I think Jack is going to outdo himself," Riley said. "He was really excited about the order."

"If his cake is half as good as his donuts, it'll be the best dessert I've ever eaten," Brandon agreed.

They had chosen to keep the ceremony simple, so there was no wedding party. Still, Russ and Liam threw a rehearsal dinner at their house the night before the ceremony. The poker gang was there, along with Madden and the rest of Riley's friends from the comics store.

The shifters in their friend group had gone for a run in their fur while Elias and Riley hung out and watched a movie. They welcomed their friends and partners back, snow-covered and panting, and then they all braved a dip in the steaming hot tub to warm up before dinner.

Russ grilled hamburgers and veggie burgers, and they feasted on baked beans, coleslaw, pasta salad, and a fresh vegetable medley. Jack brought donuts. Afterward, they hung out and played video games, a way to ratchet down the stress before the big day.

Now, the time had nearly come for the ceremony, and despite all Brandon's efforts to keep Riley calm, his own stomach felt tight with stress.

"I'm nervous." Brandon fidgeted with his sleeves.

"You look amazing." Riley gave him a proprietary pat on the shoulders.

"We could elope," Brandon added hopefully.

"Not with the storms coming our way. But we can spend the whole honeymoon snowed in," Riley answered, flashing a lascivious grin.

Riley's tattoo of a small moose peeked from beneath the sleeve on his left wrist, a bookend to Brandon's tat of a musical note in the same place. They had gotten the tats done the day after Brandon proposed as a reminder of their commitment.

"You have the rings?" Brandon felt a twinge of panic and patted his pockets.

"Yep. Right here." Riley took Brandon's hand and slipped it into the front pocket of his pants, letting him feel both the ring case and his half-hard dick.

"Get a room, you two," Madden said as he walked by, the unofficial master of ceremonies checking to make sure everything was going well.

What might be the last storm of the winter hung in the offing. That validated their sensible dress code of good sweaters and practical shoes.

"Looks like a full house." Brandon peeked into the ballroom at the Fox Hollow Hotel from the service hallway door. "Seems like everyone came."

"Of course they did," Riley teased. "Madden was in charge of invitations."

"Ready to do this?" Patricia Carnes, the Fox Hollow Justice of the Peace, asked. They had already signed the licenses, so they were legally married as well as officially mated, but the brief ceremony offered a chance to celebrate their union with their friends, something that mattered to both Brandon and Riley.

In the spirit of keeping things simple and not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings, they had opted out of having any "best men," so Riley and Brandon were the only ones beside Patricia involved in the actual ceremony.

"Born ready." Riley took Brandon's hand.

"Then let's go," Patricia said. "The sooner you're married, the faster we can eat!"

They followed her from the service door into the ballroom, and everyone stood and clapped at their entrance. Brandon felt his ears go pink and Riley took his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"Please take your seats," Patricia said, and the crowd quieted and sat down. Brandon and Riley stood at the front of the room with Patricia in between.

"Brandon Davis, do you take Riley Henderson to be your mate, your partner, and your companion for the rest of your days?"

Brandon met Riley's eyes, and while he still couldn't hear his thoughts, Riley's love blasted through loud and clear. "I do."

Riley's hand shook as he slipped the ring on Brandon's finger, and Brandon closed his hand around Riley's in confirmation and reassurance.

"Riley Henderson, do you take Brandon Davis to be your mate, your partner, and your companion for the rest of your days?"

Riley looked at Brandon as if he were concentrating, trying to push his emotions, if not his thoughts, across their mate bond. "I do."

"By the authority vested in me from the State of New York, I pronounce you wedded husbands. Kiss each other and let's party," Patricia declared.

Brandon pulled Riley in for a not-completely chaste kiss, parting with goofy grins and sparkling eyes as their friends clicked silverware against their goblets.

Brandon and Riley had compiled a playlist of their favorites for the DJ, ranging from dining music to slow dances and fast songs designed to get everyone on the dance floor. He started off with mellow pop favorites while the guests lined up for the buffet.

"I hope the food suits everyone," Riley fretted quietly to Brandon.

"We reviewed the choices. There's something for every preference, and nobody's relatives are on the menu."

The hotel was well aware of the shifters among its clientele and had very strict food policies. The buffet had beef and chicken for the carnivores and omnivores, a plentiful spread of vegetables for the herbivores, and appetizers ranging from nuts to smoked salmon and sushi for those with particular tastes.

Russ, Liam, Drew, Noah, and Justin from Brandon's poker group gathered around to offer their congratulations, quickly followed by Madden, Elias, Jack, and Mico.

"We don't have to wait for someone to get married to go back to The Arcade," Russ said, referring to where they had held the bachelor party.

"That would be a lot of fun—whenever Brandon isn't taking greenhorns into the great outdoors," Riley joked.

Brandon's tours were filling up rapidly as the weather cleared. That helped, since he and Riley had decided to add on to their garage to shelter the Pilot and upgraded the couch after an enthusiastic make-out session broke the frame.

Just about everyone they knew was present. Brandon stood next to Riley with their arms around each other's waists, and Brandon felt warm and loved.

"Best wishes," Dr. Jeffries said, shaking their hands. "I hear through the grapevine that the Relocation Team has been of help."

Since Fox Hollow was a haven, many newcomers had fled their original homes under short notice. The Relocation Team helped newcomers find jobs and housing and get a foothold in the community. Riley appreciated their help in landing him a job at the music store, which was excited to have him offer lessons and work as a sales consultant. That left plenty of time for his evening gigs at the hotel, and for the requests to play for private functions which had picked up as well.

"They were great helping me get all the technical parts of moving taken care of and connecting me with the people at the store," Riley replied. "Thank you so much for your help."

"We're glad to have you in Fox Hollow," Jeffries said. "And I'm waiting to hear about the extension for the research grant, but I think it'll go through. You're going to be busy."

He walked toward the buffet, leaving Riley and Brandon alone for a few minutes.

"You have the lodge confirmation?" Riley asked.

Brandon patted his jacket. "In the inside pocket. Can't wait to sneak off with you."

They had made reservations for a week at the famous Whiteface Lodge, known for its excellent food, beautiful views, and amazing hospitality. Since it was still outside tourist season, the rates were relatively reasonable for a week's worth of pampering.

Friends had sent early wedding presents that included gift cards for the lodge's spa as well as bottles of wine and champagne. If they ever chose to leave the resort, there would be plenty to explore in nearby Lake Placid.

Brandon found that once the ceremony was over, his appetite returned with a vengeance, but he worried that Riley hadn't eaten much despite the excellent food.

"Are you feeling okay?" he murmured as guests began drifting back to the serving table for desserts.

Riley nodded. "Just a little overwhelmed—in a good way. I never eat much when I'm nervous. Took me forever to be able to eat before performing."

Brandon took his hand under the table. "Gotta keep up your strength. I've got a lot of ‘aerobic' activities planned."

"I like the sound of that."

Brandon couldn't believe how much his life had changed in just a few months. From questioning whether he would ever find his "forever person" to meeting his fated mate, everything had turned upside-down in a very good way.

"Penny for your thoughts." Riley tugged Brandon toward the dance floor as a favorite slow song started. Brandon took him into his arms and held him close, swaying to the music as a slow song started.

Brandon nuzzled near Riley's ear. "Just happy. Grateful. Blessed. And a little gobsmacked that it all worked out. You?"

"All those things. I was running away from something when I came to Fox Hollow. I never dreamed I was running toward you." Riley stretched up and kissed him.

"I thought I was treading water, marking time," Brandon confessed. "I had started to lose hope. And then you showed up. Best grocery run I ever made."

All around them, their friends clinked silverware against their goblets to call for a kiss. Brandon drew Riley closer, slow and sweet, putting on a good show for their audience.

Through their mate bond, he could feel Riley's happiness, contentment—and a fair amount of lust. They were definitely on the same page. Brandon knew that he might never be able to read Riley the way his telepathy allowed with other people, but thanks to their bond, he found he was okay with that.

"The night's still young," he murmured to Riley, brushing his lips against Riley's sensitive ear. "We've got memories to make."