21. Epilogue - Nine Months Later

Epilogue - Nine Months Later

Jake

M ax had been in work meetings all day, locked away in the guest bedroom we'd turned into an office for him while production of the series was ongoing. Filming on the final episode had wrapped up the previous week, and since then, my stomach had been in knots, worrying that our happily ever after was rapidly coming to its end. I'd spent the day working at various job sites, but the occasional text from Max let me know he hadn't had more than a quick bathroom break all day.

I pushed our front door open, arms weighed down with grocery bags, and nudged it closed behind me. No matter what the outcome of the meetings happened to be, I was prepared to cook Max's favorite meal—a big platter of oven-baked nachos—either in celebration or sorrow.

"Max? I'm home."

There was a pause before he answered. "Five minutes."

I nodded to myself and set the bags in the kitchen before busying myself making dinner. I also prepped the blender with Max's favorite margarita ingredients, just in case, and pulled a beer out of the fridge for myself. While I waited, I chopped veggies for the nachos and cooked ground beef in a pan. More than five minutes passed—a lot more—and I tried to tell myself it meant nothing. Everything would turn out fine. Probably. And if it didn't, we'd face it together. I hoped.

Finally, the office door opened, spilling light into the hallway, and Max emerged. "Babe?"

"In the kitchen." I spread lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on the chips for our nachos.

When Max entered the kitchen, his cheeks were pink and his dirty blond hair was tousled as if he'd been running his fingers through it relentlessly. "Well, I've got something to tell you."

"Yeah?"

"I quit my job."

I did a double take at him. "Wait. Why? What happened?"

Max leaned against the kitchen island, a piece we'd installed together a month after he'd moved in. "Doug said there weren't enough opportunities here. He wanted to call me back to New York. The whole production team, really."

I frowned deeply. "So you quit."

He grinned, wide and genuine. "Yeah. I wanted to stay here. Are you mad?"

I weighed my words carefully as I sprinkled cheese on the nachos and slid them into the oven. "No, not at all. But… what if he's right? What if there aren't enough opportunities here?"

His smile widened. "That's the best part. Have you heard of Rainbow Spectrum TV?"

I shook my head. "Not even a little bit."

"They're a queer-centered media outlet. They approached me last week about the possibility of setting up a station here. Local news and weather, entertainment, some syndicated shows, and even public access programming. They asked me to consider an executive producer position."

"Seriously? Why didn't you say something last week?"

He shrugged, but the huge smile on his face looked anything but casual. "Didn't want to jinx anything. But that last call, the one I just got off of, was with the heads at Rainbow Spectrum in LA. We were finalizing everything. I'm officially going to run my own station, right here in Port Grandlin."

"That's…" I was stunned into momentary silence. "That's amazing." I pulled him into a bear hug and squeezed him tightly. "I'm so proud of you. Does this mean you're here permanently?"

Max pulled back and met my gaze. "There will be some travel, for sure. But yes. I'm staying right here. Permanently. If you'll have me, that is."

I pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The following day was a Saturday and when I woke, Max was gone, his side of the bed cool and empty. I sat up and looked around in confusion before checking my phone for a message. Sure enough, there was a text from Max waiting for me.

Max: Got up early to run a few errands. Back before noon. Get yourself ready. We're going out to celebrate.

I didn't know what he meant by celebrate, but I got up, showered, and pulled on a pair of shorts and a comfortable T-shirt, hoping I looked celebratory enough.

True to his word, Max returned home just before noon, bursting into the house and calling my name before he realized I was practically right in front of him, watching home design shows on the couch.

"Hey," I said, swiveling to look at him. "How were your errands?"

"Delightful, thank you." He kicked off his shoes and flopped on the couch next to me. "You don't look celebratory."

"You didn't tell me where we were going," I protested. "What are we doing to celebrate?"

He grinned at me. "Today is the Port Grandlin Pride party. It's down by the river."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Pride?" It wasn't something I'd ever gone to and I was worried I wouldn't fit in. I did want to give it a try, though. I'd always been secretly envious of those who could go and be their whole, unapologetic self, and as I was solidly in my mid-forties, I felt like it was time for me to do the same.

He shoved my shoulder gently. "Come on. You've never been, right?" When I shook my head to confirm his suspicion, he kept going. "You're going to have a great time. Go get dressed."

I stood, sighing affectionately. "What do I wear?"

He looked me up and down and chuckled quietly. "Anything other than cargo shorts and a T-shirt too big for you." I opened my mouth to protest but he kept going. "How about those jeans that cling to your ass and a tank top that shows off your arms?"

I rolled my eyes, but I did as he suggested and changed clothes. Max did the same, putting on his favorite jeans, a black pair that looked like they were practically painted on, and a sheer silvery top. The sight of him in skintight denim and a see-through shirt made lust pool deep in my gut and I reached for him, pulled him close, and captured his mouth in a deep, long kiss. By the time I released him, Max was clearly as hard in his jeans as I was, both of us panting and breathless.

"How about we skip Pride and stay home to celebrate your new job instead?"

"Tempting," he murmured. "But no. We've got places to be." He shoved me away playfully and left me standing alone in our bedroom. "Come on. Let's get a move on."

With a reluctant sigh, I followed him, praying for mercy in the form of a quick visit to Pride before coming home and getting him on his knees. We stepped outside into the warm summer day and got in my truck to head toward the riverfront. Pride took place in the shopping district on the edge of the Grandlin River, the town closing off the area to traffic so people could safely wander around on foot. I parked several blocks away from the shopping district and as we walked, Max took my hand in his. I squeezed his hand and smiled. It was nice to feel like I'd finally found my person, and I was relieved he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I hadn't expected that to happen to me—ever—and yet, there I was.

We meandered down to the riverfront, following the crowds of people flocking to the party. There was a stage set up with live music, vendor booths lining the street, and on the corner by the entrance was a group of people with "Mom Hugs" and "Dad Hugs" on their shirts. It warmed my heart to see several college-aged kids waiting for hugs.

I was a little overwhelmed by the cacophony of sound, riot of colors, and the crush of bodies everywhere, but I soon got in the spirit of the thing, picking up a tiny pride flag and a pronoun pin at one booth and letting a drag queen "lei" me at another. At some point, Max led me to a tent toward the end of the aisle we were on and he flashed a badge at someone as we stepped in. It was somehow quieter in the tent, there was a long table in the back with refreshments, and there were standing tables for guests.

"What's this?"

Max grinned. "The production company sent me VIP passes as a thank you for the work we're about to do together. I figured we could hang out here if we get overwhelmed."

"That sounds amazing. Thank you."

"Of course." We each got bottles of water and snacks and stood around chatting for a while. When we'd been there about a half-hour, Max grabbed my hand again. "Ready?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. We wandered around the grounds, stopping in more vendor booths as we did. Max convinced me to get my face painted, just a couple of unassuming rainbows on my cheeks while he got stars and sparkles across his cheekbones. We donated to the youth shelter and picked up more rainbow merch from a couple of tables, including a flag for the front yard. Best, though, was that we stopped in at several of the food vendors to try different sugary treats. My favorite was the rainbow ice cream.

After a while, we headed back to the sponsored tent to get out of the sun for a while and relax a little, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that nobody else was there. Once we were under the cover of shade, I grabbed Max's arm and pulled him close for a deep, slow kiss. He grinned against my mouth and relaxed into it, sliding a hand along my jaw and the back of my neck. A few long moments passed before we pulled apart, my cock aching, me thinking about my fantasy from earlier.

" Now do you want to head back to the house and celebrate?" I whispered. "I really want to get you on your knees today."

Max's grin widened playfully. "In that case…" He dropped down to one knee and reached for me.

"Max!" My face flamed hot and I reached for him to pull him up.

He pulled out of my grasp. "Trust me."

"I'm not going to let you blow me right here," I hissed.

He shoved a hand into the pocket of his jeans and withdrew something, holding it out pinched between his index finger and thumb. It shone and caught the light, and I was pretty sure it was a ring. "Will you let me propose to you right here?"

I blinked twice and straightened up. "What do you mean?" I couldn't be sure I'd heard him right with all the noise from the band and the crowd and everything else.

"I mean… Jake, this past year has been the happiest of my life. You've made me the happiest I've ever been and I want it to last forever. Will you marry me?"

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I took his hands in mine and sure enough, there was a ring between his fingers. "I… of course. Yes." With that, Max slipped the ring on my left hand. It fit perfectly, a brushed gunmetal color, and I wasn't sure I was able to breathe.

He stood and pulled me close. "I hope you don't mind that I proposed at your first Pride."

"It's perfect. Thank you." I took a deep, slow breath and kissed him briefly. " Now can we go home?"

Max smirked. "Whatever you want."

As he took my hand and we headed to the truck, Max turned to me. "Hey. I love you."

I couldn't help but smile back. "I love you too."

The End

***