Epilogue

It takes me a moment to process what I'm feeling. One minute, I'm dreaming about marshmallows taking over the city, for some odd reason. I'm fighting them—because of course I am—and then I'm rolling around in them. And then one is sucking my dick? It's all very confusing.

All I know is I'm suddenly awake, the dream wisping away like spun sugar, and I'm horny as shit. There's a hand clasped around my erection, and—

"Oh, God," I moan.

"Yes?" Teddy checks, his cock already buried inside of me. He's thrusting his hips shallowly, lighting me up as I arch back into him.

"Yes, yes," I say quickly, giving him the reassurance he needs. This isn't the first time Teddy has literally fucked me awake, but we have a system.

First, there's the plug I put in before we go to sleep. Not only is it a clear signal to Teddy that I'm up for action in the middle of the night, but it keeps me stretched and ready so he can sink inside my body without waking me to prep.

Second is the verbal confirmation the moment I'm lucid. Teddy needs that most, and I have no problem giving it.

He lets go of my cock to curl his fingers around my own, his weight pressing me into the mattress.

"Do you know how much I love this, doll?" he asks, his cock sinking deep. "Do you know how much I love knowing you're mine any goddamn second of the day?"

I moan against the pillow, not capable of anything else. My dick is hard and leaking, the friction against the sheets torture because it's not enough yet perfect for keeping me right on the cusp.

"Let me hear you, babydoll. I want to know exactly what I do to you."

I turn my face, letting Teddy hear the sounds I'm making. Not that it's a hardship giving the man what he wants. Teddy ruts into me harder, forcing me up the bed.

"Every time you go to sleep with that damn plug in your ass, I can hardly stand it," he says, voice hoarse and choppy with his breaths. "It's like trying to shut my eyes before Christmas."

I huff a laugh, groaning as Teddy grinds and grinds and grinds against my ass. "Are you saying… I'm a present?" I ask, my own voice breathy, even though I'm barely doing a thing.

"You are mine to play with," he nearly growls. "That's what I'm saying."

Fucking fuck.

"Yours," I agree heartily.

"Now I'm going to fuck you until I come," he says, chest gliding against my back as he returns to those long, punishing thrusts. "And then I'm going to plug you up while my cum is still in your ass, and I'm going to suck you down my throat. Got it?"

I groan something unintelligible, my balls drawing up.

"Don't come until my lips are around your cock, sweetheart."

Fuck, fuck.

"Teddy," I moan out.

He lets go of my hand to circle my cock, squeezing the base tight enough to stop my impending orgasm. I try to thrust against his hold, but the bite to my shoulder has me stilling in an instant.

"Ah, God," I mutter, the mix of pleasure and pain a wild turn-on. I know he would have slapped my ass if he'd been able, but with the way he's lying half on top of me, one hand on my cock, he couldn't.

I don't mind the bite.

He releases my shoulder, pressing a kiss there afterwards. "Who do you belong to?" he asks.

"You," I breathe.

"And who makes you come?"

"You do," I gasp out.

"That's right, babydoll. So be good and take what I give you. Every single second of it. And then, once I'm done playing with what's mine, I'll make you come."

I nod frantically against the sheets as Teddy holds my cock in a vise grip. He's fucking me so hard, I can feel every inch of him. Every glide of his dick inside my body. The way his balls slap my skin every time he bottoms out. The grunt he lets out that tells me just how far gone he is.

It's intoxicating, all of it, and I surrender myself to the feel of him over me and around me. The feel of my husband holding me tight.

"Love you," I moan.

That seems to do it. Teddy jerks, his seed spilling inside of me in bursts I can feel, along with the swelling and twitching of his cock. I squeeze around him as tightly as I can, and he groans, his hair tickling my neck as he pants against my shoulder. He fucks me shallowly a few more times, enjoying the slick of his cock through the cum he left inside me.

We ditched the condoms shortly after our second wedding. I haven't regretted it once.

Teddy lets go of my cock as he slowly pulls out of my body, taking his time, watching, I assume, as his cum trails out with him.

"Enjoying the view?" I ask cheekily.

I never did say I was good at behaving. Frankly, I think Teddy likes it all the more.

"It's a gorgeous sight," he retorts, the end of his cock leaving me in a wash of cold air. Teddy's fingers run around my rim, pressing shallowly inside before I feel the unmistakable end of the plug. He slips it into my body easily, giving it a wiggle that has me groaning. "Do you like keeping me inside of you, doll?"

"Love it," I slur.

Teddy rolls me to my side and slips down in front of me. I look down just in time to see him giving me a wicked grin. And then he tucks his arm over my hip, tugs me in close, and swallows my cock.

My shout fills the room, my hand flying to Teddy's head as I struggle to calm my hips. Teddy holds me in place, his head bobbing up and down as he controls the pace, which is so damn fast it leaves me dizzy.

"I'm gonna come," I mumble. Holy shit. "Gonna come."

He pops off my dick just long enough to say, "Good babydoll. Come down my throat." Then he's back on my cock, his hand slipping between my ass cheeks and pressing the plug.

I'm off like a rocket. I shoot down Teddy's throat as he sucks me dry, his lips and tongue feeling like the best sort of heaven.

How this man is capable of controlling my strings with a few choice words or touches, I don't think I'll ever know. I swear he understands me better than I understand myself. But you won't hear me complaining about it. I love the way he takes control. The way he takes care of me.

"Thought you were a marshmallow," I mumble sleepily.

Teddy pops off my cock with an obscene sound, sliding up the bed to kiss me. I moan into his mouth as he shares my taste, his hand gripping my hair tight. He gentles his hold after a moment, his kiss slowing. "A marshmallow?" he finally murmurs against my lips.

"Mm," I answer eloquently, already slipping back under. "C'mere. Lemme squish you."

He chuckles as I wrap my arm and leg around his body, plastering myself against his front. "Don't forget, we have brunch with Niko's family in a couple hours."

"Shh," I tell him, stuffing my face against his chest and giving him a pat. "Sleep now."

He presses a kiss to my head, and I float away.

"Mon chéri, look at you. So handsome," Teddy's grandma says, giving me a smile through our video call. I can practically feel her small arms around me, even though it's been months since our last visit.

"Hi, Grandma El," I say, waving. "It's good to see you."

Cub, needing to get in on the action, clambers over my lap, tilting his head back and forth as he stares at the screen, likely trying to figure out how one of his favorite people is inside my phone.

"And hello, little chiot," Grandma El says, using the French word for puppy, even though Cub is two and a half now and nearly bigger than me.

I had no clue the tiny ball of brown fur we adopted from the pound would turn out to be partially Bernese Mountain Dog. Luckily, Cub is as sweet as he is big and rarely ever causes a problem.

"Aren't you looking so handsome?" Grandma El coos.

Cub preens, wagging his tail. I push his butt out of my face as Teddy's grandpa appears onscreen, taking a seat next to his wife. "Is that Kipp?" he says.

I wave from around the ball of fur.

"Ah. Hello, Kipp. Did you try that tomato sauce recipe I sent?"

I huff a laugh as Teddy shakes his head from within the kitchen. He's putting away the remnants of our dinner. "I did. Thanks for sending it. It was delicious."

Grandpa Luca looks pleased. "Where is our Théodore?"

"Right here, Papa," Teddy answers, sitting beside me and Cub, just inside the frame of the video call.

"Happy anniversary," Grandma El says.

"Thanks, Maman," Teddy replies, his arm coming around me as Cub licks his face.

Technically, it's our second third anniversary. I keep track of both. There's the anniversary of our first marriage—the kinda, sorta, definitely accidental one. Even though neither Teddy nor I remember it, it still counts. It's what brought us together, after all.

Then there's the anniversary of our quote-unquote real marriage. The one we had in front of our family and friends exactly three years ago in the fall at Red Rock Canyon. It was a gorgeous night, the temperature a little cooler and the sunset casting a beautiful glow over the red rocks. We had white flowers, the mountains as our backdrop—just like I always wanted—and everyone we loved was there, including Grandma and Grandpa Lavoie.

Neither Cameron nor Antoni were invited, of course. And no one from my immediate family came. In fact, I haven't heard from any of them in years, apart from a couple unpleasant texts from Vaughn before I finally blocked his number. It's okay, though. I have a wonderful family of my own with Teddy, his grandparents, our sweet Cub, the Adamoses…heck, even my work crew and the wacky bunch at Elite 8 Studios.

I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

Teddy and I spend a good while catching up with his honorary parents. We'll see them again shortly for Thanksgiving. Christmas this year will be spent at Mama Adamos's house.

"We'll let you two enjoy the rest of your night," Grandma El says. "Bisous."

"Kisses," Teddy and I reply in unison.

As the call ends, I give Cub a good scratch. His tongue lolls out, doggy breath fanning over my face. "You know what time it is," I say excitedly to Teddy.

His lips twitch, but he stops my hand as I reach for the remote. "I thought we could do something a little different this time."

"But…" I pout. "Our videos, Teddy. We always watch our videos."

"Trust me?" he asks, standing and holding out his hand.

Trusting him—always—I grab on.

Cub whines at the door as we leave, but Teddy tells him to stay. "Your daddies will be back soon," he assures our fur-son. I about melt.

After closing the door, Teddy leads me down the hall, and, much to my surprise, to the stairwell. We take the stairs up, not down, and Teddy opens the door to the roof. I momentarily falter, having trouble comprehending what I'm seeing.

"Teddy…"

"I thought we could watch the videos up here tonight," he says, setting a brick against the door to hold it open before leading me toward the projector screen that's on top of the roof.

"Where did… How…"

I can't seem to figure out what question to ask, but Teddy explains, "I borrowed the projector from Scott. As for the rest of it, well, that was me."

My mouth hangs open as I take in the roof of our apartment building, which Teddy has transformed into some sort of romantic outdoor theater. There are bunches of white flowers set up along the perimeter, more flower petals blowing gently over the concrete, two chairs with cushions in front of the screen, and a bucket between them with half-melted ice and a bottle of champagne. He must have crept away while I was finishing our dinner, the sneaky man.

"Shit, Teddy," I mumble.

"Come on," he says, a soft smile on his face. We take seats, and Teddy cues up the first video. The one where he proposed.

I can't help but laugh as I watch Teddy's short speech for what must be the hundredth time. "How were you so eloquent while drunk?" I wonder aloud.

"Talent," he says, winking at me and handing over a glass of champagne.

Our wedding day is next. The one in the mountains. It starts off with some video footage of the prep we did that day: Teddy getting ready with a whole bunch of rowdy porn stars, me with Niko and his sisters. Even though we watch it yearly, it never gets old.

I twine my hand with my husband's as we sip our champagne.

The ceremony is next, although it wasn't official. We were already married by that point, but this was us doing it right. Doing it with intention. Scott is the one who officiated.

When Teddy sold his shares of Lavoie Lavoie, he sunk a big part of the money he gained into helping expand the LGBTQ+ community center. He works there several days a week now, having cut his hours back at the studio, and, of course, he still takes on pro bono cases whenever they pop up. As for Scott, he's become a good friend to us both, and he even helped me convince Teddy to wear his Aquaman costume again for Halloween last year.

The man was so hot, he had to pull me away to a private room during the middle of the party because I couldn't stop groping him. The subsequent spanking-slash-fuckfest was memorable, to say the least.

"Oh, this is my favorite part," I tell Teddy as our onscreen doppelgangers walk down the aisle, hands entwined and the mountains in front of us. The sun was already beginning to set, the same way it is now. Teddy's hand squeezes mine in real time as we watch our vows in silence. I mouth along, having them memorized at this point.

"Kipp. When I was young, I had this idea in my head of what I wanted my life to be. Family was important to me, and I wanted to create one of my own. To add to what I had. When I met you, I could see it. I could see us cooking in the kitchen together or lying down to watch TV. I could see us sharing a home, a life, our hearts. I was scared to go after that dream, but you broke through my fear, and not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for that."

I wipe my face, chest squeezing tight as past-Teddy continues to speak.

"When I think of my future, I think of you. You, me, the family we've created. I think of jogs through the neighborhood and dancing with you next to the couch. I think of all the little alongside all the big. Most of all, I think of loving you. It's been a privilege to call you my husband. And if you'll accept my hand once again, I promise you, I won't ever take the future you and I are building for granted. I love you, Kipling Delaney Lavoie. And I want to spend the rest of our lives with you by my side."

Teddy squeezes my hand again, pulling my chin around to give me a kiss. "Love you," he mutters.

I nod, my eyes welling as past-me starts to speak.

"Teddy. Goddamn it, I'm going to mess this up. You were so perfect, and here I am, already swearing and going off-script."

Our guests chuckle in the video as real-Teddy snorts beside me.

"Okay. Here's the thing. I love you a lot. Like, it's hard to put into words. When you're a kid, you see couples who kiss or hold hands, and you think ‘oh, that's love.' And when you get a little older, there's sex and everything gets more complex than that. And holy fucking shit, I'm talking about sex in our wedding vows."

More laughing from our guests. I groan, slumping in my chair.

"But… No matter how much you look at romantic love from the outside, you can never understand what it means until you live it. Until you feel that swoop in your chest that's unlike anything you've ever felt before. Until you realize it's about more than holding hands and kissing and sex. Love is unique. It's not the same for any two people. For me, love is you. It's the way you make me feel. It's the way I feel for you. Teddy… I love you so much. It's big, and it holds me safe, and I want you to know—I'll hold you safely, too. Your love is safe with me. Theodore Maxwell Lavoie, I would be honored to become your husband. Again. I'd do it ten times over. Although, really, let's just do it this once. Who knows what I'd say next time."

I huff a laugh, watching happily as Scott leads us through our I dos. "Never gets old, does it?" I say.

Teddy's eyes are warm as he takes my champagne flute, setting it aside. "No, it doesn't. Dance with me?"

"Right now?" I ask, a grin on my face.

Teddy gives me a gentle tug. "Right now."

I let Teddy pull me to my feet, and he immediately guides me close, his hand in mine, his other on the small of my back as we sway together in a slow-moving salsa. Our first dance starts onscreen, past and present colliding, and music floats over the rooftop as the sky turns a hazy shade of pink reminiscent of the mountains. I sigh, laying my head on Teddy's shoulder, the heat of him warming me through.

"My salsa-dancing, dog-dad, Daddy-Dom, French-speaking Canadian with horrible taste in maple syrup," I mumble happily. "You're quite a mouthful. Literally. You know that?"

Teddy chuckles, his chest shaking against mine.

"Say something for me in French?" I request.

He hums, spinning us around. "Mon go?t en érable sirop est bon, ma p'tite patate."

I shiver a little. "Sexy as fuck. What did you say?"

"My taste in maple syrup is fine, my little potato."

I bark a laugh. "My life with you is going to be interesting, isn't it?"

"Are you saying it's not already?" he asks.

"No, it definitely is," I reply, lifting my head so I can see his face. It's such a good face. Soft brown eyes. Warm smile. My lovely Teddy. "I mean, look at all this." I wave a hand around the rooftop for emphasis. "It's wonderful. I just mean… The life I have with you feels right."

"Yeah?" he says softly. The song in the video has ended, but Teddy keeps his hand in mine, moving us to a silent beat.

"Yeah," I answer seriously. "Teddy, you've never once tried to change me. We both know I'm a bit of a chaotic mess, and honestly, I don't think I could be different even if I tried. But no matter what I say or do, you just smile and kiss me sweetly. You embrace me, and yet you keep me grounded, too. There aren't enough ways to say thank you for that."

Teddy tucks his face against mine, our cheeks brushing together. "Your thanks is in the way you love me, Kipp."

"God, Teddy." I blow out a breath, chest oh so tight.

"Will you promise me something?" he asks.

"Anything."

"Don't ever stop being yourself," he says softly, leaning back and turning us in another slow circle. "That's the man I fell in love with. He's the one I want. You. Just you, Kipp. Every single piece of you."

And what do I possibly say to that?

"I promise," I answer.

Teddy's lips twist into the gentle smile I know so well. And as the sky sinks into night and the Teddy and Kipp of three years ago toast to many years together, I hold my husband in my arms, knowing there's nowhere else I'd rather be. And no one else I'd rather be with.

My hubby? Yeah. Turns out he's the one. The absolute love of my life.

How freaking lucky am I?

The End