Epilogue

EPILOGUE

CLAY

Two years later...

It's Monday morning, and the gayborhood is slowly waking up as I cruise back into town, my truck full of flowers.

I usually take an overnight trip to visit Allen and his husbands. This time, though, I tacked an extra day on to fix some stuff around the house, repairs they couldn't get to themselves. And I wanted a little more time away from Buffalo before what I'm about to do, just to get my head clear.

It was a good visit, but I'm glad to be home, and eager to see Nicholas.

First, though, I have a special delivery. Allen was showing me his bouquet skills, and he did me a favor, pulling together a mini-masterpiece, which I'm dropping off for Nicholas's mom.

I'm going to propose soon. Nicholas doesn't expect any big romantic gestures from me, but I still intend to get it right, and that means getting it right with his family, too.

I already have a great relationship with Luana and Reymond. They treat me like a part of the family and welcome me with open hearts. I've done my best to accept it and show them the same back, although I know I'm awkward sometimes still.

These days, I don't let the awkwardness hold me back. With Nicholas, I've learned to let my guard down a little. Trust other people, at least sometimes.

Wish I would have tried that in Missouri, too. Might have saved myself a lot of pain.

But I think I needed a fresh start to do it. Someone as special as Nicholas to help me see the way.

I park on the street outside his parents' place. After running a hand through my hair, I grab the bouquet and head to the house. Halfway up the walk, though, the front door swings open, and Nicholas steps out.

"Oh, hi!" he says, surprised.

Fuck, it's nice to see him when I'm not expecting to. "Nicholas." I lift the vase. "Bringing your mom a bouquet, a creation of Allen. What are you doing here?" In a stylish blue blazer and daisy T-shirt, he's clearly on the way to work.

"Breakfast with my parents," he says quickly. "Nothing special."

He never has breakfast with his parents. That's strange. But I shake it off, heft the vase to the side, and pull him into a proper kiss.

"Glad you're back," he says.

"Me, too."

"I know you have a busy day with the crew. Remember we have dinner plans tonight?"

"Of course."

"Clay!" Reymond hollers from the door. "It is Clay!"

Nicholas's parents come out into the yard. All three of them talk over each other while I grunt and nod along. Luana gives me a big hug when I hand off the flowers, and Reymond seems to almost get teary-eyed when he rubs my shoulder and tells me I'm a good man. Which is really an overreaction, I think.

They're constantly receiving flowers.

But I'm glad the gesture lands, anyway, and that I can show them a little of what they mean to me.

Eventually, we all go our separate ways. Nicholas catches a ride home with me and the floral delivery and, once there, immediately dips into Blossom to handle something small.

I stand on the street, taking in our home.

Sue helped us smooth things over with Jacob. Knowing why he was drawn to the neighborhood in the first place, she found him an even more desirable option for his retirement. Jacob now happily lives above the bear bar, in the condo we renovated with Sue a couple years ago. He's become something of a wise elder to the cubs.

The second I realized I was keeping the building, I threw myself into renovations with new determination. The results paid off, and people even stop on the street to admire my work.

Putting in the hours was easy because this is our home. It's our dream come true, and I'm going to make it a good life for my man.

We unload the flowers, and I have just enough time to change before my shift on the crew starts.

I'm still the kid, the youngest and newest working with Sue. But that's actually the best thing for me. I can't come close to the decades of experience they all hold, but I'm doing my best to soak it all up like a sponge.

Maybe I'll lead my own crew one day. I thought I needed that to have things the way I wanted them, but being on a crew where I'm always learning is so much better. Now, I'm in the right place, so all I really think about is this. Where I am.

My spot on a good crew. My life with Nicholas.

I get home first from work for once, and I overhear a few lines of Always Be My Maybe playing in Blossom while Nicholas finishes up.

Kicking off my shoes, I walk through our home. It's spacious enough that Nicholas's stuff easily fit, his pink couch under the big windows, houseplants and vases of flowers tucked on shelves.

I've started getting some of my own crap, too. The kinds of things you get when you're sticking around, like nice old oak furniture, and this fluffy blue bathrobe I'm obsessed with.

I scrub myself good under the hot water, cleaning up for date night. I do the whole list, floss and moisturizer and cleaning under my nails. And when I'm damn sparkly, I put on a button-up white shirt and a good pair of jeans.

It's our last date night before I propose tomorrow, and I'm going to make it a good one.

I grin to myself, excited that I'm pulling off a surprise. I'm going to give him the proposal he deserves, and I've planned carefully. I've got the engagement ring, silver with flowers engraved, and a little script that I've rehearsed a million times.

The subterfuge is in place, too. We've got an errand to run to Starlight Fields in my truck, and once there, I've got the perfect location scouted, a field of dahlias that's prolifically blooming, surrounded by rose bushes.

Romance is not my specialty, but after a couple of years with my man, I've picked up some tips.

When Nicholas gets back from work, I'm already dressed for date night, and I sit there in my fancy shirt while he gets ready. He seems totally clueless about my plans, and we talk happily about his day and all the neighborhood gossip that came through the shop.

I nod along, sipping a beer as he chats away.

It's just a regular day. Date night at the Italian place, a warm summer breeze in the air, and a busy neighborhood bustling around us.

But with Nicholas, the regular days are special.

The little moments like this are more full of life than anything I knew before I moved to Buffalo.

He's my man. My home. My love.

And I can't wait to make him my husband, too.

NICHOLAS

After another lovely date night with Clay, I'm back in the shop this morning, humming along with the music.

Tomorrow will be exactly two years since Clay showed up with a truckload of flowers and a love declaration. It's got me thinking a lot about our relationship, which led to the emotional breakfast with my parents.

They gave me my grandfather's wedding ring. I still have to figure out the right way to do this proposal, but when the time comes, I know that I'm going to use this ring to invite Clay into my family. I've been carrying it in my wallet all day, feeling close to it and what the ring means.

For now, though, I'm more than content to busy myself at Blossom. The shop maintained a steady business during the first year of Flower Hub competition, although it's been the farm stand that brought in all of our growth.

Every weekend, Kavya and Zooey take the stand on the road, hitting up local and regional festivals. They're girlfriends and business partners, and I've never seen either of them so happy. The joint venture with Starlight Fields now brings in a solid third of our sales, but with the marketing boost and new customers the stand attracts, it's really more like half of our income.

The growth has been significant, and I've restructured the business to account for our expanded size. Kavya is now a part-owner, a choice that reflects her contributions while also freeing me up to focus on the shop itself while she runs the stand. While she's still in a couple of days a week to make bouquets, it's also given me a chance to hire a new employee.

"What about delphinium?" Gunther hollers from the back. "Am I using this delphinium right?"

I glance at his bouquet. "Perfect. You really are a natural."

He grunts at the bouquet, satisfied. "I should have left the gym years ago," he mutters. "Even the gossip here is better."

Out back, I catch a glimpse of Nance and Sue through the window, repairing the fence between our homes. About a year ago, they went with Clay to the municipal office in an attempt to get the restrictive clauses all stripped from the deed, a measure of good faith to start their new relationship. As it turns out, however, the laws and codes have been updated over the years, which meant it was possible to finally split the property in two.

Now, they own their home and the lot it's on. Sunday brunch still spills into our yard, though, which is more than fine.

Every now and then, Clay is in the right mood, and he wanders down. I'll find him in the middle of brunch, drinking coffee and talking shop with his friends from the carpentry crew. Whenever that happens, I know it will be hours more before he finally comes home.

The shop door swings open, and Finn hurries in. I can tell he's in a rush today, so I quickly grab the custom bouquet that will adorn his ice cream counter.

"Busy day?" I ask as I hand it off.

He scrunches his nose. "I knew running a small business would include a lot of surprise challenges. I just didn't realize how many of them would be heavily tattooed and bearded."

I chuckle. "The new biker shop across the street is still causing a ruckus?"

Finn sighs. "I shouldn't let it bother me. But it's like those bikers are trying to find the worst possible moments to blast metal music or bang tools."

He doesn't usually get flustered like this, so I give him an encouraging nod. "You'll figure it out. At least the noisy neighbors are hungry."

"They do love a triple scoop," he agrees before hustling back out the door.

Sometime after noon, Kavya shows up, relieving me so that I can run errands. Clay is ready with his truck, and I notice he must have cleaned up after his morning shift. His scruff is trimmed, his hair is damp and combed, and he's put on his good jeans.

Even better, he's topped it all off with my favorite worn T-shirt. I lean against the soft fabric, feeling the heat of his muscles as we share a quick kiss before loading in the truck.

"Starlight Fields," he says. "I haven't been by in months."

"It will be a quick errand," I promise him.

Clay shakes his head as he pulls onto the street, eyes ahead. "Let's at least go for a walk around the place. I'd like to see how everything is going."

I nod, pleased.

Before we got together officially, I was worried that asking Clay to stay here in Allentown meant that I was asking him to change who he is and what he wants. In truth, we've both grown together, and what we want has evolved, too.

I'm not looking for more over-the-top declarations of love, although those are nice sometimes, too. But what we enjoy is so much deeper and bigger than that. It's steady, consistent love. It's caring for each other every day, making choices to make each other happy.

It's understanding that every fixed shelf, every bouquet on the kitchen table, every little touch and compliment and crooked smile—that's the good stuff. That's the romance that matters most to me and to him.

And it's why every night, when we cuddle up close in bed, I know that Clay loves me, just like I love my man.

At Starlight Fields, Clay takes my hand and walks me into the farm, purposefully leading the way. The sun is out, and the bees are buzzing, and although I'm surprised he remembers the farm so well, I decide to follow along.

"Ranunculus are looking good," he grumbles.

I squeeze his hand. "Spectacular," I agree.

We come to the dahlia fields, at the height of their bloom, and I pull Clay back. "Just look at this," I tell him, my eyes above the splash of pastel colors. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

"Just you."

I turn, smiling up at him, and notice a strange look in his eyes.

"Come on," Clay says, squeezing my hand back. "I want to show you something."

He takes off into the field, pulling me between rows of flowers. Surprised, I chuckle and follow along. "What's this about?"

Clay doesn't answer, but when we get to the middle of the field, he turns to face me directly.

"Nicholas," he says, growling my name, and my heart skips a beat.

"Clay," I manage.

With a deep, nervous breath, Clay gets down on one knee, and I realize what's happening.

My soul soars, and my hands start shaking. This is really it!

"Nicky," Clay says. "My beautiful Nicky. When I came to Buffalo more than two years ago, I was a different man. Closed down to the world. Convinced I was meant to be alone. But then I saw you, standing by that ditch with a basket full of purple flowers, and my entire life changed."

Tears well in my eyes.

"Sometimes, I still think to myself that I don't deserve you. That you're this miracle, this beam of sunlight that burst into my cloudy world. But the truth is—I'm a better man with you than I've ever been alone, and all I want to do is spend the rest of my life taking care of you. Making sure you're happy. Treating you exactly the way you're supposed to be treated, because I love you, Nicky. And I want to make you my husband." He swallows and pulls a ring box from his pocket. "Will you marry me?"

The tears spill over, falling down my cheeks. "Yes," I say. "Clay, yes, of course! Yes."

His face cracks open with a smile. He takes the box and removes the silver ring, and when I offer my hand, he slides the ring on.

"It's got flowers engraved," he says. "All of your favorites."

"It's perfect."

Clay takes me in a kiss, swooping me into his arms in the middle of the flower field.

"You're perfect," he says, voice gravelly and low.

"I love you," I tell him. My brain catches up to me, and I reach for my wallet. "And I've got something for you, too."

Clay arches an eyebrow, still holding me. "Yeah?"

I get out the ring, which I offer to him. "It's my grandpa's wedding ring," I tell him. "I want you to have it."

Clay looks stunned. He stares at the ring for a second before blinking and taking it.

"Really?" he asks. "Your parents are okay with this?"

"They insisted," I tell him, tears flowing again as I see what this means to him. "Do you like it?"

"I don't know how I got to be so lucky," he says.

I kiss him, and Clay kisses me back.

"I've got one more surprise," he says, mouth against mine.

"What's that?"

He takes his phone out and messes with it for a second, and Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" comes on.

My breath catches as I let out a warm laugh. "I love this song."

"I know," he says and slides an arm around my waist, the other taking my hand. "I do, too. And I promised you that I'd be up for a dance sometimes when we're alone, right?"

I grin, so in love with this man I can barely handle it.

"You did," I tell him as we begin to sway.

Clay steps me among the rows of flowers, capturing my gaze with his eyes.

"Gonna owe you a lot of dances, Nicky," he says. "We've got a lot of special moments ahead."

And as the song rings out through the flower fields, we dance into the future, together where we belong.

The end