Epilogue

Theo

Ten years later

"Go! Go! Go!" Brax shoves to his feet, cheering for the eighth graders playing lacrosse. He doesn't look like the type to be all go sports, and really, he's not, but he's very much Team Ty, since his husband coaches the team. "Fuck yes!" he adds when our team scores.

A few of the parents look at him with raised brows, and Perry nudges him. "Language."

"What did I say?" Brax asks.

"Fuck," Perry answers, and I roll my eyes at my fiancé.

"You're not supposed to say the word too."

Perry winks at me, leans in, and says softly, "Sorry, Puppy," while I try not to swoon. Ten years together, and he still makes me weak in the knees. Meeting Perry? Best. Bi-awakening. Ever. He's changed my life in so many ways, and the wild part is he still somehow seems to think I'm the prize. There's no doubt in my mind he loves me. I don't know if he'll ever realize how much he's given me.

We turn our attention back to the game. We try to watch Ty's team play often. It's a rec league he started coaching last year, but it's even more special for me now because one of my students plays for him.

I never would have seen being a teacher as a possibility for me, but meeting Perry, him helping me study, and then the confidence I got after my vision therapy, it all led to finding what I'm passionate about—helping others. School wasn't easy. I went part-time while working, not wanting my parents to have to pay for it. Perry helped too, he and I having gotten our own place together after dating for a year. His dad was finally able to talk us into taking a loan, which Perry and I paid off years ago.

And now I have my teaching degree, specializing in helping kids who struggle with reading.

When I notice Damian, with the ball now, I jump up. "Run! You got this!" I call to him. We're not supposed to have favorites, but he's definitely one of mine. He's grown so much in confidence since I started working with him, and then even more once he began playing lacrosse with Ty.

Damian dodges defenders, managing not to get the ball knocked from his stick. He jumps and shoots, the small ball flying into the net. "Woohoo!" I cheer, Perry standing and clapping beside me.

The game is over about fifteen minutes later, and we'd won. Brax is the first one climbing down the stands to go over and congratulate his husband. Brax and Perry both work for Langley Enterprises now. They opened a branch in San Diego three years ago, and it's going well. Perry might not be the son Montgomery expected to work for him, but he still has two sons that do in Perry and Brax.

"Did you see me score, Mr. Bassett?" Damian runs toward me with his helmet in his hand.

"I did! That was incredible! I'm so proud of you," I tell him, his pride in himself making me feel like I can fly. There's something so damn special about seeing the growth in someone like Damian.

I hold my fist out for him, and he bumps it.

"Good job," Perry tells him.

"Thanks, Mr. McClain!" Damian says. He hugs his mom, then returns to his team.

"Sometimes I look at him and can't believe he's the same kid." She beams. "I'm so thankful he got put in your class. He looks up to you so much."

Damian is gay. He came out a few months ago. He lives with a single mom, who works damn hard to make sure her son has every opportunity he can. She reminds me of my parents.

"I look up to him," I reply. "He's a good kid. When it comes to reading, I provide the tools, but he's the one who puts them to use."

"Yes, but you also told him about this league, and it's because you're so vocal about your partner that he felt comfortable coming out."

Perry wraps his arm around me. I feel the pride rolling off him.

"He's pretty great," Perry says.

"He is," Aubrey replies.

We chat for a few more minutes, and then Aubrey and Damian leave, almost everyone else having cleared out by now. Brax and Ty make their way over to us.

"Fuck, I'm tired," Ty says.

"That's because you're always trying to be a superstar," Perry teases him. "Geriatric nurse by day, kids' lacrosse coach by night."

"I can't help that I'm fucking awesome," Ty jokes back.

They're brothers but more like best friends. Their family situation has gotten so much better over the years. Perry's mom and her wife ended up moving here, and this last Christmas, everyone spent the holiday at their place—Montgomery came with his family, along with Ty's mom, Brax's grandma, and my parents.

"Anyway, I'm beat," Ty says. "I'm gonna go home, suck my husband off, eat some dinner, and pass out. We're going to see Matilda early in the morning tomorrow."

I'm pretty sure Matilda is going to outlive us all. She signed her house over to Brax years ago, and while he and Ty can afford something else now, they still live in it.

"I like the way you think." Perry waggles his brows.

The four of us walk out to our cars together, then go our separate ways.

Perry drives us home, which is in one of the older residential areas of San Luco.

"You looked so happy watching Damian out there tonight," Perry says.

"I was. I'm so damn happy with my life. It's because of you."

"I'm incredible, but I don't know that I can take credit for it all. You put in a lot of work yourself."

I shrug because I did, but I also don't believe my life would have taken the turns it did if I didn't have Perry. "Yeah, but would I have done that if I didn't fall off that table and you didn't save my life?"

He chuckles. "Give yourself some credit."

I nod, then reach over and place my hand on his thigh. "You are, ya know? Incredible." Perry is great at his job. Even Montgomery talks about how much of a natural he is. The company Montgomery built was always impressive, but Perry has already taken it to new heights. But even more than that, he's a good person who cares about others.

"I know."

"I'm being serious."

"I am too, Puppy." He winks. "I mean, I scored me a ten."

I laugh. "You change the number all the time, but I'm not going to argue with you. I like being hot."

Perry laughs, the way we do together so often.

When we get home, we have dinner, then shower together. Afterward, we do exactly like Ty said he was going to do. We suck each other off, and then Perry pulls me into his arms, where I fit so well and always will.