Epilogue

Three years later…

"Where do you want the shield?" The bellhop asks. He's holding a big-ass metal shield that probably goes with Henry's armor or something.

"Let me guess. Henry gave you that?" I say.

The poor boy nods. "He said it was part of the wedding décor?"

Oh, for fuck's sake. This is getting out hand. Originally, Leo wanted to get married on a private beach in Jamaica, but that was before we found out their laws concerning transgender rights are horrifying. Cooper is a transgender alpha, and we wanted him to feel safe at our wedding, so we decided to do the ceremony on a beach in Hawaii. Then the press found out about it, and we had to switch our plans yet again in an effort to not get mobbed by the paparazzi.

Naturally, Henry decided to be dramatic about the whole thing and bought an island for our wedding. A whole fucking island. The island already had a hotel and big gazebo on the beach, not to mention a bunch of rooms for our guests, so we agreed. But Henry didn't stop there. His "decorations" are popping up everywhere just as we're getting everything set up.

"How about we put it in the dining hall?" I suggest. At least that way, Leo won't have to look at it until dinner.

"There's already a full suit of armor, five swords, a jousting stick, and a huge wooden horse in there."

Damn it. This is getting out of hand.

"Is the wooden horse hollow?" I ask.

"I don't know."

If I know Henry, it definitely is. That sounds like a Trojan horse.

"Why don't you go check, and if it is, will you put the shield and all the swords in there? Try to fit the armor in there too, if you can. Where is James?" Usually, he would be the one to kindly explain to Henry that it's rude to force your friend to display your medieval decorations at their wedding, even if they're having said wedding on your island.

The bellhop, who can't be older than sixteen, blushes furiously. "He's… in Henry's room."

"Will you go get him?" I ask.

The boy shakes his head. "Henry said they needed privacy."

"Ugh, why? Would you mind knocking on the door and saying I need to talk to James? I don't have any cell reception, and I need his help."

The boy shakes his head again.

Cooper walks up from behind me. "They really do need privacy, trust me."

The bellhop takes the opportunity to leave with the shield before I can argue any further.

"Henry is out of control. First it was the armor and all the swords, now he's adding a shield to the mix. Where is James?"

Cooper presses his lips together. "He's in Henry's room."

"Yes, but why isn't he talking Henry down from all this?"

Cooper lets out a breathy laugh. "Because he's in Henry's room. Steve, I understand that you're distracted with all the wedding stuff, but surely you noticed that they showed up to breakfast this morning with rings on their fourth finger?"

I hadn't noticed.

"They both got married? When? To who?"

Cooper pauses, letting me piece it together on my own.

"James is in Henry's room," I repeat.

"Yep." He pats me on the shoulder. "I imagine James is too distracted to talk Henry out of his usual shenanigans, so we'll have to make do on our own. I had the angel statues Henry bought from that Blink episode of Doctor Who removed from the beach and all the medieval tin plates swapped out for standard ceramic. My sons are ready to go as the flower boys, and my husband is setting up chairs by the gazebo."

I drag a hand through my hair. "How long do you think they've been… I didn't think Henry was into…"

"Why do you think James has been willing to clean up Henry's messes all these years? I can't believe no one else noticed that he had feelings for him," Cooper says. "When should I have the musicians start? They said they could play a few songs while the guests are arriving."

"But Henry… he's never even tried dating."

Cooper sighs. "Okay. We're stuck on this. I'll tell the musicians to start now. You need to be ready and on the beach in fifteen minutes, okay? Hopefully Henry and James will be done by then."

Fifteen minutes. I'm getting married in fifteen minutes.

I wander out of the lobby and toward my room on the main floor. Henry insisted that Leo and I have separate rooms, even though we've been living together for two years now. We were unofficially living together long before that. I had a hard time sleeping without him after our first weekend together.

Mark, one of Leo's actor friends, waves at me in the hallway. I wave back absently before opening the door to my room.

My tuxedo is laid out on the bed. My alpha dad is waiting next to it, reading the latest Nightsleuth comic. He sets the comic down and sits up. "Hey. How are you doing?"

"I'm… getting married. And apparently Henry and James got married already."

Dad winces. "They were going to wait until after you got back from your honeymoon to tell you. Didn't want to steal your thunder."

"Wait, you knew?"

"They're not very good at hiding it, so I think everyone knows at this point."

"How could I be so oblivious?" I ask.

Dad gets out of the bed and stands in front of me. "It's your wedding day. That's the only thing you need to focus on." He picks up my suit coat with both hands and holds it out to me. "When your father and I got married, we rented our tuxedos. None of this fancy custom tailored stuff. And on a private island, no less."

"Yeah. It's a lot."

"Well, you're marrying Nightsleuth. It should be a lot."

Leo would never admit it, but I think he did the Nightsleuth movie for Dad. It was Leo's last film, with the exception of the sequel. They were both hits, and he had plenty of offers from other agents and film producers. And yet, he still walked away from it all.

I changed into the tuxedo and let Dad fasten my cufflinks. They're in the shape of Nighsleuth's mask, of course. Dad ordered them when I told him we were getting married. I stand in front of the full-length mirror. Over the last few years, plenty of people have made comments about my appearance. The general consensus is that I'm not handsome enough for Leo, and I have to agree with them on that. But today, I don't look half bad.

Dad stands next to me, wearing a tuxedo similar to my own. "Have I told you that I like Leo?"

"Yeah. More than a few times."

My omega dad is even worse. He kept asking when I was going to marry Leo, even though I explained to him that I'd already talked with Leo about it, and he wanted to wait. Everything about the beginning of our relationship was so fast, he insisted on taking the rest of it slow, so we wouldn't "mess things up."

"I was worried I wouldn't like your husband," Dad tells me.

"What? Really?"

He shrugs. "You dated a few guys I didn't care for. I kept my mouth shut because it wasn't my place to say anything, but I was terrified that someday you'd end up with a guy who didn't feel like family—who'd pull us apart. As a dad, you can't control stuff like that. You just have to let your kid love who they love."

"I had no idea," I say.

He straightens my bow tie. "Then I did my job right. But I gotta say that Leo feels like family. I like spending time with him almost as much as I like spending time with you." Dad's eyes well with tears. "That's pretty special."

My vision gets a little blurry. Of course, I've noticed over the years that Leo got along well with my dads, but when he puts it out there like that, it makes me feel incredibly lucky. Because Dad's right. I could have ended up with a guy who didn't love my dads as much as Leo does.

Dad walks to the door and opens it. "We should probably be off."

I follow him out the door and through the hallways of the hotel to the patio out back. The way to the wedding has been marked, probably by someone following Cooper's orders. I'll have to send him a gift after this is over. Sand gets in my nice shoes as we walk on the beautiful beach that my friend bought just so Leo and I could have our special day here.

Most of our guests are already seated, including two short men on the back row who Leo wasn't sure would come. But there's no doubt as to who they are. The omega looks exactly like Leo, if a bit older, and the alpha has his nose.

I hope he'll be okay when he sees them sitting there.

The rest of Leo's side is filled with the friends he's made at the local theater company where he volunteers as well as a few actors who he stayed in touch with after leaving the film industry. My side is crowded with family. Luckily, Henry and James have emerged from their room, although Henry's cheeks are a little pink. Cooper and his husband sit on the front row with their baby. His two oldest boys stand at the back of the audience with baskets full of flower petals.

I take my place by Griff, who is the minister for our wedding. He got certified online. My alpha dad waits at the back of the crowd because Leo asked him to give him away. My omega dad sits next to Robert Lockwood on the front row because somehow Leo managed to get Batman to come to our wedding.

He knows my dads well enough to understand what that will mean to them.

Three men with violins begin to play songs from the Lord of the Rings, which means Cooper didn't catch all of Henry's interference. At least the song is pretty and not "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian. It could be worse.

Cooper's sons walk down the aisle, chucking the petals with gusto. They run out halfway through and rush to the front row to be with their dads. Next come Leo's closest friends from the theater, all dressed in matching groomsmen tuxes.

A single figure walks toward the crowd. He's wearing a white tuxedo that fits him like a glove, including his prominent baby bump. He's so goddamned beautiful, I can't breathe. He looks at me from across the room, and that same connection we shared since the first day we met pulses between us. Some people may call it a 92% pheromone compatibility, but I call it fate. This man was my destiny since the moment I saw him.

Our eyes remain locked as my alpha dad takes his hand and leads him down the aisle. I don't think he even notices his dads in the audience. Good. They don't get to steal this moment from us.

Tears stream down my face as he gets closer and closer. Finally he's standing before me. My alpha dad hugs Leo, then goes to sit next to his husband, only to find Batman there. Leo holds back a smile as he watches my alpha dad gape at Robert Lockwood.

Thank you, I mouth.

Dad finally sits down, but he hasn't stopped staring at Robert.

Griff clears his throat. "Mawage…. Mawage is what bwings us togever today."

Henry's laughter booms from the audience. That reference from The Princess Bride must also be a contribution from him. Leo laughs with him, which is a huge relief. I wanted this day to be perfect for him, even though I have goofball friends.

"Just kidding," Griff says. "I have the privilege of marrying Leo and Steve, even though I'm not a priest. I am as celibate as a priest, though, if that helps."

The audience laughs. I notice that Leo's parents don't, but that's okay. His omega dad's gaze keeps flicking from Leo's baby bump to the nose piercing he got for his role as Nightsleuth, and then never took out because he liked it.

"It's not every day that a superhero gets married to an accountant," Griff continues. More laughter. "It helps if the accountant is tall and well-endowed, though."

Oh my God. Maybe we should have hired a real priest. Leo is still smiling, though, so maybe it's okay.

"I'll shut up for now and let them say their vows."

For a horrible moment, I wonder where our rings are, then Cooper's oldest son walks up with a pillow that both of them are tied to. He holds out the pillow to me with one hand, while he picks his nose with the other.

Cooper bites back a laugh as the entire audience watches his son pick his nose. His husband's shoulders shake with silent laughter when their son puts the finger in his mouth after he's done.

Leo takes the pillow from the boy. "Thank you for that." He pulls my ring from the ribbon on the pillow and gives the pillow to Griff. "Three years ago, I asked you to run away from some cameras with me. On that day, I didn't realize I needed to run from all the cameras in my life. I don't think I ever would have figured that out without you." He grasps my hand and lifts it up. "I love you, Steve. I vow to keep loving you for the rest of my life. I vow to be your little spoon, grow our babies in my body, nourish my relationship with your dads, and laugh at Henry's antics."

More tears slide down my cheeks because he knows exactly what I need from a husband.

"I vow to appreciate how special you are, kiss you every day, and love our children as much as your fathers love you. I even vow to love your ornery cat, even though he hates us both."

He slides my ring onto my fourth finger. I brush away the tears, but my face is still wet.

Griff hands me Leo's ring. It's just a simple gold band, exactly like mine.

"My alpha dad once told me that he knew my omega dad was the one by their third date, but I have him beat. I knew you were the one for me the first day we met. It just took you a while to get on board."

He smiles. "No. I just didn't want to ruin this by going too fast."

"Well, three years and one pregnancy later, we're finally here. I want you to know that I think you were well worth the wait. I promise to hold you every night, cherish you the way you deserve, and support you in whatever dreams you want to chase. I will give parenting my all. I swear to you. And I will always be true to our love. Not only with my body, but with my heart and soul. You will never have a reason to question my devotion to you."

Tears slide down Leo's cheeks. He lets me slide his ring on.

"You two are nauseatingly in love. Congratulations. You may now kiss each other," Griff says.

I bend over and press my lips to Leo's. Even after all this time, my heart races the same way it did when we first met. His scent still overwhelms me, especially now that I can smell his pregnancy.

He was the one who decided to get his IUD removed. He told me about it, of course. I could have worn a condom if I wanted to. But that first time we made love without any form of birth control, I knew he was committing to be mine forever. That was the real day we married.

I break the kiss and sweep him into my arms. The crowd cheers for us. Even the two short men in the back quietly clap. My parents cheer the loudest. My alpha dad has even stopped staring at Batman, and is whistling like he's at a hockey game and the Bruins just scored a goal. Henry and James are kissing, Cooper's son is picking his nose again, and my omega dad is crying with joy.

It"s messy and hilarious and perfect. Just like my life with Leo.