Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
BEN
Heath and I walked hand-in-hand from the parking garage in downtown Portland to Waterfront Park, where we blended into a crowd of thousands waiting for the AIDS Walk Northwest to begin. We walked under a balloon arch, and I noticed rainbows everywhere, drag queens all dolled up, kids getting their faces painted, and a deejay filling the air with upbeat music. The Willamette River sparkled under the sun’s rays.
Heath read something on his phone. “Mom texted. She found Travis and Beckett, and they’re waiting for us behind the HIV-testing booth.”
I chuckled. Heath’s mom adored them. Ever since we’d introduced our whole families to each other over the holidays last year, his mom liked my brother and his new husband even more than she liked me and Heath. They’d hit it off so well that she’d gotten an invite to their wedding last month.
Cynthia ran over and pulled us into a hug when she spotted us. She sported a red T-shirt for the event with nail polish to match. My eyes widened when I saw another man talking with Travis and Beckett. I caught Heath’s eyes after he noticed too.
“Can you boys be any more obvious? Don’t make a big deal out of it. He’s just a friend.”
Heath and I snorted in unison. The “friend” who kept asking her on coffee dates and had helped fix things around the house several times. The “friend” who co-planned a surprise birthday lunch for her earlier this summer with all her loved ones in attendance.
“I’m glad you brought him, Mom.” He kissed the top of her head.
Cynthia cupped Heath’s cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.” She turned her attention to me. “Don’t forget our plans after this. I’ve already picked out the yarn stores I want to visit.” She patted my cheek before walking back to the group.
“You shouldn’t have made that bet with her. She’s going to clean you out.”
I laughed. “I’ve been fundraising for my brother’s AIDS walk team for years. How was I supposed to know that her first time joining us, she’d raise twice as much as me? I thought it’d be an easy bet.”
“You sweet summer child. Mom volunteers with a half-dozen organizations and knows a million people. You never stood a chance. You made a bet fair and square, and now you’re stuck taking her yarn shopping.”
My smile grew. “I love seeing her crochet. She’s getting really good at it.”
“If we’re not careful, we’re going to have an afghan for every piece of furniture in our place.”
I squeezed his hand and smiled at “our place.” Even though we’d been living together for several months, I still had to pinch myself sometimes that this was our life and not a dream. That I’d been matched with my soulmate through a volunteer project.
We’d had an eventful summer between the move, celebrating his tenure promotion, and taking our first vacation together. My tan from our week at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico still lingered, and Heath had even bought a colorful art print on our trip for our new place. I was surprised by how well Heath took to having more color and clutter in our home. He’d encouraged me to decorate because he said he liked my style, but I asked him to do the bedroom. His minimal, soothing style always made me sleep better.
Uncle Rick’s finished afghan had a place of prominence over the back of our couch. We often draped it over our laps in the evenings while snuggling and watching TV.
“I heard her mention the other day that she was thinking of trying knitting. I bet she’ll be making sweaters before we know it.”
He kissed my cheek. “Instead of human sweaters, it might be easier for her to start with dog sweaters.”
I tilted my head. “Is she planning on getting a dog?”
Heath turned toward me and grabbed my other hand. “I was thinking we could.”
My heart thundered. We’d been kicking around the idea, but Heath had needed more time to mull it over. I was happy to give him any time he needed. “You mean it? You’re ready?”
“I am. I want to take our dog on walks to the coffee shop on weekend mornings and cuddle in as a family to watch our favorite shows at night.”
“A family.” I threw my arms around his shoulders. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby.” He kissed my neck.
“What are we celebrating?” Cynthia asked as the group joined us.
“We’re getting a dog!”
Travis lit up. He loved them as much as I did. They’d just adopted their first dog last year. “Seriously? Are we going to the shelter after this? Portland has several shelters we can visit.”
He turned puppy-dog eyes toward Beckett as I did to Heath.
“Why not? The AIDS walk ends around noon, right?” Heath asked.
My brother nodded. A wide smile split his face. “Puppies!” He sounded like an eager kid. We high-fived.
Beckett suggested we head to registration, but Travis paused, and his expression turned more thoughtful. “Thank you all for walking with me today. Your support means the world.”
Beckett wrapped his beefy arm around my brother’s shoulders as I looped an arm around his waist.
“Thanks for letting us join your team, Travis. It’s a privilege to walk with you.” Heath squeezed his mom against his side.
“One big, happy family,” Cynthia said as she wiped her eyes. “I want to get my face painted before the program starts.” She and her not-boyfriend walked toward registration with Travis and Beckett close behind, chatting about what they wanted on their faces. Travis vetoed his husband’s idea of something phallic.
I turned toward Heath. “We’re adopting a dog.”
He intertwined his fingers with mine and pulled me close. “It feels right.”
“It does. You feel right too. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Ben.” Ever since that first meeting at A Whole Latte Love, he’d gotten under my skin, and there was no other place I wanted him to be.