Epilogue
“Hello, princess,” Barrett called as she reentered their apartment.
Iris smiled and knew from Barrett’s laughter that Oscar had met her at the door, of course. She’d only been gone ten minutes, but Iris understood him. She’d missed Barrett too.
She stepped away from the mirror, running her hands over her dress one more time, as she heard Barrett and Oscar heading her way, Barrett telling him, “They’re not for you.”
Sure enough, the first thing Iris laid eyes on as they came through the doors was a bouquet from Trader Joe’s. Barrett was a sentimental fool. Maybe she was too.
She smiled as she looked up at Iris, but whatever cute quip she’d been intending to deliver clearly died on her lips. She stared at Iris, eyes wide and mouth open, the arm holding out the bouquet dropping to her side. Oscar took his opportunity to sniff them, sneezing adorably as he did.
Iris wasn’t certain Barrett still knew he was there.
“Holy shit,” Barrett whispered when she finally remembered how to speak.
Iris grinned. “You like it?”
Barrett dropped the flowers onto their bed, her eyes running up and down Iris’ body.
“Barrett!” Iris complained good naturedly. “You’ll kill them.”
“Kill who?”
“The flowers.”
She blinked. “Oh. Right. Second bouquet of the day, I know, but we couldn’t miss the Friday flowers tradition on your birthday of all days.”
Iris laughed. Barrett took any opportunity to spoil her. It wasn’t just about her birthday. But Iris didn’t really have a leg to stand on arguing that. She was just as bad.
Barrett shook her head. “If I wasn’t confident in my gift for you, I’d be ready to fight Ruby right about now.”
“You absolutely would not fight her, and we both know it. Besides, you already gave me two bouquets and breakfast and a cake at work. That’s more than enough.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t letting Penn be the one to buy your very first workplace birthday cake. What if they’d picked the wrong flavor? Or showed up with a yellow one?”
“I could have just told them what I like. I think they already know anyway.”
Barrett narrowed her eyes, scowling. “Absolutely not. My love, so I get the cake.”
“It was a great cake.” Lemon, decorated purple with golden stars. Very delicious and very magical.
Barrett’s serious expression dropped instantly. “I’m glad. Plus, I don’t think Penn was interested in anything other than making sure we had those plans done today.”
Iris already felt warm from the way Barrett was looking at her, but a softer warmth swelled in her chest at the proud way Barrett said that. She’d cried when they’d got the affordable housing project and it was her favorite thing to work on. Iris’ too.
“But, right now,” Barrett continued with a wink, “all I’m interested in is you.”
“Is that right?”
“Absolutely. How long until we have to leave?”
Iris glanced at the clock and sighed. “About five minutes.”
“Then Ruby should not have made you such a stunning dress for your birthday.”
“I’ll still be wearing it when we get home after dinner, you know?”
“Not for long you won’t.”
“Barrett…” It was half whine, half warning, and it didn’t help the situation at all because Barrett dropped to her knees and started crawling towards Iris—hungry, in love, and entirely consuming.
“Princess, you know I love everything about you, right?”
“Yes.” Iris knew she shouldn’t sound breathless after doing nothing but standing in their bedroom, but she was powerless against Barrett’s charms, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“That when I tell you you’re beautiful, I mean in every way?”
“I know.” She really did. It had never particularly been in question with Barrett. She’d always been so very clear about all the ways she loved Iris, that loving her meant loving the entire person. And Iris got it because it was the exact same way she felt about Barrett.
Of course, when Barrett was wearing a suit and slowly crawling across the floor towards her, the physical attraction was taking up quite a large part of her mind.
“Good,” Barrett said as she reached Iris and her hands found Iris’ calves, gliding slowly up her legs. “Because that’s all still true, but, fuck me, you look incredible in this dress. It should actually be illegal for something other than me to hug your body this well.”
Iris had spent a long time trying to forget her birthday existed and it had never been particularly easy. With Barrett running her hands up her body, following them with strategically placed kisses, she wasn’t sure she’d ever remember her birth date again.
She pressed back into the wall, needing it to hold her up. There was nothing in the world other than Barrett and the way she was looking up at Iris.
Her mind whirled, trying to figure out if the last thing Barrett had said was something she was supposed to reply to.
“How much do we need to go to dinner?” Barrett laughed darkly.
“Shit. Dinner!” Iris sagged, the hazy, lust-filled fog that had been rolling into her mind clearing.
Barrett smirked. “Fantastic to know I can make you forget it, princess. Maybe I don’t need to fight Ruby after all. Although, if anyone else gives you a gift this sexy, they’ll be on my list.”
“Deepti got me my own tarot deck.” Iris’ voice sounded more than a little hollow. “They got overly excited and texted me to tell me about it.”
She laughed, but still didn’t move from where she was kneeling between Iris’ legs, her hands continuing to roam Iris’ body. It was incredibly distracting.
“We should probably get going, right?” Iris didn’t really want to go. She wanted to know where this whole thing ended. Her imagination was supplying a million wonderful, satisfying options.
“Probably. But just know I’ll be thinking about this all night, princess.”
“Me too, Barrett. Me too.”
And Barrett clearly had no interest in helping either of them because she stood slowly, her eyes locked on Iris’.
When she was upright, she pressed her lips eagerly into Iris’, and Iris lost herself in the kiss.
She’d spent almost every day of the last few years kissing Barrett and she still couldn’t get enough of it.
She gasped Barrett’s name and pulled her closer, loving the way Barrett laughed into the kiss, right up until Barrett pulled back minutely.
“Iris, if you’re going to say my name like that, we really are never going to make it to dinner.”
“Am I supposed to be sad about that?”
She kissed Iris’ neck. “I thought you were looking forward to it?”
“I am—I was. But then you walked in here looking like that and were on your knees, touching me.”
“Don’t worry, princess, I’ll be right back there later on.”
“Thank god.” But she sighed and moved away from the wall, checking she was presentable in the mirror.
Barrett kissed her shoulder. “You look stunning.”
Her eyes flicked to Barrett in the mirror. “You too.”
It was a dangerous game, but that wasn’t going to stop her. They frequently made great use of that mirror and Iris refused to feel even remotely ashamed of that.
Clearly, Barrett felt the same, shaking her head and laughing as Iris took her hand to lead them out of the room.
Iris got the flowers settled in a vase beside the, frankly enormous, bouquet Barrett had given her earlier in the day, as Barrett set about giving Oscar his treat. And, before long, they were out of the apartment and on the way to the restaurant.
It was new and apparently gorgeous inside. They’d both been excited to try it, and, when Iris had confirmed that she wanted to celebrate with their friends again this year, it had been the obvious choice.
Her first birthday after they’d gotten together, she’d still wanted to keep it quiet and low pressure.
Barrett spoiled her, but they didn’t make a big deal of it with everyone else.
Last year, they’d added dinner with their friends, and, this year, dinner and an office cake.
Iris’ birthday had started to feel hopeful again, started to feel like hers.
It was now a day, like every other, where Barrett made her feel absolutely adored.
It was nothing to do with Natasha or anything that had gone before.
By the time they arrived, their detour in the bedroom had made them a little late.
However, Barrett handled the comments by insisting it was the birthday girl’s right to be late, and, so long as they weren’t explicitly explaining why they were late, Iris could pretend their friends weren’t all giving them knowing looks.
Ruby bounded over, Deepti right behind her, as Iris was trying to take in the private room they had. “You look so beautiful!”
Iris smiled and hugged her. “Thank you. It’s all the dress.”
Barrett snorted. “It is not. But all those design classes really did pay off.”
Ruby squealed happily. “I knew you’d love it.”
“Ah, well, when your best friend loves you and your girlfriend, and she happens to be an incredible costume designer, it’s a safe bet, isn’t it?”
“I know what you like,” Ruby replied, incredibly smugly.
Barrett wrapped her arms around Iris. “I’m hardly subtle about it.”
“Stop hogging the birthday girl,” Penn yelled, as if they weren’t wrapped around Santiago, and Anya agreed. However, she was still enjoying being single, so Barrett couldn’t shoot her a stubborn look like she did with Penn.
Iris laughed and kissed her. “I like it when you hog me, but let’s greet everyone properly, shall we?”
Barrett laughed too and nodded.
Iris really didn’t mind when Barrett monopolized her attention.
She was Iris’ favorite person in every room, and she’d always been very clear that she had no interest in keeping Iris from her friends or the things that made her happy.
She just let Iris be free, be entirely herself, and Iris loved being the one to do that for her too.
She was passed from person to person to receive hugs and birthday wishes and gifts, and, when she finally took a seat beside Barrett at the table, she was entirely content.
And a little embarrassed by the attention.
Maybe she was still working on being someone people celebrated, but she had a good group around her for it.
“Did you see the crown molding?” she asked Barrett eagerly.
“Yes! Did you see the lights?” Barrett grinned.
Deepti laughed, leaning across the table towards them. “Architects. You can’t take them anywhere.”
“Hey, three out of seven of us are architects. That’s almost half. Watch yourselves or we’ll lure you in and take over the group entirely.”
Deepti held their hands up in surrender. “No, thank you. I’m perfectly happy where I am.”
“Me too,” Ruby said, swaying from side to side, a dreamy look on her face. She’d spent a couple of years studying everything she could and secured one hell of a position in an off-Broadway theater doing costumes. She was having the time of her life there now.
“Enough work talk,” Anya laughed, waving her arms across the table. “It’s your birthday! Open your presents instead.”
Iris smiled a little awkwardly. She definitely hadn’t gotten used to that part yet—the idea that people wanted to give her gifts, to spend their precious time and money and resources on her felt bizarre. But, sure enough, she had a small pile in front of her, so it seemed like they did.
“She’s already wearing mine,” Ruby announced somewhat unnecessarily. Everyone but Penn and Santiago had known since she started working on it, and the other two had been told while the group was waiting for Iris and Barrett to arrive, but Iris still gestured to the dress and thanked Ruby again.
“And you know what mine is,” Deepti said with a cheesy grin. “So, maybe open that one next.”
Iris obliged them readily, slowly working through the pile until only a slim gift box from Barrett was remaining.
Her heart started beating ridiculously fast. She didn’t know what it was, but the soft brush of Barrett’s fingers across her back and the shift in her posture told Iris it was something big.
She looked at Barrett questioningly, untying the ribbon when Barrett nodded her on.
Inside were various folded papers. Iris rifled through them, barely believing what she was seeing.
Flights. Rooms. Day tips. Theater tickets. Afternoon tea. A signed note from Penn giving the two of them two weeks off. London. Cambridge—the UK one.
“Barrett,” she whispered reverently. “This is too much.”
The others had the decency to engage in their own conversations, allowing the two of them a moment, but Iris suspected they were still listening in.
Barrett brushed her fingers over Iris’ brows and up into her hair, taking her face in both hands. “You deserve it, princess.”
“But it’s so much. You didn’t have to—you don’t have to—”
“I know.” She brushed her nose against Iris’. “I wanted to. I love you and I want to see the places that mean something to you.”
Over a year ago, Barrett had made a comment about how maybe they should get engaged on the Mathematical Bridge.
She’d laughed like it was a joke, but there had been something underneath, something real, something Iris was sure she was supposed to forget.
But she hadn’t. They’d talked about going, they just needed to figure out a good time for two thirds of the Burrow staff to be off at the same time.
Iris had been ready to help pay for it. But Barrett was doing it all, and that part of Iris that had clung to those words, that sentiment, had a feeling she knew exactly what it meant.
They had talked more about getting married lately.
She was ready. Had the ring and everything.
And she was pretty sure Barrett was ready too. Maybe she also had a ring.
“Barrett,” she murmured again.
It was probably a good thing the gift was so huge, her reaction was entirely valid without the prospect of getting engaged.
“I love you, princess.” Barrett was equally as emotional, and Iris knew she was right. They always were so in sync.
“I love you too.”
Barrett’s grin was breathtaking as she leaned in to kiss Iris, pulling back after a long moment to whisper, “The King said he was too busy to pick us up at the airport. Can you believe it?”
Iris’ laughter was thick with unshed tears. She loved Barrett more than she’d ever dreamed possible, more than she’d known it was possible to love someone. Barrett was the universe and everything was so much better with her in it.
She pressed another kiss to Barrett’s lips, hearing Ruby cheering about how cute the two of them were. They were coming back from that trip engaged, they both knew it, and their friends were all going to be so happy for them.
“I get to take you to the Mathematical Bridge,” she said, staring into Barrett’s amber eyes and watching as they swam with tears. She was certain Barrett knew she remembered, that she knew Barrett had meant it.
“About time, don’t you think, princess?” She peppered Iris’ face with kisses, and Iris didn’t care if it was ruining her makeup. Barrett would still love her even if she looked like a wreck.
She nodded, holding Barrett close and tight. “I absolutely do.”