Epilogue
EPILOGUE
A nd they lived, if not happily ever after, at least happily enough.
Jared sighed as his fingers left the keys. It was an ending, that was for sure, even if it wasn’t quite what he’d wanted when he set out to write his memoir. A few agents had expressed some interest in it, and he was hoping that at least one of them would be willing to put in the time and effort to make it a better product.
Heaven knows it could use it, he thought wryly. But hey, it’s done, and that’s the most important thing. The best manuscript is a done manuscript, as the old saying goes.
He had no idea whether that was actually an old saying, let alone whether it was actually true, but he was going to go with it because it’s what he needed to tell himself right now.
Jared yawned and stretched, his joints popping pleasantly. He’d lost count of the number of times that Charlie had told him that he needed to get up and move around more often. He’d told him that that might be how they did things in California, but here in West Virginia it was more common to just sit until the job was done.
I’m starting to think that Charlie might have a point, though, he thought, and then he smiled.
There were times that he couldn’t quite believe that Charlie had actually put his money where his mouth was and moved back to the Mountain State. They both knew there would be challenges ahead, both in terms of their relationship and in terms of the future they were trying to build. After all, it wasn’t as if Charlie’s speech at the film festival had really moved the needle that much in terms of state politics for queer folks, even if it had helped his career.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, Jared reminded himself. These things take time. I’m just glad that he decided to move back here so that we could be together.
Of course, he knew that wasn’t the only reason that Charlie came back, though he liked to think that it was a big part of it. The golden boy of the Romance Network had come back to his home state to do good work, first by pouring a lot of money into forming a new film production company headquartered in Huntington and then by setting up a foundation to develop Annamoriah as an artist colony, just as he’d said he would.
That man, Jared thought, as he looked around their shared bedroom, he really is something special. I’m just glad that I had the good sense to see it before it was too late.
Smiling, he headed out the door and down the stairs. Even now, after they’d been living together for quite a while, he still found it surprising how much lighter his steps felt, almost like he was walking on air, as cliche as that sounded.
He walked into the kitchen, drawn by the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. No matter how busy he was or what he was doing, Charlie always found time to make sure that Jared had his little pick-me-up ready. He’d even gone the extra mile and gotten an old-fashioned percolator, because he knew that was the kind of coffee that Jared preferred.
What did I do to deserve this? He thought to himself, but then quickly reminded himself that he was worthy of love. That was one of the things that Charlie had taken a great deal of trouble to remind him of again and again: that, no matter how much other people might have tried to convince otherwise, he was worthy of love and respect. It was a lesson that Jared still wasn’t entirely sure that he’d ever learn, but he was going to keep trying, both for Charlie’s sake and his own.
Jared grabbed his coffee cup and padded out to the living room, making sure not to stumble over Lorelei on the way out. The fluffy polydactyl cat was the very first thing that the two of them had gotten once they settled on the house, and she’d immediately made it clear that the house was hers and that she let them live there on her sufferance.
Charlie sat on the couch looking out the windows at the valley spread below, Jasmine their golden retriever curled up next to him. There was something almost too ironic about the fact that they’d adopted the very dog that so many people compared Charlie to, but Jared supposed there was a certain kind of symmetry in that. He’d learned, the hard way, that sometimes it was okay to just lean in and enjoy the little joys that life gives you, even when it seemed as if they were too good to be true.
He stood there for a few seconds, just hovering in the doorway, gazing at the man he loved.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me all day or are you actually going to come in and sit down?”
Charlie turned and gave him one of those smiles that were his speciality. No matter how many times it happened, no matter how many smiles he received, Jared always felt like he was going to melt into the floor whenever he saw that flash of white teeth and that gleam of pure love shining in Charlie’s eyes.
This time was no exception.
“How did you know I was standing here?”
Charlie gave him a knowing look. “For one thing I heard it when you put your foot on that creaky floorboard that you refuse to fix because you think it gives the house character. For another, you can never hide when this one is always aware of what you're doing.” He pointed meaningfully at Jasmine, who looked up at both of them with nothing but adoration in her eyes.
Jared huffed.
“I suppose that’s true. I’m going to have to get better at moving stealthily, I guess.”
“I don’t think you need to go that far,” Charlie said, patting the couch next to him. “I kind of like knowing where you are in the house. I don’t like having people sneak up on me. I’m a romance movie star, not a horror movie star.”
Jared smiled and walked over. Charlie was selling himself short, because he was much more than just a Romance Network star, now. The Gentleman Usher, along with the good press from all of his philanthropy, had done wonders for his career. He had more offers than he knew what to do with, so many that he could be selective about which ones he took.
Wedging himself between Jasmine and Charlie–which earned him a disgruntled side-eye from the former and a sigh of relief from the latter–Jared snuggled into his boyfriend’s shoulder.
“Are you happy?” Charlie asked.
It was such a simple question, if also a loaded one. It took Jared a few minutes to put his thoughts together, but he didn’t take too long, because he knew Charlie might get the wrong idea. Their love was strong, but Jared didn’t like to tempt fate.
“I am, yes,” he said finally, meaning every word. He snuggled closer to Charlie, who put his arm around him and pulled him close. “I’m happy because you’re here. I’m happy because we’ve built this life together.” He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what he had to say. “And I’m happy just being me. I know that might not seem like a lot to you, but it’s something I’ve struggled with my whole life. Thanks to you, though, I’m really, truly happy with myself.”
There. The words were out. Charlie, in that way that only he had, kissed Jared gently on the top of his head.
“I’m really glad to hear that. I knew from the moment I met you that you were something special. I’m glad you can finally see that.”
Jared felt the warm flush of joy moving over him.
“What about you?” he asked. “Are you happy, Charlie?”
Charlie laughed.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I’m with the man I love. My relationship with my mom is better than it’s ever been. I have a cat and a dog that both love me, most of the time. And I’m doing what I love and doing good in the world. Yes, I’m happy.”
Jared was glad to hear that. He’d been unsure that moving Charlie’s mom back to West Virginia would be a good idea, but she’d never been happier. They made a point of visiting her every week and, while she was sometimes a bit uncomfortable seeing them together, she’d always been polite. It wasn’t everything. It was a beginning, though.
Even though Jared knew there were still a lot of things they had to figure out, he also knew they could do it together. They’d built a life for themselves, they were together, and they were in love.
And, most importantly of all, they were home.