Epilogue Two
M atty looks like he’s trying not to cry, his fingers fiddling with the sunflower pinned to his suit. He shifts from foot to foot like he can’t decide whether to stand still or run down the aisle to meet me halfway and damn, he looks good.
The navy suit fits him perfectly, but it’s the way he wears his heart on his sleeve that gets me. It always has. He’s grinning at me like the rest of the world doesn’t exist, and I’m the only person in his universe.
I take another step, and another, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.
It’s not nerves—well, maybe a little—but mostly, it’s how he looks at me. Like I’m everything.
Like I’m his.
When I reach the altar, his hand is already outstretched, palm open, waiting. As soon as our fingers thread together, I feel our connection like electricity, skittering up my arm and lighting me up from the inside out. My heartbeat thuds wildly at the sensation, a deep breath filling my lungs like I’ve been dormant for years and am finally awake—shocked back to life by his touch.
Everything I’ve ever wanted, everything I thought I’d never have, is right here in front of me. It almost feels like a dream .
“Hi,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion, and I smile at him.
“Hey, big guy.”
The officiant starts talking, but I barely hear a word. All I can focus on is Matty—his eyes, the way they’re shining, the way his thumb brushes over my knuckles like he can’t stop himself. Hannah moves in between us, grabbing both our hands, and it’s the most perfect thing I could ever ask for.
“Bring forth the duck,” Taylor calls when it’s time to exchange rings, causing Salem to snort. Chicken is currently terrorizing Logan’s pants, so the poor guy has the unfortunate duty of picking him up to walk down the aisle.
He gives Salem a wide berth, keeping his eyes down when she snaps a few photos, and from the way her face tightens, I can tell that she’s upset. Part of me thinks she liked him pining, but after the whole situation with Devon, he wants nothing to do with her. His own wife. They’re both going on tour with Christian and Taylor this summer, which is causing some tension, I’m sure.
That’s a whole mess I’m glad I’m not part of.
Matty starts to unfasten the rings, but they slip from his hand before he can get a good grip on them. “Ope.”
They bounce into the rocks, and Hannah scrambles after them as our friends groan in unison while I snicker.
“Way to go, butter fingers.”
“Nice one, hermano. ”
“Shut up, I’m sweaty.” Grabbing them from Hannah, he takes my hand and slips one onto my finger, clearing his throat. “Xed, you’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. You’ve seen me at my worst and somehow loved me anyway. You’ve been my anchor, my compass, and the reason I’m standing here today.”
He pauses, licking his lips with a shaking breath, eyes glistening. “I know I’m sometimes oblivious, but Ducky, you’ve always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. You make me want to be better, not just for you but for us . For Hannah, for the family we’ve built together. Today, I promise to love you the way you deserve. To never take you for granted, to fight for us. You’re my best friend, my heart, my home. And I’m so damn lucky to be yours. You’ve given me something I never thought I’d have, and I promise to spend every day making sure you know how much you mean to me.”
Matty’s voice echoes around the quiet yard, and by the time he finishes, I’m not sure I can even speak.
I pull a crumpled paper from my pocket, but with one glance at it, I know it’s useless. Whatever I wrote feels silly now, but what I want to say needs to come from my heart.
Tossing it aside, Matty laughs as I lift his hand, sliding on the ring. When I look up, the crowd disappears, the world fades, and it’s just him. My Matty. All I see is the man who’s been my everything since the moment I followed him home.
“I don’t even know where to start,” I admit, my voice shaking. “Matty, you… you’ve always been the loud one, the bright one, the one who shines so damn much it’s hard to look at you sometimes. But you never let me stand in your shadow.”
His grip tightens on mine, lips trembling as tears spill onto his cheeks, and I wipe them away as I continue.
“You drive me insane, yet you’re the only person who’s ever made me feel like I belong. With you, love isn’t perfect. It’s messy, it’s complicated, and sometimes it hurts like hell, but it’s also the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. I promise to be your partner through all of it. You’re my best friend, my everything. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that I deserve this family.”
My voice catches as I kneel down in front of Hannah, who beams at me. “I know we don’t share blood, but you’re the best part of both of us, Creetch. I don’t just promise to be your dad’s partner. I promise to be yours, too. To love you, protect you, and make you feel as loved as you make me feel.”
“I love you so much,” Matty chokes out, fully sobbing now as he pulls me up for a kiss before we’re given the go-ahead.
I kiss him back with every ounce of devotion I feel, cradling his face in my palms as the officiant grins widely and shouts for all to hear.
“I now pronounce you husband and husband.”
Our friends and family erupt into cheers, Christian wolf-whistling while Taylor wipes his eyes. Huckslee grins, leaning down to kiss his boyfriend’s throat. “You crying, baby?”
“No, fuck off. It’s allergies. Must be the duck feathers or some shit.”
Hannah gives us both a quick squeeze before running off to chase Chicken, and Matty’s mom immediately swarms us, wrapping me in a bear hug that makes me wheeze.
“You were always my son, Xed,” she sniffles, “but now I can say it for real. I’m so happy.”
Wayne taps his wife’s arm, getting her to release me when I start to cough. “Let him breathe, Barbie, or we’ll have a wedding and a funeral on the same day.”
It reminds me so much of my husband that I laugh, meeting Matty’s gaze over their heads. He gives me that crooked smile that makes my heart run wild, and he pulls me into his side as Salem gives us a fierce hug .
“I’m so fucking happy for you both.”
There’s a waver in her voice that tugs at my heartstrings, and I pull back to get a look at her face. She lifts the camera before I can see, capturing what I’m sure will be the most hideous close-up ever. “You alright?”
Clearing her throat, she nods, stepping back as Matty’s sister grabs him for a hug. “Yep. I’m good.”
Her grey eyes shift to where Logan leans against the house, and I know she’s lying. Salem hasn’t been good for a long time, but she’s as stubborn as the rest of us.
“I always knew you’d both end up hitched.” Jenna punches my shoulder, grinning through the mascara pooling under her lashes. She shares a pointed look with her brother, a large envelope in her hand. “Good to go. It’s all ready.”
Matty goes still, his breath catching before he claps his hands loud enough to startle our duck, an angry quack echoing throughout the space.
“Alright, everybody, I’ve got one more thing to do tonight,” he announces, winking at me. “Actually, we do.”
I tilt my head in confusion when he nods at Hannah, who’s currently sporting a chocolate mustache. She reaches behind her to grab Jenna’s envelope, holding it up with a big, toothy grin.
“For you, Fungus!” she sings, thrusting it toward me.
Our family falls quiet as I bounce my gaze between her and Matty, who practically vibrates with excitement. “What is this?”
“Open it, Ducky,” he answers, smiling wide.
My hands tremble slightly as I open the envelope, finding a stack of papers inside. Pulling them out, it only takes a second for the words at the top to hit me like a Mack truck.
Petition for Adoption .
My lungs spasm and my vision blurs as I scan the rest of the document, seeing my name printed in bold letters next to Hannah’s.
“I…” Looking up at my husband, I watch his expression soften into something tender. “Matty…”
He kneels in front of me, wrapping his arms around Hannah, the two of them looking up with matching hopeful expressions. “You’ve been her dad in every way that matters, Xed. And now, we want to make it official.”
“Forever!” Hannah pipes up, throwing her hands in the air.
Tears start to spill down my face as I clutch the papers to my chest. “You… you both want this?”
“More than anything,” Matty says, his voice cracking.
I glance down at Hannah, who’s nodding furiously, her little face beaming. “You want me to be your dad, Creature?”
She plants her hands on her hips, crinkling her nose. “You are my dad.”
That’s all it takes for me to drop to my knees, pulling them both into my arms as my tears soak into Hannah’s flower crown. She wipes her messy face on my jacket, but I don’t care.
The cheers from our family barely register as she curls her fingers into mine. “Does this mean we’re a real family now?”
Smiling through my tears, I feel all of the love shining from her big, brown eyes. “We always were.”
With a big grin, she throws her arms around my neck, squeezing tight enough to hold me together. “I love you, Fungus.”
“I love you too, Creature.”
Above her head, Matty palms my jaw, kissing me softly. “Thank you for wanting me, Ducky. For wanting us.”
“Duh,” I laugh, feeling so light I could drift away if he and Hannah weren’t keeping me anchored. “Who else, Matthew?”
Who else?
The End