Epilogue
Ozzy
Everyone else had headed home, and Melanie and her family had gone to Jack and Anh’s to help them pack up their essentials so they could move right in. The rest would come in a few days. The show had a moving crew paid up and ready, but since they’d had to wait for the surprise reveal, the schedule was a little off. Mason had also helped set them up with some help if there was anything they wanted to sell or donate, since they had several new pieces of furniture already.
That left Ozzy and Evander sitting on the patio, watching as the crew transplanted the last of the rose bushes. They filled the tight space with a honeyed aroma, which mingled with the hoppiness of the beers Evander had scrounged up from somewhere.
Ev sighed and leaned back in his chair. “So now that this is done and dusted, could I bother you for a slightly more serious talk?”
Ozzy’s stomach tightened just a skosh, but he nodded. “If you want to know if I’m committed to another try, I am.”
“That’s part of it.” Evander slid his chair a little closer to Ozzy. “But we’re being honest about everything, right?”
“Aren’t you always honest? Isn’t that your whole schtick?”
“Sure. But I mean in the relationship. We’re not sticking our heads in the sand this time.”
“I’m hoping not.” Ozzy could already follow the outlines of the conversation. It was time they broached it, before things moved too far. “You want to know why I broke it off before.”
After a brief moment of shock, Ev nodded. “So we can avoid it if possible.”
“It was that dinner we had. We were all drunk, and you started going off about how I needed to either cut my parents out of my life or stop complaining.” Ozzy gripped Ev’s hand and squeezed. “To be fair, you were right about that. I don’t talk to them anymore. But it was like publicly airing my business and…we were so rocky all the time, I guess that just lined up.”
Ev blew out a long breath. “You have my word, your business is your business. No more running at the mouth for me.” He finally squeezed Ozzy’s hand back. “I want you to always feel safe around me.”
“I do.” Ozzy had no hesitation saying it. “Even then, I knew you were right. But…have you noticed I get in my own stupid-ass head sometimes?”
“Oh, the guy who screamed at Mason, then ran to bury his arms in a pile of dirt gets a little weird sometimes? No, never put it together, I’ll keep my eyes open for any signs.”
Ozzy flicked him on the bridge of the nose. “Anyway. I trusted your judgment back then. I just hated being put on blast, basically.”
Evander nodded. “Last question, then. If we’re going in all wide-eyed and aware, do we have a plan for if we start to get into a bad rut again?”
Ozzy shrugged. “I have some ideas. Don’t drink past our fights anymore. Talk to each other. Hopefully, I’ll remember what a miserable piece of shit I was when we were for-real broken up and won’t want to go back to that.”
Evander nodded, but it was obvious he wasn’t convinced. Ozzy took a sip of his beer, then got up and went to the roses. He didn’t want to damage them, but he could go somewhere inconspicuous. He pulled out his pocket knife and deftly shaved away some thorns from one of the stalks, then sliced off a pale pink Barbara Bush rose. He walked it back over to Evander and handed it to him. “All we can do is try. That’s all we can ever do. We just have to…make the decision to be together as often as we can. Over and over. It’s never one and done.” He gently pressed his lips to Ev’s forehead. “I’m deciding to be with you.”
Evander wrapped his fingers around the rose, and around Ozzy’s hand, then rose to his feet and pressed his lips to Ozzy’s. It wasn’t passion like before, raging fire. Gentle, delicate, like two of those rose petals brushing past.
Ozzy wouldn’t have traded that tender kiss for anything.
When Evander pulled back, he nodded. “Decision, huh? So did Bunny happen to talk to you, too?”
Ozzy’s eyebrows went up, then he laughed, head back. “Jesus, these motherfuckers are really involved in our love lives, aren’t they?” He ran his fingers through Evander’s hair. “Remind me to get them all gift baskets. If you decide you want to stay with me.”
Another kiss, that time on the tip of Ozzy’s nose. Evander leaned in and wrapped his arms tight around Ozzy, squeezing him so hard it felt like they might never come apart. “I’m deciding on us. Don’t doubt that.”
And that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed Designing Hearts! Ozzy and Evander finally got their heads out of their asses, but there's still plenty of guys to go around, so keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the series..