Epilogue
FLYNN
We survive building flat-packed furniture together. It was a lot of fun. We laughed, we swore, we hit our fingers with hammers by accident, and then we ordered pizza to celebrate our accomplishment.
Jimmy’s parents asked Billy to move out. Is it because of the way he treated me, or some other reason? I haven’t asked and never will. I don’t care what Billy does, as long as he stays the hell away from us.
Over the next two months, we spend more and more time together, until I’m sleeping at Jimmy’s flat more than at the farmhouse.
Getting between them isn’t too bad, as the roads are clear that early in the morning.
I might not enjoy it quite so much when the mornings are dark and the weather is bad, but it will still be worth it to fall asleep in Jimmy’s arms.
We’re meeting Angus and his partner, Richard, for dinner.
We’ve chosen to meet at a bar with a variety of games to play, from pool to darts, and shuffleboard to axe-throwing.
When we arrive, Angus and Richard are already there.
They look so happy together. Richard looks to be around thirty, with neat dark hair and a bright twinkle in his dark eyes whenever he smiles at Angus, which is often.
We order food from the bar and settle around a rough wooden table with beers.
“We have news,” Angus says.
“You’re moving in together?” Jimmy guesses.
Angus grins. “We’re engaged.”
Jimmy widens his eyes. “Wow! You guys move fast.”
“Not that fast,” Angus whispers under his breath.
“Fast enough. Congrats.”
“Yeah, congratulations,” I say.
“Who popped the question?” Jimmy asks.
“I did,” Richard replies. “It wasn't planned. It felt right in the moment, so I went with it."
Angus leans against Richard. “It was romantic.”
“Have you set a date?” I ask.
“We haven’t got that far yet,” Richard replies.
“We’ll figure it out. There’s no rush,” Angus says.
“Have you decided who your best man will be?” Jimmy asks.
Angus laughs. “Is that a hint?”
“Would I do that?”
“Yes!”
Jimmy folds his arms. “Well, I am your best friend.”
“Yeah, you are. You were the first person I thought of.”
“Really?”
Angus rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Yes.”
Jimmy grins like the cat that got the cream. “I’m going to be a best man.”
It’s impossible not to share his joy. I'm looking forward to becoming friends with Angus and Richard now they're not sneaking around.
“That barn…” I muse out loud.
Angus and Richard’s faces go red. I don’t need any more information than that. I’m glad I left it alone.
“We don’t need it anymore,” Angus says. “I should tell Dad to tear it down.”
“We don’t need it,” Richard agrees. “But…” He raises his eyebrows.
“It was fun.” Angus has a dreamy look on his face.
“Hey, can we borrow it?” Jimmy asks. “If screwing in it was so much fun.”
“No,” the rest of us say in unison.
While it does sound like fun, I would be far too worried about Tony walking in on us. Besides, do I want to have sex in the same space Angus and Richard have been going at it for who knows how long?
Jimmy sighs. “Fine.”
Our food arrives, prompting an end to the talk about the sex barn.
We continue to chat while eating our overstuffed burgers and fries.
Angus fills us in on his new job. It’s clear he loves it from the way his eyes light up when he talks about it.
Jimmy tells us some stories from the gym, which make us all laugh.
It also makes me swear off ever joining a gym.
Having said that, I have enjoyed using Jimmy’s guest passes.
Not that I stepped foot in the gym. I get enough of a workout on the farm.
Instead, we used the pool and spa facilities, spending most of our time cuddling in the hot tub.
Angus joined the same gym, which means he and Jimmy get to work out together.
Richard and I have more in common than I could have guessed. We both married young, to our first loves, and both ended up divorced. However, his marriage lasted longer than mine. Still, I’m glad Billy never cheated on me.
Angus tells some terrible maths jokes, and gets Richard to impress us by solving whatever mental maths problems we all throw at him.
I’m impressed at how fast he answers. Then again, he is a maths professor, so he should be good at it.
I’m decent at maths. Decent enough to be able to put it into use in a farm context: working out how much feed to order, doing finances and so on.
After food, we play shuffleboard. None of us is any good at it, which makes it more fun.
Then we have a go at axe-throwing, with varying results.
It turns out, I’m pretty good at it, hitting the target almost every time.
Jimmy and Angus throw the axes a little too hard to start with.
I guess all that weightlifting they do has made them stronger than they realise.
It’s late when we leave the bar. We walk to a nearby taxi rank together—we’ve all had a bit too much to drink to want to drive—say goodbye, and go our separate ways.
In the taxi, I lean my head on Jimmy’s shoulder. “That was fun.”
“It was. It was about time I met Richard. Angus is totally in love with him.”
“They’re in love with each other.”
“Yes. I had debated giving Richard the best friend speech, but decided I didn’t need to. He’s not going to break Angus’s heart.”
“I doubt he will.”
Jimmy puts his arm around my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“Me? Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I've got a feeling that something’s going on in that head of yours. Talk to me?”
“I was just thinking about how happy Angus and Richard are and how great it is that they’re planning a future together.”
Jimmy strokes my shoulder.
I take a deep breath. “Maybe we should start thinking about our future.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Not this second. But what about moving in together?”
“You do spend most of your time at my place.”
“If you want me to move in.”
“If I want you to? Of course I want you to! I love you.”
I sit upright and stare into his eyes. I’m aware that the taxi driver is paying us more attention than he should be, considering he’s supposed to be focusing on the road.
“I love you, too.”
“I could help you move your things from the farm at the weekend,” Jimmy declares. “Unless that’s moving too fast?”
I chuckle and shake my head.
“I’m annoyed, though.”
I frown. “What about?”
“I was supposed to ask you.”
“Oh?”
“Yes! I was waiting for the perfect moment, but you beat me to it.”
“Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologise. I’m glad you brought it up.”
I settle my head on his shoulder again.
“Is my place okay?” Jimmy asks. “It’s not too far from the farm?”
“No. It’s perfect.” As commutes go, we’ve both lucked out compared to a lot of people.
“What are your thoughts on marriage?” Jimmy asks tentatively.
“I haven't thought about it.”
“Considering what happened with Billy, I wouldn’t be surprised if Billy put you off marriage.”
Has he? “He's in my past.”
“Yes, but even so…”
I sigh. “I wouldn’t want to rush into getting married again. I love you. I trust you. You won’t hurt me as Billy did, but, at the same time, there’s no reason to hurry, is there?”
Jimmy kisses my hair. “No.”
“It’s not no, it’s just not yet.”
“I understand, baby.”
“Let’s move in together and see how we want to do down the line.”
“I’m good with that.”
I put my hand on his thigh. “I love you so much.”
“I never doubted that for a second.”
The taxi pulls to a halt outside Jimmy’s—soon to be our—flat. We pay him and then get out of the car.
The driver winds his window down. “Good luck with moving in together. I hope it goes well.” He winds his window up and drives off.
I stare after the car, bemused.
“That was…” Jimmy scratches his head.
“Sweet?”
He laughs. “Yeah, I guess so.” He holds my hand. “We don’t need luck.”
“We don’t?”
“No. Because we’re made for each other. You and I fit together.”
“That doesn’t mean there won’t be ups and downs.”
He waves his free hand dismissively. “All couples have ups and downs. We’ll get through anything and everything. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because we’ll be there for each other.” He takes hold of my other hand and steps close enough to kiss me. “I’ll always take care of you, Flynn. I will always love you.”
“Hmm, isn’t that a song?”
He snort-laughs. “Want me to sing?”
“Absolutely not. And I’m not going to sing, either. No relationship could withstand that.”
Cackling, Jimmy tugs me into the block of flats. “Come on, Flynn Carter, it’s time to christen your new home.”
“Umm, we’ve already done that. Lots.”
“No. We christened my new home. Now it’s going to be your new home. Which means we have to do it again. Unless you’ve got a problem with that?”
“Nope. No problem at all.”
“This is the start of our life together,” Jimmy says in a more serious tone. “Looking forward to it?”
“More than anything.”