Epilogue
The first time he actually saw Frederick, Maryland, he hadn’t quite known what to expect. It was an hour outside Baltimore and a little farther from DC, but in some ways, it seemed like a world away. There were cute shops and nice restaurants, and life was a little slower than in the big city. It took Nathaniel a little while to realize that the difference wasn’t so much in the town itself, but in a certain police officer who gave the place real meaning.
It had been two months before he had been able to visit once they parted in Aruba, and each time after that, his little place in Miami felt less and less like home. Three months after his and Randy’s parting in Aruba, Randy’s roommate had moved out, and he had asked if Randy would mind giving Brutus a real home and brought him to his house on a visit. And a month later, Randy had officially asked Nathaniel to make his home with him. They had agreed and taken their time to see how things went.
Now, a full six months after that parting, it was funny how certain events stuck in the mind and how time was measured against them. But Nathaniel had moved out of his place in Florida and his final contracted show with the cruise lines was over.
He stood outside one of the row houses on the edge of the downtown area, a suitcase in each hand as the cab pulled away. This was it. He was officially home. And yet he was so nervous. The front door opened, and Randy stood in an A-shirt and shorts, stepping out into the summer heat with a smile that rivaled the sun. Nathaniel dropped the suitcases onto the sidewalk with twin thuds as Randy engulfed him in his arms, saying nothing, but holding him so tight. “You’re here.”
Nathaniel chuckled. “I am,” he whispered, before Randy took his lips in a bruising kiss that left him breathless and Nathaniel’s lips tingling.
When Randy released him, he lifted the cases like they weighed nothing and carried them inside and right up the side stairs, Nathaniel following. “I made some changes since the last time you were here.”
“O-kay…,” Nathaniel said as he followed Randy into the master bedroom and blinked. “It’s gorgeous.”
“It’s the color you picked out. I got it painted, and I cleaned out one of the closets for you.” He pulled open the door. All of the things that Nathaniel had left over his visits were inside, all neatly put away. As Nathaniel looked through it, Randy hurried out like he had way too much energy. “And this…,” he added, pulling open the door across the hall.
“Now I know how serious you are. You cleaned out your junk room,” Nathaniel teased before peering inside. “You made an office.”
Randy shook his head and went to the desk, the single piece of furniture that Nathaniel had shipped from Miami. He’d found it in an antique store years ago, and he loved the old thing. Randy handed Nathaniel a couple of envelopes. “What are these?”
“You told me you had done some interviews and made some inquiries…,” Randy offered. “One came two days ago and the other yesterday. And the office is for you. It has a deep closet that you can put all your props in when you need to. I thought this would be your space. I wanted you to have something of your own.” Randy shifted his weight from foot to foot.
“I love it,” Nathaniel said, his throat clogging. To cover for it, he opened the first envelope and shrugged. “I applied for a couple of positions at the local arts center. I had hoped for a job there working with kids, but they filled the position. The letter was a ‘thank you for your interest’ letter.
The second envelope was from the Frederick Theater Association. They had restored the building a decade earlier and had been looking for a new director to manage the facility. Nathaniel had interviewed while at sea, and he knew he should have kept the door to his dressing room closed, because half the floating cast had burst in at one point to sing his praises. He showed Randy who it was from and then opened it. “Oh my God, I got it!” he cried as Randy hugged him hard, and soon, the two of them were jumping together. “Did you know?”
Randy shook his head. “No. Though I might have heard a few hints through the town grapevine.” He hugged Nathaniel tightly before backing away. “So…?”
Nathaniel knew exactly what Randy was waiting for. “Yes… I’m going to take the job, and yes, I’m staying. The apartment is gone, I don’t have a contract with the cruise line, and I have officially moved here to be with the person I love most in the world.” They had said the words before, and they had taken to saying them when they spoke on the phone, but this was one of those moments, the special one when everything seemed to fall into place.
Randy grew stock-still. “You really love me? Thank God, because I think I first fell in love with you back when you stole my belt, and I nearly flashed my ass to an entire audience.”
“And what a great ass it is.” Nathaniel tossed the letters on the desk and tugged Randy back across the hall to the bedroom. He pulled Randy’s shirt over his head, letting the fabric drop to the floor before his hands explored familiar, but still very sexy territory. As he did, he pressed Randy down and back on the bed.
“It’s been a while,” Randy groaned as he pulled Nathaniel down into a kiss. “I need to explore you all over again.”
“Me too,” Nathaniel whispered, locking onto Randy’s gaze. “How much time have we got?” He meant to ask how long before Randy had to go to work, but Randy took it a very different way.
“Forever…,” Randy told him, and damn, sometimes Randy said just the right thing.