Epilogue
“So, how has married life been treating you?” Ty questioned while seemingly scrutinizing me.
I couldn’t keep my lips from hitching up at the corners. Not because we were “married,” but because I immediately pictured Leia in that slim-lined white tuxedo jacket with a lacy corset underneath with form-fitting pants, and the thought took my breath away. It had only been two days since we tied the knot, but I was pretty sure I had a smile plastered on my face ever since.
“That shit-eating grin says enough.” He chuckled.
“I can’t help it. I think my face is permanently like this now.” My cheeks hurt, but I didn’t care at all.
My mom would scold me for causing more wrinkles, but I didn’t have a good RBF like her.
“So, what about you, Leia? Are you still deliriously happy?” Ty questioned.
“This is the first time Blake and I have put clothes on in two days,” Leia responded, and Ty groaned.
“I didn’t need that mental image. But I’m glad you two decided not to greet us in your birthday suits.” He got up and went to the kitchen.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
“Lay, you want me to grab it?” I questioned.
“I checked the Ring. It’s Shannon and Toni. I’ll tell them to come in.” Which she did through the app.
The two of them entered the house holding hands while Shannon held a bottle of wine in the other.
“Hey, everybody. The party is here!” Shannon whooped, which was true because Shannon did like to party.
I was so glad I had the last six months to get to know her and Toni. They were so cute together, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they took steps toward moving in or marriage even. It was weird how we all found our person at the same time in our lives.
We were still waiting on three more people to arrive at our we-are-leaving-for-two-weeks-on-our-honeymoon party. Leia and I both agreed we could take one night off from our sex-a-thons to socialize with our friends since we’d be in Greece and incommunicado. I was sure we would see the sights, but I was looking forward to discovering more of her body on a different continent. While I was lost in my own world, the doorbell rang again.
“It’s Haley. Come In.” Leia announced, and Haley walked in with Adam in tow.
“Oh my God, can you believe I’ve never been here before? Thank you so much for having us. We’re so excited!” Haley exclaimed while Adam looked like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. I didn’t know him that well, but he never appeared too thrilled.
“We’re glad to have you,” I responded.
“But hopefully, this won’t be our place for long. We’re on the lookout for something else,” Leia called out from the kitchen.
I had sold my place and moved into Leia’s after getting engaged, but we wanted something to call “ours.”
“Well, this place is great. If you’re looking to sell it, I might be interested.” Haley turned to Adam, who stared blankly as if he wasn’t even listening.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Leia walked in and wrapped her arm around my waist.
As I was about to shut the door, David strolled up, holding a huge bouquet.
“Wow, gangs all here,” I acknowledged now that the final three had wandered in.
I motioned for Haley and Adam to take a seat. Haley fit right in talking to Shannon and Toni while Adam was doing something on his phone.
“Thank you so much for having me.” David hugged me before handing me a beautiful bouquet of lilies. “These are for you and Leia.” I grabbed the flowers from him and headed into the kitchen area to put them in water.
“What do you have for me?” Ty asked as he came up to David, sticking out his cheek.
David wrapped his arm around Ty’s waist and kissed his dimple. “I gave you my heart. Do you need anything else?”
Ty pointed to his lips, and David gave him a peck.
Leia joined me in the kitchen to get the food, and I grabbed a bottle of wine.
“Is there anything you need help with?” David asked.
“I think we’re good. We were waiting for everyone to arrive. Now that all of you are here, we can sit and eat.”
We brought the goodies to the table, joining the rest of the group.
After everyone sat down, we stood there with Leia’s arm wrapped tightly around my waist. My body reacted, and I didn’t trust myself being in such close proximity to her. But it had been too long since we’d been alone, and I craved her touch so much I was willing to risk it.
When I made eye contact with her, she quirked her eyebrow, and it was as if she was reading my mind.
She raised her wineglass to propose a toast. “Friends. I know you’re here to celebrate our big trip, but I also have some exciting news.” She looked at me as if asking for approval. “Blake and I are starting a non-profit. We don’t have everything worked out yet, but we want to offer free classes to LGBTQ+ youth to learn about the creative arts. It is something I’m passionate about and something Blake is fully on board with. And if you all want to volunteer any time or energy, we kindly accept.”
I was so proud of her for wanting to make a difference in the world, and I couldn’t be more excited to start this program with her. Since neither of us wanted children of our own, this would be our baby together. Everyone seemed excited as they clinked their glasses together and cheered.
“We are so lucky to have you all in our lives, so thank you for loving us so much. Please enjoy the food and the company. Dig in.” She put her glass down as everyone started filling their plates.
I locked eyes with her one more time to make sure we were on the same page, and she discreetly walked down the hall, leaving the party to start without her.
I pretended like I was getting food while everyone else appeared deep in conversation or already eating. I did one glance to ensure no one was paying attention, and then I scurried down the hall. As I was trying to find Leia, an arm grabbed me, pulling me into the bathroom. Once I was inside and the door was closed behind us, she had me pinned against the vanity.
“My God, you look gorgeous.” She kissed my collarbone as I tilted my head back to give her more room to maneuver.
“How’d you know I was going to follow you?”
“It was in your eyes, and I wanted the same thing.” She tugged my shirt over my head, and I was standing there in my bra. Her fingers were playing with my nipples over the material. I was throbbing between my legs. She turned me to face the mirror, then reached around, unbuttoned my pants, and slid them down to give her room to maneuver.
My ass pressed against her as she entered me from behind.
“I was right. You were ready for this.” She’d pushed one finger inside me, and I gasped. She moved her other hand to cover my mouth as she locked eyes with me in the mirror. “We have to be quiet and quick. Can you come for me?”
Since I wasn’t able to speak, I nodded.
She continued thrusting in and out of me. “We’ll go soft and slow later, but right now, I’m going to fuck you in this bathroom until you have to bite your lip to keep from screaming my name. I want you to come hard and fast.”
While still fingering me, she removed her hand from my mouth and slid it down to play with my clit. That was all it took, and we both watched as I came undone.
I was writhing at her touch while floating in an ocean of ecstasy. She held me tighter as I rode out the wave of pleasure. I was pretty sure we weren’t stealthy, but I didn’t care. I loved this woman, and I wasn’t about to hide that. Once I came down from my orgasm, she removed her fingers from inside me.
“Your turn,” I stated as I faced her, topless and my pants still at my ankles.
“Not now, sweetheart—tonight. I couldn’t wait another second to get my hands on you.”
She moved around me to the sink to wash up, and I held her from behind. We looked at each other in the mirror again, and I got up on my tippy-toes to kiss her shoulder.
“I love you, and I love us. I can’t wait for this honeymoon. I’m going to fuck you all over Greece. We might even get banned for indecency.” I laughed as she tilted her head toward me and gave me a sweet kiss.
“I love you, too, and this life together is only beginning.” She dried her hands on the towel, then gave me a little spank. “You walk out first, and I’ll come a little later.” She picked up my shirt and handed it to me while I pulled up my jeans.
I slid it over my head. “Yeah, you will. Over and over again if I have anything to say about it.” I raised my eyebrows up and down while smirking.
“Go on, you sex fiend. I’ll see you in a bit. Try to be cool, okay?”
“I’m always cool. No one will be the wiser.” I opened the door to slip out and ran right into Ty.
“Well, well, well. What have you been up to?”
“Me?” My voice cracked, and Ty looked even more skeptical.
“Yes, you. If I walk in the bathroom, will I find Leia?”
“No! She isn’t in there,” I said louder than needed. “But the toilet is broken, so I’d use a different bathroom.” I tried to shoo him away.
“I just need to wash my hands,” he countered.
Just then, Leia opened the door and patted Ty on the shoulder. “It’s all yours, bud.” She smiled smugly and went to join the party in the dining room.
“I knew it!” He pointed at me accusingly, but I wasn’t ashamed.
“So what? We had a quickie. Can you blame me? That woman is intoxicating.”
“Well, I can’t confirm that because I’m allergic to cats, but I’m happy for you. And I won’t tell anyone.” He mimed, zipping his lips. “But my intuition is never wrong.”
“Thank you, and I’m happy for you, too. David is the best. And you’re going to run out there and tell him.” I walked down the hall and heard him cackling, and I figured I was right.
After dinner, we all sat around while Ty regaled us with the story of Greg getting the boot at work. I never thought he would get fired after being there for so long, but he had let his personal life take precedence over work. I didn’t know if Steph was still a part of that life, but I honestly didn’t care.
Greg showed his true colors when Tom told him it was time to go, and he threw a tantrum. Seeing a grown man stomp and cry and scream about how this company would be nothing without him made me realize I had been right about him all along.
As the night was winding down, I had one more surprise I wanted to do. I’d texted Toni before she came to tell her my plan, and she was more than willing to help. It was hard to be sneaky with so many people around, so I decided to do it in front of everyone.
“Hey, all. I want to thank you again for coming. This has been an awesome night, and we really will miss you.”
“Let’s be real. I doubt we’ll be a second thought in your mind while you and Leia are… seeing the sights,” Ty chimed in, and I laughed.
“That’s probably true, but we do love you and we’re glad you made it. I asked Toni for a special favor tonight, and I want you all to witness it.”
Toni brought out her tools and laid them on the table. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I was excited but also a little nervous. I’d never been a fan of needles, and the thought of them being repeatedly jabbed into my arm was making me second-guess my decision. But seeing the look on Leia’s face made my fear dissipate.
“Sweetheart, what are you doing?” Lay questioned.
“I’ve asked Toni if she’ll give me a tattoo that connects to your puzzle piece. I want it to be your match. That way, when we walk side by side, they’ll fit together—like us. Yours says, ‘ti trovero’ or, ‘I’ll find you.’ Mine will say, ‘mi hai trovato’ or, ‘you found me.’”
Tears were welling up in Leia’s eyes. She rushed to me and took my face in her hands as she placed the sweetest kiss on my lips.
“You mean everything to me, and you don’t have to do this. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m not doing this out of obligation. I’m doing this because I love you, you complete me, and I want a piece of you with me at all times.”
She gazed into my eyes and then kissed the top of my head like she always did. “You don’t have any idea what this means to me.”
“Well, it means a lot to me, too—possibly even more. Babe, before you, I was walking around on my own as if I didn’t need anyone or anything. I thought I was happy, but I had no idea what happy was. You made me see things with brand-new eyes. With your love, you chiseled away my protective wall, and I opened my heart to you, which has been, hands down, the best decision I’ve ever made.” I stared into those beautiful, misty eyes.
“Everything always leads back to you. Life without you wasn’t really living. Love without you wasn’t really loving. And being without you is no longer an option. You’re mine, and I’m yours—in the past lives, in this life, and for all the future lives we get. But when we meet again, our souls will look back at this moment right here, and know that we had the greatest love of all.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, not even Ty’s.
You are the sun that brightens my days and the moon that guides my nights. I’d be lost without you. Leia wiped the tears off my cheeks and studied me one more time.
“Let’s get this show on the road!” Ty yelled, and it was obvious he was trying to play off his emotions. “You might be crying for a different reason once it starts.” He chuckled, and I gave him a warning glare.
Needless to say, this was a night I would never forget. It was full of laughter, fun, love, and Ty losing an eyebrow, but that was a story for another time. What I would remember the most was the feeling I had every minute I spent with Leia. And I said a special thanks to the universe for letting me get to relive that over and over.