Epilogue #2
Jax’s stomach growled, and he picked up a chocolate horn from the pastry box, biting into it. “You read my mind.”
Cleaning up the wrapping paper, they had just enough time for a leisurely meal before Jax’s alarm went off.
“Okay, I have to go.” He stood, donning his new jacket, which was perfect for the early-fall weather.
Tristan drooped. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come along?”
Jax held strong against Tristan’s sad puppy face. “I want it to be a surprise.”
“It’s your birthday, I should be the one surprising you.” Was Tristan actually pouting? Jax bit his lip, trying not to laugh, and looped his arms around Tristan’s shoulders.
“You surprised me a bunch of times already. Especially in the shower.” His snooze went off, and he pecked Tristan’s lips. “Now I really need to go. See you at The Pointe.”
TRISTAN
“I finally get to congratulate you in person on becoming our first house videographer!” Tristan exclaimed, shaking Gideon’s hand. Now, whenever a client booked, Owen, Marci, and Tristan would recommend Gideon to document the event, and in exchange, he’d make some commercials for the wedding hall.
“Thanks, friend.” Gideon pulled him in, bumping his shoulder with a quick pat on the back, and the two of them took a step back as a couple of prep cooks walked past them into the kitchen.
Gideon stared after them for a few seconds and then focused on Tristan again.
“I’m already booking a ton. You’re gonna get tired of seeing my face. ”
“Never,” Tristan grinned. “You’re part of The Pointe’s family now.”
“And it’s a weird and wonderful family.” Gideon squinted at him. “How are you holding up? Excited? Nervous?”
“A lot excited. A little nervous.” Tristan admitted, shifting around with a sigh.
“Why?” Gideon leaned in. “You have this in the bag.”
That made Tristan laugh. “Thanks.”
“Where’s the birthday boy?” Owen walked down the main stairs. “Is he wrapped up in something else?”
Owen’s terrible sense of humor always made Tristan chuckle, but Gideon groaned.
“That’s workplace abuse!” His gaze shifted again. “Be right back.”
Owen watched Gideon hurry into the kitchen. “What’s in there?”
“I have no idea,” Tristan replied. “Maybe he’s hungry?”
“Where is Jax?” Owen asked, glancing at his watch.
“I wish I knew. He had to do something special, but he’ll be here soon.” Tristan examined the room with his ma?tre d’ eyes, making sure every detail was just so.
The black and silver color scheme was splashed with accents of red, and they’d used a font on the Happy Birthday banner that was usually reserved for serial killers.
But the best decorations were the glittery gas-mask centerpieces, which complemented the darker dinnerware, and Tristan nodded with satisfaction as his phone buzzed.
“Good,” he said as he checked the notification. “The driver said he and Gianna are on their way, so she should be here in an hour.”
“You paid for a car to pick her up?” Owen chuckled. “Well done! You’re scoring points with the mother-in-law.”
“I have to. Jax means everything to me.” Tristan said seriously, not expecting Owen’s face to become somber and intense.
“I know exactly how you feel. I would be lost without Liam.” Owen brightened a little. “Sometimes I can tell exactly what he’s thinking.”
Tristan gave Owen a knowing look. “I can read all of Jax’s tells.”
Letting out an echoing laugh, Owen slapped Tristan on the back. “Marci yells at me and Liam when we finish each other’s sentences.”
“Because you do it all the time!” Marci approached, as if calling her name had invoked her. “By the way, a few cars just pulled into the parking lot, so the party is about to start!”
Tristan was still fascinated by how quickly the main room could go from empty to full of life, and the sounds of greetings and laughter were already bouncing off the walls by the time Jax texted that he was heading to the hall.
Excusing himself from a conversation with Mae and Ollie, Tristan went outside to wait for him, rocking back and forth on his heels as he breathed in the crisp, autumn air.
Originally, it had been Angelo’s idea to throw Jax a birthday dinner at The Pointe, and Jax had refused several times, eventually folding when Angelo said he’d whip up something special.
Tristan was glad that Jax had said yes because that meal was going to be the cherry on top of a spectacularly important night.
Since Jax’s birthday fell on a day that The Pointe was closed, Owen had offered double pay to assist and join the party, and a surprising number of staff had accepted. Most people didn’t want to hang out with their coworkers, but Tristan couldn’t think of a better group to celebrate with tonight.
Jax’s car pulled up the long driveway and into the lot, and Tristan caught up to him as he parked.
“Hi!” Slowly getting out, Jax greeted him with a bright smile and a big kiss. “Is everyone here?”
“Pretty much,” Tristan grasped Jax’s hand, not wanting him to walk in just yet. “How did everything go?”
“Really good.” Jax’s eyes darted around, and he gestured to the other side of the car, where no one could see them from the windows.
Tristan could feel his brow wrinkling in confusion as they both moved over, and his mouth fell open as Jax quickly shed his new jacket and shiny silver t-shirt that had Birthday Bitch written across the front.
“What are you-” Tristan stopped when Jax turned away, showing him a shiny, see-through bandage over a part of his back tattoo. Moving closer, Tristan examined an intersection of two larger lines, where a J and T sat together, the swooping letters tangled at the top, as if they were embracing.
Tristan’s vision blurred, and he covered his mouth, not knowing what to say because his heart was in his throat, but Jax seemed happy about his loss of words.
Putting his shirt and jacket on again, Jax reached for Tristan’s hands, lacing their fingers together.
“You’ve had my heart forever.” The way Jax looked up at Tristan had him feeling like the luckiest man in the world, and he fought back tears. “And I wanted a visible sign of that, for everyone to see.”
“Jax…” Tristan sniffled, clearing his throat. “I have to get our initials somewhere on my body.”
“Hmmm,” Jax tilted his head, looking Tristan over with love-soaked eyes. “I’d like to see you with a tattoo.”
“I love you,” easily slipped from Tristan’s mouth, as it did many times a day, every day, and Jax’s demeanor brightened as he stood on his toes.
“I love you too,” he said softly, pressing his lips to Tristan’s.
Their kiss lasted a bit too long because Tristan didn’t want to stop tasting Jax, and by the time they parted, Tristan’s heart was racing.
“I thought I was supposed to give you a gift for your birthday.” He put his arm around Jax’s shoulders as they headed towards the building.
“This was for me as much as it was for you.” Jax stuck his hand in his pocket, and a few seconds later, Tristan’s phone buzzed.
Tristan should’ve known better, but he checked his messages. Eyebrows flying up, he fumbled with the device, quickly putting it away as his cheeks burned and his cock stirred with interest.
“You can’t send me that now ,” Tristan hissed as Jax snickered beside him. Thankfully, Tristan’s cock went back to sleep, but he couldn’t get the image out of his mind, how Jax’s ass curved just right, the skin shiny, wet, and luscious. “When did you take that picture?
“Yesterday, after my shower.”
“But how did you get…” Tristan leaned in, lowering his voice. “That angle?
Jax looked him up and down, his grin dangerous. “I’ll show you later.”
With that promise, Jax led the way, and they walked into the main room to cheers and applause .
“W-Wow!” Jax laughed in pure joy, and Tristan stopped to watch, treasuring that happiness and keeping every single one of those smiles in his heart.
At this point, Tristan wanted to introduce Jax to his parents. In the ten years he’d been with Eve, they’d only met her once, which was telling.
Since Jax couldn’t travel by plane, Tristan would bring them here. It was about time they saw the life he’d built, because he was proud of it. He’d developed his own strength, landed a wonderful job, and surrounded himself with friends who were family.
But the best part was that he had an amazing, talented, and stunning soulmate by his side, someone who completed him, and Tristan couldn’t wait to love Jax for the rest of eternity.
JAX
Jax knew that there was going to be a party; he’d even gone over the guest list, but seeing everyone gathered together, celebrating him? It made him realize that he’d been wrong in the emergency room.
His life wasn’t over; in fact, it was just beginning. Sure, he was still in pain, and he might always be, but some days were better than others, and he had wonderful people around him, including the love of his life, who helped in every way possible.
Overflowing with joy, he sat down at the head of a tall table, his mother on one side and Tristan on his other.
“I can’t believe you brought this all the way from our apartment!” He pointed down at his special-order chair.
“Of course I did.” Tristan drew close, kissing Jax’s temple. “I wanted you to be comfortable for your birthday dinner.”
Jax’s lips parted in awe. “You’re perfect.”
“That’s my line.”
“Okay, I’ve seen enough.” Jax’s mother butted in. “Tristan, I still think you’re too old for my son. But I’ll get over it.”
Tristan blinked, shock on his face, but he recovered smoothly. “Thank you, Gianna, I love Jax very much.”
“I can tell.” She teared up. “You’ve made him happy again. I haven’t seen him smile like this in so long.” Yanking her enormous purse into her lap, she pulled out a leopard-print handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes.
“I promise, I’ll keep loving him.” Tristan stared into Jax’s eyes instead of hers, and Jax shivered as he felt their connection.