Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Maybe he should’ve.
Finally he sneaked into a parking spot, feeling vindicated he hadn’t let Robbie buy him an SUV as he’d threatened. It never would’ve fit.
Training with Willow and Bentley had run late this week because they were gearing up for a competition, so he’d come right here from the rink. Robbie should be inside already with their tickets.
“Finn! There you are. Oh my God, you’re going to be late.”
Imogen, apparently, was not content to wait inside. Finn closed the car door and locked it. “The show doesn’t start until seven thirty.”
“There’s no reserved seating. Robbie’s getting hit on by every single parent in a twenty-yard radius.” She thrust a custom-printed ticket into his hands. “And also some couples who are giving off a vibe.”
Ah. Now Finn understood. He shook his head. “I’ll be right there. Shouldn’t you be backstage anyway?”
As if on cue, Imogen’s walkie-talkie crackled at her hip. “Hey, Imogen, we’re missing a Pink Lady. Has anyone seen Megan?”
Imogen’s eyes went wide. “I gotta go.”
“Break a leg!” Finn yelled after her as she rushed into the building. He wasn’t sure if you were supposed to say that to the stage crew, actually, but it seemed better than accidentally jinxing it.
He followed at a more sedate pace, in no particular hurry to save Robbie from his throng of admirers. Robbie could take care of himself. If he were worried about it, he would’ve waited for Finn.
Honestly he probably wanted Finn to make a dramatic entrance, even though this was supposed to be Sawyer’s big night.
For a moment, Finn second-guessed himself, but it was too late now. Sawyer would be too focused to notice, and Robbie wasn’t going to mind. He handed his ticket to the poodle-skirted theatre nerd outside the auditorium, dodged the hint of recognition in their eyes, and made his way inside.
It didn’t take long to find Robbie. He was sitting in the front row, surrounded by a respectable throng of other parents, manspreading just enough that he’d saved a seat for Finn next to him.
His eyes lit up when he saw Finn, and he stood up, and Finn let that draw him in and make him bold.
He weaved through the crowd until he was next to Robbie and leaned up for a kiss. “Hey, babe. Sorry I’m late.”
Robbie didn’t let him get away with just one kiss; he pulled him back for another, warm but chaste. “All good. Willow and Bentley run you ragged?”
“They’re running each other ragged,” Finn said wryly. “The worst part is reminding them their bodies still need to rest.” He definitely hadn’t been that motivated at their age.
Robbie introduced him to the other parents—Finn promptly forgot all their names and only felt a tiny bit bad about it—and they made mindless small talk for a few minutes before an announcement on the PA let them know it was time to take their seats so the show could begin soon.
Once the crowd dispersed, Robbie tugged Finn down into their seats with a near-manic smile. “Really?” he said a little hoarsely, a little strained, holding Finn’s left hand up between them. “You’re doing this to me today?”
Finn felt the heat rising in his face, but he didn’t back down. “You said I couldn’t put it on before you were ready, because you already were.”
“So you decided to spring it on me at Sawyer’s off-Broadway debut?” Robbie asked incredulously as he rubbed his thumb over the engagement ring. “God, you’re just as bad as we are. A little drama queen. No wonder I love you so much.”
“Drama princess,” Finn corrected, deadpan.
“Finn,” Robbie murmured and leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. “Babygirl, behave yourself, we’re at a high school play. I can’t ravish you in the bathroom.”
Finn shivered. He didn’t really want Robbie to ravish him right now, since he’d been looking forward to this night out for months, but that didn’t mean Finn couldn’t flirt back. He fluttered his lashes and murmured, “What about after the show?”
“Be good,” Robbie murmured, “and maybe I’ll book us in to check off another hotel from your list this weekend.”
That set another shiver down Finn’s spine.
Over the past year, Robbie had sunk thousands of dollars into the local economy in the name of indulging Finn’s kink.
For their one-year anniversary, he booked them into the Four Seasons in Downtown Toronto for two nights so he had time to fuck Finn across every surface of the room.
Finn had joined him an hour after Robbie checked in, his heart thumping against his ribs as he crossed the lobby and rode up the elevator in a trench coat that covered his frilly fem lingerie.
No one recognized or stopped him, and Finn was so turned-on by the time Robbie opened the door that he was dizzy with it.
Robbie liked the lingerie so much he destroyed it. Finn mourned its loss, but the retail therapy he engaged in afterwards, buying several lacy skirts and underthings, had gone a long way to comforting him. And Robbie.
“I can be so good,” Finn promised and Robbie brushed a kiss to his cheek and sat back. But he didn’t let go of Finn’s hand. Instead he linked their fingers together and ran his thumb back and forth over the ring.
Finn settled his head on Robbie’s shoulder and waited for the show to start, reveling in being able to do so.
In a bid to keep media attention off Robbie and Sawyer as much as possible and to avoid giving that ammunition to Mr. and Mrs. Dickhead, they kept their relationship out of the public eye for months after the show.
Thank God Zulma had been good on her word and Sawyer’s custody hearing was scheduled before the end of summer.
Finn’s stomach was in knots for weeks leading up to it, but all his worry was for naught.
The judge was very unimpressed by Sawyer’s transphobic grandparents and pleased by Robbie’s efforts to make room for Sawyer in his home and his life.
When Eugene pulled out a copy of the contract offer from Florida three years ago, the one that Robbie turned down as a free agent for an inferior contract in Toronto so he could be closer to his nephew, she smiled.
“Florida doesn’t have state income tax,” Eugene pointed out.
“Yes. I think they also won the Cup that year.”
Eugene shrugged. “So they’re probably happy Robbie turned them down. And so is Robbie, because his parental responsibilities for his nephew steadily increased ever since he took up permanent residence in Toronto.”
Sawyer had freaked out about that tidbit, demanding to know why Robbie never told him, and seriously why would Robbie give up millions of dollars just for him, and, “Robbie, I could have been in a Cup parade!”
Robbie had rolled his eyes. “You’re too big to sit in the Cup anyway, kid.”
“We’ll never know now!” the kid had decried, and Robbie, who’d just gotten full custody, had hugged Sawyer close and kissed his hair and said, “Love you, kid.”
“You’re so gross,” Sawyer said but hugged him back.
Custody granted, Robbie had gone to work with a skip in his step and a bi pin attached to his lapel. It took the internet about 3 seconds to spot the pin, ask questions, and freak out.
Robbie had carefully calculated his coming out so he could wear his identity and his pride, so no one could ascribe shame to him. He told Finn during late-night conversations about how important he thought it was to be a role model in this.
The coming out of their relationship was a whole other thing.
The bastard had posted a picture of Finn drinking coffee, his hair a bedhead riot early one Sunday morning, and then followed it up a few hours later with one of Finn’s cold mug left on the coffee table and asked, Is anyone else’s boyfriend allergic to finishing a cup of coffee? #cohabitationgrowingpains
The internet had exploded with the gleeful vindication of Dance Your Ice Off fans.
Robbie pressed a kiss to the top of Finn’s head, still thumbing his ring, as the lights dimmed and the music swelled.
It was time. Finn straightened upright so he wouldn’t miss a single moment.
Kids streamed onto the stage for the opening number, “Alma Mater.” They caught their first glimpse of Sawyer during the reprise, but his true entrance on stage wasn’t until about ten minutes in, and Finn was practically on the edge of his seat when Sawyer finally swaggered across the stage in his rolled-up blue jeans, white tee, and leather jacket.
He’d grown his hair out for the part and Robbie had worried about dysphoria, but it turned out the only thing he should have been concerned about was vanity.
He had to yell at the kid to hurry it up more than once lest they be late for school drop-off.
Now that he was in costume with his hair slicked back, Finn had to acknowledge, the kid looked good.
He sounded damn good too—his voice was clear and melodic when he sang the opening lines to “Summer Nights.’” Finn squeezed Robbie’s hand.
Pride was bubbling up through his chest, and he couldn’t imagine what Robbie might be feeling in this moment.
And not just because Sawyer was his kid.
His kid was on stage playing Danny Zuko and killing it.
By intermission, Robbie was glowing, and by the time the standing ovation ended and the kids were free to leave the stage, his eyes were glistening with tears.
He wrapped the still-costumed Sawyer in a tight hug and murmured words of praise in his ear. Finn didn’t catch it all, but he could tell from the looks on both their faces that Robbie had gushed.
Sawyer wiped his eyes and turned to Finn and accepted his congratulatory bouquet. And then he freaked the fuck out.
“Oh my God! Are you trying to upstage me?” He jumped into Finn’s arms and hugged him tight. “When is it happening? Please tell me Imogen and I get to be best man and maid of honour. Are you going to be a Zeiger now? Or are we going to be Grahams? I guess we could all double-barrel—”
“Woah, kid, slow down. It’s been like two hours.”
“Wow. You really did want to steal my thunder. Not gonna lie, not sure if that’s cringe or savage.”
“Oh, definitely savage,” Robbie said with a smile.
Sawyer groaned. “Gross, papa bear, gross.”
“And to answer your question—well, one of them, anyway.” He linked his fingers with Finn’s and squeezed them tight again. Then, shooting a beaming smile at them both, he finished that thought. “I was thinking the two of us should go all in on joining the Graham clan.”
“Yeah?” Sawyer lit up. “I have to go tell Imogen, right now!” He ran off and they lost him in the crowd of teens and families.
Not that Finn was trying to keep tabs. He was too busy staring at Robbie.
“You serious?”
He shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I actually like your family.”
“Robbie Zeiger, you better not be messing with me—”
Robbie shut him up with a kiss. “What, you thought I’d be too ‘Chad Alpha’ to take your name, babygirl?
” he murmured once he finally came up for air.
“You know, I have it on good authority that kind of gender-essentialist thinking can be a product of internalized toxic masculinity. You should probably get that checked out.”
Finn laughed. “You’re a menace, and I’m confiscating your gender studies textbooks.”
“Noooo,” Robbie whined. “Don’t take my learning!”
Finn shook his head and leaned in. “Shut up and kiss me, Robbie Graham.”
Robbie purred, “With pleasure, my dear. You know I only ever follow your lead.”