Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Matteo
Two Months Later
Sleepiness still makes my eyelids heavy as I reach my arm back behind me and wrap it around Theo’s neck.
“ Mi precioso, ” I whisper, cutting myself off on a groan when Theo’s thick cock pulls out, just to push back in one purposeful thrust. “We need to get up.”
He shakes his head, his lips ghosting along the back of my neck, and his breaths are heavy as he continues his slow movements. “Not yet.”
“The camp?—”
“Can wait,” he growls, wrapping his hand around my leaking length. “Everyone can fuck off until my baby comes.”
His words, the way he takes masterful command of my pleasure, his steady strokes, and his hand all bring me to the edge. I spill around his fingers with a choked cry which soon turns to a whimper when I feel his hot cum sliding out my hole and coating the sheets beneath me.
Cooing softly in my ear, he snuggles against my back. He kisses the top of my head and pulls out slowly. “I love you, Matteo.”
I smile because how am I lucky enough to have woken up like this every day for the last two months? In the arms of the man I love, I’ve spent every day with him by my side. Things haven’t been easy. The road to accepting what we’ve done has taken time, and we’re still walking that path together.
“So, we have to get up?” he asks. He huffs when I nod. “What is Jarred having us do today?”
Scooting closer to him, I wrinkle my nose as I think. “Um, I’m not too sure. I think we’re laying the foundation today.”
Turns out, Jarred not only wanted to expand the services Camp Acceptance provided but also the camp itself. We’ve been on a strict building schedule since Theo and I moved up to the Carolina mountains. Of course, neither of us are qualified builders, but we’ve managed to help, especially considering Jarred has welcomed us with open arms and no expectations of rent or anything.
I turn in Theo’s arms and look at his elegantly freckled face. He hasn’t complained once about the manual labor, or the fact there’s shitty reception here, or anything else that one could think of when leaving their entire life behind. He’s been nothing but patient, nothing but loving, and even when we go through the hard times when guilt hits, we’ve done it together. He’s taken the time he’s needed all his life to finally dabble in his writing, and it’s brought him so much joy.
“Tell you what,” he starts, nibbling on the tip of my nose as he smiles. “You do the dishes from last night and I’ll take the trash out. Then we can shower and start the day.”
“Separately,” I tease, knowing if we take one together, we’re not coming out. I nudge him with my foot. “Okay. Let’s go.”
He chuckles as we get out of bed. Our cabin is tiny—only one room—but we’ve decorated it with all the things that bring us comfort. Theo has his model trains in the corner of the room, while my gaming station is hooked up to the television in front of the ratty couch. I smirk as I pull on a pair of underwear, not bothering to clean any evidence of Theo off my body and make my way to the kitchen. I start on the dishes we used last night when we decided to try out a new recipe and hum under my breath as I do.
There’s a lot of quiet out here. Some might say too much quiet. It’s the kind of serene solitude that gives one time for quiet contemplation, and it’s in these moments of being alone that I let my mind drift.
It drifts to the church I left behind and the vow I broke. It drifts to the reality of our situation. Maybe we’ll never truly receive forgiveness for our actions, and maybe we’re benefiting from such a terrible thing. Maybe our souls aren’t salvageable after all the pain we’ve caused?—
I drop the plate and a loud crash echoes through the cabin. Shards of glass sting my skin, blood pooling from the cuts, but I’m frozen in place.
Because I hear it.
I hear…
It’s warm. It levitates me off the ground. I’m surrounded by tendrils of light and love. I can’t make out the words, just like I couldn’t the first time, but the message is clear.
I hear…
Him .
“Fuck! Matteo!”
Theo comes rushing beside me, his eyes wide with worry as he takes in the state of my hand. “Baby, are you okay? We need to get Jarred to look at this…”
He says more, but it doesn’t reach my ears. I’m smiling softly to myself, my eyes drifting shut as I let the sensation wash over me.
“Matteo?” Theo questions, shaking me a bit. “Are you okay?”
And it’s with everything that I am and everything that I will be that I answer.
“Yes.”