EPILOGUE JUNE - THE REED LAND, NORTH CAROLINA
Now playing: Don’t Blame Me - Taylor Swift
“Gotta say, Si, I’m glad you went back to the clean cut and the short hair. Don’t get me wrong, the longer hair and the face scruff didn’t look bad, but you really did look like your dad with a fake tan. It was creepy,” Evan said with a laugh, leaning over the porch railing next to me.
“Wow, thanks, you dick,” I said sarcastically, looking out at the yard.
We had four days off this month, and we were taking advantage of it.
Cal opted not to go back up to Philly yet, his sister confessing she’d sent way more of Cal’s shit down here than she probably should've, all of which was still in boxes scattered across the living room. We hadn’t had the mind to unpack them yet, especially since Evan and Lena both decided to come with us to North Carolina for the break.
Evan coming wasn’t anything new, he always did in the summertime. But having Lena and Cal? It was a fever dream.
We were having another bonfire tonight. It was all set up, though the sun was still too high to light it.
Lena was with the twins, dancing in front of a phone, definitely making TikToks.
Maverick and Scott were messing around with the four wheelers that I was trying to convince Cal to let me take him out on.
Jayme and Shannon were sitting in the lawn chairs, watching my brothers kick a soccer ball.
And Cal… Cal was playing with them, smiling and laughing, like he belonged right here. Like this was his home.
“So,” I said, my palms sweating against the wood of the railing. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Well, that’s never fucking good,” Evan said, straightening up to look at me.
I glared at him, but my gaze went back to Cal. Colin was play attacking him, and Cal had him thrown over his shoulder as he scooped Vega into his other arm. They were all laughing, the sound carrying across the yard.
“I’m gonna ask him to marry me,” I blurted out.
“You’re gonna what?” Evan asked, wide eyed. “Si, you two have been back together what? Five months?”
“I waited almost ten years for this, Ev. I’m not waiting any longer,” I said, looking at him.
“You’re fucking insane,” he said, shaking his head. “And so is he. Because I know he’s going to say yes.”
The certainty settled in my chest, warm and solid. I felt that way too, but hearing someone else say it, someone who knew us both, made the anxiety ease just a fraction.
Evan frowned, looking confused. “I’m kind of confused, though. I just figured when this happened, it would be Cal that asked. Like… isn’t that his job?”
I frowned. “Why? Is this like a ‘cause it’s the man’s job’ thing? Cause we’re both men.”
“No, no!” Evan stammered. “I just meant like… isn’t that the man man’s job?”
I burst out laughing. “What the fuck is a ‘man man’?”
Evan turned bright red. “You know! Like… The one who… drives the car!”
“So in your mind,” I said, grinning, “whoever the top is, it’s their job to propose?”
Evan pointed a finger at me. “Yes! Exactly. That logic holds up.”
I stared at him. Then I started laughing harder. “So… you think Cal should propose?”
Evan paused. He looked at Cal, who was currently wrestling two teenagers with effortless strength. Then he looked at me.
“Wait,” Evan whispered, horror dawning on his face. “You… you don’t top that prick?”
I grinned and shook my head. “Like twice. Ever.”
Evan’s jaw dropped. He looked like his entire worldview had just shattered. “Oh my god. I can never look at either of you again. I didn’t need to know any of this! Even if I did joke about it, I didn’t want to actually know who was the pitcher and who was the catcher!”
“You seriously looked at the two of us and thought I topped him?” I asked, egging him on.
“I don’t know!” Evan yelled, throwing his hands up. “I don’t know what the gays do! I just liked giving Cal shit to get under his skin!”
He shuddered, rubbing his face. “Okay. Whatever. Erasing that from the memory bank. So… when are you doing this?”
“After Heatwave,” I said, my gaze drifting back to Cal. “The week break is then. I’m gonna ask him when we get back here.”
Evan smiled, recovering. “Well, I guess I’m gonna have to come up with a convincing lie to tell your husband so we can go buy him a ring when we make our stop in Toronto next week.”
“He isn’t my husband yet. He’s gotta say yes first,” I reminded him.
Evan clapped a hand on my shoulder, looking out at the man who was currently holding my entire heart in his hands.
“He’ll say yes,” Evan said. “You know he will.”
I watched Cal laugh, the sound bright and free in the summer air. I thought about the ring. I thought about the ladder match. I thought about the rest of our lives.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I do.”
To be continued…