Epilogue
EPILOGUE
TWO MONTHS LATER
Liam’s jaw hit the ground. He squeezed Tate’s hand so hard his man flinched.
“Sorry,” he whispered through a tight throat. “It’s just… I didn’t expect this.”
Tate grinned at him with the same smile he’d worn for the past two months. The new smile. The one that developed the day Liam was released from the hospital and had graced those luscious lips so many times since. It was light, happy, free, and full of love. Liam could live on those smiles for the rest of his life.
And he planned to.
“Shit,” he whispered. “I might cry.”
Tate moved in behind him. He circled his arm around Liam’s waist and rested his chin on Liam’s shoulder. “No one will think any less of you if you do,” he said before kissing Liam’s cheek. “Everyone is here because they love you.”
The past two months had been unlike any other time in his life. After a thorough assessment, the fire chief determined the studio building was foundationally unstable, which meant they couldn’t safely stay in the apartment until repairs had been made.
They’d been staying in Tate’s trailer, which was as interesting as it sounded. Some of the trailer park residents were open and friendly, while others had dished out some impressive side-eye at him living with Tate. A few were openly hostile, calling slurs and throwing rocks at Liam’s car. Tate was aggressive in his defense of Liam and their relationship, going toe-to-toe with anyone who so much as glared in their direction. And wonders of wonders, Randy also came to their defense, standing by Tate’s side at every turn.
“Maybe you should say something,” Tate whispered.
“Oh, yeah. I can do that.” He turned his head and found Tate’s lips for a quick kiss. Well, it was meant to be quick, but Tate, the sexy sneak, slipped his tongue into Liam’s mouth and upped the ante. “Damn,” he said when the kiss finally ended. “You’re sexy. Any chance you’d be interested in a date when we’re done today?”
Chuckling, Tate shook his head. “Can’t, sorry. I already got a man. He’s the kinda guy who’ll poison my food if I so much as look at another dude.”
That had Liam laughing. “And don’t you forget it,” he said, pinching Tate’s buff arms.
Tate released him. “Go speak to your admirers,” he said before swatting Liam’s ass playfully.
“Hey, hands off the goods, buddy. You think your boyfriend is scary, you should meet mine.” He winked, then turned to face the crowd milling around outside his charred studio. Taking a few steps forward, he cleared his throat and peered at the people dressed in work clothes and carrying an assortment of tools. Jonah and their new friends were among the helpers. He’d never seen a pair of pink sparkly work overalls, but Trevor wore them well.
“Um, hey, everyone, I just want to say a few things before we get started.”
All eyes turned to him. It seemed as though half the town had come out to help demo the remains of his studio. With this many hands, a job he’d assumed would take him, Tate, and Randy days of grueling demo work should be done by the end of the day.
“I’m completely shocked by all of you being here to help us today. Shocked and more grateful than I can put into words.” His throat thickened again, and he blinked to keep from making a fool of himself and crying in front of all these people. “Uh, so before I start bawling like a baby, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for accepting me and giving up your weekend to help save my dream.”
“We love you, Liam!” Trevor shouted, making everyone holler and cheer.
His face heated to a thousand degrees. Being the center of attention didn’t bother him. Usually, he lapped it up, but this day was so emotionally charged nothing felt normal. “So, we’ve already gone through and salvaged what little was savable. Everything else is going. Two dumpsters were dropped off last night. Basically, we just need to fill them up. So, I guess, let’s do it.”
“Woo-hoo!” Someone shouted, and the crowd broke apart as people went straight to work shoveling ash and burned debris to deposit in the dumpsters.
“Good job, Luxe,” Tate said as he hefted a sledgehammer onto his shoulder. A toolbelt hung low on his hips, loaded with various supplies. He wore a white tank, already soaked with sweat thanks to the late August heat. Liam would bet money Tate would lose the shirt in the next ten minutes, completing the work bare-chested.
“Geez, baby, how the hell am I supposed to do anything today when you look like that?” he asked, waving a hand at Tate’s general sexiness.
His man’s smile turned lascivious. “Oh yeah? You like this construction vibe I have going on?”
“Like it,” he whispered. “I’m half hard already. You look like you walked right off the set of half the porn videos out there.”
“Really?” Tate arched an eyebrow and stroked a hand up the length of the sledgehammer’s handle. “So you like my big tool, do you?”
A loud laugh burst from him. “It’s very impressive.”
Tate stepped close enough to whisper in Liam’s ear. “When we’re done here, I’ll show you how to use it.”
Tate’s warm breath tickled Liam’s cheek, sending shivers across his skin.
“No need for a lesson. I’m already very skilled with big, thick tools and willing to show you what I know.”
“Shit,” Tate whispered. He reached down and adjusted himself. “You’re fucking dangerous.”
“Thank you.”
Tate kissed him hard and quickly before walking backward toward the building. “Don’t work too hard, Luxe,” he said with a wink. “You’re going to need some energy for later.”
“I don’t know,” Liam said with a smirk. “We should probably go to bed early tonight, considering you have your first official job tomorrow. You don’t want to show up all tired from fucking all night.” He bit his lower lip when Tate growled.
“I think I can manage.”
“I’m proud of you, Tate.”
God, he loved it when Tate’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. But it was the damn truth. He was so proud of his man. He’d left Larkin’s company, taking Randy with him, and tomorrow, they had their first job as the Sutton Brothers Tile Company. Daryl stayed behind, but he’d been off since the fire and Ducky’s arrest. Liam still hoped he’d come around one day as Randy was, but he wouldn’t hold his breath. There was too much good in his life now to let negative people in.
“Stop trying to embarrass me and do some work, Luxe,” Tate said with a chuckle before turning and making his way over toward Randy to begin tearing down what remained of the studio.
He watched his man until that gorgeous ass was bent over helping Randy, then he had to tear his gaze away or risk heat stroke. As he glanced around at the fifty or so people who’d volunteered their time without even being asked, a realization washed over him.
He’d done it. This, right here, was the entire reason he’d moved to Swan. There he stood, in the town where he’d once been brutalized, surrounded by members of his community who loved and supported him. Who didn’t care that he had a boyfriend or if they kissed in the parking lot for all to see. They accepted him and Tate for who they were.
Was it perfect? No. Swan still had plenty of close-minded residents who hadn’t and might never reverse their backward thinking. But he lived in a town where he had amazing friends, a boyfriend he loved to distraction, a business that would be back up and running soon, and more supporters than haters. It was a huge leap in the right direction for Swan, Oklahoma, and exactly what he’d set out to achieve.
“CHRIST, LUXE, WHAT’S gotten into you?” Tate managed as his back hit the wall, and a very sexy dancer rubbed up all over him.
“You,” Liam said before he scraped his teeth over Tate’s nipple, causing sharp pleasure to shoot down to his balls. “Been stuck watching you work shirtless all damn day. Every time you bent over in these damn jeans, I had to adjust my cock. You knew it too. You’ve been fucking torturing me all goddamn day.”
Tate couldn’t help but laugh because Liam hit the nail on the head, but his humor turned to a lusty moan when Liam’s hand slipped into his boxer briefs and wrapped around his dick.
“Luxe…” He thrust into Liam’s talented hand. “I fucking love your hands on me, but let me shower first. I’m filthy.”
“Mmm, you are,” Liam said before licking a path up Tate’s neck. “I love you like this.” He sucked Tate’s earlobe while squeezing his cock.
He should put up a fight. He should insist on a shower, but those hands and that mouth felt too damn good. “Fuck it.” He grabbed the back of Liam’s head and crushed their mouths together. After a day of hard labor, his back was sore, and his shoulders ached. There’d been a twinge in his hip all afternoon too. But all of it evaporated when Liam’s sweet flavor hit his tongue.
“What do you want?” he asked after long minutes of making out and groping against his bedroom’s locked door. His mom wasn’t home, and Randy knew better than to barge in these days, but they’d been burned before, and he did not want to risk it.
“I want what you promised me.” Liam nipped Tate’s lower lip as he stroked him and played with his balls. At some point, he’d rid Tate of his pants and shucked his own as well. “I want your big tool. I want you to pound me with it so hard I… oof!”
Tate shoved Liam onto the bed. He landed with a bound and a squeak.
“Roll the fuck over,” he barked. His cock was hard enough to rival the sledgehammer he’d spent the day working with.
“Yes,” Liam muttered as he flipped onto his stomach in record time. He shoved his silky briefs down and kicked them off before pushing up onto all fours.
Tate wasted no time coating his fingers with lube and working them inside his boyfriend.
Liam cried out, arching his back as Tate scissored his fingers. “Fuck prep. Just give me your cock, baby. Please.”
Damn, that was hot. His own cock still drooled with need, so he took a second to work Liam open a bit so as not to hurt him.
“Tate, I’m not kidding. Fuck prep and fuck me.”
“So fucking bossy,” Tate muttered with a snicker as he withdrew his finger. He smoothed his lubed hand over his cock, transferring the slick moisture, then he notched the tip against Liam’s hole. His lover barely sucked in a breath before Tate drove inside.
“Oh, fuck, yes,” Liam shouted. “That’s what I wanted.”
“Really?” he said as he tried to keep his eyes from crossing. Liam’s strangling heat did that to him every time. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Fuck. Off,” Liam said around his mixed laughter and moans.
Tate kissed his way up Liam’s back as they took a second to adjust to the overwhelming sensations. “Gimme that mouth,” he muttered when he reached Liam’s face.
Liam turned his head, and they kissed as Tate fucked him. The angle was awkward, and there wasn’t an ounce of finesse, but the sloppy, desperate kiss had him drilling into Liam until the bed slammed into the thin wall, rocking the entire trailer.
“God, Tate, so good. Nothing better,” Liam practically wailed as Tate nailed his prostate. They’d done it enough times over the past few months that Tate had him memorized inside and out. They’d also done it enough times to be considered addicts, but Tate saw no problem with that. He was happy to give Liam his fix as often as necessary.
“Love you, Luxe,” he whispered before sucking on Liam’s neck in a way that had him moaning.
“Love you too.”
Tate thrust harder, sucked stronger.
“Oh, yes, Tate. Love you, love you, love you.”
He grinned as he reached around and took his man in his hand.
This right here—the love, the laughter, the pleasure, the closeness, the acceptance—this was worth every agonizing day he’d spent hiding his true self.
Life wasn’t perfect. Tate was nervous as hell about being a business owner. He’d had more than half a dozen meltdowns in the past few weeks, convinced he’d fail before he started, but Liam was there to talk him off the ledge every time. They had the stress of Ducky’s impending trial looming over their heads, and neither was deluded enough to think construction on the studio would be without its hiccups, but days like today and moments like this reduced every mountain they faced into a small bump in the road.